We Can Never Leave

April 15, 2025
On the morning after the new moon, five traumatized teens from a cult of societal outcasts who possess "magics" awaken to discover their entire community has vanished. Three years ago, Bird tried to leave the Caravan, but found they didn't belong in the human world either. The Caravan collects and shelters people with "inhuman characteristics or physical features" and unexplained, sometimes lethal, magical powers. While some are born into the community, like Bird, Hugo (a boy with antlers and fire powers who's Bird's ex), and Felix (Hugo's fawn-eared younger brother), others, like "venomous wolf-girl" Cal and red-eyed Eamon, arrive mysteriously and have no memories of their pasts. Although the Caravan offers a haven, it's vulnerable to being noticed by suspicious humans, who sometimes call the authorities. When Bird, Hugo, Felix, Cal, and Eamon wake up alone after the new moon, they blame each other and themselves. Secrets gnaw at them, and only Felix believes they can work together successfully. With nowhere else to go, they set off in search of Port Haven, Washington, a community like theirs--and the closest thing the Caravan has to an enemy. Chapters alternate among the perspectives of the five teens as well as shifting between past and present, maintaining suspense, tension, and a fast pace. Edgmon crafts horror with vivid imagery and an unknown, ominous threat. Meticulous plotting leads to a satisfying conclusion. The cast of characters is predominantly white-presenting and queer. Precise and cutting. (author's note)(Paranormal. 15-18)

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Starred review from May 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Nobody really knows much about the Caravan--not the Caravan-born and certainly not the Caravan-acquired. This patchwork community of the inhuman and magically gifted travels the U.S. in a cluster of camper vans, collecting children like them along the way, but their mechanisms and motivations remain a mystery. When the entire Caravan disappears into thin air and leaves Hugo, Bird, Felix, Eamon, and Calliope behind, the five are forced to struggle through the tangled knots of their intertwined histories to find a safe place to land. And it is a struggle; as Edgmon breaks the fourth wall to assert, this is not a heartwarming story about teens learning to set aside their differences and love one another. Each character is complicated, messy, and angry in their own way, and while the novel's resolution is satisfying, it is more haunting than happy. The astounding beauty of the prose unnervingly normalizes the often gruesome content, folding the reader seamlessly into the mindsets of the teens who are far from recognizing their own severe trauma. Overall, more mystery than action and complete with a potentially daunting six-POV, dual-time line narration, the enthralling storytelling and deeply flawed characters make this a top choice for readers up for a challenge.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2025

Gr 10 Up-The Caravan exists to hide supernatural semi-humans from the world. Some are born into the Caravan, and some are found-and they are always amnesiac about their past. Thanks to horrific rituals and cruelties, no one grows up undamaged. One morning, five Caravan teens find themselves alone. Nonbinary Bird tried to live with their human father, but failed to fit in. Venomous Cal, always a pariah, fights desperate, bloody yearnings. Newcomer Eamon, darkly shadowed, understands neither himself nor his past. Antlered Hugo burns with violent fire, especially since Bird, the soulmate who abandoned him, returned. Gentle Felix, Hugo's brother, wants to keep everyone happy. Embarking on a road trip dripping with vicious words and violence, the five try to make sense of themselves, their relationships, and what has happened to them. This chilling, character-driven thriller has much to recommend it. Switching between viewpoints, a non-chronological story builds the tale between present-day and "before," with occasional interpolations from an intrusive, unidentified narrator. The characters, mostly cued white, are distinct and interesting, if often difficult to like; their upbringing and abilities have left them with few resources to approximate healthy behavior. However, the lyrical language can stray into convoluted metaphors that may pull readers out of the story. Also, the mystery is compelling, but the ending leaves a frustrating number of unanswered questions. Strong language, violence, and disturbing incidents reflect the characters' harrowing pasts. VERDICT Purchase for fans of edgy supernatural thrillers who appreciate morally gray characters and ambiguity.-Rebecca Moore

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