Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'd like to thank H.E. Edgmon, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
We Can Never Leave is a queer ya contemporary fantasy with horror elements that follows 5 teens as they travel to find their vanished community. All around the world inhuman kids wake up, with no memory of who they are or whaere thay came from, with new animal mutations in their faces and mouths and ears. The Caravan-- a group of mobile homes that constantly travel the states-- exists to be a refuge for those creatures. Made up of creatures, they travel the world to find more like them and save them from being found out by humans. One night, the morning after the New Moon celebration, everyone has vanished.
There are only five creatures left: Bird, a half human, has returned from three years of having gone to visit and live with their father in the human world. Their mother, the runner of the Caravan after their grandparents. Hugo and his little brother Felix, one with unbridled rage boiling inside, and the other who believes everything will be just fine. Calliope, a venomous wolf girl with a bloody past, but wanting nothing more than a family. Eamon, a mystery, the newest addition to the Caravan, a shadow in the shape of a boy with glowing red eyes. The five have to work together to figure out where everyone went as they unleash each others secrets and slowly come to the realization that nothing happened to their people, something happened to them.
We Can Never Leave was a wild ride, I was left looking around my living room in open mouthed shock asking "did you read what I just read??" to the ghosts in my house, to nobody, to my dog. I sent shocked "what the fuck" gifs to my husband just in the other room, never being able to explain what in the world was going on in whatever chapter I was on. I was so enthralled with the ride this book was. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, exasperated, slightly annoyed (I'm looking at you Hugo). I love these characters so much, I want a Bird and a Cal in my life, they both need a hug. Some things Cal says, and Eamon too, they just make you laugh out loud with the dang audacity of the shit they say. I want to read this again, I want to experience the ride of this book again for the first time. I think one sentence that really describes it to people is "It's like a fucked up Breakfast Club if they were all stuck in an RV together."
I think what I'm most impressed with, is the way Edgmon wrote. They wrote each chapter in SUCH an interesting way. The way Bird sees themselves is different than how the others see them, so in the others chapters Bird changes personality a bit to match how the person the chapter is showing the viewpoint of views them. I have never seen writing this way, and I absolutely enjoyed that. What amazing art.
We Can Never Leave is a queer ya contemporary fantasy with horror elements that follows 5 teens as they travel to find their vanished community. All around the world inhuman kids wake up, with no memory of who they are or whaere thay came from, with new animal mutations in their faces and mouths and ears. The Caravan-- a group of mobile homes that constantly travel the states-- exists to be a refuge for those creatures. Made up of creatures, they travel the world to find more like them and save them from being found out by humans. One night, the morning after the New Moon celebration, everyone has vanished.
There are only five creatures left: Bird, a half human, has returned from three years of having gone to visit and live with their father in the human world. Their mother, the runner of the Caravan after their grandparents. Hugo and his little brother Felix, one with unbridled rage boiling inside, and the other who believes everything will be just fine. Calliope, a venomous wolf girl with a bloody past, but wanting nothing more than a family. Eamon, a mystery, the newest addition to the Caravan, a shadow in the shape of a boy with glowing red eyes. The five have to work together to figure out where everyone went as they unleash each others secrets and slowly come to the realization that nothing happened to their people, something happened to them.
We Can Never Leave was a wild ride, I was left looking around my living room in open mouthed shock asking "did you read what I just read??" to the ghosts in my house, to nobody, to my dog. I sent shocked "what the fuck" gifs to my husband just in the other room, never being able to explain what in the world was going on in whatever chapter I was on. I was so enthralled with the ride this book was. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, exasperated, slightly annoyed (I'm looking at you Hugo). I love these characters so much, I want a Bird and a Cal in my life, they both need a hug. Some things Cal says, and Eamon too, they just make you laugh out loud with the dang audacity of the shit they say. I want to read this again, I want to experience the ride of this book again for the first time. I think one sentence that really describes it to people is "It's like a fucked up Breakfast Club if they were all stuck in an RV together."
I think what I'm most impressed with, is the way Edgmon wrote. They wrote each chapter in SUCH an interesting way. The way Bird sees themselves is different than how the others see them, so in the others chapters Bird changes personality a bit to match how the person the chapter is showing the viewpoint of views them. I have never seen writing this way, and I absolutely enjoyed that. What amazing art.
This was such a wild ride.
Caravan is a cult that collects non humans and builds a community for them until one day 5 of their teens wake up and the whole community has vanished.
This flips between timelines, characters and places so quickly it’s a little hard to find your footing but absolutely worth it in the end. It delves into identity, sexuality, family/found family relationships and finding your place in the world. At times I was confused and a little put off by the disjointedness of the novel but overall it’s a great read
Thanks to netgalley and st martins press for an eARC.
Caravan is a cult that collects non humans and builds a community for them until one day 5 of their teens wake up and the whole community has vanished.
This flips between timelines, characters and places so quickly it’s a little hard to find your footing but absolutely worth it in the end. It delves into identity, sexuality, family/found family relationships and finding your place in the world. At times I was confused and a little put off by the disjointedness of the novel but overall it’s a great read
Thanks to netgalley and st martins press for an eARC.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
We Can Never Leave is about a group of inhuman kids who wake one day to find the people of their home (the caravan) are missing. The Caravan has provided safety and security and so many secrets throughout their life that none of the kids get along and now they have to try and find a way to survive without them. Not only is the caravan missing, but where did they go, why did they leave, and what secrets have they been hiding from their children along the way?
This was such a different story and I loved learning each of the different perspectives of the kids growing up in the caravan as they navigated the world without the adults. I loved the cult-like feel of their upbringing, how Bird wanted to escape but ended up back with the caravan. I loved the LGBTQ+ representation. The relationships and complicated feelings between characters was so well written.
I was not a huge fan of the fourth wall break in some of the character chapters where the author took it as an opportunity to ask the reader questions/tell the reader snippets to help further the plot. It felt a little disjointed and I would have rather it be it's own separate chapter or an epigraph - almost Lemony Snicket style.
Overall this was a solid book - I think if you like dark YA mysteries like Don't Let the Forest In, you'll really enjoy this!
We Can Never Leave is about a group of inhuman kids who wake one day to find the people of their home (the caravan) are missing. The Caravan has provided safety and security and so many secrets throughout their life that none of the kids get along and now they have to try and find a way to survive without them. Not only is the caravan missing, but where did they go, why did they leave, and what secrets have they been hiding from their children along the way?
This was such a different story and I loved learning each of the different perspectives of the kids growing up in the caravan as they navigated the world without the adults. I loved the cult-like feel of their upbringing, how Bird wanted to escape but ended up back with the caravan. I loved the LGBTQ+ representation. The relationships and complicated feelings between characters was so well written.
I was not a huge fan of the fourth wall break in some of the character chapters where the author took it as an opportunity to ask the reader questions/tell the reader snippets to help further the plot. It felt a little disjointed and I would have rather it be it's own separate chapter or an epigraph - almost Lemony Snicket style.
Overall this was a solid book - I think if you like dark YA mysteries like Don't Let the Forest In, you'll really enjoy this!
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
We Can Never Leave has a bold concept and some genuinely powerful moments, especially in how it explores queer identity, rage, and the edges of reality. H.E. Edgmon clearly has a unique voice and vision.
That said, the story didn’t quite hook me the way I hoped. There were simply too many characters and shifting points of view for me to stay grounded. I often found myself losing track of who was who, which made it harder to connect emotionally with the characters or become fully immersed in the plot.
It’s a thought-provoking read with strong themes, but the crowded narrative made it difficult to fully enjoy.
Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.
That said, the story didn’t quite hook me the way I hoped. There were simply too many characters and shifting points of view for me to stay grounded. I often found myself losing track of who was who, which made it harder to connect emotionally with the characters or become fully immersed in the plot.
It’s a thought-provoking read with strong themes, but the crowded narrative made it difficult to fully enjoy.
Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday books for an early release copy.
The purpose of The Caravan is to seek out non humans, until it’s not. One morning on campsite all members have vanished, except for a few. Our multiple points of view Bird, Hugo, Felix, Eamon, and Calliope. And this many point of views seem to work, since some are sibling, they all have similar backgrounds and all feel interconnected.
The purpose of The Caravan is to seek out non humans, until it’s not. One morning on campsite all members have vanished, except for a few. Our multiple points of view Bird, Hugo, Felix, Eamon, and Calliope. And this many point of views seem to work, since some are sibling, they all have similar backgrounds and all feel interconnected.
As my 3rd book by this author, you can really see they stick to what they know, their characters are distinct and developed much like their other stories. Also, a feeling of being overly familiar when thinking of characters in their other novels. It was enjoyable getting to know each characters back story, from their hardships and trauma they endured but mostly for the creativity of it.
With all the flashbacks and point of views, it can be hard to follow. Between the frequemt flashbacks and repetitive arguing between characters, the plot never really progressed. And as slow as the story moved, the progress would feel non existent, like for most of the book, was there really a plot at all? think moving more medium-fast would have benefitted the story. The journey is what you expect for the overall theme but goes deeply into the imagery making it still a unique journey. The ending was impactful and surprising.
But overall a mostly unexplained book- like a first book in a series feeling.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
I wanted to like this, but it was very strange. I’m still not entirely sure what happened during the story. There was a lot of build up to the main point, and it ended up being toward the end of the book which didn’t leave enough time for everything to feel resolved for me. It did give me some feeling of Twilight in that supernatural beings are living among humans, but that some can’t. I don’t know. I just didn’t get into it.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy*
H.E. Edgmon is one of my favourite authors, and We Can Never Leave is a fantastic YA fantasy that feels more like a surrealism story. Either way, it was enjoyable. Definitely not my favourite H.E. Edgmon (in fact it’s my lowest rated read) but 4 stars to me means I enjoyed it, with some things I didn’t like.
I found that the characters were great, and they were well developed. The banter between them was fun, but sometimes it could be unnecessarily cruel.
Overall, I enjoyed this even if I didn’t have a clue what was going on for a while. You just have to trust the reading journey!
H.E. Edgmon is one of my favourite authors, and We Can Never Leave is a fantastic YA fantasy that feels more like a surrealism story. Either way, it was enjoyable. Definitely not my favourite H.E. Edgmon (in fact it’s my lowest rated read) but 4 stars to me means I enjoyed it, with some things I didn’t like.
I found that the characters were great, and they were well developed. The banter between them was fun, but sometimes it could be unnecessarily cruel.
Overall, I enjoyed this even if I didn’t have a clue what was going on for a while. You just have to trust the reading journey!
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Personally, while it is advertised as a fantasy, I think We Can Never Leave leans far more into surrealism than it does any other genre. And while surrealism isn’t my favourite, this one did blow me out of the water in terms of the quality of the symbolism and the pure imagination involved in constructing its narrative. Working through themes of parental trauma, enmeshment, queer identity, conscience, and autonomy; We Can Never Leave brings all of these ideas to the forefront of its plot, but in a way that does not hand hold the reader and lead them into any obvious premeditated conclusions.
My favourite aspect of this book is how unlikable the characters are—something that is intentional, as the novel actually calls it out. The cold start sort of forces you into the lives of these monstrous/magical teens, none of whom seem to like each other, but all of which are stuck together. You are not asked to empathize with them, but you are made to learn about them on both an individual level, and as a group. The cold start and unlikeable characters act as both a hook and a means of engagement, drawing the reader further and further into the mystery until all the pieces come together. However, even near the very end I was still surprised by the conclusion.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. It was shocking, elaborate, weird, and at times incredibly gross, but it was never stagnant. I think this is one of those books that will mean more to me the longer I ruminate on it, and as such I wholly recommend it.
My favourite aspect of this book is how unlikable the characters are—something that is intentional, as the novel actually calls it out. The cold start sort of forces you into the lives of these monstrous/magical teens, none of whom seem to like each other, but all of which are stuck together. You are not asked to empathize with them, but you are made to learn about them on both an individual level, and as a group. The cold start and unlikeable characters act as both a hook and a means of engagement, drawing the reader further and further into the mystery until all the pieces come together. However, even near the very end I was still surprised by the conclusion.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. It was shocking, elaborate, weird, and at times incredibly gross, but it was never stagnant. I think this is one of those books that will mean more to me the longer I ruminate on it, and as such I wholly recommend it.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love H. E. Edgmon's writing style and I think a lot their writing is beautiful and painful. This book was no exception; I thought the characters were well done and the angst leapt off the page. The reason this wasn't a 5-star read for me is because I thought there could have been more exposition. By the conclusion of the book, we never really understand the caravan's purpose or why they seem so sinister. There are a lot of implications, but not concrete answers. This wouldn't bother me if there was another book, but it seems like this is a stand-alone novel.
We Can Never Leave is really a story about religious trauma. Bird, one of the books main characters, leaves the caravan for 3 years to be human. But after she fails and returns "home" the caravan suddenly disappears during a New Moon ritual. Bird, and four other teens are the only ones left. From here, there is a lot of unpacking of preconceived notions and some sinister undertones that something isn't right. One of the main fights Bird has with other characters is why she left. There's a lot of discussion about how the Caravan seems to keep people ignorant and isn't it mysterious that they just seem to find magical people?
I liked the character dynamics and the end of this book almost made me cry. Felix, one of the left behind teens, reminds me so much of the child who just wants to fix everything. His story arc, along with his brother Hugh, is truly difficult to read, but in a good way. The brothers suffer some pretty significant psychological abuse, the kind that fuels rage and ends lives. Their story felt so real, just two kids trapped in a commune with no outlet to leave.
There was so much about this story that I liked, but it was a little too jumbled and I wanted more background plot. If you like semi-horror YA novels, you'd probably enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press - Wednesday books for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood