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Animal Control
** Kirkus Best Indie Books of 2025 Honoree
** Nominated for the Otherwise Award
** Kirkus Starred Review
What lives in her now doesn’t sleep.
A young woman in California inherits a power that begins in the body and echoes out to the edges of the world. It isn’t explained and doesn’t come with rules. It gathers underneath the skin, waiting for direction.
As she begins to understand what the power can touch, rearrange, and dismantle, her decisions grow heavier. The results, stranger. Two friends join her—one driven, one deliberate—and the movement that forms between them gathers momentum until it starts to shift the balance between what is and what could be. Together they learn that transformation isn’t an event. It is a state. And not every becoming is safe.
Animal Control is a literary novel of restraint and reach, exploring how power circulates through the living world. How it settles and disturbs, seduces and transforms. In sparse, electric prose, the novel explores the ethics of influence, the sources of allegiance, the cost of reshaping communities, and the boundaries between care and control, persuasion and responsibility. It tells a story of instinct, intent, and a future taking shape before the world is ready. And of a young woman who must decide what she is willing to change, and what she is willing to become.
** Nominated for the Otherwise Award
** Kirkus Starred Review
What lives in her now doesn’t sleep.
A young woman in California inherits a power that begins in the body and echoes out to the edges of the world. It isn’t explained and doesn’t come with rules. It gathers underneath the skin, waiting for direction.
As she begins to understand what the power can touch, rearrange, and dismantle, her decisions grow heavier. The results, stranger. Two friends join her—one driven, one deliberate—and the movement that forms between them gathers momentum until it starts to shift the balance between what is and what could be. Together they learn that transformation isn’t an event. It is a state. And not every becoming is safe.
Animal Control is a literary novel of restraint and reach, exploring how power circulates through the living world. How it settles and disturbs, seduces and transforms. In sparse, electric prose, the novel explores the ethics of influence, the sources of allegiance, the cost of reshaping communities, and the boundaries between care and control, persuasion and responsibility. It tells a story of instinct, intent, and a future taking shape before the world is ready. And of a young woman who must decide what she is willing to change, and what she is willing to become.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2025
About the author
Jonathan R. Miller
11 books94 followers"Though his books are labeled literary thrillers, Miller is most concerned with his characters, who struggle with issues of discrimination, identity, ideological rigidity, and belonging."
- Poets & Writers Magazine
"The protagonist's story feels light-years from the typical hero's journey, consistently focusing on more existential themes—and the result is something unusually unsettling and unforgettable. A strange, inventive tale that evolves into a challenging and rewarding odyssey."
- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A bold, cerebral, and unnervingly intimate exploration of what happens when the need to make the world better collides with the corruptive pull of control. Miller balances cerebral depth with raw emotion, crafting a story that lingers long after the final page."
- BookTrib.
"Miller's skillful economy of language and penchant for playing the cards close to the vest — or chest plate — works to his advantage as the tale picks up momentum/mayhem and puts an intriguing, nonstereotyped lead character through pitfalls and deadly perils of parahumanity. Ghost in the Shell fans will have a blast."
- Kirkus Reviews
"A truly layered piece of fiction"
- ABC's news magazine program, "CityLine"
"High-tech thrillers with complex characters"
- San Jose Mercury News
"A lean, well-oiled narrative"
- Kirkus Reviews
Otherwise Award nominee and Kirkus Best Indie Books of 2025 honoree Jonathan R. Miller is an author of "magical realism" literary fiction novels, as well as sci-fi thrillers featuring diverse, complex characters.
Miller was born in Illinois, lived in New Mexico for most of his childhood, and then became a California transplant after undergraduate school at Stanford University. He was an 8th-grade teacher for 7 years in the Oakland public school system, and has worked as a writer/marketer in the San Francisco Bay Area ever since.
Miller's own multiracial heritage has had a strong influence on his thought processes and writing approach. His novels deftly explore issues of identity while providing storylines that are layered, thought-provoking, and moving.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 3, 2025
Inventive, unflinching, and emotionally resonant, Animal Control is a bold coming-of-age story disguised as speculative fiction—with teeth. Highly recommended for fans of Jeff VanderMeer, Neal Shusterman, or A.S. King.
July 5, 2025
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Animal Control started off a bit slow, and the teenage characters sometimes spoke in ways that felt too complex or mature, which made it harder to connect with them as real teens. I also wished for clearer descriptions of the Echoforms and Delphis. They play an important role in the story, and their transformation later on could have been described more vividly. I also would’ve liked stronger physical descriptions of Shay, Opal, Santana, and their families earlier in the book.
But once the story got going, I was hooked. This is not your typical teen-supernatural story. Shay’s powers grow darker and more intense, and her decisions become more chilling. Scenes that stayed with me were when she took control of thousands of people in a stadium, and the moment she lost control of her hold on a whole town was just as haunting.
The scenes involving her parents really hit me hard, especially when the truth about how they truly felt about her came out. My heart absolutely broke for Shay. This story doesn’t shy away from showing the emotional and psychological toll of power, not just on others, but on Shay herself.
Despite the slow start, I kept reading because I needed to know what would happen next. And I loved that the twists were never what I expected. I was left speechless more than once.
What kept this from being a full 5 stars? Mainly the pacing in the beginning, the overly formal dialogue for teens, and some lack of clarity in character and creature descriptions. But honestly, I’d still rate this a 4.5 if I could.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely—especially if you’re into dark, thought-provoking supernatural stories with serious emotional depth and moral complexity.
Animal Control started off a bit slow, and the teenage characters sometimes spoke in ways that felt too complex or mature, which made it harder to connect with them as real teens. I also wished for clearer descriptions of the Echoforms and Delphis. They play an important role in the story, and their transformation later on could have been described more vividly. I also would’ve liked stronger physical descriptions of Shay, Opal, Santana, and their families earlier in the book.
But once the story got going, I was hooked. This is not your typical teen-supernatural story. Shay’s powers grow darker and more intense, and her decisions become more chilling. Scenes that stayed with me were when she took control of thousands of people in a stadium, and the moment she lost control of her hold on a whole town was just as haunting.
The scenes involving her parents really hit me hard, especially when the truth about how they truly felt about her came out. My heart absolutely broke for Shay. This story doesn’t shy away from showing the emotional and psychological toll of power, not just on others, but on Shay herself.
Despite the slow start, I kept reading because I needed to know what would happen next. And I loved that the twists were never what I expected. I was left speechless more than once.
What kept this from being a full 5 stars? Mainly the pacing in the beginning, the overly formal dialogue for teens, and some lack of clarity in character and creature descriptions. But honestly, I’d still rate this a 4.5 if I could.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely—especially if you’re into dark, thought-provoking supernatural stories with serious emotional depth and moral complexity.
July 21, 2025
This book was incredibly different, and definitely not what I was expecting. It was almost healing in some strange way, especially with how politics are at the moment. A teenage girl is given god-like powers to control animals, and it ends up being a tale how how she and her friends want to change the world, the after effects of their attempts, and how impermanent a lot of things are. It was definitely an interesting read that is almost impossible to describe!
It has some seriously spooky and cool Sci-Fi moments that I love, with the suspension of disbelief in a style similar to magical realism, and a literary fiction spin! It is also incredibly difficult to put down, because you constantly want to know what the heck is going on! Who is this strange plague doctor-esque thing? Why is this happening to a teenage girl? What will become of them? It is definitely a good read I recommend to help if you feel powerless in the current political climate- it sort of helped me realize even a girl with superpowers struggles to fix it!
4.25/5 Stars.
It has some seriously spooky and cool Sci-Fi moments that I love, with the suspension of disbelief in a style similar to magical realism, and a literary fiction spin! It is also incredibly difficult to put down, because you constantly want to know what the heck is going on! Who is this strange plague doctor-esque thing? Why is this happening to a teenage girl? What will become of them? It is definitely a good read I recommend to help if you feel powerless in the current political climate- it sort of helped me realize even a girl with superpowers struggles to fix it!
4.25/5 Stars.
June 19, 2025
I only rated 4 out of 5 stars because it’s too literate for me, but I kept reading because it had me hooked. I may be literally judging a book by its cover, but I've seen other book covers and the titles from this author and I think that Animal Control is one of the best choices to get into literate fantasy and Sci-Fi! I'll try not to spoil: the connections of realistic characters and Sci-Fi was genuinely the best I’ve seen, the way the author described something as small as a bug was very impressive, and I would recommend this to anyone who loves books with deeper meanings of the powers in the world.
March 28, 2026
was hooked from the beginning, but it definitely went in a different direction than i expected. idk how i feel about the underground animal society… lol. was kinda expecting something a bit more steakpunk for some reason? just because of the vibes i was getting from corvis (rip). also i expected them to face more consequences for causing a whole town of people to kill themselves for them through mind control……… but maybe i missed something while i was sleepily reading before bed.
LOVEEEE the author’s prose. every sentence had me hooked, and every word felt intentional. i’m looking forward checking out more of this author’s work!!
LOVEEEE the author’s prose. every sentence had me hooked, and every word felt intentional. i’m looking forward checking out more of this author’s work!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 14, 2025Jonathan R. Miller’s Animal Control is a bold, cerebral and unnervingly intimate exploration of what happens when the need to make the world better collides with the corruptive pull of control. Set in San Jose, this story follows 17-year-old Shay Garner, a young woman whose moral compass starts out strong but spins wildly once she gains an impossible power — the ability to bend the will of living beings.
Read the full review on BookTrib.com
Read the full review on BookTrib.com
June 21, 2025
She gets a power which she does not understand at first. Her friends will try to help but things will start changing around them. Follow their journey
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and really enjoyed it
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and really enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews