I stumbled upon “Teddy Bears Never Die” by Cho Yeeun completely by chance, but it turned out to be a great book. The story is basically a thriller that follows Hwayoung, who wants to avenge her mother’s murder, and Doha, a boy who wants to find out how his soul got stuck in a teddy bear’s body, while they team up against the underworld of the coastal town of Yamu.

Despite the cutesy cover this book was surprisingly bloody and gory while exploring themes of friendship, poverty, classism and human trafficking. It isn’t a book for weak-stomached people but I did actually have a lot of fun with this. I feel like there are some tiny plot holes but I was so enthralled with the story and the two main characters that I didn’t mind them too much.