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The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids
The Lambros family has never fit in with the town of Pandora, even from the very beginning. Since their ancestors immigrated from Greece with magical creatures in tow, the townsfolk have never trusted them and that hasn't changed in the centuries since. Now, Melpomene, Calliope, and Thalia struggle to live their every day lives. When new girl, Asha Singh moves to town, everything changes. Thalia, once determined to escape Pandora upon graduation, finds herself growing closer to the heiress of the new resort in town and puts her plans on hold as their relationship develops. All the while, a man has entered the grounds, sent by their mother to help prepare for the newest creature en route to the house. His intentions come into question as he tries to befriend the distrustful Calliope, whose own abilities with the animals seem something out of a fairytale. With their mother missing, Melpomene struggles to keep the house together amidst the changes in the town, the newcomers to their lives, and the impending threat of their secret life being exposed to the community and the world. As the three sisters deal with their own personal problems, the divide between them grows wide when they need to band together the most or else it may end with one of them in the hands of their greatest enemy.
569 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2023
13 people are currently reading
385 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie A. Gillis
14 books355 followersStephanie Gillis is the author of the SPFBOX finalist The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids, the urban fantasy series The Ashport Archives, and several short stories of varying genres! On YouTube she's known as Qwordy (Q) and regularly hosts productivity livestreams and posts bookish content. You can often find her breaking out into song at random or petting the nearest dog.
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August 9, 2025A finalist in the 10th annual SPFBO contest!
10 finalists were chosen from the 300 books entered this year.
10 finalists were chosen from the 300 books entered this year.
April 17, 2025
My SPFBOX finalist review is published at Before We Go Blog.
The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids by Stephanie A. Gillis defied my expectations and delighted me in every way. For some reason I had expected this to be a typical low-stakes cozy fantasy. But I wouldn’t classify this book as cozy fantasy at all—I would describe it as a low fantasy thriller overlaid with plenty of family/relationship drama.
The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is centered on three sisters living in the small Colorado town of Pandora. The Lambros sisters, Melpomene, Calliope, and Thalia, manage a secret shelter for mythical animals, rescuing them from harm and taking good care of them. But the local population scorns the Lambros sisters, viewing them as witches.
Each of the three sisters takes turns with point-of-view duties, as we learn more about their own personal struggles with the family’s unique situation. There is also a fourth perspective coming from Asha, a new girl who moves into Pandora as the daughter of wealthy businesspeople. Asha quickly befriends and falls in love with the youngest Lambros sister, Thalia, to the disapproval of her parents.
I love all four main characters in The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids, each of whom is given a unique voice and well-developed persona. Beyond their individual struggles, there are also plenty of mysteries to discover about the family and their history as caretakers of these mythical creatures. The narrative strikes just the right balance between relationship drama and higher-stakes thrills, making it a true page turner for your humble reviewer. Overall, The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is a lot of fun and a delight to read. Highly recommended.
The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids by Stephanie A. Gillis defied my expectations and delighted me in every way. For some reason I had expected this to be a typical low-stakes cozy fantasy. But I wouldn’t classify this book as cozy fantasy at all—I would describe it as a low fantasy thriller overlaid with plenty of family/relationship drama.
The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is centered on three sisters living in the small Colorado town of Pandora. The Lambros sisters, Melpomene, Calliope, and Thalia, manage a secret shelter for mythical animals, rescuing them from harm and taking good care of them. But the local population scorns the Lambros sisters, viewing them as witches.
Each of the three sisters takes turns with point-of-view duties, as we learn more about their own personal struggles with the family’s unique situation. There is also a fourth perspective coming from Asha, a new girl who moves into Pandora as the daughter of wealthy businesspeople. Asha quickly befriends and falls in love with the youngest Lambros sister, Thalia, to the disapproval of her parents.
I love all four main characters in The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids, each of whom is given a unique voice and well-developed persona. Beyond their individual struggles, there are also plenty of mysteries to discover about the family and their history as caretakers of these mythical creatures. The narrative strikes just the right balance between relationship drama and higher-stakes thrills, making it a true page turner for your humble reviewer. Overall, The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is a lot of fun and a delight to read. Highly recommended.
April 14, 2025
Read this as a judge for the #SPFBO (self-published fantasy blog-off, hosted by Mark Lawrence) round 10.
This story is definitely the first of my Semi-Finalists for the #SPFBO and I am so pleased to have found a book which I really didn’t anticipate loving quite as much as I did. It was a joy to read this book, from start to end, and even though it’s a longer one it felt very easy to get through and to connect with.
We are following three sisters (the Lambros sisters) who live in an old, large house away from the rest of their small town. Their home is secretly also the home of many weird and wonderful creatures and beings, and the Lambros sisters act as a kind of sanctuary for these creatures. They are, of course, seen as witches by the rest of the town, or at the very least ‘odd’ as their land is protected and no one can go there. The three of them live largely independently as their mother is frequently away hating for new beings to rehome, and their father passed away a while ago.
Each of the sisters have their own story and they each have their own opinions and feelings on the work that they have been tasked with. We follow Melpomene, Calliope, and Thalia and I did feel as though each of their voices were unique and distinctly memorable and relatable.
Melpomene: She is the oldest sister and feels a great weight of responsibility to fix all the things wrong with the old house for her sisters and all their residents. She’s often worried and running to town to get supplies to hopefully patch everything back together again, but she’s also a very caring soul.
Calliope: The middle sister and a bit of a loose cannon, Calliope has an affinity for the beings and creatures who come to live at their house. No matter who or what the creatures are, she seems able to befriend them closely and to care deeply for their well-being. She lives largely with them at the centre of all of her attention, so despite loving her sisters she is seen a bit more rarely and generally the town think she’s the worst witch of all, as she’s not ventured down in years.
Thalia: The baby of the group who is still in school and trying to make it through with all the horrible children around her calling her names and mocking. She is very thick skinned, however, and she is able to weather all storms and deliver sass back, and she catches the eye of the new girl. Thalia also has a way with potions and remedies/medicines and she seems able to make all kinds of things with the magical stuff the creatures all give her.
The plot of this book largely focuses on us getting to know each of the Lambros sisters and their individual life, wishes and situation. We also have a mystery of what’s happened to their mother, and the new people she’s sent to help them out at their house, which has never happened before. This rides the wave nicely between contemporary and cosy, high fantasy with a mystery sub-plot, and somehow it all just works together.
In terms of what I liked:
- Illustrations and descriptions of the creatures we meet in the book in between chapters. There’s always something more fascinating and magical about finding a story which captures so well the beings it is telling you about and allowing you to really see them as intended. It also just fleshed out the book as some creatures don’t really feature much, but were just cool imaginings which I liked to see.
- The sisters, all of them are great as characters and I connected with them all in their own ways.
- The representation of lgbtqia characters and also those who are just a bit different and for whatever reason don’t quite fit society’s mould. I think there’s a lot here which I found just loving and sweet, and there’s also highlighting on those who do bully and pick on others who aren’t like them. I was pleased to see redemption for these characters when they find out more, and to see that people can change and be better than what they’ve been raised to be.
- The story which feels a little more of a character study changes pace as the plot goes on and ended up in some fairly unexpected places which I really liked seeing.
- The love interests which are built up over the book. Often love interests can annoy or frustrate me, but these all felt genuine and loving and sweet and I really wanted all three sisters to find their special support system and lover in the book.
Things I wasn’t as keen on:
- Honestly, not a lot springs to mind here besides the fact that there’s no release date for book #2 yet and i really wanted to continue straight on with the plot as it’s all super exciting and dramatic in the second half and especially at the end of the book!!
Overall, I really just enjoyed sinking into this book and discovering the wonders and whimsey of the world. The writing is solid and the book felt original and exciting as I went through it. It also managed to still feel like a cosy story about family and chosen family, and I really loved a lot of things about this one. Super solid 4.5 from me which is 9/10 for #SPFBO, so a really solid score and a hard one to beat as a semi-finalist…we’ll see?!
This story is definitely the first of my Semi-Finalists for the #SPFBO and I am so pleased to have found a book which I really didn’t anticipate loving quite as much as I did. It was a joy to read this book, from start to end, and even though it’s a longer one it felt very easy to get through and to connect with.
We are following three sisters (the Lambros sisters) who live in an old, large house away from the rest of their small town. Their home is secretly also the home of many weird and wonderful creatures and beings, and the Lambros sisters act as a kind of sanctuary for these creatures. They are, of course, seen as witches by the rest of the town, or at the very least ‘odd’ as their land is protected and no one can go there. The three of them live largely independently as their mother is frequently away hating for new beings to rehome, and their father passed away a while ago.
Each of the sisters have their own story and they each have their own opinions and feelings on the work that they have been tasked with. We follow Melpomene, Calliope, and Thalia and I did feel as though each of their voices were unique and distinctly memorable and relatable.
Melpomene: She is the oldest sister and feels a great weight of responsibility to fix all the things wrong with the old house for her sisters and all their residents. She’s often worried and running to town to get supplies to hopefully patch everything back together again, but she’s also a very caring soul.
Calliope: The middle sister and a bit of a loose cannon, Calliope has an affinity for the beings and creatures who come to live at their house. No matter who or what the creatures are, she seems able to befriend them closely and to care deeply for their well-being. She lives largely with them at the centre of all of her attention, so despite loving her sisters she is seen a bit more rarely and generally the town think she’s the worst witch of all, as she’s not ventured down in years.
Thalia: The baby of the group who is still in school and trying to make it through with all the horrible children around her calling her names and mocking. She is very thick skinned, however, and she is able to weather all storms and deliver sass back, and she catches the eye of the new girl. Thalia also has a way with potions and remedies/medicines and she seems able to make all kinds of things with the magical stuff the creatures all give her.
The plot of this book largely focuses on us getting to know each of the Lambros sisters and their individual life, wishes and situation. We also have a mystery of what’s happened to their mother, and the new people she’s sent to help them out at their house, which has never happened before. This rides the wave nicely between contemporary and cosy, high fantasy with a mystery sub-plot, and somehow it all just works together.
In terms of what I liked:
- Illustrations and descriptions of the creatures we meet in the book in between chapters. There’s always something more fascinating and magical about finding a story which captures so well the beings it is telling you about and allowing you to really see them as intended. It also just fleshed out the book as some creatures don’t really feature much, but were just cool imaginings which I liked to see.
- The sisters, all of them are great as characters and I connected with them all in their own ways.
- The representation of lgbtqia characters and also those who are just a bit different and for whatever reason don’t quite fit society’s mould. I think there’s a lot here which I found just loving and sweet, and there’s also highlighting on those who do bully and pick on others who aren’t like them. I was pleased to see redemption for these characters when they find out more, and to see that people can change and be better than what they’ve been raised to be.
- The story which feels a little more of a character study changes pace as the plot goes on and ended up in some fairly unexpected places which I really liked seeing.
- The love interests which are built up over the book. Often love interests can annoy or frustrate me, but these all felt genuine and loving and sweet and I really wanted all three sisters to find their special support system and lover in the book.
Things I wasn’t as keen on:
- Honestly, not a lot springs to mind here besides the fact that there’s no release date for book #2 yet and i really wanted to continue straight on with the plot as it’s all super exciting and dramatic in the second half and especially at the end of the book!!
Overall, I really just enjoyed sinking into this book and discovering the wonders and whimsey of the world. The writing is solid and the book felt original and exciting as I went through it. It also managed to still feel like a cosy story about family and chosen family, and I really loved a lot of things about this one. Super solid 4.5 from me which is 9/10 for #SPFBO, so a really solid score and a hard one to beat as a semi-finalist…we’ll see?!
January 7, 2025
Read for SPFBOX as part of team Fantasy Book Critic. This is just my opinion, group verdict may differ widely.
7.5/10
Cozy fantasy meets small-town drama meets contemporary (queer) romance meets suspense thriller in The Humane Society of Creatures & Cryptids; it might sound like a lot, but somehow Stephanie Gillis just makes it work and pulls off her vision for this genre blendy gem with effortless grace.
Now, for the first half of this book, the entire plot is essentially: inner turmoil and interpersonal drama. And let me tell you, I was eating it up. We follow the three Lambros sisters, Melpomene, Calliope and Thalia, as they just go about their normal daily lives. You know, very normally taking care of all kinds of magical creatures while trying to navigate their own personal problems and keeping the suspicious town’s folk of Pandora in the dark about the goings-on in their old secluded house in the woods.
To me, each sister had a super distinct voice that completely fit with their age/personality, and I loved how they were all allowed to be so beautifully and relatably flawed and messy. Whether it was Mel’s struggles to balance her own happiness with her demanding role as caretaker of the family, Calliope’s mysteriously powerful bond with the magical creatures and her tragic mental battles, or Thalia’s amusingly wayward nature and high school drama, I just connected and sympathised so deeply with them all. And then add to that the fourth POV of Asha, a new girl in town who befriends Thalia, whose curious outsider perspective added a whole new fresh dimension to the story that added so many unexpected layers of fun tension, nuance and complexity.
Moreover, as someone who thrives on digging into the intricacies of all kinds of interpersonal relationships in stories, I loved how much quiet time we got to just explore all the complicated feelings between the sisters as they go from merely living alongside each other to truly connecting and bonding again for the first time in years. And it wasn't just the complex sisterly dynamic that had me glued to the page, but also the tenuous relationship with their absent mother and the development of the wholesome romances that start to blossom in each of the sisters’ lives. Not to mention, all the lively, quirky side characters (both the human and non-human ones) really get their time to shine, and I would very much like to know where I can get myself some saberwolves or Bigfoot Harriët, please and thank you!
Now, I do have to admit that the slow-burn cozy first half of the book didn’t totally prepare me for the sudden shift into such high-stakes, almost thriller-esque territory as outside forces start to threaten them and the magical creatures. Even though I was deeply emotionally invested at that point and was on the edge of my seat out of concern for all my favourite characters, I just couldn’t help but find the shift in tone slightly jarring. To me, the drastic increase in the pacing made the development of some characters’ personal journeys and their relationships feel a bit too unbelievable for me, and I felt like some heavy topics of trauma, redemption, and vengeful retribution were not handled with the care and nuance they deserve simply for the sake of resolving all the mess in a satisfying and wholesome way.
All that said, those quibbles didn’t hold me back from devouring this book, and ultimately the highs way outweighed the lows for me. I mean, Gillis’ slightly tongue-in-cheek authorial voice is irresistibly entertaining (just look at this killer line: “Yes, Sheriff. Bigfoot is a girl. I’m a lesbian. Can you try to keep your patriarchal misogyny in check for this?”), it features SO much fun and rich magical creature lore (including illustrations!), and it’s just got so much heart that you simply can’t help but be charmed by it all.
In a weird way, The Humane Society of Creatures & Cryptids feels like a uniquely exciting mash-up of the styles of T.J. Klune, Alice Oseman, Emily Henry, and T. Kingfisher to me, while also being completely unlike anything I have ever read. And you better bet I will be coming back for more, because I am quite eager to see what kind of wild shenanigans all these loveable misfits get up to in the next stage of their lives. So, if you like the sound of a fun and feel-good genre blendy story of love, sisterhood, animal conservation, and compassion, then I truly can’t recommend this gem highly enough!
7.5/10
Cozy fantasy meets small-town drama meets contemporary (queer) romance meets suspense thriller in The Humane Society of Creatures & Cryptids; it might sound like a lot, but somehow Stephanie Gillis just makes it work and pulls off her vision for this genre blendy gem with effortless grace.
Now, for the first half of this book, the entire plot is essentially: inner turmoil and interpersonal drama. And let me tell you, I was eating it up. We follow the three Lambros sisters, Melpomene, Calliope and Thalia, as they just go about their normal daily lives. You know, very normally taking care of all kinds of magical creatures while trying to navigate their own personal problems and keeping the suspicious town’s folk of Pandora in the dark about the goings-on in their old secluded house in the woods.
To me, each sister had a super distinct voice that completely fit with their age/personality, and I loved how they were all allowed to be so beautifully and relatably flawed and messy. Whether it was Mel’s struggles to balance her own happiness with her demanding role as caretaker of the family, Calliope’s mysteriously powerful bond with the magical creatures and her tragic mental battles, or Thalia’s amusingly wayward nature and high school drama, I just connected and sympathised so deeply with them all. And then add to that the fourth POV of Asha, a new girl in town who befriends Thalia, whose curious outsider perspective added a whole new fresh dimension to the story that added so many unexpected layers of fun tension, nuance and complexity.
Moreover, as someone who thrives on digging into the intricacies of all kinds of interpersonal relationships in stories, I loved how much quiet time we got to just explore all the complicated feelings between the sisters as they go from merely living alongside each other to truly connecting and bonding again for the first time in years. And it wasn't just the complex sisterly dynamic that had me glued to the page, but also the tenuous relationship with their absent mother and the development of the wholesome romances that start to blossom in each of the sisters’ lives. Not to mention, all the lively, quirky side characters (both the human and non-human ones) really get their time to shine, and I would very much like to know where I can get myself some saberwolves or Bigfoot Harriët, please and thank you!
Now, I do have to admit that the slow-burn cozy first half of the book didn’t totally prepare me for the sudden shift into such high-stakes, almost thriller-esque territory as outside forces start to threaten them and the magical creatures. Even though I was deeply emotionally invested at that point and was on the edge of my seat out of concern for all my favourite characters, I just couldn’t help but find the shift in tone slightly jarring. To me, the drastic increase in the pacing made the development of some characters’ personal journeys and their relationships feel a bit too unbelievable for me, and I felt like some heavy topics of trauma, redemption, and vengeful retribution were not handled with the care and nuance they deserve simply for the sake of resolving all the mess in a satisfying and wholesome way.
All that said, those quibbles didn’t hold me back from devouring this book, and ultimately the highs way outweighed the lows for me. I mean, Gillis’ slightly tongue-in-cheek authorial voice is irresistibly entertaining (just look at this killer line: “Yes, Sheriff. Bigfoot is a girl. I’m a lesbian. Can you try to keep your patriarchal misogyny in check for this?”), it features SO much fun and rich magical creature lore (including illustrations!), and it’s just got so much heart that you simply can’t help but be charmed by it all.
In a weird way, The Humane Society of Creatures & Cryptids feels like a uniquely exciting mash-up of the styles of T.J. Klune, Alice Oseman, Emily Henry, and T. Kingfisher to me, while also being completely unlike anything I have ever read. And you better bet I will be coming back for more, because I am quite eager to see what kind of wild shenanigans all these loveable misfits get up to in the next stage of their lives. So, if you like the sound of a fun and feel-good genre blendy story of love, sisterhood, animal conservation, and compassion, then I truly can’t recommend this gem highly enough!
December 23, 2024
Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely! 💥
The Humane Society for Creatures and Cryptids by Stephanie A. Gillis is a hard one for me to rate and review.
I really, really liked the start. I would probably have gone for an 8/10 in the first half. However, in the middle I simply ran out of steam. While I was happily chugging along in the first half, I found my mind wandering off in the second half, and to be honest for the last 50 pages or so I just wanted to have finished it.
This is quite unfortunate, as I was enjoying it in the beginning, and really loved the idea behind it all.
Magical creatures in a secret rescue? Count me in! I also liked the sisters who were different and each had their own character traits.
But, and sadly there has to be a but, it was mostly the characters that lost me over time. Some bits just didn't feel organic to me, and so I lost my connection to them.
Like going from no friends at all, and being ostracized, to trusting random strangers in what feels like a finger click?
The romances, as well as some friendships, all felt a bit too quick and out of the blue, considering how cast out they were before.
Or having had bad trauma, and then just ”deciding” to get over it? Not even in cosy fantasy does this work for me.
That's another point, most of this is cosy and comfy popcorn, but then there's something from the past that just doesn't fit in with the cosy. Not wanting to spoil anything, I won't go into more detail, but if you actually want to add this sort of trauma, then I think it should have been written differently. Because to me, it did not feel well handled.
That's my biggest complaint, so many big things just kinda go *poof* and are all of a sudden solved. There's a few quite dark moments and pieces, and then it all goes back to fluff.
This can work, if you don't try to add those serious topics, but the mix of those, and then the almost casual way people got past it just felt unrealistic. More unrealistic than crystal bats, a Sasquatch and a bear with stars on her pelt…
So why was it so much better for me at the start? Here we were just learning about all the problems, and it wasn't yet just waved away.
Also, I just adore the setting and all the creatures, pardon, magical animals! The running of the rescue was fascinating, and I would happily have spent more time there.
There are super cute illustrated entries for the creatures, which added a lot to the book as well.
Overall I still liked it, but I'm unlikely to read a sequel.
The Humane Society for Creatures and Cryptids by Stephanie A. Gillis is a hard one for me to rate and review.
I really, really liked the start. I would probably have gone for an 8/10 in the first half. However, in the middle I simply ran out of steam. While I was happily chugging along in the first half, I found my mind wandering off in the second half, and to be honest for the last 50 pages or so I just wanted to have finished it.
This is quite unfortunate, as I was enjoying it in the beginning, and really loved the idea behind it all.
Magical creatures in a secret rescue? Count me in! I also liked the sisters who were different and each had their own character traits.
But, and sadly there has to be a but, it was mostly the characters that lost me over time. Some bits just didn't feel organic to me, and so I lost my connection to them.
Like going from no friends at all, and being ostracized, to trusting random strangers in what feels like a finger click?
The romances, as well as some friendships, all felt a bit too quick and out of the blue, considering how cast out they were before.
Or having had bad trauma, and then just ”deciding” to get over it? Not even in cosy fantasy does this work for me.
That's another point, most of this is cosy and comfy popcorn, but then there's something from the past that just doesn't fit in with the cosy. Not wanting to spoil anything, I won't go into more detail, but if you actually want to add this sort of trauma, then I think it should have been written differently. Because to me, it did not feel well handled.
That's my biggest complaint, so many big things just kinda go *poof* and are all of a sudden solved. There's a few quite dark moments and pieces, and then it all goes back to fluff.
This can work, if you don't try to add those serious topics, but the mix of those, and then the almost casual way people got past it just felt unrealistic. More unrealistic than crystal bats, a Sasquatch and a bear with stars on her pelt…
So why was it so much better for me at the start? Here we were just learning about all the problems, and it wasn't yet just waved away.
Also, I just adore the setting and all the creatures, pardon, magical animals! The running of the rescue was fascinating, and I would happily have spent more time there.
There are super cute illustrated entries for the creatures, which added a lot to the book as well.
Overall I still liked it, but I'm unlikely to read a sequel.
October 31, 2024
Read this for SPFBOX as one of judges in Fantasy Faction. I'm not 100% sure on my exact score yet but I'd certainly give this a 4 star rating outside of SPFBO.
My personal reviews for finalists will slowly start trickling in from mid November.
My personal reviews for finalists will slowly start trickling in from mid November.
January 6, 2025
Imagine a world where witches run a magical animal shelter while dodging pitchfork-wielding neighbors, and you’ll have an idea of what The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is all about.
The story revolves around the Lambros sisters—Melpomene, Calliope, and Thalia—three women juggling the care of mystical creatures, a deeply suspicious town, and lots of personal baggage. Throw in a sprinkle of cryptids, a dash of generational trauma, and a pinch of sisterly drama, and you’ve got a recipe for a chaotic, but entertaining, tale.
Melpomene is the oldest, and she’s keeping the house (and everyone else) from falling apart with a wrench in one hand and financial accumen in the other. Calliope, the middle child, is the unofficial cryptid whisperer, who battles agoraphobia and a complicated past. And then there’s Thalia, the youngest, who’s desperate to flee small-town life—until a certain new girl, Asha, steals her heart. As if managing their own problems wasn’t enough, the sisters must also face Mr. Underwood, a shady figure who’d like to exploit the creatures and the sisters’ unique connection to them.
There’s a plot and intrigue, but above all, this is a story about family, healing, and the magic of sisterhood, all wrapped up in a cozy yet occasionally tumultuous package. The writing balances humor and heartache; it gives weight to the characters’ struggles but rarely loses its whimsical edge. The cryptids, from Harriet the feminist Bigfoot to other magical beings, are all charming and fun.
The downsides? Well, it’s a long book, and I felt it could use some serious tightening in places. As mentioned, it feels chaotic in places, meandering in others. Given its coziness, the stakes aren’t that high and to me, it lacked a palpable tension and suspense. Basically, it wasn’t hard to guess most reveals and twists way ahead.
It’s part cozy, part serious, with a dash of romance and some adventure. Perfect for fans of magical creatures, heartfelt stories, and sisterly love.
The story revolves around the Lambros sisters—Melpomene, Calliope, and Thalia—three women juggling the care of mystical creatures, a deeply suspicious town, and lots of personal baggage. Throw in a sprinkle of cryptids, a dash of generational trauma, and a pinch of sisterly drama, and you’ve got a recipe for a chaotic, but entertaining, tale.
Melpomene is the oldest, and she’s keeping the house (and everyone else) from falling apart with a wrench in one hand and financial accumen in the other. Calliope, the middle child, is the unofficial cryptid whisperer, who battles agoraphobia and a complicated past. And then there’s Thalia, the youngest, who’s desperate to flee small-town life—until a certain new girl, Asha, steals her heart. As if managing their own problems wasn’t enough, the sisters must also face Mr. Underwood, a shady figure who’d like to exploit the creatures and the sisters’ unique connection to them.
There’s a plot and intrigue, but above all, this is a story about family, healing, and the magic of sisterhood, all wrapped up in a cozy yet occasionally tumultuous package. The writing balances humor and heartache; it gives weight to the characters’ struggles but rarely loses its whimsical edge. The cryptids, from Harriet the feminist Bigfoot to other magical beings, are all charming and fun.
The downsides? Well, it’s a long book, and I felt it could use some serious tightening in places. As mentioned, it feels chaotic in places, meandering in others. Given its coziness, the stakes aren’t that high and to me, it lacked a palpable tension and suspense. Basically, it wasn’t hard to guess most reveals and twists way ahead.
It’s part cozy, part serious, with a dash of romance and some adventure. Perfect for fans of magical creatures, heartfelt stories, and sisterly love.
September 12, 2023
I don’t think I have ever fallen in love with a book and its characters as fast as I did reading this book.
It is such a beautiful story about sisterhood, family, animal conservation (mythology and magical) and love.
It was truly wonderfully written and illustrated.
I couldn’t recommend this book enough. There is something in it for everyone: female, male, straight, gay, young, “old”, human or magical animal.
My favourite line of the book:
“Yes, Sheriff. Bigfoot is a girl. I’m a lesbian. Can you try to keep your patriarchal misogyny in check for this?”
It is such a beautiful story about sisterhood, family, animal conservation (mythology and magical) and love.
It was truly wonderfully written and illustrated.
I couldn’t recommend this book enough. There is something in it for everyone: female, male, straight, gay, young, “old”, human or magical animal.
My favourite line of the book:
“Yes, Sheriff. Bigfoot is a girl. I’m a lesbian. Can you try to keep your patriarchal misogyny in check for this?”
May 1, 2025
The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is one of the SPFBO 10 finalists, which I read as a judge! Our group review can be read on Queen's Book Asylum. Our overall rating was 7/10, my personal rating is 7/10.
The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids was another one of the finalists I was curious about, solely based on the title, because, well, let’s face it, it’s super intriguing. And the setting does not dissapoint.
In this book we meet the Lambros family who manage a sanctuary for magical animals such as a bigfoot (Harriet), saberwolfs, hedgeguins, hummingdrakes, etc. With their father dead, their mom absent, always running around hunting for creatures, the Lambros sisters are mostly left to their own devices – Mel is responsible for running the places and taking care of her sisters, Calliope has a knack for caring for the animals and Thalia, the youngest, mostly helps out, makes creams and potions using ingredients from the animals and tries to get through high school. But not everything is as great as it seems. All three girls have their own secrets, worries, fears and the people of Pandora does not help things.
And then the girls make new friends and things really get going. I obviously won’t go into the plot, but let’s just say, all three of them conveniently get a love interest around the same time – which felt a bit…I don’t know, uninspired? Like, I really would have liked if at least one of them had a settled relationship, especially as all three has a bit of insta-love feel to them in the beginning. Although I’ll give to Gillis that all three relationships have a nice arc to them, so I can’t complain much. I also liked the sisterly bond and how it played out throughout the book. And their personalities came through very well.
While The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is an easy read, even if it could have done with some whittling down. The first half feels more like a teen drama with Thalia and Asha’s relationship rippling waves, but things get a darker turn later on. Unfortunately, the last quarter or so has a lot to desire. For a while, I thought I might give this one the highest score yet, but the ending was a bit disappointing. For one thing, a lot of things are happening and it feels like there was a genre switch somewhere along the line with the action ramping up. There are also a lot of inconsistencies, conveniences to push the plot, and some uncharacteristic choices that does not match with the already established personality. It really felt a bit rushed in terms of writing/editing, especially when it came to the very ending where everything ends up being clear cut, no repercussions for certain actions and overall just a touch too unbelievable.
And let’s not even talk about the fact that the girls who have a Greek heritage, knowledge in all kinds of myths due to their profession, are absolutely clueless what’s waiting for them even after receiving pretty clear visions (just a hint: big hairy bloke with a club). Like. Come on. You don’t have to be terribly knowledgeable to figure out what’s waiting for them.
Despite my criticisms, The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is a fun read with themes of love, coming-of-age, dealing with abuse, found family, friendship. I loved the animals, and I kind of wish there would be more of them, because they are more interesting than some of the characters, frankly. The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids could have been my favorite out of the SPFBO 10 finalist, but sadly, the execution fell a bit short. Alas, I wouldn’t write it off entirely, and apparently there is going to be a sequel, so there is still room to improve.
The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids was another one of the finalists I was curious about, solely based on the title, because, well, let’s face it, it’s super intriguing. And the setting does not dissapoint.
In this book we meet the Lambros family who manage a sanctuary for magical animals such as a bigfoot (Harriet), saberwolfs, hedgeguins, hummingdrakes, etc. With their father dead, their mom absent, always running around hunting for creatures, the Lambros sisters are mostly left to their own devices – Mel is responsible for running the places and taking care of her sisters, Calliope has a knack for caring for the animals and Thalia, the youngest, mostly helps out, makes creams and potions using ingredients from the animals and tries to get through high school. But not everything is as great as it seems. All three girls have their own secrets, worries, fears and the people of Pandora does not help things.
And then the girls make new friends and things really get going. I obviously won’t go into the plot, but let’s just say, all three of them conveniently get a love interest around the same time – which felt a bit…I don’t know, uninspired? Like, I really would have liked if at least one of them had a settled relationship, especially as all three has a bit of insta-love feel to them in the beginning. Although I’ll give to Gillis that all three relationships have a nice arc to them, so I can’t complain much. I also liked the sisterly bond and how it played out throughout the book. And their personalities came through very well.
While The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is an easy read, even if it could have done with some whittling down. The first half feels more like a teen drama with Thalia and Asha’s relationship rippling waves, but things get a darker turn later on. Unfortunately, the last quarter or so has a lot to desire. For a while, I thought I might give this one the highest score yet, but the ending was a bit disappointing. For one thing, a lot of things are happening and it feels like there was a genre switch somewhere along the line with the action ramping up. There are also a lot of inconsistencies, conveniences to push the plot, and some uncharacteristic choices that does not match with the already established personality. It really felt a bit rushed in terms of writing/editing, especially when it came to the very ending where everything ends up being clear cut, no repercussions for certain actions and overall just a touch too unbelievable.
And let’s not even talk about the fact that the girls who have a Greek heritage, knowledge in all kinds of myths due to their profession, are absolutely clueless what’s waiting for them even after receiving pretty clear visions (just a hint: big hairy bloke with a club). Like. Come on. You don’t have to be terribly knowledgeable to figure out what’s waiting for them.
Despite my criticisms, The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is a fun read with themes of love, coming-of-age, dealing with abuse, found family, friendship. I loved the animals, and I kind of wish there would be more of them, because they are more interesting than some of the characters, frankly. The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids could have been my favorite out of the SPFBO 10 finalist, but sadly, the execution fell a bit short. Alas, I wouldn’t write it off entirely, and apparently there is going to be a sequel, so there is still room to improve.
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March 26, 2025Read for SPFBOX
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December 28, 2024Read for SPFBO X
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May 25, 2025
The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids is part cozy family, part family drama, where the family in question is the Lambros sisters, three sisters that run a secret sanctuary for mysterious creatures (not monsters!) in a town that consider them to be weird at best, possibly witches at worst. The older sister, Melpomene or Mel, is the one in charge, and helps maintain the sanctuary in place of their mother and late father. She’s down to earth and does her best to not only fix problems around the sanctuary, but also keep her younger sisters out of trouble. The middle sister, Calliope, is a homebody who shares a special bond with the creatures and handles most of their care, but the creatures are also overly protective of her to a somewhat dangerous degree. The younger sister, Thalia, is a typical teen who helps brew potions, but really wants to leave to live her own life. The story switches between all three sister POV’s.
All three sisters have a lot to deal with, especially when the town distrusts them, but the story begins when their adventuring mother gets in touch regarding the new arrival of a magical bear. There are plenty of whimsical moments throughout as we’re introduced to the various magical creatures that the story is centred around, and each chapter ends with a description and illustration of these creatures, which I really liked.
Though of course, what this story is REALLY about is the family drama, and the sisterly-bonds that are tested and built on. As they prepare for this new arrival, the three sisters find themselves caught up in drama around the town, as well as in their personal lives, as each become entangled in budding relationships, which cause clashes within the family. There were moments in the story where I felt that conflicts were handled a bit too neatly, and all three sisters finding love at the same time felt a little farfetched, but this is meant to be a cozy fantasy… Or is it?
The second half of the book leaves the coziness behind and becomes more of a mystery thriller adventure, which I’d not expected, but it certainly livened things up if you find that cozy fantasies lack excitement. Again, the ending felt a bit too neat for me.
But if you love stories about magical animal shelters and conservation, as well as tight family bonds, then I think you’d get a lot out of this story.
All three sisters have a lot to deal with, especially when the town distrusts them, but the story begins when their adventuring mother gets in touch regarding the new arrival of a magical bear. There are plenty of whimsical moments throughout as we’re introduced to the various magical creatures that the story is centred around, and each chapter ends with a description and illustration of these creatures, which I really liked.
Though of course, what this story is REALLY about is the family drama, and the sisterly-bonds that are tested and built on. As they prepare for this new arrival, the three sisters find themselves caught up in drama around the town, as well as in their personal lives, as each become entangled in budding relationships, which cause clashes within the family. There were moments in the story where I felt that conflicts were handled a bit too neatly, and all three sisters finding love at the same time felt a little farfetched, but this is meant to be a cozy fantasy… Or is it?
The second half of the book leaves the coziness behind and becomes more of a mystery thriller adventure, which I’d not expected, but it certainly livened things up if you find that cozy fantasies lack excitement. Again, the ending felt a bit too neat for me.
But if you love stories about magical animal shelters and conservation, as well as tight family bonds, then I think you’d get a lot out of this story.
January 7, 2025
*This book is a finalist in the 10th annual SPFBO (Self-published Fantasy Blog-Off) competition, & because I’m also a finalist, I won’t be giving any rating less than 5 stars to remain impartial, but I want to support my fellow finalists by hyping their books. Please give them all a look!*
I won't lie, I'm not the biggest reader of contemporary or cozy stories but The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids really grew on me, and I found it to be a wonderful read, biases be damned. This was a story of growth, of reflection, of overcoming past trauma, and of persistence, all with some amazing, mystical creatures aplenty. For real, the creatures are ridiculously awesome and very central to the plot.
THSfCaC has a really interesting structure and I found it to be one of the best parts of the story. There are only about 18 chapters here, but there are 4 separate POV characters and each POV has at least one point-of-view scene in each chapter, so these chapters are on the longer side. Now, this isn't exactly a new style, but what I found really neat was that before the chapter, we get a dossier file on one of the cryptids/creatures featured in the book, specifically playing a major part in said chapter. Not only was there a very cute image of each creature, but we get a breakdown of where it was found, its personality, diet, behavior, etc. And like I said, these dossiers play a vital role in each chapter. I really liked this idea because it helps showcase the wonderful imagination Gillis has, but also to flesh out these great creatures in a fun, yet simple manner.
This all-female POV cast is as different as can be and that was a major strength of this story. The three Lambros sisters, Thalia (the youngest), Calliope (the middle), and Mel[pomene] (the eldest) are extremely different and come with their own limitations, powers, and problems. The fourth POV is Asha, the newbie to the town and the proxy info-dump/lore receiver, but don't let that fool you, she was great in her own right. Thalia just wants out of her family business, is a bit of a troublemaker, can make potions with the creature's powers, and is the snarkiest of the bunch. She instantly falls for Asha. Mel is the unfortunate elder sister who has to take on the brunt of the business since Mom is wandering the world and Dad is dead. She's stuck with no way out and that drags on her. Calliope is my favorite character of the bunch. She's a terraglossa (one who can tame the creatures and the series name) and she's the most broken one of the three sisters, the one with so much on her shoulders, the one with the harrowing past trauma, you can't help but want her to succeed. She's also the main source of the plot's drama (more on that below).
Now, the plot is the slice of life stuff you expect from a cozy story with all the trappings of a romance, but there is some darker things happening in the background that comes to play in the latter half of the story. Romance is a huge facet of this book, as all three sisters find it along the way. Thalia/Asha is a little more on the YA side with an instant attraction, but Mel's and Calliope's really tap into the adult, as both must overcome their different pasts. Calliope's is really the standout here (again, why she is my fave character). As hard as it was to read about her past sexual abuse, seeing her overcome it through her bond with her sisters and her feelings for Liam, really shone through. It was uncomfortable to read, but I felt it was handled with extreme care, and it really showcased a great character arc can be buttressed by a past trauma, not solely defined by it, as Calliope's was.
Although the romance took a large portion of the beginning half of the book, the plot about the wayward sisters coming together to protect their family's legacy was the driving force of the book in my opinion. The sisters needed healing, and it took multiple strangers coming into their lives to bring them out of their funk (romances and other dangers). The second half of the book became much more intense and thriller-esque as some nefarious 'creature protectors' want to use the Lambros sisters' abilities for greed. This part of the story flew by for me as the creature in question is based in Greek Myth and that's my jam, so I was all for it!
But again, the true joy of this story are the creatures. I just loved every single one of them. We have Harriet the Bigfoot. A couple of saberwolves with gems in their heads. An owl creature speaking in rhyme. Snotlings stealing shiny objects. Hedgehog/penguin/things that teleport. A spider with pearls in its body that can cause nightmares. Crystal eating bats. A bear with stars in its fur. A lake monster that lives in the pool (a cousin of Nessie, no less). Monkeys that can foretell death. 3 legged raven. And others I'm probably forgetting. Each of these creatures and cryptids play a part in the story, some larger than others, but damn, the imagination in this menagerie is just so much fun.
Despite its 525+ page length, this story flies by. Sure, the romance of Asha/Thalia reads YA with their school-age stuff, and Mel's/Darius' blossomed a bit quickly, there was never a moment where it felt rushed. And with all the amazing creatures introduced, there was always something going on to keep me reading past my intended stopping point. The prose is regularly solid, if teetering a tad younger reading level, but it definitely fit with the vibe of the story.
All in all, The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids was an engrossing read and a worthy spot in the finals of SPFBOX for its originality, tackling of harsh topics, and just overall fun with some fantastical beasties.
I won't lie, I'm not the biggest reader of contemporary or cozy stories but The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids really grew on me, and I found it to be a wonderful read, biases be damned. This was a story of growth, of reflection, of overcoming past trauma, and of persistence, all with some amazing, mystical creatures aplenty. For real, the creatures are ridiculously awesome and very central to the plot.
THSfCaC has a really interesting structure and I found it to be one of the best parts of the story. There are only about 18 chapters here, but there are 4 separate POV characters and each POV has at least one point-of-view scene in each chapter, so these chapters are on the longer side. Now, this isn't exactly a new style, but what I found really neat was that before the chapter, we get a dossier file on one of the cryptids/creatures featured in the book, specifically playing a major part in said chapter. Not only was there a very cute image of each creature, but we get a breakdown of where it was found, its personality, diet, behavior, etc. And like I said, these dossiers play a vital role in each chapter. I really liked this idea because it helps showcase the wonderful imagination Gillis has, but also to flesh out these great creatures in a fun, yet simple manner.
This all-female POV cast is as different as can be and that was a major strength of this story. The three Lambros sisters, Thalia (the youngest), Calliope (the middle), and Mel[pomene] (the eldest) are extremely different and come with their own limitations, powers, and problems. The fourth POV is Asha, the newbie to the town and the proxy info-dump/lore receiver, but don't let that fool you, she was great in her own right. Thalia just wants out of her family business, is a bit of a troublemaker, can make potions with the creature's powers, and is the snarkiest of the bunch. She instantly falls for Asha. Mel is the unfortunate elder sister who has to take on the brunt of the business since Mom is wandering the world and Dad is dead. She's stuck with no way out and that drags on her. Calliope is my favorite character of the bunch. She's a terraglossa (one who can tame the creatures and the series name) and she's the most broken one of the three sisters, the one with so much on her shoulders, the one with the harrowing past trauma, you can't help but want her to succeed. She's also the main source of the plot's drama (more on that below).
Now, the plot is the slice of life stuff you expect from a cozy story with all the trappings of a romance, but there is some darker things happening in the background that comes to play in the latter half of the story. Romance is a huge facet of this book, as all three sisters find it along the way. Thalia/Asha is a little more on the YA side with an instant attraction, but Mel's and Calliope's really tap into the adult, as both must overcome their different pasts. Calliope's is really the standout here (again, why she is my fave character). As hard as it was to read about her past sexual abuse, seeing her overcome it through her bond with her sisters and her feelings for Liam, really shone through. It was uncomfortable to read, but I felt it was handled with extreme care, and it really showcased a great character arc can be buttressed by a past trauma, not solely defined by it, as Calliope's was.
Although the romance took a large portion of the beginning half of the book, the plot about the wayward sisters coming together to protect their family's legacy was the driving force of the book in my opinion. The sisters needed healing, and it took multiple strangers coming into their lives to bring them out of their funk (romances and other dangers). The second half of the book became much more intense and thriller-esque as some nefarious 'creature protectors' want to use the Lambros sisters' abilities for greed. This part of the story flew by for me as the creature in question is based in Greek Myth and that's my jam, so I was all for it!
But again, the true joy of this story are the creatures. I just loved every single one of them. We have Harriet the Bigfoot. A couple of saberwolves with gems in their heads. An owl creature speaking in rhyme. Snotlings stealing shiny objects. Hedgehog/penguin/things that teleport. A spider with pearls in its body that can cause nightmares. Crystal eating bats. A bear with stars in its fur. A lake monster that lives in the pool (a cousin of Nessie, no less). Monkeys that can foretell death. 3 legged raven. And others I'm probably forgetting. Each of these creatures and cryptids play a part in the story, some larger than others, but damn, the imagination in this menagerie is just so much fun.
Despite its 525+ page length, this story flies by. Sure, the romance of Asha/Thalia reads YA with their school-age stuff, and Mel's/Darius' blossomed a bit quickly, there was never a moment where it felt rushed. And with all the amazing creatures introduced, there was always something going on to keep me reading past my intended stopping point. The prose is regularly solid, if teetering a tad younger reading level, but it definitely fit with the vibe of the story.
All in all, The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids was an engrossing read and a worthy spot in the finals of SPFBOX for its originality, tackling of harsh topics, and just overall fun with some fantastical beasties.
June 30, 2025
The Humane Society for Creatures and Cryptids (HSFCAC) is a romantasy with a YA feel. We follow four main POV characters, among them three siblings and a girl new to town. They're all in their late teens and early twenties, and all of them get their own love story throughout the book. The setting is quintessentially fantastical with the main location being a sanctuary for the titular creatures and cryptids. From Bigfoot to Snotlings, the lore feels fresh and original with the encyclopaedia pages being an especially fun addition adding immersion. Gillis has a great sense of humour that had me laughing out loud multiple times.
"Watch closely. Listen carefully. Animals have tells just like humans. They have instincts and they have needs. Find what it needs. Gain the trust to be the provider."
My biggest gripe with this novel was how much it asked me to suspend my disbelief. While a fantasy book obviously asks us to get sucked in a different world from our own, I found it hard to relate to some of the choices characters made and how some storylines were supposed to make sense. Some of the things that stood out to me most were the (lack) of security of the premises, the attitude of the townspeople throughout the novel, some of the decisions the main antagonist makes, and Calliope's approach to the final act. Some of this was due to emotional flip-flop and how fast-paced the romantic relationships are developed over the course of the story. I also found the writing to be too on the nose/cheesy at times, but I recognize this is a fine line to walk and every reader has their own sensitivity when it comes to this.
One of the places HSFCAC shines is the multi POV perspective. Gillis excels in balancing the character voices in such a way that all of them feel quite distinct and unique from each other (with only Asha being a bit more bland). I was never bored with the POV we got or felt like I wanted to return to one of the other characters before a switch was made. Having read a few books recently that had trouble with this aspect, I can only praise Gillis for how well this was handled.
The Humane Society for Creatures and Cryptids might be for you if you enjoy unique fantasy settings with explorations of various romantic and familial relationships. This book reminds me a lot of the tv show Charmed but for a slightly younger audience. Sisters finding their way in the world while outside forces threaten to pull them apart. There is a lot of cozy to be found here, but there are life and death stakes and this novel does include its fair share of (lethal) violence.
"Watch closely. Listen carefully. Animals have tells just like humans. They have instincts and they have needs. Find what it needs. Gain the trust to be the provider."
My biggest gripe with this novel was how much it asked me to suspend my disbelief. While a fantasy book obviously asks us to get sucked in a different world from our own, I found it hard to relate to some of the choices characters made and how some storylines were supposed to make sense. Some of the things that stood out to me most were the (lack) of security of the premises, the attitude of the townspeople throughout the novel, some of the decisions the main antagonist makes, and Calliope's approach to the final act. Some of this was due to emotional flip-flop and how fast-paced the romantic relationships are developed over the course of the story. I also found the writing to be too on the nose/cheesy at times, but I recognize this is a fine line to walk and every reader has their own sensitivity when it comes to this.
One of the places HSFCAC shines is the multi POV perspective. Gillis excels in balancing the character voices in such a way that all of them feel quite distinct and unique from each other (with only Asha being a bit more bland). I was never bored with the POV we got or felt like I wanted to return to one of the other characters before a switch was made. Having read a few books recently that had trouble with this aspect, I can only praise Gillis for how well this was handled.
The Humane Society for Creatures and Cryptids might be for you if you enjoy unique fantasy settings with explorations of various romantic and familial relationships. This book reminds me a lot of the tv show Charmed but for a slightly younger audience. Sisters finding their way in the world while outside forces threaten to pull them apart. There is a lot of cozy to be found here, but there are life and death stakes and this novel does include its fair share of (lethal) violence.
April 17, 2025
The Humane Society for Creatures and Cryptids is the story of 3 sisters named Calliope, Melpomene, and Thalia who live in the town of Pandora, Colorado (which is a real place and not super far from where I live, as the three-legged crow flies).
The people of the town of Pandora don't trust the Lambros sisters, and assume that they are witches. They do live in the middle of a secret forest that nobody is allowed to enter. In reality, their house is a refuge for several mysterious creatures, including Bigfoot (whose name is Harriet). Their mother is out and about finding new creatures for their sanctuary and has sent back a couple of her associates to help a new one settle in. Shenanigans ensue, of course!
I liked this one, but I thought that it was trying to do a bit too much at times. Each sister has their own POV chapters, and their own love interests, and combined with the shenanigans going on with the creatures, and the baddies, and their own personal problems, it was a lot to digest at times. Perhaps this is just a me problem. That's entirely possible. There are a total of 4 POV characters here, one of which is a love interest for one of the other 3, so I thought that the love interests for the other two sisters were kind of tacked on as an afterthought at times.
I did like the characters, especially Thalia, the youngest Lambros sister, and Asha Singh, who is the daughter of the owners of the new resort in Pandora. She and Thalia's relationship was cute and I cheered for them to have a happily ever after.
The creatures themselves were interesting and I thought that they added a lot to the story. My favorite was Strige, the owl demon who speaks in riddles and can see the future. He 1000% lives in my brain as The Great Owl from The Secret of NIMH and I will not be disabused of this notion.
I liked the writing, the characters were easy to cheer for, the creatures were interesting and unique. The big baddies were a little mustache-twirly for my liking, but I still had a good time with this one all told. I'd read more in this series, and may read more from this author in the future.
superstardrifter.com
The people of the town of Pandora don't trust the Lambros sisters, and assume that they are witches. They do live in the middle of a secret forest that nobody is allowed to enter. In reality, their house is a refuge for several mysterious creatures, including Bigfoot (whose name is Harriet). Their mother is out and about finding new creatures for their sanctuary and has sent back a couple of her associates to help a new one settle in. Shenanigans ensue, of course!
I liked this one, but I thought that it was trying to do a bit too much at times. Each sister has their own POV chapters, and their own love interests, and combined with the shenanigans going on with the creatures, and the baddies, and their own personal problems, it was a lot to digest at times. Perhaps this is just a me problem. That's entirely possible. There are a total of 4 POV characters here, one of which is a love interest for one of the other 3, so I thought that the love interests for the other two sisters were kind of tacked on as an afterthought at times.
I did like the characters, especially Thalia, the youngest Lambros sister, and Asha Singh, who is the daughter of the owners of the new resort in Pandora. She and Thalia's relationship was cute and I cheered for them to have a happily ever after.
The creatures themselves were interesting and I thought that they added a lot to the story. My favorite was Strige, the owl demon who speaks in riddles and can see the future. He 1000% lives in my brain as The Great Owl from The Secret of NIMH and I will not be disabused of this notion.
I liked the writing, the characters were easy to cheer for, the creatures were interesting and unique. The big baddies were a little mustache-twirly for my liking, but I still had a good time with this one all told. I'd read more in this series, and may read more from this author in the future.
superstardrifter.com
December 21, 2024
I absolutely flew through this, and I had quite a good time.
The most important thing I would say about this book is that I think it should be classified/marketed as YA. I haven't seen anyone else say that, but since two of the POVs (which get a lot of page time) are teens in high school, there are a couple cases of insta-love, and the villains are pretty black-and-white, I personally saw this as more directed to a YA audience. I read YA sometimes, so with those expectations, that's not a problem for me, but I personally think it is useful to have the age range in mind before going into a book.
Regardless, I had a lot of fun with this. I loved all of the mythical creatures and became quite invested in their well-being and powers, I was definitely invested in Mel and Darius, and I thought the found family aspect was pretty adorable. The plot picked up quite a lot at the end as well, which I really enjoyed. I appreciate that things were wrapped up pretty well, so this could be read as a standalone, but I would be happy to read more from this series in the future. I hope there is plenty more of Bigfoot and Ursa Major to come (and maybe some new creatures too)!
I'm excited that this is a SPFBOX finalist, as I think it could be widely loved by many types of readers. I hope it finds its audience!
The most important thing I would say about this book is that I think it should be classified/marketed as YA. I haven't seen anyone else say that, but since two of the POVs (which get a lot of page time) are teens in high school, there are a couple cases of insta-love, and the villains are pretty black-and-white, I personally saw this as more directed to a YA audience. I read YA sometimes, so with those expectations, that's not a problem for me, but I personally think it is useful to have the age range in mind before going into a book.
Regardless, I had a lot of fun with this. I loved all of the mythical creatures and became quite invested in their well-being and powers, I was definitely invested in Mel and Darius, and I thought the found family aspect was pretty adorable. The plot picked up quite a lot at the end as well, which I really enjoyed. I appreciate that things were wrapped up pretty well, so this could be read as a standalone, but I would be happy to read more from this series in the future. I hope there is plenty more of Bigfoot and Ursa Major to come (and maybe some new creatures too)!
I'm excited that this is a SPFBOX finalist, as I think it could be widely loved by many types of readers. I hope it finds its audience!
April 20, 2024
This book was deceptively endearing, and one that I stayed up late to finish. I absolutely adore this book. The relationship plots are expertly woven into the main plot, with each of the sisters getting sweet love stories in their own unique way. I love how the creatures were also woven into the story, providing both an exciting and fun setting for the story but also playing significant parts in the plot. Like, this is a really good book. I've read the Ashport Archives by this author (super good series with an incredible climax in the final book that still gives me goosebumps), but I think I like this one better. Also I got the annotated version from the author's Kickstarter rewards, and omg it was hilarious and insightful.
Don't be intimidated by the page count--those pages will fly by and deliver an incredible series of plot twists and reveals that culminate in a satisfying ending with hints at future books.
Favorite creature: as much as I love Ariadne and the hedgeguins, I think Harriet stole the show. FEMALE BIGFOOT FOR THE WIN
Favorite character: I have a hard time picking, but I think Calliope is my favorite. I love her forest witch vibes, and her journey was incredible.
I am going to slam my finger on the Preorder button for Book 2 SO HARD
Don't be intimidated by the page count--those pages will fly by and deliver an incredible series of plot twists and reveals that culminate in a satisfying ending with hints at future books.
Favorite creature: as much as I love Ariadne and the hedgeguins, I think Harriet stole the show. FEMALE BIGFOOT FOR THE WIN
Favorite character: I have a hard time picking, but I think Calliope is my favorite. I love her forest witch vibes, and her journey was incredible.
I am going to slam my finger on the Preorder button for Book 2 SO HARD
April 18, 2025
This book turned up in the "Readers also enjoyed" section and I was intrigued, first by the cover art, second by the blurb. Sadly it was only tagged as fantasy, not as YA - I don't do well with YA. And it was so blatantly teenager angsty (I hate my life, I hate my town, I hate my family... but there's this cute girl) within the first few pages that I didn't even give it my customary 10%, I dnf'd @2%.
I would prefer not to rate the book, because only 1 star seems unfair to the author. But... in all fairness, would the YA content have been declared (either in the blurb or the genre tags), I never would have bought it.
I would prefer not to rate the book, because only 1 star seems unfair to the author. But... in all fairness, would the YA content have been declared (either in the blurb or the genre tags), I never would have bought it.
August 18, 2024
This was a fun read. I love the info page about the different creatures that were scattered throughout the book. There were several new to me creatures, which I loved. The Dreamcatcher tie in was one of my favorites & was my favorite creature.
I love the personalities and growth of the sisters. The morally gray characters were perfect. I also really loved that the book kept a feeling innocence, discovery, and magic to it. This is the perfect book for animal lovers.
I’m looking forward to the next book.
Song: Never Alone by Wildwood Kin
I love the personalities and growth of the sisters. The morally gray characters were perfect. I also really loved that the book kept a feeling innocence, discovery, and magic to it. This is the perfect book for animal lovers.
I’m looking forward to the next book.
Song: Never Alone by Wildwood Kin
February 11, 2025
An absolutely delightful YA story about three sisters keeping a family secret. The sisters, and one friend, all have chapters from their POV, and Gillis handles this very well with each character having a distinct voice and personality. Parts of it were a bit silly for me, being an old woman who rarely reads YA, but I think many readers would love it. What I didn't love so much was the lack of depth provided to their mother, who returns after a long absence. Leaving the girls for so long nearly did them in. I needed more from her and how she felt about that.
May 16, 2025
I rarely read books this long but this was so fun. I love the animals, the characters (especially the sister), the plot was great, I really loved everything about this. The imagination of the animals just blows me away, so fun. Loved the Humingdrakes and Ursa Major the best, but they were all fun. I was a little worried that it would end on a cliff-hanger and since I follow the author, I know the second one isn't written yet, but this one wrapped up nicely with enough room left for a sequel for sure, but it didn't leave me hanging. If you haven't read this, I would really recommend it.
November 30, 2025
I bought this book directly from the author. It was a great urban fantasy read. Each sister brought something unique and memorable to the story, with distinct voices and actions. The various creatures were so creative that I wish I had the chance to experience their existence. It's a clean read, which I found refreshing, but since it jumps right into a teenager's perspective (with two out of four POVs from teenagers), I can see why some might see this as a YA novel rather than a full "Adult" market book. I can't wait for book #2, but I know it'll come at the right time.
August 13, 2024
4.5 stars
A novel full of adorable fantastical animals, wonderfully complicated sister relationships, budding love and secrets unveiled, I absolutely adored The Humane Society. I can fully recommend it, and especially the second half gripped me and didn't let me put it down. The pacing in the first half is not perfect, but the little animal bios between every chapter more than make up for it, and by the end, I was grinning and emotional.
A novel full of adorable fantastical animals, wonderfully complicated sister relationships, budding love and secrets unveiled, I absolutely adored The Humane Society. I can fully recommend it, and especially the second half gripped me and didn't let me put it down. The pacing in the first half is not perfect, but the little animal bios between every chapter more than make up for it, and by the end, I was grinning and emotional.
February 13, 2025
A fabulous read that will have you laughing and crying (Or at least gasping.)
This wonderfully magical tale will keep you on the edge of your seat. My only complaint would be the feeling things were coming to a climax with lots left to read, so I felt a bit like I was on a roller coaster.
This wonderfully magical tale will keep you on the edge of your seat. My only complaint would be the feeling things were coming to a climax with lots left to read, so I felt a bit like I was on a roller coaster.
August 30, 2025
I went into this book with a bit of skepticism, as this is not my normal gene of choice. I selected it for a HRCYED challenge prompt and was pleasantly surprised. It was a fun easy magical read and I truly enjoyed reading it.
December 15, 2025
Entertaining
A good story, compelling characters. The pace was slower than I would like, but I appreciated the intros to each chapter, a considerable amount of world building has gone in to this. Hope there's another one.
A good story, compelling characters. The pace was slower than I would like, but I appreciated the intros to each chapter, a considerable amount of world building has gone in to this. Hope there's another one.
February 6, 2024
Great story and beautiful cover!!
September 14, 2024
So much happened! There's a lot of adventure packed in one book. I enjoyed the multiple POV, and all the creature descriptions and art.
November 18, 2024
Despite this being not my preferred genre, I was immersed and engaged and enjoyed the whole thing!
November 30, 2025
This book was easily a 5 star read for me. I loved everything about it and had a stupid grin on my face for the whole last chapter.
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