One Woman’s Search for Her Sister Puts Her In Unexpected Danger In This Excerpt From The Never List

If you’re a reader that’s at all into the popular subgenre known as romantasy, you’ve probably heard of Red Tower Books. The popular imprint behind Rebecca Yarros’s mega-bestselling Fourth Wing series, the publisher has also dropped a slew of other addictive fantasy titles, from the propulsive adventure Five Broken Blades to the gladiator-themed Bloodguard and the mythology-tinged The Games Gods Play. And their latest upcoming release seems virtually guaranteed to make BookTok swoon: Jade Presley’s The Never List. 

Described as Fifty Shades of Grey meets Serpent and the Wings of Night, this why-choose (reverse-harem) romantasy follows the story of one woman’s quest to save her sister in a hierarchical society where women aren’t allowed a lot of choices to begin with. But when she finds herself swept up in the series of deadly trials known as The Choosing—a competition in which the kingdom of Lumathyst’s four chaotic god-princes must find a mate to secure their power—she’ll be forced to make a series of increasingly difficult choices, with her sister and their kingdom in the balance. 

Here’s how the publisher describes the story.

The four princes of Lumathyst need a mate, and everyone wants a chance…except for her.

Threatened by invaders, the kingdom of Lumathyst is on the verge of chaos, and no one can stop it. Unless the four immortal god-princes find their fated mate―and safeguard the throne―Lumathyst will fall.

Five women have tried. Five have failed. And tonight in the royal city, the princes need to find their Chosen and hope she can survive the transformation that will make her immortal.

Only Rylee Gray wasn’t supposed to be here. She snuck in for her own dark reasons―and now they claim they’ve found their perfect match. Her. Of course, they have no idea she’s concealing a secret big enough to damn them all.

The four princes have no choice. They’ll use every delectably wicked skill they have to make Rylee fall for all of them…or watch their kingdom collapse.

The Never List won’t hit shelves until April 8, but we’ve got a sneak peek at the story’s first chapter for you right now. 

1

Rylee

“I could arrest you for dressing like that.” A familiar, authoritative voice sounds behind me, sending a chill skating along my spine. “But you know that, don’t you, Rylee?”

I freeze on the cobblestone road. I’ve just crossed the border into Leaf and Claw—a city I’m definitely not allowed to be in.

I feel him before he reaches for me, like ice in my veins. Stopping or dodging his touch will only bring me trouble—and on tonight of all nights, trouble is the last thing I need.

Turner’s hand clenches my elbow, and he drags me around the corner of a simple stone tavern into a narrow, deserted alleyway. My heart hammers in my chest. He’s boxed me in, and no one will hear us over the celebrating inside. Unless someone stumbles into the alley to take a leak, I’m entirely on my own.

“I…” I glance down at the muted purple-and-green sheath dress I’ve borrowed from my best friend, Ivy. It’s elegant, even though it’s made from common materials sourced from the city of Cedar and Silk, and it’s long enough to cover my ash-caked shoes.

As an Ashlander—the lowest class in Lumathyst—I’m not supposed to wear clothes above my station, let alone travel across borders. But I would stick out in this city if I’d worn my own clothes—brown, threadbare cotton pants and tunic—and I thought Ivy’s dress was safer. Clearly not.

“What trouble are you getting into tonight?” Turner presses, herding me farther into the alleyway. His golden kings’ enforcer uniform almost suffocates his stocky frame, making it look like it’ll pop at the seams. His face is round, that smug, domineering grin transforming him into something I’ve come to fear the past six months.

It hadn’t been like that in the beginning.

In the beginning, he’d been a fun distraction. Seducing a kings’ enforcer is no easy feat for an Ashlander like me, and he seemed like a good ally to have. Kings’ enforcers are the power on the streets, doing the kings’ bidding to keep all of us in line, and being on Turner’s good side has kept me out of prison a time or two.

But it didn’t take me long to figure out who he really is and what he really liked…which is to take and punish and terrorize. He’s held me in a trap ever since, using his authority over me as a weapon.

“I’m not getting into any trouble,” I finally answer, slipping into an innocent tone. Of all the times for him to be patrolling this border, why now?

I have one shot at finding my sister, and tonight is it. Seeing as what I intend to do could land me in prison or worse, get me killed, I really don’t have time for this.

“That’s hard to believe,” he says, shoving me back against the wall of the building.

I flinch, then take a deep breath and slip on a mask of indifference with a side of nothing-in-my-brain. He likes it better when I play dumb. Likes it when I pretend that I don’t have the strength to put two thoughts together outside of saying yes.

He slides his short sword out of its sheath, hovering the tip just in front of my neck. It takes everything I have not to draw away at the sight of that fucking sword—the one he’s threatened me with more times than I can count.

“I’m not out to cause any trouble,” I reassure him again.

“Then what’s an Ashlander like you doing wearing something like this?” He gently taps the thin fabric of my dress with the flat of his blade.

Catching me like this, Turner has grounds to throw me in the royal dungeons or ship me across the seas. Not for the first time, I fall into a well of hate for the kings who, centuries ago, decided to draw lines on a map, ensuring anyone born on the wrong side of them was stripped of rights the wealthy have naturally.

“You’re not thinking of trying to sneak into the Choosing, are you?” he asks.

I widen my smile until it hurts and graze my fingers down the hilt of his sword suggestively. “You think I’m foolish enough to do that?”

“I hope not, seeing as it’s what killed your sister.”

I blink. Slowly. Nothing going on in my mind, indeed. Definitely not thoughts of turning that blade on him. See how he likes it. Definitely not of the argument dancing on my tongue: my sister isn’t dead.

She’s not. She can’t be.

“Wait,” he says with a hoarse laugh. “Tell me you didn’t win one of the lottery invitations and you think this”—he drags the tip of his sword down my bodice—“is what royalty wears?”

Another blink. I add a mindless giggle for good measure. “An Ashlander has never won an invitation,” I say. I gesture to the wall behind me, toward the sounds of music and merriment. “The taverns. The barkeeps shower girls with free drinks on Choosing night. I just want to have a little fun with my friends,” I continue, pursing my lips in a pout. “Can’t I have a little fun tonight, Turner?”

I want to vomit from the act, from how I’m forced to behave in the hopes he’ll let me go. On any other night, I might’ve risked at least trying to fight him off, but that takes time I don’t have. The Choosing will start soon, and I only have a small window to do what I need to do.

Turner laughs so hard, spit hits my cheek. My eye twitches, but I don’t break. I have to get to Ivy’s quickly, and I don’t have time for a scene, especially not an argument that could lead to him messing up my face. I have to look pristine tonight. No ash, no dirt, and definitely no bruises.

“The things you Ashlanders do for a drink,” he says, reeling in his laughter. He looks over my body again, and my skin crawls. He doesn’t own me, and I hate…hate that I ever let him between my legs. Hate that I ever thought he was decent, kind. It was all a show to ensnare me. The snake.

“I suppose I can let you off this one time,” he says finally, stepping to the side.

A fraction of breath works its way into my lungs, and I take a step away—

He grips my wrist so hard it stings as he jerks me back. His sword clangs against the stone wall right in front of my face, stopping me dead.

It takes every ounce of willpower I possess to bury the power rising in my veins. It would be so easy to release a sharp blast of wind and toss him into the wall opposite us. I could knock him out and make a break for it.

But then he’d know my secret.

“On one condition,” he says.

I reaffix my smile. It’s my only armor against him right now, the only thing keeping him from looking deeper at my lies.

“As long as I can see you when you’re done leeching the free drinks,” Turner says. “I’ve never been with you when you’ve been drinking,” he continues. “I bet that’s all kinds of fun.”

Acid claws up my throat, and my cheeks hurt from the effort it takes to keep grinning.

“Midnight,” I say, even though I want to tell him no for the hundredth time. Tell him to go fuck himself. Tell him he can’t keep doing this to me. Can’t keep threatening to arrest me if I say no—but he’d just use it as an excuse to take me in right here and now, haul me down to the prison and lock us both in a cell.

I can’t risk that. I have one shot—

“Midnight,” he says, sheathing his sword and releasing my wrist. The blood flows back so quickly it burns. “Right here.” He indicates the alley as he takes a step away from me.

I walk as briskly as I dare to the edge of the alleyway.

“Don’t be late,” he calls from behind me. “You know what happens if you are.”

My hands tremble as I glance over my shoulder, nodding at him. I won’t be late; I won’t be here.

If I’m lucky, I’ll find out what happened to my sister. If I’m not lucky?

Then Turner will be the least of my problems.

Excerpted from The Never List by Jade Presley. Reprinted with permission from Red Tower Books, an imprint of Entangled Publishing. All rights reserved. 

 The Never List will be released on April 8, but you can pre-order it right now. 

Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter and Bluesky at @LacyMB