Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing a recent fantasy release, Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson. I was hooked by the cover of this book as soon as I saw it and just knew that I had to pick it up. Did the story inside live up to the beauty of its cover? Read on to find out!

An ordinary man discovers a hidden world of wondrous supernatural creatures—and an unexpected home—in this enchanting contemporary fantasy debut.

After a series of inexplicable encounters upends his life, Green finds himself alone and terrified in the Appalachian mountains, full of questions about the transformation he’s undergoing and the impossible creatures he’s starting to see.

When he meets a hermit named Valentina, he realizes that something more than chance has brought him to her door. For she has devoted centuries to researching the hidden world of cryptids that Green is only now beginning to perceive.  

As Green begins his studies beneath her watchful eye, he comes face to face with time-stopping giant moths, cyclops squirrels, and doorways to elsewhere. Along the way come clues about his own nature and the powerful beings who led him here—and, most wondrous of all, a sense of fulfillment like nothing he’s felt before.

But Green’s new happiness promises to be short-lived, because alongside these marvels lurks a deadly threat to this place he’s already come to love.

Featuring incredible creatures and an unforgettable cast of characters, Strange Animals is a charming, addictive fantasy about the magic all around us.

***Thank you to Ballantine Books for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

I loved this book. Strange Animals was surreal and profound in equal measure, and I was immediately gripped by the character work and premise. I was surprised by the depth of the themes and the number of times the writing made me stop and think. There’s plenty of quotable moments, and I just know I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time to come.

First things first, the animals in Strange Animals were delightfully weird and out of this world strange. In fact, all of the world-building was so great, with descriptions that made it feel like I was experiencing the cryptids firsthand myself. I enjoyed getting introduced to the world of cryptonaturalists alongside Green, the main character, and that whole culture was quite complex and well thought out. The magic in this book felt magical. It was wild with so many unexplored parts, and this was one of the rare times that I didn’t mind that everything wasn’t nailed down and completely understandable. The only complaint I have is that I wanted it to give me MORE ANIMALS. The cryptids were so cool, and I wanted to explore even more stuff with these characters. I get that it would have messed with the pacing, though, but I really just wanted more, even if it was just in passing.

I related so much to the main character in Strange Animals. Green was run over by a bus, until he wasn’t. He couldn’t explain how his death was re-written, but the experience fundamentally changed him. He quit his job and left for the woods following a drive to get closer to nature. This book perfectly captured the essence of wanting to just drop everything and leave the complications of the modern world behind. Green struggled at first without the modern conveniences, as I’m sure I would as well, but eventually he found his groove and a new sense of purpose. There was a lot of introspection in this book about his beliefs, fears, and hopes, and I loved following his journey to figuring out a new way to understand and exist in the world.

Of course, Green’s journey wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting without his mentor Valentina. She was unnaturally old and had seen some things. lol. I loved her straightforward and cantankerous personality, but no matter how gruff she came across, she always took care of Green. Their investigation into the mysterious deaths caused by a cryptid kept me on my toes, and the plot was just generally fun to follow. The growing mentor and mentee relationship between Valentina and Green was at the heart of the story, and I really liked where it all led. The end did feel a bit abrupt, though, and there was a circular feeling to the plot by the end that didn’t really get explained well. Mostly, I just wanted a deeper dive into Green’s experiences at the end of the book, but I’ll leave it at that to avoid spoilers.

Strange Animals gave me so much to think about. There were lots of existential musings and thoughts about living in better harmony with nature. The story also beautifully illustrated how preconceived notions can be super wrong, and it stressed the importance of both unbiased observation and collaboration with community in coming to conclusions. My favorite thing the story explored, though, was the eternal struggle between living your principles and self-preservation. The two often come into conflict, and it takes a special kind of person to remain principled even when it might lead to your own doom.

All in all, Strange Animals was indeed a strange animal. It had important messages about the human experience wrapped in a somewhat cozy tale about supernatural creatures and the people who study them. My only “critique” of the book is that I wanted more of it, and I can’t recommend it enough. Therefore, I rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson. I’m very excited to see what this author will do next. Have you picked this one up yet? Let me know your thoughts on it down below in the comments!