Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson

TL;DR: An absolute delight.
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: Green is drawn into a world of hidden monsters and risk.
Characters: I really liked all of them. They were unique and each felt very different.
Setting: A great part of the story, I love anything in the Appalachian Mountains.
Fantasy: Urban fantasy meets cryptozoology

Summary:

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.

Thoughts:

This was another surprise for me. I’m going to be honest, I judged it by it’s cover and it was much better than I thought it would be. Green dies, but then doesn’t and ends up called to the dark mountains of Appalachia. He ends up in a weird space, a world where is a visitor but sees more than he should and ends up attempting to save the world.

There is something about the writing on this that really does the mountains justice. I live much more to the south of where this is set but still in the Appalachians and the quirky, almost folklore like tone to the writing was spot on. It doesn’t get in the way of the story, though at times it can feel purple in one particular character’s speech. The story itself also has a lot of whimsy but darkness. Think Studio Ghibli, specifically Princess Mononoke, and you might have some of the idea.

This was a sneaky, sneaky hit for me. It’s unassuming on the outside (like the mountains) but when you get in there, it’s full of magic. This is a big recommendation from me. If you like Ghibli or perhaps the writing styles of T.J. Klune this could definitely work for you.