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2.97 AVERAGE
2.97 AVERAGE
Good book but I didn’t feel like it was described well enough and that really threw me off the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a complimentary e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
This book was edgy, creepy, and dark! Definitely a different take on fairies than what I am used to reading. I really enjoyed it...but I felt like I was in a different mindset when I was reading this. At the time, I was reading 4 other books that were all uplifting and then I was reading this lol. I didn’t care for the relationship between Josh and Ksenia. I felt he was incredibly needy to the point of obsession to Ksenia, and their feelings to one another were just flat out weird. Thing is the book gets weirder and darker with betrayal, lies, and all kinds of secrets from there.
The writing was wonderful! I really enjoyed the imagery...it really felt like a nightmare coming to life! Like all nightmares, you want to wake knowing it was just a dream and all is ok. So although the story became twisted from the start, I felt the need of finishing this book to know all would end up ok. I would definitely read more for this author!!!
This book was edgy, creepy, and dark! Definitely a different take on fairies than what I am used to reading. I really enjoyed it...but I felt like I was in a different mindset when I was reading this. At the time, I was reading 4 other books that were all uplifting and then I was reading this lol. I didn’t care for the relationship between Josh and Ksenia. I felt he was incredibly needy to the point of obsession to Ksenia, and their feelings to one another were just flat out weird. Thing is the book gets weirder and darker with betrayal, lies, and all kinds of secrets from there.
The writing was wonderful! I really enjoyed the imagery...it really felt like a nightmare coming to life! Like all nightmares, you want to wake knowing it was just a dream and all is ok. So although the story became twisted from the start, I felt the need of finishing this book to know all would end up ok. I would definitely read more for this author!!!
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).
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).
I was very excited when I got this book but unfortunately it was not my cup of tea and it failed to keep my attention.
I liked the dark and atmospheric setting, I found it hat a lot of potential but it somehow failed to deliver.
The dialogue and some situations seemed forced and unreal.
Many thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.
I liked the dark and atmospheric setting, I found it hat a lot of potential but it somehow failed to deliver.
The dialogue and some situations seemed forced and unreal.
Many thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was a bit wary of this book going into it because of all of the reviews but it really wasn't that bad. Part I was a bit confusing because we were reading the story through Ksenia's POV while unexplained actions were taking place but by the time you Lexi's POV in part II, you start to get an idea of where the story is going. This book is very dark and explores themes that may be triggering such as multiple forms of abuse, rape, unhealthy relationships, incest (in a sense), drugs, violence, as well as other things.
The summary alludes to this being a book about evil faeries. The evil faeries are present and drive the story but Never-Contented Things is more so a story about Ksenia, Josh, and Lexi and their character development. If you plan to read this book thinking that the faeries are the main characters, it is not.
Aside from that, I did enjoy this book and I am willing to pick up another Sarah Porter book.
The summary alludes to this being a book about evil faeries. The evil faeries are present and drive the story but Never-Contented Things is more so a story about Ksenia, Josh, and Lexi and their character development. If you plan to read this book thinking that the faeries are the main characters, it is not.
Aside from that, I did enjoy this book and I am willing to pick up another Sarah Porter book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder
Had to DNF this at 15%. It's not that it's not well-written - the writing's lovely. It's that this just aggressively isn't my type of book. From the cover, I expected Victorian fae... but this is dark contemporary w/ fae elements, and I'm just not vibing with it.
Someone who digs this type of book would love it, I'm sure. But that person isn't me. :( I usually rate DNFs 2 stars and below, but I added a third star because the writing style was really very good. It's just the content that isn't my jam, which isn't the author's fault.
Someone who digs this type of book would love it, I'm sure. But that person isn't me. :( I usually rate DNFs 2 stars and below, but I added a third star because the writing style was really very good. It's just the content that isn't my jam, which isn't the author's fault.
The story exploded in a burst of awesomeness. I really liked it. The world was awesome and the characters were epic. This book drew me in and led me down the path of dark fae, oddity, and mystery.
This is one of the strangest books that I have ever read, and at times it felt almost as if I had fallen asleep reading and then had nightmares surrounding the characters and the world but no that was the actual book. For the most part I did really enjoy the uniqueness of the book but it also was a bit of a downfall in ways. I really loved the complex characters especially Josh I thought he was really well done. Kezzer is probably the most fleshed out because we spend the most time in her perspective but I loved how we learn more and more about her as time goes on. She is known throughout the book as keeping people at arms lengths and I feel even when we are reading from her POV, we are also kept at arms lengths. The way the fae in this world were described and portrayed in this world was very intriguing and definitely gave me The Cruel Prince (But that is the only thing about it that did. Do not go into this expecting A Cruel Price type romance.) The things I didn’t like in this book were sometimes it seemed it was trying so hard to be different than everything else that you felt you were imaging the shit yourself because sometimes it was just really out there and some things don’t really make sense. Also while I did enjoy the character of Lexi, I think having her POV for so long was unnecessary and we would have benefited more from having more time with Josh or even having a POV from Prince. Lastly while I did enjoy the romance at the end I think it was far too rushed and would have been better suited as just being implied to, or having them say yeah I like you but I need time.
Verdict: All in all this book was a pretty fun time, (but it did take me a week to read and I very much thought of DNFING it multiple times.) The characters are definitely the highlight of this story and their interactions. I gave this a rating of 3.5/5 and would recommend it for people who are die-hard into dark fae stories, and/or who like characters that push gender bounds, and/or that love LGBTQIA+ stories.
Verdict: All in all this book was a pretty fun time, (but it did take me a week to read and I very much thought of DNFING it multiple times.) The characters are definitely the highlight of this story and their interactions. I gave this a rating of 3.5/5 and would recommend it for people who are die-hard into dark fae stories, and/or who like characters that push gender bounds, and/or that love LGBTQIA+ stories.
Never Contented Things is probably one of the most polarizing books I've ever read. Either readers are going to love it or hate it, so I'm actually surprised I fall in the middle. Easiest way to review this novel is to break it down into likes and dislikes.
Things I Liked:
The writing is beautiful: I loved the flowery, over descriptive paragraphs.
The hopeful message: At the core of the story is the idea that no matter what we have all gone through, we could find a way to survive.
The diverse characters: The characters are gender fluid with complex romantic attachments.
The cover: So beautiful!
Things I Disliked:
Lack of fairies: Took way too long for the fae to make their first appearance.
Sibling relationship: The ick factor was off the charts on that one.
Lack of action: The blurb fooled me into thinking this would be a fast-paced YA fantasy and it's not at all.
3/5 stars and a thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy for review.
Things I Liked:
The writing is beautiful: I loved the flowery, over descriptive paragraphs.
The hopeful message: At the core of the story is the idea that no matter what we have all gone through, we could find a way to survive.
The diverse characters: The characters are gender fluid with complex romantic attachments.
The cover: So beautiful!
Things I Disliked:
Lack of fairies: Took way too long for the fae to make their first appearance.
Sibling relationship: The ick factor was off the charts on that one.
Lack of action: The blurb fooled me into thinking this would be a fast-paced YA fantasy and it's not at all.
3/5 stars and a thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy for review.
Ok, I think I have forgiven the author for the nightmare (and not in a good sense) that was [b:When I Cast Your Shadow|33414246|When I Cast Your Shadow|Sarah Porter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1486681979l/33414246._SX50_.jpg|53979090]. This was back to creepy-in-a-big-way but compulsively readable, more like [b:Vassa in the Night|28220892|Vassa in the Night|Sarah Porter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1452803823l/28220892._SX50_.jpg|41396000]. Twisty turney slippery slimy dark and scary, full-time horror with some wicked moments of inventiveness and startlingly good imagery.
Though I'm knocking a full star-and-a-half off at LEAST for Josh. Possibly more.I hated Josh before he was even supposed to be hateable. He was pure awful, sickly sweet in all the worst, least-believable-that-an-actual-person-would-behave-like-this ways. This ruined a good bit of the book for me because a)I had to put up with hearing about him and b) he provided a good chunk of character motivation that I simply couldn't understand - I would have left the little brat to be destroyed first thing.
And what is it with this author and the bordering-on-deeply-inappropriate sibling relationships?! Two out of three is beginning to be a pattern.
Though I'm knocking a full star-and-a-half off at LEAST for Josh. Possibly more.
And what is it with this author and the bordering-on-deeply-inappropriate sibling relationships?! Two out of three is beginning to be a pattern.