These Wounds Never Heal

by Lyan Evander

No ISBN/ASIN data

Einar only wants one thing: to have a normal and peaceful last year at Sins, the boarding school where humans teach children of demons to control their powers. It seems like a simple wish, but fate proves him wrong when dead students begin to appear in the hallways and his necklace is found next to one of the bodies. Now, the principal is convinced he's the one who killed them, so he must find the actual murderer or face imprisonment.

But with the help of his prideful sibling, their easily-scared boyfriend, a child with too many secrets, a boy filled with anger, and a girl who hates herself he will realize that imprisonment is actually the least of his problems.
What will break first? His body or his mind?

360 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2026

Reviews

[The Reading Frog (Less online ATM)]

Thank you to Lyan Evander for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review
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CW: Explicit | Death
Moderate | Bones breaking, child abuse/neglect, description of corpses, fantasy race-based profiling, gun violence, suicide, violence
Mild | Death of multiple children/minors, entrapment, fantasy race-based discrimination and racism, grief, (past) parental death, suicidal ideation, vomit
My chosen soundtrack(s): Give Us a Little Love - Fallulah

"If he didn’t have a soul, he wouldn’t love her as much as he does. He doesn’t believe himself to be a good person. He doesn’t believe himself to be fully human. But he does believe that there is something that separates him—and the other children—from the demons that are their parents. (...) In truth, none of the children of evil ever asked to be one. "

Representation
╰┈➤ Queer characters
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Non-binary achillean MC, Solas (they/them)
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Ace-spec pan-romantic MC, Einar (he/him)
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Bisexual MC, Kai (he/him)
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Non-binary bisexual MC, Raven (she/they)
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Pansexual MC, Lev (he/him)
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Bisexual MC, Kahliah (she/her)
╰┈➤ Queer dynamics
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Established NBLM, Solas and Kai
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Developing NBLM, Raven and Einar
╰┈➤ Ethnic/racial diversity
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Unspecified BIPOC MC, Kai "his usually dark skin looks pale"
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Unspecified BIPOC MC, Einar (couldn't find a quote, but the author's posted visuals imply as such)
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Mexican SC, Lorenzo
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Japanese SC, Mr. Takahashi
╰┈➤ Mental/physical health and disability
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Multiple MCs deal with PTSD symptoms
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ Though not stated on-page, the author confirmed that Solas is written as undiagnosed autistic
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✴︎ MC with chronic pain in hands due to severe burns, Solas


Themes
Childhood trauma, demons, discrimination, exploitation, grief, lineage-based expectations, morality, otherness, questionable definitions of good and evil, repression of the self, self image/worth, siblingship/brotherhood/sisterhood, survivor's guilt


Tropes/What to expect
‎ ‎ ❥ Murder Mystery
‎ ‎ ❥ Dark Academia
‎ ‎ ❥ Found Family
‎ ‎ ❥ Half-Demon Children
‎ ‎ ❥ Multi-POV
‎ ‎ ❥ Queernormative
‎ ‎ ❥ What makes us human?

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What I liked/loved
‎ ‎ ✧ The premise of a group of teens becoming reluctant allies to solve a murder that threatens to wrongfully lock one of them up for it is already interesting on its own.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The setting of an academy that prides itself on teaching half-demon children to become "more human", or, more factually worded, hide them away from humans and stunt their powers to keep them weak and non-threatening, adds to this darker atmosphere.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ It also creates a realistic reason for them to have to solve this murder on their own. Most of the human-run academy, and even most of society, simply doesn’t care much for them and assumes they are all guilty anyway.
‎ ‎ ✧ Some of you all may know that I love short chapters, which is why I enjoyed the format this book came in. What I enjoyed even more is the chapters having actual titles. I feel like this is somewhat of a dying art.
‎ ‎ ✧ Mix of plot- and character-driven. Though the plot contributes much of the urgency felt, there is also lots happening emotionally. With each character individually, as well as in their dynamics and relationships.
‎ ‎ ✧ The characters were lovable and easy to root for. Lev and Solas interested me the most.
‎ ‎ ✧ Queer normative stories, like this one, have a special place in my heart. Sometimes, I just really don't want to think about queerphobia. Queernormativity allows for focus on other themes while keeping that relatability intact.
‎ ‎ ✧ As someone who is disabled and deals with chronic pain, I'm always excited for more representation. It's one of the main reasons for my interest in this book.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ It explores how pain is an ever-present beast that can't be intellectualised away. There are times you're really just in a lot of pain. Period. End of sentence. I'm always glad when fantasy books don't magically "cure" disabilities.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The inclusion of assistive braces was appreciated as well.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I found this chronic pain representation to be very well written. The fact that it is own-voices definitely adds to that.
‎ ‎ ✧ Exploration of otherness. Though as stated before, queerness or skin colour isn't an "othering" quality in this novel, the MCs still fall into this category.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Half-demon children, aka children of evil, are treated horribly ( more on that in the next segmet). But there is also a more zoomed-in layer to it explored here.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ In the academy itself, there is somewhat of a social hierarchy, based on which demon sired a student and how much power they possess. These distinctions affect all of our MCs in some way or another.

"He doesn’t want to die like this. He doesn’t want to die as nothing, just an insignificant thing, too human for the children of evil and too demonic for the humans."

‎ ‎ ✧ Discourse on treatment of minorities and assumed superiority by the oppressors.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Though this book approaches systematic oppression, discrimination and racism through a fantasy lens, you can’t ignore how it mirrors reality.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Many children of evil have been abused, exploited, met with fear and aggression, thrown out of their homes, have been unhoused at some point, and the only place that can guarantee a bed to sleep in and regular meals is an academy that aims to “humanise” them. Sounds familiar, huh?

"As big of a part fantasy plays in this book, the truth is that this story is about six hurt children, about a world that instead of trying to help them only brings them down. And that’s, sadly, not fiction, but real life."

‎ ‎ ✧ Throughout this read, we get multiple glimpses of the past. They, of course, function to help us learn more about our characters, but they serve a secondary purpose as well.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ At multiple points, a switch from past to present enhances the narrative. For example, to make it more devastating and/or to let moments come full circle. It made certain moments hit a little harder
‎ ‎ ✧ Though I predicted certain plot points, one of them did catch me off guard.
‎ ‎ ✧ The author made some very brave writing choices that, in my opinion, paid off. Unfortunately, I can't highlight them here due to spoilers.


What I didn't like/felt lacklustre about
‎ ‎ ✦ Most of my complaints can be categorised as either a taste issue or the fact that I expected it to be a bit more upper YA.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ For example, there was a good bit of tell instead of show happening, or the reader's hand being held through certain plot points. This writing style is often found in the YA genre. I set myself up by expecting this read to be something it’s not.
‎ ‎ ✦ I felt a little underwhelmed by Raven's powers after it was hyped up.
‎ ‎ ✦ Though this one was not for me, I am excited for the author's adult horror romance since I truly believe that most of my complaints about this book are just results of expecting it to be less YA.


Conclusion/Notes
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Even though this read didn’t wow me, I believe there are tons of readers who will love this book. Especially because of the very lovable characters, diverse queer representation and found-family dynamic. This book has a lot of heart, and I have no doubt this book will find its readers!

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I recommend this book to anyone who loves the YA genre, dark academia, a murder mystery, queer normative worlds with multiple queer MCs and those interested in demons and fantasy.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ These Wounds Never Heal is set to be release on 24 October 2026 and makes for a nice fall read. Add it to your TBR and/or pre-order it. Follow @lyanbooks_ on Instagram to stay up to date with any future projects by Lyan Evander.



‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I decided not to rate this book. Especially because it isn’t out yet and is a debut by an indie author. More importantly, it wouldn't reflect the book's quality, just my personal taste and misplaced expectations.


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“Do you believe you’ll do good?” (...) “Yeah. You?” Lorenzo laughs, the sound loud and rich. “I’ll be the best.” Kai turns to look at him, eyebrows raised. “The best or the worst?” He shrugs. “It depends on how you look at it.”

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Want to buddy read this book now or in the future? You can do so on StoryGraph.

Follow me on Spotify for specific reading playlists like these: 📚 Gothic 📚 Dark Academia 📚 Dark Fantasy | 📚 Living Weapony

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[Brooke Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much Lyan for the eARC! I'd been SO EXCITED to read this book and it was definitely worth the wait!

I have struggled to write this review for some time now because the ending broke me immeasurably, and I have yet to emotionally recover. Lyan, expect a therapy bill sent your way...

The cast of characters were definitely my favourite aspect of the book. I would say the story is equally character and plot driven, but there are quite a number of main characters that you get to spend time with, and you really do feel like you're part of their little found family. I grew attached to the characters, especially Einar, Kai and Solas, and I think they were written VERY well.

I had so much fun with the mystery/who dunnit, even more so that it was in a school setting with DEMON children, and this combo made it a very easy read to get through. Although this was fun, the book does tackle some darker/deeper themes (childhood trauma, abuse, etc, and appreciate the message it instills. I detinitely recommend checking this out if you love fantasy, especially in a school setting!

[Kaya🦷 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for advance copy received from Author

omg what a fun, yet emotional read!!

I absolutely loved the concept of this world and it almost reminded me of camp half blood but for demons haha!!

We follow such a strong cast of characters, who each are a child of a demon. Because of this, they are granted powers but are cast out by society, sent to a school made for demon-children.
It is there where they learn to suppress their powers and fit into the human world.
One day, however, a new teacher shows up. Being half-demon himself he is determined to train the kids and teach them control instead of suppression.

Suddenly, one of the students is found dead and the book unravels, turning into a demonic, dark academia murder mystery.

I really think the found family aspect of this story is its biggest strength! There is such a special bond between these characters and I enjoyed getting to know them all.

The book touches upon a lot of childhood trauma, grief, loss and abuse, but it is honestly well done and gives so much depth to the characters and their development.

Overall, the thrilling plot and fast pace made the reading experience really fun and easy, and I definitely grew attached to some of the characters!!


Thank you so much for this eARC, Lyan!

[Roos · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

I want to start by saying thank you so much Lyan for sending me an ARC of your debut novel!

Now let's get into the review. I think this is a very strong debut novel! It has everything you could want from a book.
- A diverse set of characters, all with their own worries and struggles that you might relate to
- An intriguing and mysterious plot that will make you want to keep reading to figure out what is going on
- It shines light on the very important topic of hate, prejudice, and discrimination towards a minority that cannot change anything about the way they were born but still get treated as if they are less than. They are taught how to repress themselves instead of how to deal with their powers.
- There is an incredible group of found family
- It will absolutely break your heart in the end, but at the same time it might heal a part of you, even though some wound never heal... at the very least you will feel seen and understood.

I loved that we got to see the group through different POVs, I just think multiple POVs is the best thing ever, because you get insights you wouldn't get from reading the whole story through one persons POV. And it added so much to this particular story to get all those different looks. It also took us back to everyones childhood traumas throughout the book which makes you feel a lot more connected to the characters! The way the characters thought and spoke felt like how real teenagers speak and think. They were all well developed and described, I could picture them all perfectly with attitudes and all.
You don't immediately get all the information about everyone, just like how the plot slowly unravels, you slowly get to understand the character the more you read.
It was really fun (that feels like the wrong word to use but I'm sticking with it) to follow this group of friends as they tried their best to solve the crimes and fight their own demons while simultaneously fighting literal demons too. I don't know if im ready to forgive the author for the ending yet, because how dare you break my heart like that!!!! But at the same time it was so beautifully written followed by a much needed epilogue that I also just want to say THANK YOU for writing this story and bringing it into existence!

[alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

this review doesn’t have spoilers but a warning just in case (?

*THIS* WOUND WILL NEVER HEAL!!!!!
holy shit, i knew i was going to suffer and that i was going to love it but OMG. seeing this story come to life and ngl knowing some things didn’t stop me from feeling everything as if i were reading it for the first time (which i was, but whatever). i cried, i laughed, i suffered (while the author was laughing at me😡), but most of all i felt this in my heart. and i guess part of my love for it comes from seeing him never give up, for making this dream a reality, but it’s a small part because the biggest reason i love this book is because it made me feel.
now i’m gonna keep crying while i scream at the author and he laughs in my face🙂‍↕️

[Nifa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review!

First off, as far as debuts go, I'd say this was a solid one. The premise intrigued me, and the story explored themes of childhood trauma, neglect, abuse well. Each character had their own demons (no pun intended) to deal with, and their approaches to how they handled their issues varied in interesting ways. I think this book would most appeal to those who've had similar experiences in their past, that is, who grew up in difficult homes and understand the struggle of separating themselves from their childhood selves. It can be very difficult to reckon with your trauma and not have it define you, so I think there's a lot of relatability to be found here in that regard. There's also the aspect of not knowing how to fit in with everyone else, or not knowing whether you even want to, and just figuring out who you want to be outside of others' perceptions. There's a lot of heart in this story, and a lot of frustration, and I found it to be very genuine. I definitely think the author is on a great path.

Having all that said, I do think certain aspects could have been improved. Writing such a large cast (six 'main' characters, who all get POV chapters) is a major undertaking, one that's very difficult to pull off well, and so I think this book would have benefited from cutting some of the POVs. Or, in all honesty, a few of the characters kinda blended together in my mind, so it felt to me like they could have been combined and, as consequence, gotten even more fleshed out. Some of these characters had seeds of fascinating relationships, but they just didn't get enough time on the page to develop properly. For example, I was massively compelled by Einar and Solas's relationship, since I'm always a sucker for complicated sibling dynamics, but we just... didn't really get to see much of it, despite how important Einar proclaimed the relationship to be to him. That's another thing - I'd say there was too much telling and not enough showing. Einar kept saying how much he cared for Solas, but we rarely got to actually see that play out.

For the most part, the plot was interesting, as the murder mystery kept me engaged well enough and gave enough hints to let me come to my own conclusions before the final reveal, but, at times, it kinda felt like the author wasn't sure how to fill out the space between the mystery plot points. It's not a long book, so I think we could have spent a little more time exploring the world more. The story has a lot of interesting themes, so it would have been great to really dig deeper into them through actual events. I also felt the descriptions very lacking. I'm not a reader who needs a lot of them, but I genuinely had no idea where we were at any time or how anyone looked like besides one or two general qualities. The writing on a whole would have done well with some additional editing, but it didn't majorly detract from the reading experience.

Overall, I did have fun with this book and read it pretty quickly. I'll be looking forward to see what the author releases next, since, I think, he's definitely got a lot of potential and he's only bound to go upwards from here :))

[Vixal Plane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been trying to add more dark academia to my TBR in honor of the new school year, so when I received the opportunity to apply for the ARC team for These Wounds Never Heal, I was more than happy to!

Billed as the story of six teens investigating a series of murders at their school for demon children, I found that some of the six got much more page time than others. That's to be expected, with a cast of characters so big; unfortunately, as a result, two of the four characters seemed a little underdeveloped compared to their counterparts.

The two main characters, though, Einar and Solas, are absolutely solid. It was hard not to get attached to Solas in particular, cold as they are, because of the author's attention to detail regarding their chronic pain. As a disabled individual myself, seeing representation of my conditions and symptoms is important to me, and that meant Solas was important to me as I read, too.

For the most part, the main plot was solid. There were a few plot holes (one regarding inconsistencies with a character's power, another regarding the reappearance of a character who was supposedly elsewhere with no in-character questions as to how he came back), but the plot twist at the end of the novel was great. For a murder mystery, that's very important; I was genuinely amazed at the sudden turn of events that ramped up the end of the novel.

These Wounds Never Heal absolutely hits its stride in its final chapters. The big bad reveal is incredible, as is the fight that follows, and the ending is genuinely heartbreaking in all the right ways. In all honesty, though, I found myself struggling to get to the ending because the book definitely needed a round of external editing. There were mismatched verb phrases, incorrect words, and major grammatical errors throughout that made the book difficult to parse for me personally.

That isn't to say the author doesn't have talent. There are excellent turns of phrase that make the writing, and the bones of the novel are genuinely really good. It's clear the author is talented and just needs a little guidance, but what new author doesn't, especially when they're multilingual and writing in more than one language (which is more than most of us can say)? If you're someone who doesn't mind grammar errors, loves dark academia, and wants a genuinely touching novel on childhood trauma, I recommend this book to you.