A review by mythian
We Can Never Leave by H.E. Edgmon

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

3.5

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
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