WE CAN NEVER LEAVE

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.