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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Edgmon is quickly becoming a go-to author for my queer fantasy fix.
In this book, 5 traumatized magical teens, raised in a cult that caravans across the country, wake up to find everyone has vanished. They reluctantly need to work together to find answers. Told in 3rd person multi-POV with 4th wall breaks from the narrator, it dives deep into the impact of trauma. And while the world itself is queernormative, there's no missing the direct connection to religious trauma invoked on queer youth in the real world.
All 5 characters are flawed and often unlikeable, making choices impulsively and struggling with self-acceptance. Bird, who just returned to the caravan after living 3 years in the "normal" world with their father, found that they couldn't fit in in even the simplest ways. Hugo and his little brother, Felix, are part deer/part human, so have no chance passing in public. Hugo's heart was broken when Bird left, and is coping with that abandonment and the demons of what his parents have made him do in the name of the cult. Felix lives in a fantasy world, trying to manefest goodness to help him make sense of the world. Cal was both raised by and feared by the cult, never allowed to get close to anyone. And Eamon was brought into the caravan only a few weeks ago, with no memory of his past life.
This rag-tag crew of found family come together slowly as they travel across the country, looking for answers and learning that the caravan wasn't always truthful.
I received this ARC from publisher @stmartinspress through @netgalley. The opinions are my own.
We Can Never Leave was just released on June 10, 2025 and is available at booksellers now.
Edgmon is quickly becoming a go-to author for my queer fantasy fix.
In this book, 5 traumatized magical teens, raised in a cult that caravans across the country, wake up to find everyone has vanished. They reluctantly need to work together to find answers. Told in 3rd person multi-POV with 4th wall breaks from the narrator, it dives deep into the impact of trauma. And while the world itself is queernormative, there's no missing the direct connection to religious trauma invoked on queer youth in the real world.
All 5 characters are flawed and often unlikeable, making choices impulsively and struggling with self-acceptance. Bird, who just returned to the caravan after living 3 years in the "normal" world with their father, found that they couldn't fit in in even the simplest ways. Hugo and his little brother, Felix, are part deer/part human, so have no chance passing in public. Hugo's heart was broken when Bird left, and is coping with that abandonment and the demons of what his parents have made him do in the name of the cult. Felix lives in a fantasy world, trying to manefest goodness to help him make sense of the world. Cal was both raised by and feared by the cult, never allowed to get close to anyone. And Eamon was brought into the caravan only a few weeks ago, with no memory of his past life.
This rag-tag crew of found family come together slowly as they travel across the country, looking for answers and learning that the caravan wasn't always truthful.
I received this ARC from publisher @stmartinspress through @netgalley. The opinions are my own.
We Can Never Leave was just released on June 10, 2025 and is available at booksellers now.
Safety info, content warnings and tropes down below.
I’m not quite sure what to say about this one. I loved the whole premise, the characters were interesting and pretty distinct, the writing was solid, and I adored the narration. Yet, the actual execution of the story itself was lacking. I’m not sure I can explain exactly how or why. While I can see why the author set up the story like they did, the confusing effect of the timeline and mystery went beyond giving that exact effect, and instead it seemed to sort of lose its way. I was more confused than I was supposed to be, I think.
There was certainly lots to love, and the concept is really clever. It just didn’t quite pull it off. Sometimes I just felt dumb, so maybe it’s entirely a me-thing.
Felix was my favorite character. It was a lot of fun to get his POV plenty throughout. Surprisingly, the ending actually made me cry. I wasn’t expecting that.
Maybe eyeball reading this book would improve some of the confusion, but the narration was a big part of my enjoyment, so I’m not sure what’s ‘best’. I certainly recommend listening to the book narrated by the talented Vico Ortiz if you’re planning on reading this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for this audio ARC.
Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Teenagers
Fantasy
Queer fiction
Nonbinary character?
Mystery
Themes of faith
Neurodivergent character
Non-hunam characters
Trans character
Everyone is crushing on everyone
Mystery
Thriller
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Graphic violence
Themes of religion
Accidental misgendering
Details of MC being kept hidden and abused as a child
Mild and brief sexual content
Underage drinking
MC deadnamed on page
Death of pet fish (on page)
Mention of suicidal ideation
Brief mention of cannibalism
Vague references to maybe-murder/suicide
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: N/A
Other person drama: N/A
Breakup: N/A
POV: 3rd person, multi
Genre: Queer mystery thriller
Pairing: N/A
Strict roles or versatile: N/A
Main characters’ age: Varied, teenagers
Series: Standalone
Kindle Unlimited: No
Pages: 320
Happy ending: No
I’m not quite sure what to say about this one. I loved the whole premise, the characters were interesting and pretty distinct, the writing was solid, and I adored the narration. Yet, the actual execution of the story itself was lacking. I’m not sure I can explain exactly how or why. While I can see why the author set up the story like they did, the confusing effect of the timeline and mystery went beyond giving that exact effect, and instead it seemed to sort of lose its way. I was more confused than I was supposed to be, I think.
There was certainly lots to love, and the concept is really clever. It just didn’t quite pull it off. Sometimes I just felt dumb, so maybe it’s entirely a me-thing.
Felix was my favorite character. It was a lot of fun to get his POV plenty throughout. Surprisingly, the ending actually made me cry. I wasn’t expecting that.
Maybe eyeball reading this book would improve some of the confusion, but the narration was a big part of my enjoyment, so I’m not sure what’s ‘best’. I certainly recommend listening to the book narrated by the talented Vico Ortiz if you’re planning on reading this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for this audio ARC.
Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Teenagers
Fantasy
Queer fiction
Nonbinary character?
Mystery
Themes of faith
Neurodivergent character
Non-hunam characters
Trans character
Everyone is crushing on everyone
Mystery
Thriller
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Graphic violence
Themes of religion
Accidental misgendering
Details of MC being kept hidden and abused as a child
Mild and brief sexual content
Underage drinking
MC deadnamed on page
Death of pet fish (on page)
Mention of suicidal ideation
Brief mention of cannibalism
Vague references to maybe-murder/suicide
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: N/A
Other person drama: N/A
Breakup: N/A
POV: 3rd person, multi
Genre: Queer mystery thriller
Pairing: N/A
Strict roles or versatile: N/A
Main characters’ age: Varied, teenagers
Series: Standalone
Kindle Unlimited: No
Pages: 320
Happy ending: No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism
Minor: Alcoholism
I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. I love Edgmon's work and this book is no different. It being narrated by Vico Ortiz made me extra excited. The book keeps his suspense and darkness all through out the story, and although the plot twist wasn't one, the outcome of it was. The only downside: There were huge parts of the story I had trouble following along. Luckily it wasn't so I couldn't follow the plot itself.
Aaaaaaaaa HE Edgmon has done it again, leaving me with stinging eyes in the car with dinner cooling in the passenger seat as I spend those last few minutes finishing up the audiobook of We Can Never Leave...
Before:
I'd never heard Vico Ortiz as a narrator/audiobook performer before but I'm familiar with them from Our Flag Means Death -- and let me tell you, as an audiobook narrator/performer they are a DELIGHT. They keep each character very separate and very easy to identify from dialogue alone and are able to switch from Amon's raspy voice to Cal's dry Daria-esque cynicism to Hugo's teen boy cadence to Felix's soft and sweet hopefulness all the while pulling you into the story itself. Even the omniscient narrator has its own vibe, sometimes taking asides to talk to us, the listeners. It's fantastic. (New tab: Google: Vico Ortiz audiobook narration)
Let's move onto the story:
One morning, after the bonfire celebration of that month's new moon, five older teens awaken to find themselves completely alone. All the adults in their Caravan (which is wonderfully not just a wink nudge at segregated religious allegories but an open stare) are just... gone. And so, they set out to try and find one other community they know about, several states away... and maybe find some answers, or maybe even more questions, along the way. In short! Though that two-sentence descriptor doesn't touch on what's great about this book, which starts and ends with the writing-- the sort of clear yet semi-prosey descriptors and dialogue that put you as a reader right into the thick of things. Even in a story full of comparisons and allegory, sometimes the narration was again quite open and pointed about it but it was framed in such a way that honestly I loved it, it didn't feel like an author not trusting a reader and pointing something out to them. I liked that we didn't get the full breadth of what was fully going on in the Caravan -- because none of our quintet did, either. Somehow, the mystery of it appealed to me more than if everything had been laid out and bare. Each character was complex in a way that as human nature dictates we may want to root for someone or other at various times, but should we? And on the other hand, why shouldn't we? Lots to think about, lots to enjoy.
Thank you to St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the widget eARC and to RBMedia/Recorded Books for the ALC, I loved this.
Before:
I'd never heard Vico Ortiz as a narrator/audiobook performer before but I'm familiar with them from Our Flag Means Death -- and let me tell you, as an audiobook narrator/performer they are a DELIGHT. They keep each character very separate and very easy to identify from dialogue alone and are able to switch from Amon's raspy voice to Cal's dry Daria-esque cynicism to Hugo's teen boy cadence to Felix's soft and sweet hopefulness all the while pulling you into the story itself. Even the omniscient narrator has its own vibe, sometimes taking asides to talk to us, the listeners. It's fantastic. (New tab: Google: Vico Ortiz audiobook narration)
Let's move onto the story:
One morning, after the bonfire celebration of that month's new moon, five older teens awaken to find themselves completely alone. All the adults in their Caravan (which is wonderfully not just a wink nudge at segregated religious allegories but an open stare) are just... gone. And so, they set out to try and find one other community they know about, several states away... and maybe find some answers, or maybe even more questions, along the way. In short! Though that two-sentence descriptor doesn't touch on what's great about this book, which starts and ends with the writing-- the sort of clear yet semi-prosey descriptors and dialogue that put you as a reader right into the thick of things. Even in a story full of comparisons and allegory, sometimes the narration was again quite open and pointed about it but it was framed in such a way that honestly I loved it, it didn't feel like an author not trusting a reader and pointing something out to them. I liked that we didn't get the full breadth of what was fully going on in the Caravan -- because none of our quintet did, either. Somehow, the mystery of it appealed to me more than if everything had been laid out and bare. Each character was complex in a way that as human nature dictates we may want to root for someone or other at various times, but should we? And on the other hand, why shouldn't we? Lots to think about, lots to enjoy.
Thank you to St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the widget eARC and to RBMedia/Recorded Books for the ALC, I loved this.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
H.E. Edgmon loves to write stories about teens processing their traumas, and I love reading them! This book takes classic story elements that I find compelling (we love a character on a journey), adds in characters imbued with folkloric gifts or curses (or maybe just curses), and mixes it all up with a healthy dose of timeline hopping to keep you turning pages in the hopes of learning more.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My thanks to Netgalley for the eARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my final rating.
Five teens, abandoned. Their parents and guardians, vanished. To find the adults, the mysterious members of the Caravan, they must delve into themselves and their pasts to understand where they came from - and where they are going.
I have never been especially drawn to magical realism. I find it often features language that leans a bit further on the poetic spectrum than I prefer with situations that, when presented inconcretely, leave me floundering to follow the plot. Unfortunately, this book definitely features both of those aspects. I found the language beautiful, but ultimately a bit opaque. While the focus on the characters' past was interesting to me, the present situations felt insubstantial.
While I enjoyed the diversity of the characters' backstories, personalities, and sexualities, I didn't find any of them drawing me in. I never really found a "favorite" to root for.
I deeply respect Edgmon's motives in writing this book, to process religious trauma and to offer a life raft to those who might need one. Luckily, I am not one of those people. Unluckily, that meant I didn't feel much connection to the story or the format in which it was told.
We Can Never Leave is an inventive, explorative, dark character study that was not for me.
Five teens, abandoned. Their parents and guardians, vanished. To find the adults, the mysterious members of the Caravan, they must delve into themselves and their pasts to understand where they came from - and where they are going.
I have never been especially drawn to magical realism. I find it often features language that leans a bit further on the poetic spectrum than I prefer with situations that, when presented inconcretely, leave me floundering to follow the plot. Unfortunately, this book definitely features both of those aspects. I found the language beautiful, but ultimately a bit opaque. While the focus on the characters' past was interesting to me, the present situations felt insubstantial.
While I enjoyed the diversity of the characters' backstories, personalities, and sexualities, I didn't find any of them drawing me in. I never really found a "favorite" to root for.
I deeply respect Edgmon's motives in writing this book, to process religious trauma and to offer a life raft to those who might need one. Luckily, I am not one of those people. Unluckily, that meant I didn't feel much connection to the story or the format in which it was told.
We Can Never Leave is an inventive, explorative, dark character study that was not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Toxic relationship
mysterious
slow-paced