I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson Published by Ballantine Books on February 10 2026
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Nature and the strange world of cryptids are the backdrop for this inventive and smartly written fantasy tale.
“The intruder was already inside. And it was, without any doubt, too late.”
Strange Animals surprised me in just about every possible way, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read Jarod K. Anderson’s debut novel. This is a fantasy with roots in the real world, about a normal guy who gets caught up in a fantastical world when he has a brush with death. If you enjoy stories about the natural world and our connection to it, you’ll love this thoughtful and somewhat philosophical approach to fantasy.
We follow a man named Green who is hit by a bus one day and dies—or does he? Green swears he died, but somehow time resets itself and he finds himself back in his body, standing on the sidewalk as the bus drives by. But Green isn’t the same. He feels something pulling at him, urging him to leave his ordinary life behind and go out into nature. He also finds, inexplicably, an acorn in his pocket that wasn’t there before.
Following his strange urges, he drives into the Catskills and winds up in a place called Candle-Fly Camp, a remote campsite where you can “stay as long as you like” and “pay what you feel you owe.” With barely any camping experience, Green settles in after meeting the owner, an odd woman named Dancer, who hand knits hats and makes sassafras tea for her guests. But his first night there, Green is attacked by an impossible animal—a huge wolf-like creature with a horn in the middle of its forehead.
Luckily, there is a woman named Valentina in the next campsite who can help Green out. Valentina is a cryptonaturalist—someone who can see hidden animals—and after meeting Green and hearing about the wolf, she’s convinced he’s a cryptonaturalist too. Valentina suggests that Green stick around for a while and learn more about the strange world he’s been thrust into, and Green agrees to be her apprentice. But when people in the area start dying, Valentina knows that a cryptid is to blame. Finding and eliminating the danger is going to be tough—and surviving it will be nearly impossible.
I’ve made the plot sound more simplistic than it is, but Strange Animals is actually quite complex, with intricate and endlessly fascinating worldbuilding, relatable characters and quite a lot of food for thought. I love Anderson’s idea of cryptids and the fact that most people can’t see them. You won’t find Bigfoots or Chupacabras here, though. These “strange animals” are things like the giant, deadly rag moth whose body disintegrates when it dies, or the glass fawn, a deer with a glass-like body whose organs are clearly visible. And of course, Green’s horned wolf is a cryptid as well. I loved the author’s creative take on creatures who are so strange that’s it’s hard to even comprehend them.
I loved the characters as well. Green and Valentina make a nice “teacher/apprentice” pair, and frankly, Green is lucky to have such a wonderful mentor. Valentina, we find out, is over five hundred years old (you’ll find out why when you read the book!), so her knowledge and experience is almost unmatched. I loved her no nonsense approach to initiating Green into the fantastic—and extremely dangerous—world of cryptids, and her love of observation and scientific discovery grounded the story for me. The side characters are a quirky bunch, and I loved them too—Dancer and her hats, Alf from the gas station, and a few others who all seem to have some bit of wisdom to impart to Green.
Anderson’s main message is to remind us of the vast beauty and mysteries of nature and the way everything is connected. Green is pulled out of his life and given a new purpose: to leave the humdrum behind and embrace the natural world. The acorn he finds in his pocket is an interesting item that is carried throughout the story: what is the purpose of the acorn? And why does Green feel the need to hang on to it? I loved the way the author finally answers these questions in some very philosophical ways. Green’s connection to nature—especially his relationship with the wolf—and Valentina’s wise words about living life will give readers plenty to think about.
Parts of the story have an almost Ray Bradbury-esque feel to them, that sense of joy and wonder that Bradbury’s stories seem to exude. My only complaint is that Strange Animals was a little too philosophical for my taste. I felt I was being preached to at times, although there aren’t any religious elements at all, but the whole “find your purpose in life” theme came across as a bit heavy handed at times. I appreciated the positive message, but I was more interested in the plot and the cryptids and didn’t feel the need to do any soul searching myself.
Luckily, the last quarter of story focuses more on the race to save everyone from the cryptid threat, and the author even introduces a new fantasy element that took the story to yet another level of creativity. Anderson’s world is full of endless possibilities, and I feel like Green, Valentina and the others have many more adventures ahead of them.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Lovely review. I love the idea of a mentor with such vast experience to draw upon and the animals here sound wonderfully creative too. The only thing giving me pause is the preachy aspect as I’m all for books containing positive messages but I like them to come across organically within the story, not to feel as if I’m being lectured. Other than that this sounds great though. And I love the cover.
I think it depends on the reader as to whether it’s too preachy, but ultimately I was won over by the whole story idea and the author’s fantastic writing skills.
This sounds like a great story and even more so that it’s a debut. I also wouldn’t like it getting too philosophical. That message can be brought more subtly without it getting too preachy I’d think so that’s too bad. Luckily it does seem like this was only a minor part of the whole book. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t usually enjoy stories with lots of philosophical content, but in this case it worked for me.
Well, with a name like Green and an acorn involved, I guess I’m immediately forming some theories about what he might be, but I’m definitely curious whether that’s right or whether it’s other folklore I don’t know!
Yes, I had some theories about the name “Green” but forgot to put it in my review. But I’m sure that was a deliberate choice!
Wonderful review! I haven’t heard of this book but now I really need to make time for it. Cryptid naturalist sounds like a fun profession
Thanks Rebecca! It was such a unique idea:-)
This sounds amazing! I didn’t have this book on my radar, but I love the sound of this hidden world of cryptids. Seems like this may be the first in a series? I’m always interested in good world -building. Adding to my TBR!
It’s not listed as a series, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the author wrote more books set in this world, it’s endlessly fascinating!
Great review as always. I was thinking about reading this one but thought it came out later in the month. My bad. Seems like a pretty good one to consider though.
Thanks Anne. It’s definitely worth considering if you have time.
Sounds interesting!
It was so interesting!
I cannot wait to read this one!
I don’t think I was really aware of this book, which is odd because it sounds perfect for me. Ahh well, you can’t read them all. This does sound good though.
Lynn 😀
I haven’t heard of this one before, but man, does it sound interesting! I’ve only discovered what cryptids were about a couple of years ago too. Thanks for sharing, Tammy! 😀
Beautiful cover! I love the idea of cryptids in a story, and this sounds like it has a good story. But the preaching aspect/philosophical aspect might put me off. Great review though!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2026/02/05/favorite-first-lines-january-2026/
Oh my gosh, I was THIS close to dnfing this, I swear! Couldn’t make heads or tails of the beginning at all and almost gave up. I’m so glad I didn’t. It made a huge comeback.
Interesting. Sounds very promising as I love the nature aspect. But at the same time I really dislike preachy books that seem overly heavy handed with their messaging, regardless of whether or not I agree with it. So I’m not sure if this is something I’ll try, but I appreciate your review and I’ll keep it in mind as something I might enjoy.
“I appreciated the positive message, but I was more interested in the plot and the cryptids and didn’t feel the need to do any soul searching myself.”
LOL. I hope the preachy part won’t turn me off. But overall, the book sounds as interesting and whimsical as I hoped it would be. Lovely review!
I really liked this one, too. The characters were genuinely delightful and I really loved the messages in it. I’m so glad you also enjoyed it!