Review: '(Mostly) Human Resources' (Entity Case Files #1) by Grace Viall
Pub. Date: 04/08/2025
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books; Alcove Press
Working in human resources was not what Alexys had in mind when she joined Entity, the private company that categorizes and manages the world’s cryptids. But after her dad was killed on the job as a Warden in the Appalachian Mountains, she was filled with noble ideas of carrying on his legacy . . . from the safety of a desk. Alexys dreams of climbing the corporate ladder while managing the Appalachian Wardens and sparring with Nic, the frustrating (and annoyingly attractive) Director of Research and Cataloging.
When one of Alexys’s new Wardens goes missing after inquiring about a mysterious and highly dangerous monster, her chances of promotion disappear along with him. Determined to save her career—and to shield the Warden’s family from the trauma she experienced after losing her father on the job—she marches off into the monster-infested wilderness to find him herself.
Meanwhile, Nic, with ambitions of becoming the youngest Entity employee to discover a new monster, follows Alexys on her hunt. But the work nemeses are about to discover why the Appalachian Mountains are the last place you want to find yourself after dark. Among mountains older than bones, the jackalopes and ghouls are the least of their worries . . .
I love the ideas Grace Viall is working with in (Mostly) Human Resources. Alexys works for Entity, which is charged with categorising and managing the cryptids of the world. This means chasing down the mentions of Black Dogs, but also dealing with endless amounts of emails about conspiracy theories. I loved all the hints we got about the potential for broader worldbuilding though. There is the suggestion that cryptids drastically increased some time ago, which leads to the question why? There is also the creeping suspicion that Entity is shifting its own approach, maybe hiding how much it knows about things like magic, which makes you wonder. These hints are dropped in dialogue, in the thoughts of our narrators, and through the Entity Handbook quotes that begin each chapter. I really enjoyed picking up on these and spinning them into broader questions, even if I accepted that (Mostly) Human Resources would probably not answer them all. But guess what, this is a series! Did I know that this was the first book in a series when I started? No. Did I know it was a first book in a series by the time we got halfway through? No, but I did think it would be fun to read more set in this world and with these characters. Did I only properly realise this was the first book in a series when I turned the final page and thought oh? Yup. Now, I am really excited to dive into this world more and I hope Viall addresses the above themes in further novels. I will definitely be sat for sequels, even if not everything about (Mostly) Human Resources fully came together for me.
Alexys is having a horrible time in her HR job. It's not even that she doesn't like her job, because she does enjoy sending out her Wardens to investigate cryptids for Entity. She enjoys chatting to her friend and co-worker Natalie or sharing cookies with her boss and even finds a grim satisfaction in her slow-burning rivalry with the director of Research and Cataloging, Nic. Most importantly, she likes feeling connected to her dad, who also worked at Entity. If only her nights could stop being plagued by nightmares that seem oddly supernatural in their own right, and things could be good! But then she finds out this year's evaluation of the Wardens must take place in the field and when she arrives in the middle of nowhere, her Warden has gone majorly MIA. Off Alexys goes into the Appalachian Mountains, famed for being deeply off and creepily ancient. (Did you know the Appalachian Mountains are older than trees?!) But she's not alone because Nic is hot on her heels in the hopes of finding out more about a mysterious creature that is rarely seen. I had a good old romp with (Mostly) Human Resources, which finds a delightful balance between being a workplace comedy, a horror novel, and a romance.
This is Grace Viall's debut novel and while it holds great promise, it is definitely still a little rough around the edges. The good news is, that those are all things that experience and a good editor will take care of quickly! Most of (Mostly) Human Resources is told from Alexys' POV, but at about a quarter in we start getting chapters from Nic's perspective as well. I did like Alexys, with her weird nightmares, hero-worship of her dad, and dreadful fear of being a burden or disappointing anyone. This characterisation could have been fleshed out a bit more, or have been given more time to fully develop, as sometimes Alexys does clumsily crash from one thought or feeling into another, but there was enough there for me to get the idea of her character. Similarly, Nic has enough of a background and personality that he is more than a hot nerd for Alexys to develop a crush on. Grace Viall absolutely shines when it comes to the descriptions of the cryptids, creating gorgeously creepy imagery and drawing expertly on Appalachian folklore. For this I will keep coming back to this series! However, there is a rushed quality to parts of the book and things that never get fully worked out. In part that is due this being a part of the series and I fully get wanting to set up a next book, but I still think the main story should be fully told within the one book. So I do have some issues with (Mostly) Human Resources, but these are all things that I think Grace Viall will master as she continues writing.
I give this novel...
4 Universes!
What stays with me most from this book is the intrigue of the world itself, the potential for where it could go, and the fun I had with it. It is especially the fun which ended up swaying me in the rating. So, if you like your cryptids, don't mind a little "will they, won't they", and know the pain of an endless inbox, then give (Mostly) Human Resources a go!
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