Sarah Porter

A new YA standalone novel about dark faeries with surefire appeal by Sarah Porter, the critically-acclaimed author of Vassa in the Night and When I Cast Your Shadow. Seductive. Cruel. Bored Be wary of... Never-Contented Things A Novel of Faery Prince and his fairy courtiers are staggeringly beautiful, unrelentingly cruel, and exhausted by the tedium of the centuries—until they meet foster-siblings Josh and Ksenia. Drawn in by their vivid emotions, undying love for each other, and passion for life, Prince will stop at nothing to possess them. First seduced and then entrapped by the fairies, Josh and Ksenia learn that the fairies' otherworldly gifts come at a terrible price—and they must risk everything in order to reclaim their freedom. “Sarah Porter is a genius. Her language is lush and dangerous, and her books burn with the beautiful, ferocious intensity of a bonfire in the darkest night. Read Never-Contented Things with the lights on. Then read it again.”—Brittany Cavallaro, New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Charlotte “Sarah Porter’s Never-Contented Things creates a creepy new world like none I’ve seen before. Eerie, edgy, and filled with mystery, Porter takes us to the depths of the magical and psychological.”—Danielle Paige, New York Times bestselling author of Dorothy Must Die

Never-Contented Things

ghost girl in satin

This was very disturbing. Not your typical fairy book.

menna

A new YA standalone novel about dark faeries with surefire appeal by Sarah Porter, the critically-acclaimed author of Vassa in the Night and When I Cast Your Shadow. Seductive. Cruel. Bored Be wary of... Never-Contented Things A Novel of Faery Prince and his fairy courtiers are staggeringly beautiful, unrelentingly cruel, and exhausted by the tedium of the centuries—until they meet foster-siblings Josh and Ksenia. Drawn in by their vivid emotions, undying love for each other, and passion for life, Prince will stop at nothing to possess them. First seduced and then entrapped by the fairies, Josh and Ksenia learn that the fairies' otherworldly gifts come at a terrible price—and they must risk everything in order to reclaim their freedom. “Sarah Porter is a genius. Her language is lush and dangerous, and her books burn with the beautiful, ferocious intensity of a bonfire in the darkest night. Read Never-Contented Things with the lights on. Then read it again.”—Brittany Cavallaro, New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Charlotte “Sarah Porter’s Never-Contented Things creates a creepy new world like none I’ve seen before. Eerie, edgy, and filled with mystery, Porter takes us to the depths of the magical and psychological.”—Danielle Paige, New York Times bestselling author of Dorothy Must Die At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

laura

*I got this book for my honest thoughts from the publisher*

I liked this book but I did not love it. I was captured by the POV and the plot was super engaging. I felt like the world that was created was unique but at moments that world was super complex/confusing and it did go over my head a points. I at points did feel lost in the world. I was more invested in one of the POV the the other two. I know this was book at fairy but I wish this book had more interactions with the fairy groups. I thought this book was unique but and did enjoy the creepy setting. I enjoyed this book more then Sarah other reads. This book was a much weirder novel then other fairy books I have read recently. I am curious to read more of this author books in the future.

Alexia Cambaling

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen!

I honestly expected and wanted to like this book more than I ultimately ended up rating it. It seemed so promising at first- with there being fairies (and presumably a fairy court) and an exploration of toxic, obsessive, incestuous love. Unfortunately, I felt like the book fell flat in its execution. The pacing was slow until the end where everything just becomes fast-paced and chaotic and the ending felt rushed. By the end, I half didn’t know what just happened and how it became like that.

Never-Contented Things is more like a magical realism book. Fairies were barely present in the novel despite the blurb implying they’d play a major part. They do- in a way, but it’s mostly off-screen and just referenced in conversation. Most of the novel really explores the toxic dynamic between Josh and Ksenia.

I don’t like either of them. They’re both kind of flat and rather uninteresting and often unlikable characters. I get that the author tried to make them more interesting by making them queer and eccentric (and in the case of Josh, a bit of a libertine) but it doesn’t make up for their personalities-or lack thereof. Honestly, I feel like the execution was just messy all-around. They could have been more interesting, but they just weren’t aside from the fact that they’re creepily obsessed with each other.

I appreciate the fact that this centers around Ksenia trying to break free from a toxic relationship which is also gross and incestuous but it was executed in a way that I couldn’t fully appreciate it. I couldn’t really grasp Ksenia as a well-rounded character- heck, I couldn’t grasp any of them as well-rounded characters. Josh was just…there. Like, his entire character consists of him being pretty and obsessed with his sister.

I won’t deny that the author has some pretty lovely turns of prose here and there, hence the two star rating. I did enjoy how she describes things and her writing was good. However, good writing can’t really save a messy plot and even messier characterization. I wished this had been straight-up fantasy instead.

Overall, I’m honestly pretty disappointed with Never-Contented Things. I don’t know if I can recommend it, but I’m sure there are some who’d like it. I’d suggest reading more reviews if you’re on the fence and taking my opinions with a grain of salt.

Ashlee

This book is disturbingly twisted. I was tempted to DNF it multiple times, but I was also incredibly fascinated by the story.

Rather, the reason I wanted to DNF it at times is because of the way it made me feel. Parts of this book are downright messed up, and I would argue this book is only appropriate for older YA audiences, if it’s going to be marketed toward that age group at all.

First of all, I want to give a content warning for sexual assault, graphic violence, drug and alcohol use, suicide, non-consensual elements, and early on it’s clear the two foster siblings at the heart of this story are harboring romantic feelings for each other. I have a pretty open mind when it comes to taboo topics in books, and I’ll tell you, the relationship between Josh and Ksenia wasn’t even what made me feel uncomfortable in the first place.

If you saw mention of faeries in the summary and have noted that it’s been compared to The Cruel Prince, I want to preface that the elements of faerie are NOT the crux of this story. Take The Cruel Prince and make the faeries even fiercer, without remorse and only seeking entertainment and you *might* come close to characterizing the faerie elements of this story. Now, take two broken and lost teenagers, who aren’t sure how to survive without each other and put their lives under the thumb of those faeries. Much of this book takes place IN Faerie, though it is never referenced as such and takes some understanding of faerie folklore to realize that is what’s going on. 

Furthermore, one of the main characters, Ksenia is vaguely referenced to as genderfluid multiple times, and I really loved her character. But, I felt as though she was continually treated more as thing and a plot device in this story than anything else, and certainly her identifying as non-binary felt as though it wasn’t meant for representation but so that the pieces of this story would fit together better (like I said, it’s only vaguely referenced, as though the author didn’t want to actually say it out loud). 🤔

The idea behind this story is fascinating, though I am disappointed that there weren’t enough consequences for the perpetrators. There is some utterly wrong, unforgivable things that happen in this book. There is one particular character whose obsession with another character takes them across some lines that should never be crossed and I feel as though they only received a slap on the wrist in the end.

This book is well written, with a solid plot, but I am not really sure who I would recommend it to. That’s compounded by this book’s tone putting me into a similarly uncomfortable and weird mood while reading it. I’ll just say this – if you give it a shot, keep an open mind and try to read through to the end if you can! It’s about 2.5 stars for me, but I am rounding it up because it is well written and interesting, if anything else.

Jessica 

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(3.5 or 4 stars, need to think on it!) I was sent an eARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not change my view in any shape or form. Review also found here on Booked J. 

This was such a "fun" book to pick up during my birthday week. Admittedly, I've been in one of those greedy "give me all the fairy" books as of late. (Which seems to be a theme in the book community!) When I saw Never-Contented Things on NetGalley, I actually didn't read the synopsis I just saw the genre and the cover and went a little request/click happy.

Plus, that cover is GORGEOUS. I think it might be one of the prettiest (and somehow: spookiest) I've seen so far this year. It reminds me of Lumière by Jacqueline Garlick to a degree. It's not identical or even fully similar it's just... the vibes feel similar to me! I wonder if they were designed by the same person.

 
I don't know, I saw it and I was like... really feeling it in general. Also, give me that lip colour. It's not spot-on/mirror like in terms of design but the position and design just really, really reminds me of my much-beloved Lumière and, well, you get it! I'm making grabby hands at how beautiful it is and need (NEED!!!) a physical copy ASAP. This is the type of novel that begs to be photographed and I'm in awe over it.

A lot of readers seem to be put-off by the synopsis (it's true that it doesn't necessarily fit the novel all too well) and the fact that it wasn't another The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. That is absolutely the biggest mistake you can make as a reader. While the synopsis does lead us into thinking one way, the story is *not* going to live up to false expectations. So, ditch that the very second you pick up Never-Contented Things because you're only ruining the book for yourself. This is much less of a fun and intriguing and morally gray fantasy novels and more of a horror based novel.

The fantasy elements are more like background noise. It adds a layer to the atmosphere but it's not... wholly in depth.

Somethings do tie into a similar tone to The Cruel Prince, and other like novels, but Never-Contented Things is like that shadowy section of the genre. It's messy and creepy. There are subtle and not-so-subtle cruelties.

This is the type of book that can be difficult to get into. It's not going to be for everyone. The story is something that will either repulse you or intertwine itself into you. The first half is a bit slower than the last half. Once you stick with it, though, it's worth it. 

I will also say that this book has representation but it's of a darker variety. This might press buttons for many. I'm not really going to go over the potential controversies--especially since the release date is so far off.

Instead, my review is going to zero in on the positives involving Never-Contented Things. One, it is delicious and dark and really well-written. I liked that most of the characters were... not always likable? And the relationships in this weren't always ones that are healthy or appealing. It's not a clean-cut novel and has some triggering things in it.

I can't explain it without spoiling it, but these characters aren't going to always be for the faint of heart. And honestly? I liked them all the more for it. I also had some distinct V.C. Andrews vibes about it, when it came to the negatives and characteristics in it.

In short, I enjoyed this book a lot. I thought there was a lot of toxicity in it and there was something disturbing about it. It's because of this, and the synopsis, that Never-Contented Things won't be for everyone. There's something unique and atmospheric about this book, though, and I really found myself basking in its darkness.

Never-Contented Things

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