Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World's Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids

by Darkness Prevails

Discover the history and culture of the 100 most fearsome mythical creatures to capture the human imagination in this startlingly illustrated compendium. Accompanied by illustrations of each beast, Freaky Folklore is your guide to the world’s most terrifying beings, from ancient times to today. Hosts from the leading horror podcast network, Eeriecast, present the most frightening—and entertaining—tales of these mysterious creatures, revealing everything you need to know. This beautifully creepy collection is filled with wicked monsters,   A creature present in old Czech folklore, the Bubak is described as a scarecrow-looking creature that can cry like a baby to lure its victims to their death. In Philippine mythology, the Tikbalang is a half-human and half-horse creature similar to the Centaur in Greek mythology. It’s believed that a Tikbalang scares away travelers or leads them astray. A female house spirit from Slavic lore, the Kikimora can be helpful or malevolent depending on the behavior of the homeowner. The A fearsome nocturnal critter from American folklore, the Hidebehind preys upon humans that wander the woods and was blamed for the disappearances of early loggers when they failed to return to camp. The A vast sea monster of tremendous strength, the Leviathan is described as the most powerful and dangerous in the ocean, known as a sea serpent in theology and mythology. A werewolf or werewolf-type creature first reported in 1887 in Wexford County, Michigan, Dogman sightings have been reported in several locations throughout Michigan, primarily in the northwestern quadrant of the Lower Peninsula. Freaky Folklore has the stories, culture, and illustrations for you to be on the lookout for these beasts. Dive into the world of mythology and find what makes each creature unique.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Mythology, Folklore, Paranormal, Short Stories, History

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2024

Reviews

[Natalie Keller · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very surface-level exploration of monsters found in folklore all over the world. After a while, I stopped reading the short stories (they were repetitive and badly written) and focused on the descriptions instead, but I was still left wanting more.

[thwipy · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing the eARC!!**

Freaky Folklore is an encyclopedia-esque collection of folklore creatures from around the world, like America’s Bigfoot, Europe’s Baba Yaga, and Asia’s Yeti. Included in each entry along with facts are a short fictional story and wonderfully rendered artwork of the creature.

I was pleasantly surprised at the variety this book has. I read a lot of books like this in my cryptozoology-obsessed youth, and they mostly stuck to the Americas and maybe a few from the UK area. This one, however, has more than a handful of entries from Asia, Africa, and even Australia and New Zealand. The lesser-talked-about mythos are the ones that intrigue me most, because I know the least about them.

That being said, I saw some other reviewers bring up points about some entries being possibly culturally insensitive/speaking over marginalized groups. I can’t speak on that front, but I believe it’s best to listen to the groups affected. I looked over the references list (which is always a good thing to include) and most are websites rather than published articles. Those sites could very well be reputable, but just don’t give me a lot of confidence as a reader.

While the little stories were entertaining, I sort of wish each entry was longer in its information rather than every one have a story with it. I agree with one reviewer over on NetGalley that the stories could have been more informative/entertaining if they were of a real-life alleged encounter with the creature.

I haven’t heard of the podcast this is from? Written by? But I would think fans of it would enjoy this book too. It’s a nice introduction to what cryptozoology can offer, and I think it gives a lot of things for anyone interested to do future research on.

[Cherise Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is obsessed with cryptids, creepy folklore and all things of that nature, this was the perfect read for me. This book features truly terrifying tales of some well-known creatures and some whom I've never heard of from each continent.
Each cryptid comes with a brief history, a spooky tale and my favorite part, an illustration of the otherworldly being. The book is well written, descriptive even without the illustrations and very easy to follow and read. I had a good time with this one.

Thank you to netgalley, publishers and the author for the opportunity to read and review this title.
Pub date July 16th, 2024.

[Shannon Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

thank you netgalley for this eARC. this is an honest review.

I enjoyed getting to read about these cryptids but I feel like there were so many inconsistencies that it took away from all of the stories. I do give a 5/5 for the amazing artwork

[Virgil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ARC from Netgalley.

I went into Freaky Folklore a little bit concerned by the title, in all honesty. As a historian and lover of anthropology, with a specific interest in the folklore and mythology of cultural circles, hearing the word freaky be used next to folklore set off some red flags. However, I feel like this book approached the subject of mythology with a delicate and mindful approach. I especially enjoyed how they accredited folklore creatures from Indigenous circles to their specific peoples and didn't lump them under the title of cryptid.

Freaky Folklore has beautiful illustrations and is an excellent coffee table book to flip through. Sitting at a solid 4/5 rating, I wish the book had included excerpts or interviews from real "witnesses" of some of the folkloric figures, rather than fictionalized short stories. These short stories grew repetitive, and largely followed the same pattern of: [person] is in [situation] where [bad thing happens] because they see [folklore figure]. I felt like I started skipping over the short stories after a few of them.

[Sam Spade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about the legends, the myths of otherworldly beings from across the planet. Some absolutely terrifying that you would definitely would not want to come across. Some familiar that we have heard about. Bigfoot, Yeti, Werewolf, Mothman, Beast of Bray Road.

The only thing I didn't care for was the introductory page for each chapter. The page color was a very dark blue that made it difficult to read the black font describing the entity.

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC! This is an honest review.

The Illustrationsa are beautiful, it helps picture the way the author envisions these monsters. This book talks about where the monsters originated from. It also talks about the story that started the legends. I love the stories of characters Interacting with said monster.

[Shel Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork. I really enjoyed the little stories in each chapter. Some of them freaked me out a little which was awesome. I’ll be passing this book forward. Awesome book!!

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press for my copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought this was a cute little cryptozoology book for the most part. The illustrations were really cool but I guess I expected something more on the encyclopedia side than like a scrapbook of cryptids. I just found the little blurbs and occasional short story kind of boring and annoying. If I wanted that, I’d watch some Destination Nowhere or something. Anyways, I will say that the variety in this was super cool as it wasn’t just Western countries-focused. Of course, that said, I understand that some early readers took issue with how the author/s (I have no idea what the podcast is and who the podcasters are lol) handle cryptids from non-white communities, which I do think is a fair criticism. Especially because when I looked at the references cited, the vast majority of which were contemporary websites. Some people are okay with that level of research, but I think if you’re going to creat an encyclopedia-adjacent type book, it looks and reads much better to cite research by actual folklorists and scholars in the field.

Overall, I think kids will like this but if you actually like cryptozoology, I’d say that there are better out there.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Freaky Folklore was an encyclopedic overview of different types of ghoulish creatures all over the world. The concept was very interesting, but not super well-executed. [Re: Take a shot every time the author included the word "malevolent" in a creature description.]
Although I understand that there is a lot of overlap in between creature archetypes, I would have liked a bit more variety in descriptions and short stories. Like other reviews have touched on, they did become a bit repetitive after a while, which made me less inclined to finish the book.
On the bright side! I did fall down a research rabbit hole because of this book.
Did you know? Foxes and Dingoes are not native to Australia? One of the characters in the short stories mentions the sound of a fox. And I was greatly confused, because I did not think foxes were native to Australia - or that there would be foxes in Australia in general. Wrong! (And I was kind of on the right track.) There are millions of foxes in Australia and they are considered an invasive species. So, shout out to this book for making me search that up on Wiki!

[Amber Hathaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaky Folklore is a fascinating collection of folklore from around the world. It includes tales from all continents except Antarctica. Each entry starts with a description of the monster or cryptid according to legends and then is followed by a short story about the creature. It includes everything from Mothman here in the states to the Jiangshi in China, from the banshee in Europe to the Moehau from Maori folklore, and many, many more creatures. Each entry is also accompanied by a beautiful illustration.

I love how this book pairs the descriptions of the creatures with spooky stories. The stories are short enough and have the right atmosphere to make great tales to read aloud around a campfire. I also appreciated that the author wrote the stories in their local contexts. It gives the reader a tiny window into different cultural traditions as well as the creatures themselves.

If you're a fan of cryptids and folklore, I would definitely recommend checking this one out.

[Luke Bishop · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection describing the creatures of various people groups and places all around the globe. All in all, I would say it's a decent creature compendium. It does have a nice selection of Australia, East Asian, and African creatures I had never heard of before, which were cool to read about. However, the America continents were all grouped under one heading, which perhaps reduced the amount of creatures that can could be described in any of the continents. The North America choices were also somewhat odd, consisting of primarily anthropomorphic half-human creatures. The Europe section was unsurprisingly weighted heavily towards the northwest of Europe. The largest issue was each entry was primarily dominated by a short story depicting the monster interacting with a hapless victim. I found these rather repetitive, and I much would have rather gotten a long entry on the creature itself. The illustrations of this book, whatever its faults, are consistently well-done.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book for review.

3.5 stars

This was easy and fun! Freaky Folklore is actually the first compendium of creatures/cryptids that I’ve read. It was super easy to follow and I LOVE the illustrations (props to the artist) Strzyga is so cute!!! Something this book has that my other mythology/folklore books don’t have is that it’s not specialized to one location/belief and I loved that. Cryptids worldwide! I liked the descriptors for each but I did find myself not super interested in some of the stories that went along with each one. Overall pretty solid though, makes me want to dig deeper.

Thanks again!

[Jennifer T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a very well done manual on cryptids and monsters from around the world. I loved the illustrations for each one and learning about what each culture/continent around the world finds scary. I’d definitely purchase a copy of this for myself or loved one who’s into folklore and cryptids.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Scott Lupo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book to browse/read. It is facinating to see the different monsters and cryptids from regions around the world. The illustrations are excellent and I enjoyed the short descriptions and origin stories of each. Human imagination has no bounds!

[Emmaline · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice illustrations and a cool catalog of cryptids. writing was... whatever.

[Malin Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freaky folklore is an encyclopedia like collection of monsters and cryptids (many well-known but also some that were completely new to me), with facts, short stories and beautiful illustrations to go along with each creature.

I really enjoyed pretty much everything about this collection, it was just so beautifully illustrated and featured creatures from all over the world.
However, I did feel like that the short stories became a little repetitive after a while and towards the end I did end up skimming through those sections.

As a big supernatural fan, it did give me some of the same vibes as John Winchester’s journal.

Highly recommend this book to lovers of folklore and weird creatures. (Also recommend the podcast with the same name from the same creators)

Big thanks to Netgalley, Wellfleet Press, Darkness Prevails and Carman Carrion for allowing me to read an E-Arc of this collection.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know, I think I was expecting something a lot more informational? Like discussions on actual tales told of these creatures, rather than random short stories that all sort of blended together in the end.

[Me, My Shelf, & I]

I am doing a gentle peruse now and good god these illustrations are gorgeous!!

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 Star – Visually appealing but skewed towards sensationalism

Thank you to NetGalley and Wellfleet Press for providing me with an ARC of “Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World’s Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids” by Darkness Prevails in exchange for an honest review.

Folklore has been one of my down-the-rabbit-hole obsessions since I was a kid, and Japanese folklore in particular ended up being a big part of my postgraduate research. So, I have a near unhealthy compulsion to check out any book that makes claims of being about or inspired by folklore. What that means is that I’m also (inadvertently) more critical when it comes to these books.

“Freaky Folklore” feels like your average coffee table book in everything from the trim size and layout to the content selection and depth. Which isn’t to say that’s a bad thing; but, for me, it was at best unsatisfying and at worst annoyingly skewed towards sensationalism.

From the introduction alone I became a little skeptical about the framing of the book. The word ‘monster’ is explained as originating from the Latin ‘monstrum’—which is true enough. However, I take issue with the choice to present the etymology as “godlike premonition, unbelievable phenomenon,” while entirely ignoring the older roots in “admonishment.”

Cryptids aside, folklore has never been just about the dread of the unexplained. I think a large part of my dissatisfaction is rooted in this conflation of cryptids, monsters, and folklore, while emphasizing a “whether they’re real or not” campy atmosphere.

What irked me the most though is the way the introduction led me to believe there was going to be some substance in the representation of “culture, values, and beliefs” from the regions the “creatures” originate; when in reality, the stories and informational blurbs are all positionally removed from those cultures and beliefs. Not to mention, they are at times so generalized as to be inaccurate. When you spread your net so wide, and try to do so much, there will inevitably be details sacrificed and areas overlooked. Still, there are literally Wikipedia pages that contain more substance and nuance than some of these monster bios—and those you can read for free.

The writing was also rather bland and the stories formulaic. I expected more than the kind of late 90s I-heard-from-a-friend-of-a-friend-of-mine type of encounters.

But the illustrations are nice. So, there’s that, I guess.

“Freaky Folklore” would likely appeal to fans of the podcast it’s derived from, urban legend type storytelling, and B-movie horror.

But if you want culturally resonant explorations of folklore figures from around the world, you’re not going to find that here—I severely doubt I'm the target audience anyway.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly I can’t get enough cryptids in my life. This is the second book today I’ve read where they’re featured. I was drawn to this one because of its cover.

This book takes you on a whirlwind trip around the world, introducing you to some of the locals. The local monsters, anyway. Sections are divided by geography: Americas, Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and Asia.

For each entry, you’ll learn the name of the cryptid, monster or urban legend, where it’s found, when it was first sighted (usually by a white person) or mentioned in literature, its classification (eg, bogeyman), a few descriptors for its personality and some general information. This is accompanied by an illustration and a short, fictional account of a close encounter.

There were a bunch of familiar faces but also some that were new to me. I’ve chosen to mention three of them.

In Scandinavian folklore, the Myling is considered one of the most disturbing spirits. This legend revolves around children who were either abandoned or murdered. The souls of these unbaptized children are doomed to wander the Earth, seeking someone who can provide them with a proper burial. They are believed to be particularly dangerous, possessing the ability to harm and even kill people.

Drop Bears are carnivorous koalas found all over Australia. They’re bitey and will drop on you from above when you’re out in the bush. They’re also an urban legend but they’re as Aussie as Vegemite and I can’t get enough of them.



The Manananggal is said to look like a beautiful woman by day but by night, when she feeds on her victims, she transforms into something else entirely.

When night falls, the Manananggal grows bat-like wings, detaches her upper torso from her lower body, and takes flight in search of her next victim. As she soars through the moonlit sky, you may catch a glimpse of her intestines dangling from her split body.

Beware beautiful women, I guess?

I enjoyed a lot of the illustrations but wasn’t as enthusiastic about the text. I would have much preferred to have been given more information about each monster or cryptid, or read an account of someone who swears they have encountered it instead of stories that weren’t based on real people or experiences.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wellfleet Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World's Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids by Darkness Prevails with Carman Carrion

Rating: 4 Stars

Freaky Folklore by Darkness Prevails and Carman Carrion is a spine-chilling compendium that delves into the history and culture of over 50 terrifying mythical creatures that have haunted human imagination for ages. As a folklore enthusiast, this book was an absolute delight for me.

From the blood-draining Chupacabra to the curse-spawned Jersey Devil, and from the shape-shifting Kelpie to the aggressive Moehau, each monster is brought to life with vivid descriptions, eerie tales, and captivating illustrations. The book also introduces us to the haunting Kuchisake-onna from Japanese folklore and the elusive Dogman reported in Michigan.

I was particularly drawn to the "freaky facts" accompanying each creature, providing intriguing insights into their origins and characteristics. The stories shared in the book were both frightening and entertaining, keeping me engaged from cover to cover. The illustrations added an extra layer of spookiness, enhancing my reading experience.

One of the standout features of Freaky Folklore is its accessibility and readability. The writing is clear, descriptive, and easy to follow, making it a perfect choice for both casual readers and enthusiasts of the macabre. The book strikes a great balance between informative content and entertainment, ensuring that readers not only learn about these beasts but also enjoy the journey through folklore.

Overall, I had a fantastic time exploring the world of mythology through the pages of Freaky Folklore. It's a must-have for anyone intrigued by the darker side of folklore and mythical creatures. I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for a bone-chilling yet captivating read that will leave you wanting more.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

[Dasha Slepenkina · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5

This book frustrated me. I purchased it because beautifully illustrated cryptozoology bestiaries are my kryptonite. However, I would not recommend this book for several reasons.

First of all, I felt it was very poorly researched - a suspicion which was confirmed when I looked at the references and they were all just websites. I speak several languages and grew up with Slavic folklore - many of the details on Slavic creatures were flat-out wrong, poorly described, or incomplete. Stories like the one about Baba Yaga read nothing like the stories actually written about her in Slavic mythology or Russian literature.

Additionally, the writing could have used better editing. For example, sentences such as this one stood out: "Werehyenas can take on the form of either hyenas disguising themselves as humans or may be hyenas that have adopted human appearances." Those two options mean the SAME THING. Overall, the writing was repetitive and sluggish; I struggled to keep my attention on the stories. The stories are also extremely repetitive in terms of their content - most of them follow the "person goes to a place which is dangerous - person encounters monster - person is killed" narrative, which got old after 10-15 retellings.

Furthermore, although the art is beautiful, the pictures are not good representations of the creatures - I found myself googling what they are actually supposed to look like. In a few instances, there were inconsistencies between how the creatures were described and how they were actually depicted.

I will give it a star and a half for the illustrations and also because I like the concept of having a creature descriptor followed by a story, but the execution here left me disappointed.

[Sage Nestler · Rating 5 out of 5]

QUICK TAKE
Freaky Folklore is an essential compendium for anyone interested in creepy worldwide folklore – including monsters, cryptids, and beasts. The book features gorgeous illustrations and excerpts on various beings sorted by their country of origin. It is truly a masterpiece!

TELL ME MORE
I’ve always been extremely into folklore and cryptids, so when I discovered Freaky Folklore, I was beyond ecstatic. I love how the book covers folklore and beings from various countries, as well as gorgeous illustrations. Each excerpt is fairly short but covers the essential history and lore of each being. The beauty of this is that the book does not need to be read from cover to cover, but can be read in pieces, depending on which beings you would like to study.

Every highlight features quick facts, as well as the history of the being. This compendium is not meant to dive deep into the various monsters, cryptids, and beasts, but to gain quick insight into each of the beings, which can help guide you into studying more about them on your own.

This collection is essential for authors looking to incorporate folklore into their writing, or for anyone interested in learning more about folklore and monsters that have become a part of our collected consciousness. It is a treasure for folklore fans everywhere, and it is sure to keep you up at night!

Thank you so much to Lydia of The Quarto Group and Wellfleet Press for the ARC!

[Sandra Vdplaats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wanted to read about the Bray Road Beast, the Canadian Waheela, the Zulu Tokoloshe or the Impundulu, or perhaps the South African Grootslag? Or maybe you want to know all about the Wendigo or the Yuki-onna of Asia, the Cherokee Spearfinger or U'tlun'ta', or the Yara-ma-yha-wo of Aboriginal folklore?
If so, this is the Beast Compendium you need!
It contains a brief history of each creature, followed by a short story about someone encountering one. Only a small proportion of the regional legendary beasts or cryptids from around the world have made it into this compendium.
(For a reference book with more creatures, I recommend the Elemental Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: the Ultimate A-Z fantastic beings from Myth and Magic, but it lacks the stunning illustrations this one has).

With stunning illustrations of the monsters themselves, each beast comes with a description of its location, sightings, characteristics and classification, followed by a short story about someone who may have encountered one of the beasts.

This beautifully illustrated bestiary has 129 pages and is a treasure to have. It will be in stores on 16th July 2024.
I have the Elemental Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures & will definitely be buying this one.

Beautifully illustrated and a must have!

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Darkness Prevails presents Carman Carrion's creature anthology, Freaky Folklore. Carrion organizes the encyclopedic entries by continent, drawing on cryptids and monsters from various myths and legends around the globe. Following each entry is a short story which features the creature discussed. Each entry is also accompanied by a beautiful (horrific) illustration of the creature.

While I have read many creature anthologies, Carrion's stands out due to the short stories that follow. Some are, admittedly, a little cheesy, but they're certainly fun. The art featured is certainly lovely as well. The other thing that stands out here is the true variety of cultures featured. While many cryptozoology collections are heavily European-centric, Carrion's deliberately highlighted stories from around the globe. Now, the representation isn't equal, but it is certainly more than what is common.

I think the most contentious part of this collection will be the short stories. If you prefer to not have the little short stories after, you can skip them (or skip the book, should you choose), but this collection has a good variety and solid informational blurbs.

Overall, I had a fun time with this one and am grateful to have read it early.

[Lindsey (endless_tbr_list) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars - As a lifelong fan of the folktales, mythology, and straight up ghost stories, I was so excited to dive into Freaky Folklore! Comprised of a collection of stories from around the world - including Latin America's La Llorona, the Strzyga of Poland and Ukraine, the Tokoloshe of South Africa, and the Philippines' Manananggal, to name a few. This book introduces the reader to many well known creatures and cryptids, as well as a few that might not be as familiar.

Entries are paired with a colorful illustration of the monster, as well as a short fictionalized encounter. I appreciated the number of creatures included in this work, but I would have loved to see more background and a longer story for each entry. Perhaps even stories of actual encounters? Though a fun addition, the fictionalized tales were often a bit too short to build up any true terror or horror, and ended up feeling flat.

Freaky Folklore is a broad, though not exhaustive, compilation of monsters and their tales from a variety of different cultures. While an interesting concept for a book, I do wish it had lived up to it's claim of "terrifying tales."

Thank you to Wellfleet Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Shannon Bray · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lover of all things spooky & strange, I was immediately attracted to Freaky Folklore. We all say we don’t judge a book by a cover but this one is truly amazing. This book breaks down various folklore creatures by continent, sharing the origins & legends behind each one. It also includes beautiful artwork, which is sometimes beautifully horrifying (looking at you, the section on Asia’s folklore). But what I really enjoyed about this book were the short fictional stories that were included with each entry. The stories add a unique element that help to bring the creatures to life & are truly anxiety-inducing despite only being a few paragraphs long each (well done!).

This book also introduced me to many legends & creatures I had never heard of before! I might have been today-years-old when I learned that Drop Bears weren’t real… Look, I never looked into them fully & Australia has birds that dive-bomb your head (Magpies), so Drop Bears sounded plausible if all you know is the name ha. So Freaky Folklore gets extra points for the educational value!

Thank you to NetGalley & Quarto Publishing Group/Wellfleet Press for sharing an advanced digital copy for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own, especially my Drop Bear ignorance.

[Lillie Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freaky Folklore is a cryptid lovers dream. An extremely well illustrated coffee table style book about cryptids from around the world that breaks down each one with a page that types them, a brief description and background lore, then an illustration and short story of someone encountering them.

This book toes the line between horror and non-fiction and was clearly written by someone who lovers monsters. The writing itself is clear and descriptive in the more non-fiction style sections with it relaying the facts of the folklore in an easy-to-understand manner and in the more horror-based sections is descriptive and reads like a horror podcast brought to life.

The art work however is really where the book shines, I would myself skipping ahead when reading about a new cryptid to first look at the artwork for it prior to reading and being invested in the book in part out of excitement to see each new piece.

I would recommend this book those looking for:
- A cryptid coffee table read
- A well illustrated book about monsters
- Any monster or cryptid lovers
- And those who are fans of the spooky and morbid

I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unusual book. If you didn’t know any better, it looks like a beautifully illustrated storybook for children but it’s soon evident that the pictures are not of cute furry creatures, but horrific monsters. Reading the text dispels all doubt. These are the monsters of our nightmares. Divided by continent, it includes all the usual suspects, like Bigfoot or the banshees, along with many others that will only be familiar to local people. All entries include basic information as to where these monsters are located, where they were first sighted (even if many predate written history), what they are, what they do and a short history of each one, as well as a fictional story featuring the monster. I obviously liked some better than others, as is normally the case with such collections, but they are all entertaining. But the cherry on top are the beautiful and horrifying illustrations, that are esthetically pleasing but very scary. The quality of the book itself is remarkable, flawlessly formatted and full of surprises.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press.