Quick Synopsis – Paranormal investigator and cryptozoologist Reggie has embraced her fate as parent to an adopted toddler, Eldi—a blood-sucking chupacabra with a fondness for goats. Reggie wants nothing more than to put her complicated past in the rearview mirror and fade into as much obscurity as her toddler will allow. But a rash of UFOs in the night sky and a couple of crop-circle-carving Roombas force Reggie into an investigation that attracts the attention of an old enemy, an anti-supernatural agency hunting for creatures like Eldi. To outwit them, Reggie must team up with Calvin: a podcaster-turned-werewolf whose charm is a real threat to Reggie’s rule against romantic attachments.

With Reggie’s history quickly catching up to her and Eldi in the agency’s crosshairs, any shred of normalcy evaporates. Reggie must decide: Can she confront her dark past to save Eldi—and an entire alien species—from getting wiped out of the universe?

Song This Reminds Me Of – We Are Family by Sister Sledge

Publication Date – Oct. 6, 2026

Bookshop Link – Strange Lights by Mira González
(I received a small commission if you order using my link)

Content Notes – There is a fair amount of blood and violence throughout the book. There is also mention of child sacrifice, child abuse, child emotional abuse, xenophobia, genocide, torture, animal/human testing, terrible parenting, and kidnapping.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

Review – I really like the concept of this book, but I felt like some of the plot lines could have been cut to make the central story fuller. The story is told in several parts with the middle portion being several chapters of flashbacks. Essentially, Reggie is a paranormal investigator, cryptozoologist, and mom to a seemingly eternally 2-year-old Chupacabra. Calvin is a pretty boy podcaster who frequently debunks paranormal sightings and other things that go bump in the night. They team up when there starts being reports of these strange electronics. Electronics that never seem to charge and are vacuuming crop circles into the carpet.

The plot does pick up pretty quick, and I would say this is the ultimate found family book. You’ve got a reluctant parent in Reggie whose daughter is an actual feral toddler who drink’s goat’s blood. They team up with Calvin, who quickly discovers the supernatural world is real, and they have to fight against an evil mega-rich corporation who captures magical and supernatural things to test on them. In all honesty, I think Calvin could have been left out of the story. As it is he kind of barely adds to the story other than to be the skeptic. I feel like the main plotline with Reggie, her daughter, the robots, and the secret organization could have carried the story.

I often feel like stories like this have romantic sub-plots because that’s what is expected of the genre. The story it’s self is more about growing up in an abusive household and escaping that trauma. Even though Reggie’s daughter is a Chupacabra, there is so much love between them. The real heart of the story is them and I just felt like Calvin was a hot side piece. I could say more, but I don’t want to spoil anything. This was a great book, I just would have liked it to be more focused.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery for the gifted eARC, all opinions are my own.