Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson ~ a Review

by MK French

Green is alone and terrified in the mountains, slowly transforming into something else. He's also starting to see impossible creatures. When he meets a hermit named Valentina, he discovers that she devoted centuries to researching the hidden world of cryptids. He begins to study the creatures and portals, finds clues about his own nature and the powerful beings who led him there. Alongside his sense of purpose is a deadly threat that might just take away everything he loves.

Amazon affiliate links are used on the site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

February 2026; Ballantine Books; 979-8217092468
audio, ebook, print (320 pages); fantasy

Cryptonaturalists study the odd things that occur in the fringes of human life, like yeti and the like. Green's death is reversed, and the oddities he feels in city life send him to the Catskills, to a hidden campground where odd people live outside the reach of cell signals and wifi. There are strange squirrels, fungi that create communication lines, and means of traveling via cryptids for the few people choosing to study the creatures that most people can't see. Green is introduced to Valentina after an odd sighting, and she realizes that he sees multiple things that ordinary humans can't. She takes him on as an apprentice, but the appearance of the glass fawn and the frightening horned wolf means he's thrown into this world at the deep end. Animals and people are dying, frozen in time and place, unable to decay. The deaths come every night, and Valentina and Green are the only ones in the area able to try fighting off the odd creature outside reality.

There are so many hidden things in the world, and pockets of the country that weren't fully explored. We also don't know everything about the natural world, so having new species living in those spaces makes sense. They have their own life cycles and places in ecology, and carry a strange kind of magic themselves. Green is so new, making him a great introduction to this world. We learn about it as he does, and we see him gradually learn about the cryptids and lose his fear of his new home. Because it's become home to him, he feels responsible for keeping people safe and protecting them from danger. He has a noble purpose and kindness, and it helps him to override the fear he lived with in the beginning of the novel. The finale is fitting, and I can see it as a cinematic and beautiful triumph of spirit and knowledge. 

Buy Strange Animals at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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