Amongst mountains as old as time, the jackalopes and ghouls are the least of your worries.

Working in Human Resources was not what Alexys had in mind when she joined Entity, the company who categorise and manage the monsters and cryptids of the world. But after her dad was killed as a Warden in the Appalachian Mountains, she was filled with noble ideas of carrying on his legacy… from behind the safety of a desk.

But when one of her new Wardens, Elliot, goes missing, her chances of promotion go missing too. Determined to find him safe and sound, she marches off into the mountains to find him herself.

Because Elliot had been talking about sightings of a highly dangerous and never-recorded monster, The Hollow Walker, and she’s promised herself that no Warden will ever die on her watch.

Meanwhile Nic, Director of Research and Cataloging, is not one to ignore the words ‘never-recorded’. With Alexys, his work nemesis, leading the charge into the mountains, he’s not going to let her have all the fun. If he can be the youngest Entity employee to discover a new monster, his name will go down in the annals of cryptozoology… and if it means spending some extra time with Alexys then he’s not one to argue.

But Alexys and Nic are about to discover why the Appalachian Mountains are the last place you want to find yourself after dark.

This was a really cute concept and I had a ton of fun with it. I’m definitely locked in to see where this series goes next.

Alexys took a Human Resources job at Entity, the organization responsible for cataloging and managing the world’s monsters and cryptids, but that’s not exactly where her head was at when she signed on. After her father died in the field as a Warden in the Appalachian Mountains, she wanted to carry on his legacy, just from the safety of a desk instead of out chasing monsters herself. That plan falls apart when one of her new Wardens, Elliot, goes missing, taking her shot at a promotion down with him. Determined to bring him back safe, Alexys heads straight into the mountains to find him herself after she learns that Elliot had been chasing reports of something called the Hollow Walker. Meanwhile Nic, who runs research and cataloging back at Entity, isn’t about to sit back and let an unrecorded monster go uninvestigated, especially when his work rival Alexys is leading the charge. If he can be the one to officially discover a brand new species, it could make his career, and spending extra time needling Alexys along the way is just a bonus as far as he’s concerned. But this excursion proves to be more dangerous than either of them imagined and they’re about to learn why the locals warned them to not be caught in the mountains after dark.

I had so much fun with this book. It has scares, laughs and even a dash of romance. The writing is solid, and I really enjoyed spending time with these characters. Alexys and Nic’s rivalry is pretty standard enemies to lovers, but I still liked watching their dynamic develop as they got pulled deeper into the investigation together.

It’s not just witty banter and work enemies getting on each other’s nerves. There’s actually a strong mystery running through the whole thing, accompanied by a solid paranormal element. The creepiness is definitely present, and there’s even a bit of a horror element woven throughout. Don’t fear, though. If horror isn’t your bag, it stays fairly light rather than going for gore or intensity. I’d comfortably slot this into cozy paranormal mystery territory rather than full horror.

I love digging into cryptids and local folklore in my free time, and this book leans hard into that, which made it an easy sell for me personally. I’m honestly a little surprised this one hasn’t gotten more buzz, because it hits a niche that feels underserved right now. If you’re looking for something on the spookier side for this time of year without wanting full gore or intensity, this is exactly the kind of book to reach for. I’m very much looking forward to reading more of this series.

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