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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
I had no idea what to expect from the book going in and it was such an intriguing and gripping read- from the first page! it’s an ode to queer kids and kids in abusive situations through a supernatural cult. it’s suspenseful and gripping and emotional and painful and partway to healing. the kids of this story are messy and flawed but so sympathetic, and it’s exquisitely difficult to tease out the truth from all of their unreliable narrations.
I could have had the story go on a bit longer to really tease out the implications of the ending for all the characters, but I’m also not mad about where we were left.
I could have had the story go on a bit longer to really tease out the implications of the ending for all the characters, but I’m also not mad about where we were left.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Well, fuck. That was a wild ride.
Edgmon did not pull any punches this time, holy shit. If you're reading this review and trying to decide whether or not to read it - you should. It's these young not so human adults who are not only living in the Caravan (cult), but they have powers they don't understand, and they sorta hate one another but end up getting stuck going on this trip because their families went missing.
I read this book on ebook and audiobook and both are great experiences, but the narrator in the audiobook does a fantastic job and makes it way more horror adjacent and so much more creepier.
None of the characters are very likable, but as the story progresses and you're learning more, you're kinda getting it? Like they have trauma, they just want to be normal kids with a normal life, and theyre basically kids.
Edgmon is such a fantastic storyteller. If you have any religious trauma this may be hard OR it could be healing. It was healing for me at least. 10/10 stars.
I think the only downfall of this book was me being mostly confused by some things being told but I think once you finished it you get to understand more.
Thank you to the publisher and to NG for gifting me a copy for review. I have already purchased a physical copy ☀️
Edgmon did not pull any punches this time, holy shit. If you're reading this review and trying to decide whether or not to read it - you should. It's these young not so human adults who are not only living in the Caravan (cult), but they have powers they don't understand, and they sorta hate one another but end up getting stuck going on this trip because their families went missing.
I read this book on ebook and audiobook and both are great experiences, but the narrator in the audiobook does a fantastic job and makes it way more horror adjacent and so much more creepier.
None of the characters are very likable, but as the story progresses and you're learning more, you're kinda getting it? Like they have trauma, they just want to be normal kids with a normal life, and theyre basically kids.
Edgmon is such a fantastic storyteller. If you have any religious trauma this may be hard OR it could be healing. It was healing for me at least. 10/10 stars.
I think the only downfall of this book was me being mostly confused by some things being told but I think once you finished it you get to understand more.
Thank you to the publisher and to NG for gifting me a copy for review. I have already purchased a physical copy ☀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Alcohol
Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Kidnapping
Did you think you were reading a story about good but deeply damaged people surviving against all odds and finding hope for the future in each other? Because there are plenty of books telling that story, but this isn't one of them.
This is a book about haunted houses, except the houses are bodies and the hauntings are the lies children tell and are told. This is a book about how dangerous it can be to dream when you grow up sleeping with something under your bed. This is not a book about an exorcism, because these houses cannot be saved by anything short of burning to the ground.
This was incredible! The way the author writes works for me, I found it throughly engaging, lyrical with a terrible beauty. Got to the end a screamed a bit.
There are multiple POVs, flashbacks, a narrator (at time omniscient) and some 4th wall breaks.
Gave me Annihilation, Lost, Sweet Tooth vibes with a bit of Wes Anderson.
Thank you Recorded Books Media, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for the ARC.
I am going to say, y'all should listen to the audiobook of this book over reading the physical book, because the way it is written fits so much better. I really enjoyed the cult like and religious aspect of it, the way the plot twist is set up, and how absolutely messed up the kids are. I appreciated the time switches and look into the different backgrounds, as well as the more current timeline and the struggle the group is going through. It was a delightful mix of horror, thriller, and contemporary that I appreciated.
I also appreciated how gender, racism, and similar was discussed, that even in a "perfect caravan" it still exists, even if people pretends it doesn't, due to existing within a society in which it does. I think the author handled it really well.
I am going to say, y'all should listen to the audiobook of this book over reading the physical book, because the way it is written fits so much better. I really enjoyed the cult like and religious aspect of it, the way the plot twist is set up, and how absolutely messed up the kids are. I appreciated the time switches and look into the different backgrounds, as well as the more current timeline and the struggle the group is going through. It was a delightful mix of horror, thriller, and contemporary that I appreciated.
I also appreciated how gender, racism, and similar was discussed, that even in a "perfect caravan" it still exists, even if people pretends it doesn't, due to existing within a society in which it does. I think the author handled it really well.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this so much. I ended up doing a tandem read which I really enjoyed, Vico Ortiz does an amazing job. This book is part fantasy, part dystopian, part horror, part mystery- with experimental elements, like breaking the 4th wall (I personally loved this and thought it was done well). Once I got to the halfway point I really couldn't put it down and read the rest in one night. I love a book that makes me want to just flip back to the beginning and read it all over again now that I know what happens and the new context. This book deals with some heavy topics and as always H.E. Edgmon handles them with great care.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book… was not for me. I wanted to love it so bad: a queer, fantasy, mystery book is right up my alley. But it completely fell flat. Let me rephrase: this book is not for me, but there are going to be a lot of other people who enjoy it. This review is going to be a little painful, but I feel I need to be honest when dissecting it. I am so sorry.
Writing: Almost immediately after starting the book, the writing style slapped me in the face. It reminded me of a high schooler trying to reach word count on an essay— the author COULD have used one word, but chose to spread it out to 8 instead. It was unnecessarily flowery and drawn out. Great vocabulary, and you can tell the author is brilliant, but it felt like it tried too hard. The author switches occasionally to second person point of view in Felix’s chapters, which really takes you out of the story.
Plot: What plot? Stuff happened the first 5% of the book and the last 5% of the book, and absolutely nothing happened in between. The book was comprised of 5 characters who couldn’t decide if they wanted to murder or kiss each other, so they fought the entire time. It was almost exhausting how repetitive the infighting was. I knew where it was going from the start, but I didn’t know the HOW, so that was nice to have the reveal that I didn’t see coming.
Characters: This was split for me. I LOVED Cal. I really enjoyed Bird and Eamon. But Hugo was a massive bully with no redeeming qualities. Felix had the personality of an 8 year old, but was supposed to be 16?! Completely stunted character. I did find myself rooting for the first 3 I mentioned, which helped.
Likes: Other than the 3 characters, I very much enjoyed the premise and the ending. The ending brought it up from 1.75 to 2.5 for me, and the very last line actually made me want to read what happens next, even though I didn’t vibe with the rest of the book.
I feel like I was very harsh with this review, but like I said: I am not the intended audience. If you have any concerns when reading this that match what I’m saying, at least you know you’re not alone. But otherwise, you might really enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
This book was very conflicting for me. I think the author is very smart and likes to write about dark subject matter, but the prose sometimes comes off as too pretentious and meta. I would sum the premise of this book up as Left Behind, as told by the cast of Sweet Tooth. The characters were very unlikeable (intentionally so, I believe) and it was frustrating to read about them having crushes on each other while also wanting to kill each other, but that kind of speaks to the complex feelings teenagers go through, especially when raised in such a cult-like environment as these kids. The magic system was somewhat confusing and could have been illustrated a little more clearly. Basically all the characters have a non-human trait, but also a special power, but those powers are rarely brought up until it becomes important to the plot.
The main characters were raised in a Caravan to protect them from the outside world. It took about two-thirds of the book for me to understand that this book is an allegory for kids raised in religious cults. In many books, the nonhuman creatures are allegories for the oppressed, so it was a genius move to flip that on its head and question why these people are isolating themselves and how that hurts these kids. The title is also very impactful; when you are raised in such a traumatizing way, you can never leave-- your experiences follow you wherever you go and touches every corner of your life, from new friends you try to make, to your family begging you to return to the fold.
Disclaimer: I received a free advanced review copy of this book on NetGalley
The main characters were raised in a Caravan to protect them from the outside world. It took about two-thirds of the book for me to understand that this book is an allegory for kids raised in religious cults. In many books, the nonhuman creatures are allegories for the oppressed, so it was a genius move to flip that on its head and question why these people are isolating themselves and how that hurts these kids. The title is also very impactful; when you are raised in such a traumatizing way, you can never leave-- your experiences follow you wherever you go and touches every corner of your life, from new friends you try to make, to your family begging you to return to the fold.
Disclaimer: I received a free advanced review copy of this book on NetGalley
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Cannibalism
Moderate: Murder, Toxic friendship
adventurous
dark
emotional
I am not going to lie, I was pretty confused for the first half of this novel... That being said, I think it made me want to listen to it even more?? The characters weren't necessarily likeable, but they all had such a human quality to them that I couldn't help but want to know more. I think here the confusing nature of the story really made it work.
To preface, we have five not quite human teens wake to find everyone they know is gone. They only have each other, and so they set off to find others familiar to them and their families. Only things are weird and not clear cut, and they each seem to have some type of magic and it is unclear where these kids have come from. One has faint memories of knowing things, but doesn't actually remember anything before his time with the Caravan (a mysterious group they are all apart of). Each of these teens seem to have beef with one another, which begs the question... Can they survive each other to make it to their destination?
In a twist I didn't see coming, this story creates a powerful narrative about cults, beliefs, and how we can suffocate in environments where we aren't allowed to question and love is conditional.
Vico Ortiz did an amazing job on the audio narration, giving each character a very distinct voice and created a eerie tension in each distinct voice. If you love books that don't give everything away, reflect on human nature, and keep you guessing, I would pick this up. Thank you to the publisher for providing an ALC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.