CryptoZoo

De: JD Donnelly

Narrado por: Jaynee Anne, Pamela Santos

All cryptids know: stay away from humans.

Never be seen. And if you can’t run? Hide. It’s the only way to survive.

Cleo was raised with these rules under the kind, gentle feet of her adoptive Papá, the immortal forefather of all Sasquatch. As a blood-drinking Chupacabra herself struggling to prove her place in the pecking order of a new pack, she’s uncomfortably familiar with the threat of mankind’s ambitious traps, hidden trail cams, and lethal hunting techniques.

But when her beloved Papá goes missing, the powerful Mothman prophesizes the extinction of all cryptid species looms unless the Sasquatch is found. Swallowing her fear of humans, Cleo volunteers to follow her Papá’s trail into “the Lands of Man”. But to survive the concrete jungle, she’ll have to master a perilous magic to appear as a human herself—and who better to guide her than Manhattan’s charming glamour expert, the Jersey Devil?

As she navigates the insidious, often violent histories between man and cryptid, mortal and immortal, clever disguises and powerful magic may not be enough to save the missing Sasquatch. Aided by the secretive Jersey Devil, haunted by the Mothman’s cataclysmic prophecies, and stalked by murderous cryptid hunters, Cleo will need to adapt to New York City. If she fails, she will lose not only her Papá, but her entire species to mankind’s hunger as the Mothman foretold.

©2024 JD Donnelly (P)2025 JD Donnelly

An emotional and endlessly creative mystery

Cryptozoo explores our world through the eyes, ears, and noses of folkloric creatures, but it is their ultimate humanity that endears us to them. This is a book full of larger-than-life characters who feel personal and relatable, with twists and turns that build to a freight train's worth of momentum by the end.

Add to that a gripping performance from the two voice actors that really brings the characters to life.

Amazing work!

I found JD Donnelly’s booth at GalaxyCon Richmond and immediately got drawn to her cover art, picked up a physical copy and the audiobook. The voice acting is phenomenal, I haven’t finished the book at the time of writing this, but the story so far is amazing! I’m not someone who cries very often, but the emotional parts keep on hitting and making me nearly break into tears at work, the funny moments keep making me laugh out loud, and my boss keeps asking me what sort of emotional rollercoaster has me so messed up. 10/10 all around, looking forward to the next one!