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Las Animas High
"This delightful coming-of-age tale sparkles with vibrant characters and supernatural turns." - Kirkus Reviews
In the high desert of Colorado, nothing stays buried forever.
At Las Animas High, Danica Drake thought the worst thing she'd face was surviving senior year. That illusion shatters the night she and her friends witness a brutal hijacking-one tied to a powerful oil corporation with secrets it will kill to protect.
But the crime is only the beginning.
As strange sightings ripple through their small town, Danica uncovers a truth older than history: Las Animas sits on a fault line between worlds. Dragons stir beneath the desert. Giants walk forgotten paths. And forces rooted in ancient myth are waking-hungry, watchful, and no longer content to remain hidden.
Caught in a conflict that predates humanity itself, Danica and her friends must navigate shifting loyalties, first love, and the terrifying cost of knowing too much. Because the corporation isn't just drilling for oil-it's digging for something far more dangerous. And once it's unleashed, there may be no stopping it.
A gripping blend of supernatural suspense, Indigenous mythology, and high-stakes coming-of-age, Las Animas High is about the bonds that hold us together-and the secrets that can tear a town apart.
In the high desert of Colorado, nothing stays buried forever.
At Las Animas High, Danica Drake thought the worst thing she'd face was surviving senior year. That illusion shatters the night she and her friends witness a brutal hijacking-one tied to a powerful oil corporation with secrets it will kill to protect.
But the crime is only the beginning.
As strange sightings ripple through their small town, Danica uncovers a truth older than history: Las Animas sits on a fault line between worlds. Dragons stir beneath the desert. Giants walk forgotten paths. And forces rooted in ancient myth are waking-hungry, watchful, and no longer content to remain hidden.
Caught in a conflict that predates humanity itself, Danica and her friends must navigate shifting loyalties, first love, and the terrifying cost of knowing too much. Because the corporation isn't just drilling for oil-it's digging for something far more dangerous. And once it's unleashed, there may be no stopping it.
A gripping blend of supernatural suspense, Indigenous mythology, and high-stakes coming-of-age, Las Animas High is about the bonds that hold us together-and the secrets that can tear a town apart.
242 pages, Hardcover
Published May 5, 2026
About the author
Gibson Monk
7 books17 followersKirkus Reviews calls Las Animas High a "delightful coming-of-age tale that sparkles with vibrant characters and supernatural turns."
Gibson Monk is a professor of humanities and author of speculative fiction that weaves myth, mystery, and modern life. His short stories have appeared in Sixfold, Zahir, Helios, and other literary magazines. He also writes non-fiction under the name Matthew Franks, with work published in The Graduate Journal of Harvard Divinity School and the anthology Past the Sky’s Rim: The Elder Scrolls and Theology. Monk lives in Virginia with his wife and three children. His debut novel, the sci-fi thriller Entanglement, follows a group of gamer kids who uncover a dangerous conspiracy involving big tech and shifting realities. His highly anticipated second novel, Las Animas High, releases May 5, 2026. Set in the stark Colorado desert, it follows teenager Danica Drake as she and her friends are thrust into a hidden war of dragons, giants, and ancient Indigenous forces after witnessing a deadly corporate hijacking. Blending supernatural suspense, mythology, and corporate intrigue, this coming-of-age story will appeal to fans of Percy Jackson, Stranger Things, and Skinwalker Ranch.
Gibson Monk is a professor of humanities and author of speculative fiction that weaves myth, mystery, and modern life. His short stories have appeared in Sixfold, Zahir, Helios, and other literary magazines. He also writes non-fiction under the name Matthew Franks, with work published in The Graduate Journal of Harvard Divinity School and the anthology Past the Sky’s Rim: The Elder Scrolls and Theology. Monk lives in Virginia with his wife and three children. His debut novel, the sci-fi thriller Entanglement, follows a group of gamer kids who uncover a dangerous conspiracy involving big tech and shifting realities. His highly anticipated second novel, Las Animas High, releases May 5, 2026. Set in the stark Colorado desert, it follows teenager Danica Drake as she and her friends are thrust into a hidden war of dragons, giants, and ancient Indigenous forces after witnessing a deadly corporate hijacking. Blending supernatural suspense, mythology, and corporate intrigue, this coming-of-age story will appeal to fans of Percy Jackson, Stranger Things, and Skinwalker Ranch.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Captivating and suspenseful, Las Animas High interweaves the mythical with the ordinary lives of high school seniors. The twists and turns will keep you reading. Characters levitate and shape-shift into a giant, a wolf, and multiple dragons. Who is evil and who is not? Native American lore is intertwined in the story. Can the hero, Danica, and her friends stop a tragedy while being chased by unknown entities in many forms? Hang on and get ready for a wild ride.
I received an ARC from the author; this is my honest review.
I received an ARC from the author; this is my honest review.
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May 7, 2026Author’s Note:
I’m thrilled to share that Kirkus Reviews had this to say about Las Animas High: “This delightful coming-of-age tale sparkles with vibrant characters and supernatural turns.”
Thank you so much to everyone who reads, reviews, or shares the book.
Happy reading!
— Gibson Monk
I’m thrilled to share that Kirkus Reviews had this to say about Las Animas High: “This delightful coming-of-age tale sparkles with vibrant characters and supernatural turns.”
Thank you so much to everyone who reads, reviews, or shares the book.
Happy reading!
— Gibson Monk
May 8, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for sending me eARC of this book. I really enjoyed the story as well as the twists that showed. Danica and her friends were absolutely fun and lovely to follow on their journey. Overall solid 4 stars for me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews