ARC Review: "Never-Contented Things" by Sarah Porter

Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

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

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AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

REVIEW

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

So...this was one of the hardest books I have read so far in 2019. At first, I couldn't understand what was happening but quickly everything went down in an epic fashion that left me reeling from fear and also checking under my bed if there is anything staring back at me.

Ksenia (which is a Greek name by the way) and Josh are two orphans fostered in a group home. They love each other with Josh loving his Kezzer more, despite the curious glances, the bullying, and the shit people give them. And when the mysterious Prince and his entourage appear?

Let's just say that everyone gets weirder and weirder.

Parallel worlds, changelings and a murderous Fae that makes Cardan looks like a sweet little kitten. There are POVs which are separated in parts and the emotional turmoil everyone has in here will make you cringe but also roots for them.

And yet despite the eye in the hat, the house and Josh's wrong choices the story is one huge symbolism about finding the power to move on even after tragedy hits. How to learn to lean on your friends and the family you didn't know how easily you could lose.

Sarah Porter's writing is gritty, terrifying and absolutely captures the scope of being human in a monstrous world.

About the author:

I write stories that seem to me to be quite true enough for all practical purposes. Among them are VASSA IN THE NIGHT, THE LOST VOICES TRILOGY, and the forthcoming WHEN I CAST YOUR SHADOW and TENTACLE AND WING. Realism makes little sense to me and I experience more truth in the fantastic. I always have new novels underway, both Young Adult and Grownup/ Literary/ Speculative. When not writing my own weird stuff, I can often be found leading creative writing workshops with amazing young NYC public-school writers via Teachers & Writers Collaborative. Or I might be drawing, or gardening, or wandering wraithlike through the streets. I live in Brooklyn, land of mystery, with my awesome husband Todd and our two cats, Jub Jub and Delphine. 

Represented by Kent D. Wolf of the Friedrich Agency.