Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson
Publication Date: February 10, 2026
Summary from NetGalley:
Green trips on the curb, falls flat into the street, and sees the city bus speeding toward him. And then . . . blink. He’s back on the curb, miraculously still alive. A five-foot-tall crow watches him from atop a nearby sign, somehow unseen by the rushing crowd of morning commuters.
Desperate for answers and beset by more visions of impossible creatures, Green finds his way to a remote campsite in the Appalachian Mountains, where he meets a centuries-old teacher and begins an apprenticeship unlike anything he could imagine.
Under his new mentor’s grouchy tutelage, Green studies the time-bending rag moth, the glass fawn, and the menacing horned wolf. He begins to see past hidden nature’s terrors and glimpse its beauty, all while befriending fellow misfits—and finding connection and community.
Along the way come clues about the forces that set him on this path—and, most incredibly, a sense of purpose and 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.
Creepy, cozy, and beautiful, Strange Animals is a fantasy about home, belonging, and the fearfully wondrous nature all around us.
ARC provided by Ballantine Books via NetGalley for an honest review.
Confession:
Strange Animals is a quiet and cozy tale full of hidden wonders in the natural world. I just loved the eerie happenings throughout the story and the many creatures that the characters encounter. The story does start off a bit on the horror side of things, but soon settles into a cozy story about loss, curiosity and choice.
I loved all of the characters in this story. Green is such a lost young man, who is desperate to understand why he didn’t die, and what has happened to him. His new ability to see what others can’t is terrifying to him, but at the same time incites a sense of wonder as well. His character goes through so much and we see quite a bit of growth in him. He is very brave when facing some of the creatures, remaining calm even will he is petrified on the inside.
Valentina is also a great character. She is very wise and I loved how she recognized that something was different about Green immediately and took him under her wing. She is a very organic and natural teacher, but I think she should have maybe explained a bit more to Green than she did. Like why he shouldn’t go some places.
The setting of this story was perfect. The Appalachian mountains are vast, and many parts of it are totally removed from civilization. Who knows what might lurk in those hidden corners of the forest. The poetic writing certainly helped set the mood and created a sense of eeriness that I always feel in the woods.
The story itself was very well done. It does start off a bit on the horror side, but soon levels off into a sense of wonder at the creatures that Green encounters. The creatures themselves were fascinating. I don’t know if any of them are true cryptids, or are based on local folklore, but I found them as fascinating as Green did. The ending was a bit on the bittersweet side, but fit well with the rest of the story. This is a standalone, but I certainly hope to see more books featuring these characters and this wonderful world.
Highly recommend this to those of you who like your stories on the eerie side of cozy. This debut is certainly worth it and I look forward to the next book this author writes.
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