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Unfortunately, I could not finish this book. I really tried, I was so excited for a new fae book. This really barely had fae and I've been told it never mentions the word once all the way through the book by a reliable source. My biggest issue is there a lot discussion on incest between two foster siblings that grew up together. One is in a more care-taking role and tells the younger one to wait a bit longer before they are intimate. It's just so uncomfortable and I'm sure the author meant for it to be that. It just made me super uncomfortable and I didn't feel like it was marketed how it actually read. It was marketed to the fae crowd that like Holly Black and I think that is very misleading. This is going to be a really polarizing book, you'll either love it or hate it. They'll be no middle ground on this one I'm sure.

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I was ridiculously excited for this book, especially because I LOVED Vassa in the Night! Unfortunately for me, I could not even finish it. The plot was confusing and weird and the relationship between the two main characters made me uncomfortable. I tried to power through it in hopes it would get better, but life is short, man.

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I really wanted to love this book but it just didn't work for me. The characters fell flat and the atmosphere just didn't work well. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it just didn't do what I was hoping. The synopsis implies so much more than what the book delivered.

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Never Contented Things is a take it or leave it novel. The dark and twisted take on fairies is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I loved the ride. The pacing was great and I found myself invested fully into the story and the characters.

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How's that quote go from the movie Role Models? "I like the idea of it more than I actually like it." That dude was referring to soda, but I'm referring to this book.

There were certain things I enjoyed, including Ksenia's POV and her general character arc. I also appreciated the characters' diversity and how Porter covered trauma and the different ways it affects people. But I struggled with everything else.

Like in When I Cast Your Shadow, Porter delves into another weird brother-sister relationship (and by weird, I mean pretty gross), and it was like so much of the story was rehashing the codependency between Ksenia and Josh that not much else was developed. I felt nothing toward the fae-like creatures, who were supposed to be creepy and scary and strange, but they were just... strange. I think part of it was the way one of them spoke; it was like baby-esque gibberish that I couldn't take seriously.

I wanted to know how the story ended—out of curiosity rather than investment in the characters—so I skimmed quite a bit to find out. I think I just wanted a different tone for the whole book—more dread, more development into madness, and less quirkiness (which I never thought I'd say, but there it is). I do love Porter's imagination, and Vassa in the Night remains one of my favorite fantasy books, but this one was a miss for me.

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This is one of those books that I don't know how to review. I can clearly see the writer's skill with prose and the characters are all achingly real. The story is immersive, but almost too much so -- difficult to read (though I couldn't put it down). Difficult to root for the flawed characters (though I wanted to see what they did next). I sped through it, grimacing the whole time.

It was far, far darker than I expected. It was also unlike anything I've read in a long time, and I give extra accolades to anything that surprises me. I'm rating it 5-stars for how well it was written, but my warning is to be prepared for a car crash you can't look away from.

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No. Just couldn't finish this. I made it around 25% before I had to stop reading.

A few things lead to this decision.

First - I was completely bored. I get that you need some background and world building in the first bit, but that just dragged. You would see hints of fairies, but with a book based on fairies, I do wish they were more engaged in the first quarter of the book.

Second - The writing style was just the main character, Ksenia's, stream of thought... which was long, tedious, and rambling (and also goes with my first point). I just couldn't care how long it was taking her to figure things out, and her thoughts on her foster brother, Josh.

Third - The relationships in this book just seemed forced and cringe-worthy. Maybe near the end, it is better explained or a final decision about it is made... but, it just wasn't for me.

If anyone makes it past the %25 mark, maybe it gets better and the plot starts to move along. I do hope that is the case, I just can't make myself get past that point,

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I can't write a review for this book, unfortunately. The relationship between the main character and her foster brother josh is incestuous and incredibly triggering to me, as a survivor of CSA. It made reading the book impossible and trying to sickening. Apologies.

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Compared to the description and what we got I was completely disappointed and by 25% have given up. If you are planning on reading this because it is being geared towards fan of The Cruel Prince, I would suggest not too. NEVER-CONTENTED THINGS and THE CRUEL PRINCE are in two different realms content wise.Though I liked Porter's writing style that was all I could really say I did enjoy about this book. In what I read I was't expecting the strange and complex relationship that Josh and Ksenia have. For a book that is suppose to be about the fae from the 25% that I read there is no fae. None are even mentioned. Sadly this one wasn't for me.

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I wasn’t aware of the hard topics that are in this book when I requested to read it. The synopsis didn’t let on that there would be these topics. I was expecting something similar to The Cruel Prince but this was MUCH darker.
After the first part, I decided that I can’t force myself to read any more of it.

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3.5 “If you let yourself feel how empty the sky is, you know you’re always falling into an enormous hole.”

To start, if you are looking for a book like a certain cruel, wicked, and fae driven YA series (I was), this book will NOT make you happy. If you are looking to read something that has non-traditional main characters, dark fairies as an accessory, and a very dark magical Labyrinth (yes my age is showing) feel to it, then you will LOVE Never-Contented Things.

The relationships are unhealthy at best. There are betrayals, secrets, and lies. But at the heart of this story it’s kind of a question of forgiveness. Like how can we love someone who has wronged us? Can we forgive someone for wrongs they’ve done when they aren’t really themselves? Especially when it’s someone you can relate to so well. Someone who understands you on another level that no one else does.

“How can everything become nothing, just because someone did something wrong?”

Personally this story did not work for me. It may simply be because I had expectations from the synopsis that were in no way close to being met. I think this is a GOOD and unique story. One that hasn’t been told over and over in the YA world. I think being “fresh” works in Never-Contended Things favor. I grasp what the author was going for, and think that there is a very niche group of people who will LOVE this book. Sadly. I can’t sit at their table, because I didn’t love it.

I’m given this book a 3.5, and rounding up to 4 for goodreads because it is well written, unique, and takes you on a crazy dark (YA standard) ride. I don’t feel right rating it lower simply because it doesn’t appeal to me. That being said. I’d maybe edit the synopsis. In my opinion it is SERIOUSLY misleading to anyone who has read a certain other YA series.

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter is a YA Fantasy style novel set in modern times. Two foster siblings become involved in an odd group of what seem to be hippies in the forest and what ensues is a fight for soul survival.

I found this book a little too left of field for me. It was hard to engage with the characters and become involved in the story when I was constantly thinking what the? thats weird? I don't understand?

Some readers of Fantasy may enjoy this but I didn't really.

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I think Sarah Porter has a very specific audience for her books. If you like sort-of incestuous romance and no particular plot to speak of, you will enjoy this book.

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Reading this book was a big challenge for me. First of all, I deceived myself by believing Never-Contended Things would be similar to The Wicked King. But Never-Contended Things is a story under an absolutely different sauce. It's a tale of two foster kids Josh and Ksenia, who love each other more than anything, bordering on obsession. Faeries are just a side dish to Josh's and Ksenia's story.

Secondly, if you look deeper you'll see a story of codependents and almost-incest, though Josh and Ksenia are not blood-related, it still felt like their feelings for each other were too twisted for the average sibling relationship. Faeries were just an instrument to create a surrealistic atmosphere where everything is a turned upside down reminiscent version of our world, swirling around Josh's and Ksenia's feelings.

I was never a fan of surrealism or magic realism, so I was not able to grasp the concept of this story and to enjoy it fully. I was standing away like a passerby, observing the poisonous circle of lies, love, obsession and redemption, but I was not sympathizing with or feeling for Josh and Ksenia.

The language was lush and darkly alluring, the atmosphere electric with eeriness and magic. Sarah Porter masterly created a world full of magical and psychological references that blend together seamlessly. But in my opinion, it is a story for a narrow circle of readers who will be able to appreciate and understand the aforementioned references. Unfortunately or fortunately I am not that kind of reader.

Verdict: not my cup of tea!

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This book was ok but it didn't really wow me. I feel that with the multitude of fairy books available atm, you need something different to draw readers in, and this just didn't do that for me. I didn't bond with any of the characters and just felt the whole book fell a bit flat.

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I know faerie's are a big thing now, since Cruel Prince has been hyped up and well, I went into this because it seemed like it had the kinds of faeries that I love and personally enjoy. But no, just no. This book... this little book was a hot mess and it seemed like the author was struggling to string together a unique storyline. And the fact that it seemed she was so focused on making the faeries cruel... i think she tried too hard and it had no appeal.

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It was a little hard to get into at first but when I did, the story exploded. I really liked it. The world was awesome and the characters were epic.

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I’m a sucker for faeries. Anything with the Fey is an automatic read for me. I really liked the concept and Ksnenia and Lexi. The language was beautiful, and I swear I spent more time contemplating the chapter titles than doing anything else. Nowhere was so beautifully and imaginatively written.

I found Josh completely unredeemable. He was annoying and selfish and awful in every sense of the word. Reading his section was infuriating. That the Delbos family wanted to adopt him makes them awful in my mind, too. He was just the worst and I liked Ksenia a little less for liking him, despite their history. And there were far too many exclamation points when he talked.

I wish Xand’s death had more emotional resonance. I actually wish there had been a lot more reflection on the weight of things as they were happening because the emotions could have been teased out with her lovely writing.

All that said, I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read whatever Sarah Porter does next. She is a masterful writer.

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Truthfully, I am not sure how to write this review. I was not in love, or even in like, with this book. While there were bits and pieces I enjoyed, they were rather far and few between. Now that isn't to say that this was not a good book, because it was. It just wasn't the book for me. As a side note, I did skim a majority of this book.

Let's start with what I did enjoy: The three main characters were very diverse! Ksenia, often mistaken for a boy, is an androgynous character who likes both boys and girls. Josh is fun and flamboyant, also is interested in both boys and girls. Then finally, Lexi who initially has a boyfriend but then finds herself leaning towards girls. I also found myself enjoying the overall idea of the cruel faeries.

Now, what I was not the biggest fan of: Ksenia and Josh's relationship even though they were foster siblings and not blood-related. I'm not sure if it was the maturity level, the slight age gap, or something else entirely but it just did not sit right with me. The way Ksenia called Josh baby also was not my thing. Granted, this could have been the entire point the author was making with their relationship. Next, Josh as a character. I just couldn't with some of his actions. Not to mention the reactions of some of the characters. With the insanity that was happening, it was like the characters were thinking "well gee this is a little strange, but no big deal". Meanwhile I was thinking "um, this is a big freaking deal... why are you not freaking out more?!". It was too unrealistic to me. Lastly, the descriptions were too overdone for me. I found myself almost hyper-focusing on some of the descriptive words and losing what was even going on.

Again, this was not the book for me but that doesn't mean it won't be the book for someone else. I definitely suggest that you give it a chance and form your own opinion!

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I had such high hopes for this book but they were dashed horribly dashed. The story did not live up to the description. The characters were just weird and not likeable at all. The whole fae plot line didn't come about till far into the book and wasn't up to the hype. I am so disappointed with this story. I was really hoping this would be my favorite read of this year.

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