Never-Contented Things

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.
“Will you listen to me, if I let go? Just for a minute?”“My freedom is not something you can bargain with.”

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.