Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of Never-Contented Things in exchange for an honest review!

DNF @ 20%

Did I just awaken from a fever dream? Never-Contented Things was so off the wall that I still have no idea what I just read.

The cover was really what drew me into this book, but that definitely wasn't enough to keep me in. I really wanted to love this book; I wanted to be in the minority of people who reviewed this. But, alas, Never-Contented Things definitely wasn't for me.

I'm not going to stress too much on the writing-style, because after awhile I adjusted to it; but it was very iffy in the beginning. The characters really weren't that great -- I didn't care for Ksenia at all. & her foster-brother, Josh, was fine in the beginning. I loved that he was glamorous & extravagant, but after awhile I just ended up annoyed by his neediness & obsession with Ksenia.

The main thing that I couldn't deal with was the incestuous vibes. Granted, Ksenia & Josh are not blood-related, but it was written in a way that made me so extremely uncomfortable. It probably didn't help how often it was mentioned that it was practically incest & that Ksenia acknowledged it as such.

The last chapter that I read -- the chapter that really made me set this book down -- had me so disturbed, and not in the way that I typically enjoy (when I watch or read something in the horror genre). It felt very rape-y & I just.. I couldn't do it, friends.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

The two words to most accurately describe this book? Creepily Strange.
While this book never names them, the antagonists in this book are fae, and this book is them what I would consider their most natural. These are most the shining elves or the misunderstood that can change from love. These fae may have human shape, but they are most definitely not human. And yet, this book is not about the fae.

This is a book about Ksenia, Josh, and Lexi. All three have their own parts-- sections of the book told from their point of view. One fae does get a chapter, but while it lead to the gritty atmosphere, I'm not sure if it did anything for the book. All three main characters are changed in someway and they grow, for the most part. Understanding why they had to change, is the basis for this book, I feel.

So, let me talk about the characters.
I adore Lexi. She isn't propped up as a main character until her section comes about. Until then, I just thought she'd be another background character. Lexi is a champion for consent in all things and everyone being allowed choices. She is presented as not-white, because of she father's lifestory, she understands her middle-class privilege, and she's not down with mean-spirited gossip. Lexi is one of the most woke characters I've ever read and honestly she even opened my eyes. The below lines are just one of the few moments that feel seared into my mind.
<i><b>“Will you listen to me, if I let go? Just for a minute?”
“My freedom is not something you can bargain with.”</b></i>

Ksenia took a while to grow on me, but wow did I feel for this girl. She's a foster kid with lots of baggage who doesn't open up completely to anyone, not even herself. There is so much I wish to say about Ksenia, but I can't without spoiling things. Her growth though, or how it comes about, is heartbreaking.

Josh out of all three is the one I don't really like, but at the same time I can't NOT like him. His kindness, warmth, and radiance truly shine through the pages. He is the light by which Ksenia's character is somewhat defined by, and therein lies some of the problems that come about. I can't blame him for anything that happens, you can only hope that he'll get therapy to help. What comes about because of his decisions, what happens to Ksenia and him is what almost brought me to tears. Because truly, I was able to connect to these characters and even though I wasn't enthralled with his section, he is a character you just want to see happy.

There are some LGBTQA themes here and while this most definitely isn't a romance novel, there is a slight romantic edge to this book. tFYI, there is no straight up sex in this novel, but it is mentioned and there is kissing.
See, this book is about looking deeply at yourself and also about love in it's different forms-- good and bad.

This book has a creepy feel to it with the bizarre things that happen. It is darkly atmospheric and while I wasn't always 100% hooked, the writing is really well done; I always wanted to know how it would end.
I'd recommend this to people who like darker books and are looking for something a little strange.

If I was giving out awards for beautiful book covers, you can bet that Never-Contented Things would be getting one. The cover is absolutely striking, and immediately gave me an impression of the sort of story that it would have.
Never-Contented Things was written by Sarah Porter, and it’s an interesting shift on the whole fae/changeling/human dynamic. That’s not to say that the typical hierarchy isn’t there, because it absolutely is. More that the perspective is different. Everything is from the human side, and it really makes you realize just how hard it could be to identify fae actions.
Warnings: Two of the main characters in this novel are foster children. One of them had a pretty horrible life before she ended up where she did. Her backstory starts out as hinting, but will eventually outright state the fact that she was raped. There are no details, but it does come up from time to time. And it results in a few uncomfortable scenes. Also, like any true fae story, there are some kidnappings that occur throughout. That’s probably more expected though.
Never-Contented Things was such a different experience to read. It had fae, and I believe changelings as well, and of course there were plenty of humans. Together it was and always is a recipe for disaster. Yet Sarah Porter managed to make her telling unique, despite the rules she based it on.
The whole story is set in this perspective you don’t really get when it comes to fae stories, and I love that. I spent half the novel trying to convince myself that I wasn’t imagining things, and the other half worrying about how they would get out of their situation.
I loved the different perspective on this tale. If I could get more stories like this, I would be thrilled. There are big bad fae as well, and not the type that appears to be bad, but are truly nice on the inside. I mean they are truly horrible creatures, through and through. It’s refreshing that Porter stuck to her guns there.
I’ll admit that at times the novel did drag on more than was needed. The subtlety was appreciated at first – it was refreshing not just seeing the fae jump out and go ‘boo!’ to the main characters. But after a while I found myself wondering if they would ever actually see them - which might make for an interesting book, but it’d have to be done carefully.
There was a lot of raw human nature in this book, both the good and the bad. I actually loved the juxtaposition between all the human emotions and reactions and the fae just doing their thing. It added a complexity to the world that I hadn’t expected.
It took me a while to become attached to the main perspectives in this novel, but it did happen. Once I was invested in what was happening to them, I couldn’t stop myself from worrying and theorizing about what was going to happen next.
The ending came as a bit of a relief to me. I was happy to see how everything played out – especially since not everyone got what they wanted. Likewise, not everyone got what they deserved…but that’s to be expected. Life is hardly ever that clean, especially when the fae have become involved.

Never-Contented Things is a book that is dark and has horror vibes and I loved it. I am always in the mood for a book on the fae and because NCT is by Sarah Porter I knew that I was in for a dark, wild and whimsical ride and I was not disappointed.

I was surprised my this book. I knew the story had fae and I thought that the story would be centered on them more than it actually was. NCT is character centered, not the infamous magical creatures that are dangerous and deadly. Don't get me wrong they are still dangerous and deadly, actually frighteningly so but the story doesn't revolve around them and their magic. The story centers on primarily on Ksenia her foster-brother, Joshua but on others and their relationships as well.

The story is very character driven and takes a deep look at different types of relationships and teaches how one relationship can be viewed in many different ways. How people can see the world in different ways. The book does have some darker themes, the emotional damage that can be traumatic for a child, the foster-care system, how one actually sees themselves, how dark the world can be for some and not others and so on.

Don't get me wrong the fae are very much in the story and they are just as dangerous as you can imagine and the things that happen... at one point shit just gets crazy and it's a little bit of a horror show. They have their magic and create fantastical things all the while being evil incarnate. And while they may not be the fae that I am use too they are still at their very core fae and I love it.

Sarah has written such a wonderful book and I don't think I am doing it justice in this review. It's so different, a little weird and marvelous. I loved reading the story and I felt so invested in Ksenia, what would happen to her and the others, what would her life be like if she can change things around. The story kept my interest all the way through and there was no way I could predict to were the story was headed or how it was going to end. I admit the ending left me a little sad but that is okay sometimes because not everything is meant for a perfect ending and this story is a great teacher of that.

Overall 3.75 stars

Knesia and Josh. I initially thought this was going to be their love story, I realized too late that it wasn't. This book is set in a normal town, with normal high school kids issues. Knesia is the outcast, she has lived a hard life and is the foster kid in town. Josh is her foster brother he is a little different, a bit of an outcast, but is generally liked. Unfortunately he loves Knesia and this love borders on obsessive. However it passes obsession very quickly, and it is scary to see how Knesia can't seem to see what is happening to her.

The author can write, very well. The pages are beautifully written, I could read her writing all day long. However this one just isn't for me. The story it self bounced around a little too much for me, and at some points I didn't know who was talking or who's POV the chapter was from. That could just be the ebook copy.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest review.

First off, I have to say - I love a good faerie story. Not like a fairy tale or children's story (although I do like those too), but a real, dark, gritty story about the realm of the faerie and how twisted they can be. I was already expecting to like this book. Part of it reminded me of Tithe by Holly Black, and I think fans of that book would enjoy this one as well.

Plus look at how gruesomely beautiful that cover is!

The best part of Porter's storytelling is how well she juggles the different voices of these characters. There are three point-of-view characters: Ksenia, Josh, and their friend Lexi, who is trying to help save them. Each time the point-of-view changes, the writing is decidedly different. Lexi is more practical, Josh is more irrational under the faerie's spell, Ksenia is more conflicted. It was very well done and very well written.

I also like that this is a bit different. Ksenia and Josh get taken to the faerie realm, but in a different way than what I had seen before. Instead of crossing over a barrier and going to a different place, the fae world looks exactly the same, just . . . off. Different. Odd. It is a really creepy way to distort reality in this way, which is perfect for dealing with fae creatures. Porter has a very good way of describing things that is very poetic and beautiful, but also very unnerving. It all just works so well!

Speaking of, let's talk about the fae. We don't actually see them much, only a few brief times in the whole first half of the book, but their absence actually makes them a bit scarier. We know they are in charge of this strange new world, but we can't see them. They are just there, watching. The other creatures that we see are fae creatures that are also . . . sort of part of Ksenia and Josh? Pieces of them that break away? Not to give anything away too much, but Ksenia especially has to face her own inner demons almost as much as she has to deal with the fae holding her captive, and the combining of those two things made the story even more compelling.

This isn't for everyone, but if you like a creepy story about the fae and how they like to play with their chosen "pets," you would probably really enjoy this.

DNF at 20%.

This was a promising premise, but after giving the story a fair chance, it wasn't for me.

This is a very dark fantasy told in a contemporary setting. It has codependency and often was disturbing to read. I skimmed around, after reading consistently for 20%, just to see if the story picks up or if I connect to it a bit better.

While I admire the message that was trying to be relayed, I did not connect to the characters and essentially the story. Others would say that it compares to TCP, but I also don't think that's fair.

Trigger warning for unhealthy and codependent relationships, in all sense of those terms.

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was a wild ride of confusion. It's well written, but to what end? Maybe I'm just biased against it because I'm just really not into incest at all, not even from people who are technically not related. If you have to add the "technically" to justify it, then the relationship is probably creepy. But maybe that was the point? I really disliked Josh's character, but I think I was supposed to. He was annoying, emotionally abusive, and kind of coercive. I tolerated Ksenia, but I don't see why anyone would be so obsessed with her. The only two characters I liked were Lexi (in her first POV chapter) and Kay.

The author can clearly write, and the different POVs were distinct enough that I wasn't confused. However, the plot just kind of gave me anxiety, and it dragged on a bit. The book description on NetGalley doesn't really prepare you for what it is, which is a clusterf**k of cruel fairies with little background or world building explained. The entire first paragraph of the description talks about Prince, even though he's probably only in the book like 5% of the time. When do we even see that he and his courtiers are "exhausted by the tedium of the centuries"? When do we even learn about Faery? I think this book disappointed me and confused me largely because from the description I expected something a bit more like The Cruel Prince, which is not at all what I got.

A note about representation: Both MCs seem to be nonbinary or gender fluid (at the very least, androgynous), and there is plenty of lgbt rep. The author touches on how their identities make them feel isolated, but it's in a very obvious and dramatic way, as a warning.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, incest, abuse

DNF'd @ 25%

I thought this sounded fantastic, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into the story or the characters in the least. It just wasn't for me. Thanks anyway, NetGalley.

I was the one who said the magic words, and now we're all living under a spell.

This is one of those ratings where I'm being objective, because though it's not an easy, or entirely enjoyable read for me, I was still very much in awe of some of the writing here, and the subjects tackled.

In a small town near Buffalo, beautiful and untamed Josh goes missing after partying with a group of beautiful strangers. His foster-sister, Ksenia, was there but even she can't find him - until one day when a domino falls and kicks off a bigger chain reaction than anyone could have predicted.

Firstly, the good points - the writing here is lush and poetic, and will absolutely resonate with it's audience. The book wraps some ugly and weighty subjects up in those pretty words, but they're things teenagers have to think about, and for the right reader this book is going to feel like a revelation and validation all in one. Add to that faeries done right - full of teeth and torments - and you've got yourself a dark opera of a book, emotions always front and centre and everything tinged with pain, but lifted by the ever-present promise of escape.

For me, being a few years past the teenage/twenties emotional minefield, it was always on the verge of edging into too much. But I'm not yet far enough away that I've forgotten how it felt back then, and for a teenager going through a hard time, this book might just be that everything to escape into that some of our characters so desperately needed.

Overall a very good book, even if I'm no longer it's target.

My Review: First off this is NOT ANYTHING like the Cruel Prince!!
When I started this one I thought I was going to DNF it. It was weird and felt kind of choppy to me. But I held out and I am so glad that I did because this is by far Porter's best book yet!!

If you are looking for an old tale about the Fey then look no further. This one kind of reminded me of Vip Ran Winkle where he was enthralled by the Fey. I have to say that this was nothing like The Cruel Prince and it was something totally new. As the Fey are not the main theme of this title.

This is one dark and messed up title about two kids in foster care. Where one is getting ready to age out the other one is stuck with their foster family for another two years.

I have to say that this title had a great message of hope. That no matter what has happened to you, you can always have hope.

The relationship Josh and Ksenia was both heartbreaking and very messy. Although they are not blood related for Ksenia, Josh is her brother not her lover etc. But Josh doesn't see her that way. He wants them to be together forever. It was a twist that I didn't know what to do with when I read it. It was like at every turn these two chose the wrong thing to stay together.

I have to say that in the end this was so worth the read and I am totally glad that I did read it. It had some very hard parts to get through about roles within relationships and at times it was very very dark. But it had a few great messages about hope and getting out of poison relationships and learning to choose the right thing.

Go Into This One Knowing: LGBT, Dark, Fey, Bad Relationships

Oh, Never Contented Things, I had such high hopes for you, with your dreadfully wonderful cover and summary that whispered of dark faeries. And yet, I was let down. I actually almost DNF this, but I pushed through because of said high hopes.
The best, but also most disappointing, thing about this book was the Holly Black Tithe and Marissa Marr Wicked Lovely vibes I got from it. Like those two series, Never Contented Things seeks to capture the malevolent nature of Faerie. Unlike those two series, Never Contented Things takes it in a slightly different direction. Instead of being dark and serious, it has a strange childlike feel to the story. Especially the faeries. They don’t really do much, besides watch the main characters and occasionally taunt them.
However, Porter does manage to use a lot of typical faerie elements in her stories, like that fact that you shouldn’t eat or drink in the faerie realm unless you want to be trapped there, the idea of changelings, the power of names, and the strange passing of time between the human and faerie worlds, to name a few. It’s rare these days to find faerie stories that still talk of the old ways of dealing with the fae, so it’s nice to see in Never Contented Things.
As I said before, the faeries aren’t really active characters in the story. You have two main ones: Prince, who seems so dark and dangerous in the summary, and Unselle, whose name must be a tribute to the Unseelie fae. While Prince is set up to be a wonderful villain, and he certainly acts and responds to the humans like I would expect a faerie to do, he falls really flat. There is not nearly enough of him in the book, and the scenes we do have him in just have him be amused by Ksenia. Unselle, on the other hand, we see a lot of. She’s certainly twisted, but she also contributes to the childish vibes I get from this story. She acts like Victoria from Bravely Default, and I really don’t like that in a main villain (because who else would be the main villain?).
If I’m talking about characters, I should probably mention Josh, Ksenia, and Lexi too. Bluntly: I don’t like Josh because of the way he acts, Ksenia is weird (and she’s supposed to be), but Lexi is pretty cool. The biggest part of my reaction to them is Ksenia and Josh’s relationship, which is WAY too close to incest and a bit too rapey for me. That’s gonna be a no from me. After all, they are foster siblings who grew up in the system together. Ksenia doesn’t even want to be with Josh, until she reluctantly gives in. And he keeps calling her “baby” and “Kezzers” (a nickname I hate for her) and it makes me want to through up.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted from this book’s ending. After all, the build-up to this point just teetered on the edge of good and bad, so I knew the ending would determine how I really felt about the book. And honestly? I still don’t know whether it was good or bad. I liked a lot of the elements of this story, I just really don’t like the characters and the way they interact. I’m not sure who the target audience of this book would be, but I don’t think it is me.

Unfortunately, this did not work at all for me.

My biggest issue with this book was the writing and how odd it was. I'm not easily put off by a weird story, but this....just didn't work. When I thought things couldn't get any weirder or more disturbing I was so very wrong. 99.9% of the time I was uncomfortable reading this because of the toxic co-dependent / foster sibling incest discussions this story contained. I also found that the writing did not make me care about any of the characters as well. The world-building was just not there, everything was just bland in the human world and confusing in the faerie realm. There was little magic, lots of confusion, and that's basically it.

This book was pitched to make it seem like the faeries would be a huge part of the plot and it just didn't seem that way at all.

3 stars

*Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book...makes me feel soconflicted. The premise is something that I am always drawn to - seductive and dangerous fae who like to play games. *cough* Cardan *cough*

And that's what I got. To some extent.

The book starts off strong, and I thought "This is great! I don't want to stop reading!" But somewhere along the line, everything became kind of...weak.

This book was staged as following Prince and his posse of bored faeries, seeking to play and manipulate the lives of humans for their own pleasure and entertainment. They've discovered their next target, and won't desist from their games until they are under their complete possession.

However, this all seems to be taking place behind closed doors, because we hardly get a glimpse of the fairies in action. I could count on one hand how many interactions they actually have with the main characters, so don't be expecting a lot of page-time with them. I was left really dissatisfied with the lack of scenes and interplay they had in this book. If I pick up a book about fairies I want fairies on every page, dammit!

The other thing is that the book felt very rushed, yet so painfully slow at times. I don't know how that works...

This book really missed the mark with me. I was so excited to read this, and don't get me wrong, it was really enjoyable at times. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was left unfulfilled at the end of it.
4 likes

I believe the synopsis to NEVER-CONTENTED THINGS was kinda misleading. I can handle the relationship between the two primary characters as they are foster siblings who have romantic feelings for each other. I can also handle the other dark content within the book. I think it is important to expose teenaged readers to such topics. However, for the book to be marketed as a "fae" book, there weren't a lot of "fae" in it, which was very disappointing. Sarah Porter's prose is hard-hitting and engrossing, but the actual plot and frequency of "fae" doesn't come until much later in the book. If you're patient enough and have a strong stomach for heavy topics then give it a-go.

2.8/5 stars, but I'll round it up to a 3.

I think what I loved most about this book was that the teenagers were not perfect angels. They were messed up with a lot of co-dependency and unhealthy relationships. Just like the real world. The cover is what immedietly drew me to this book. Followed by the synopsis since I am in a bit of a fairy kick. However there isn't really to much of a mention of fae in this.
I will warn you that this is a very dark book, there is a lot of material that is explicit and it is not for someone looking for a light sunny read. Some of the subject can be triggering.

4 stars

It's the nightmare in the corner of your eye when you're about to fall asleep. It's the daydream that starts out innocuous and turns sour before you realize your own train of thought. It's twisted, it's stunningly inventive in its nightmares, and the portrayal of its characters is unsettling for a purpose.Never-Contented Things is one of the darkest fantasies I've ever read--and it's not here to cater to any of your preconceptions.

Imagination: ★★★★★
Nightmare Quality: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★★
Character Introductions:★

Sarah Porter has created a tale that is stunning in its breadth of darkness. Because of its deep dive into the unsettling, I think it's safe to say that Never-Contented Things is not for most readers. Take the charismatic, glittering world of Holly Black and remove all of the redeeming aspects of her faeries and their world--the beauty, the inherent hunt for good, and the semi-likable character traits--and you're a step closer to Porter's take.

Androgynous Ksenia is living a lackluster life with her foster brother, Josh, and their friend Lexi. Things seem normal, until Ksenia and Josh find themselves at an outdoor party and the guests are...odd. This is the arrival of the tale's brand of Fae--all cruel, and several steps away from the ethereal beauty that the genre is used to--and Josh and Ksenia soon finds themselves in an upside-down, everything-is-just-so-slightly-wrong world where the details are not like Wonderland, or Faerie, but rather a completely warped version of their mundane surroundings. It's incredibly hard to describe the concept, but suffice to say it is haunting and not at all like any other preexisting trope. I can't overemphasize enough how intensely unique Porter's vision is.

The reason Never-Contented Things stalled out at 4 stars was due to its frankly alarming character introductions for both Ksenia and Josh. They are foster siblings with hard backgrounds--which are not their fault--but due to their intensive closeness fostered out of past trauma there is the introduction of romantic feelings that have bubbled up out of their closeness. To young adults who have never experienced healthy, loving relationships, this is a confusing shade of gray. For the reader, it's incredibly hard to push through--especially at the beginning. Our entrance to the story is made doubly difficult as the plot is attempting to kick off this Fae-centered story line in a wholly unique world and, at the same time, confronts us with the nuanced and unsettling quasi-romantic feelings between two foster siblings who refer to themselves as siblings (brother, sister) while also juggling internal/external feelings of romance. It's convoluted and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I almost considered DNF'ing it due to the unsettling relationship discussions.

BUT.

Never-Contented Things needs this convolution. Without divulging spoilers, I'll just say that by the end of the story I understood why the romantic confusion was included. I still think it was made weirder than it needed to be and probably lost quite a few readers before the plot became unputdownable, but the justification is there. It's just buried in the last sections of the plot.

Overall, I do think Never-Contented Things provides a unique slice of the Fae genre, and is extremely unique in its approach. I don't think I'll ever quite forget it...and it certainly will come to me the next time I'm in the dark.

I had really high hopes for this one, as Vassa in the Night was one of my favorite reads. But this one didn't suck me in as much as Vassa did. I just felt myself not really caring about our characters, which is sad, as they seemed intriguing on the surface (both vaguely androgynous). Plus the vaguely incest-y feelings between the two kinda raised my ick factor (I felt the same way with The Umbrella Academy, Luthor/Allison was my least favorite part). I hate that I didn't love this.

Never-Contented Things is probably Sarah Porter’s darkest book to date.

The novel follows two foster siblings: Josh and Ksenia. Their relationship is more complicated than just sibling affection. Having both come from broken homes and having spent time in the foster system they cling to each other as the only stable unchanging thing in their lives. Though the two of them believe they are in love, I would hesitate to call it that.

When Josh makes a deal with Prince and his gang, he and his foster sister are whisked away to faerie. Josh believes that he’s finally found a place where the two of them can be who they really are. The two of them can finally be together and no one will ever try to separate them. Or so he thinks.

Because Josh’s deal has a high cost. One that both he and Ksenia have to pay in more ways than they could ever think.

The center of this book is the relationship between the two siblings. You get both Josh and Ksenia as perspective characters in the story and that offers an insight into both of their mindsets. Josh and Ksenia bring out the best and worst of one another. Through their relationship Porter shows that sometimes it’s not the people who are toxic in the relationship, it’s the relationship itself. And for a book that deals with low-key incest it’s not toxic in the way you expect.

Out of the two of them, I loved and related to Ksenia the most. You learn pretty quickly that her past is a lot more complicated than Josh’s and she’s not handling it well. Over the course of the novel Ksenia has to learn to love herself and begin the process of truly healing. Unlike Ksenia, we don’t get to know Josh until after their encounter with the faeries and their influence on him has already taken hold. Porter still shows the decline of his personality as their world influences him and it’s very well done. I just wish we could have seen him before and not have to just go on Ksenia’s flawed perception of him.

I love Porter’s take on faerie. It’s completely original and unlike anything else I have ever come across. Porter breathes life into her other world by mashing up old school fairy tale rules with the american suburbs. There is still the nature horror that one comes to expect (think The Hazel Wood or Poison) but this time it takes place in an unnatural setting. The suburbs are an artificial place, completely controlled by those who inhabit them. The sense of dread Porter’s faerie-inspired suburbs evokes reminded me of films like Edward Scissorhands or The Stepford Wives.

Prince and his courtiers offer the siblings a perfect recreation of their hometown which they can run wild in. Except this new world is a ghost town which slowly begins to unnerve Ksenia. The setting works on multiple levels. By brings Ksenia here, Josh traps her in the one place she wants to escape, a world that reminds her of the place that would never accept her for who she is.

There are so many levels working in this book. Porter explores identity and how it’s effected by internalized trauma. That how we see ourselves can be conflict with the idealized version of ourselves that our loved ones have and that it can be heartbreaking. How relationships and love can define us, but how they can be used to control us. And how sometimes when you fix yourself you can put yourself back together wrong.

The further you get into this novel you start to see how Never-Contented connects to Porter’s two other stand alone novels. Never-Contented Things is full of complicated relationships, fractured personalities, the horror of the mundane and unfair magic systems. This is also the second novel of Porter’s that I have read that has dealt with a type of incest. It’s not technically incest in the traditional meaning of the word, but to quote a picture I saw online

"Anytime you have to say, it's not incest, technically, then that's not great"

But what I think makes me love this novel so much is that there are no easy answers. All of the characters have to make choices and either way there will be consequences. This adds to the tension of the book that had me uncomfortable but unable to put the book down.

If you’re a fan of Porter’s previous novels (especially When I Cast Your Shadow) then I suggest you give this one a try. Never-Contented Things is perfect for fans of The Hazel Wood or anyone who loves their fairy tales dark and twisted.

Never-Contented Things was supposed to be serving me cruel and deliciously evil fairy-goodness. How can you not interpret that given the cover and blurb that tells me it’s unrelentingly cruel?! Yet, what I actually got was a convoluted story about two incestuous foster siblings, in what read like a poorly plotted episode of Riverdale – severely scarce of faeries.

“My story won’t save anyone else. No one else will ever know it. Or if they do, that will mean it’s too late for them too.”

This book centres around three characters; foster siblings Ksenia and Josh, as well as their close friend Lexi. Despite Ksenia and Josh’s tough and traumatic childhoods, they have developed an undying love for one another that drives their every action.

With a naivety and innocence his older foster sister lacks, Josh is the favored amongst the two by his foster parents. It’s evident they will adopt him, but their lack of compassion towards Ksenia doesn’t go unnoticed by either of them. This gives both a passion to do whatever it takes to stay together. This passion is ultimately what motivates Josh to risk the freedom of his friends and Ksenia, and to make a deal with faeries.

Firstly, I never felt there was a definitive moment where we left the “introductory” phase of this novel. Although the book is denoted by ‘Parts’ 1 through 5. Probably because despite Josh’s abduction (the catalyst for this novel), his eccentric behavior and motivations following the incident is never explained. I would’ve liked the book to help me discover the mythology behind the faeries that were the cause of everything.

To add to this, the plot just continuously plateaus. The reader is on a road that leads to no strong reveals, with a novel that commits to too much, but never fully commits or sees anything through. Above I likened this book to an episode of Riverdale, because I felt as though there were a lot of aspects (particularly about the characters) crammed into this book and frankly it became annoying to read. It is ultimately really unsatisfying and was tedious to get through. It’s not shocking to see people DNFing it.

“The truth was deep nights, a lot more than one, when Mitch and Emma were fast asleep and Josh came crawling into my bed and nuzzled close and tried to get started with me. And I’d say, No, baby, it would be wrong. You’re younger. I’d feel like I was taking advantage of you.”

The characters in this book don’t make the reading experience more enjoyable unfortunately. This mostly has to do with the incestuous dynamic the author created between Josh and Ksenia. For me, this dynamic just made their story difficult to read. Particularly when they called each other ‘baby.’ I literally gagged every time. Josh continuously makes decisions based on what he believes Ksenia wants and it just drove me crazy. Perhaps this is trying to illustrate the unhealthy intensity of their relationship, but it just did not appeal to me.

“He kisses her fervently on the mouth, and I look away. Has she really stopped thinking of him as her brother? She used to be pretty clear about it.”

Lexi’s point of view is definitely more palatable than Josh and Ksenia’s. However, there’s still the issue of the really confusing world and mythology I was meant to navigate, that unfortunately I was not relieved from in her chapters. As well as the “unique” writing style, if I may put it like that. One example:

“It was late, as late as the end of the world…”

I also had trouble with the decision to split this book into five parts; whereby the POV changes between Josh, Ksenia and Lexi. I personally just didn’t like this decision and think perhaps consistently interchanging between POVs through would’ve given me some relief from more annoying characters.

I also felt the way in which the reader received information was really awkward, in that it was often second-hand. For example, hearing about Ksenia’s traumatic past is often from other characters revealing it. It never felt like the author was being really tactful about information that is supposedly important.

This evidently was not a book for me. Although it’s honestly nothing like I’ve ever read, it was too convoluted with a theatricality to it that hampered by enjoyment. Unfortunately this is my biggest disappointment of 2019 so far.