Superstitions is a fast read with nice pages and some illustrations thrown in. It is separated by country and it talks about the deities of that country as well as some of the mythological beings, monsters and superstitions from that area. It gives you brief descriptions of each. For me, it's a good starting point to tell you a little about a topic to get you interested for further research. I enjoyed the book and I would recommend it.

Sadly, I was unable to download this book in time before it was archived and this I was not able to either read or review it. My apologies.

This book was so informative and good! I loved learning about old superstitions and where they originated. Well written and easy to understand, I was so excited about this book I bought a hardcover last weekend when I saw it in B&N!

I did enjoy the book, but it is not what I was expecting. There is little space dedicated to superstitions, with the bulk of the book dedicated to mythology and monsters.

Superstitions: A Handbook of Folklore, Myths, and Legends from around the World​ is the perfect title for this book as it is a comprehensive reference about all three. I think I might have enjoyed the information about the differences between folklore, myths, and legends the best. I loved the whole book! I found it fascinating and entertaining. If you have an interest in superstitions, I cannot recommend this book enough!

very interesting book, I would love to own this book! it covered a lot and I like how it broke up the different superstitions like that! Liked the cover but after reading the book I think the cover should pop more! Can't wait to buy a physical copy!!!

Great for fans of the creepy and macabre. Makes an excellent addition to any occult library. Really enjoyed reading it.

A brilliant collection of facts and information covering all the world.
I liked to discover new things and I think this book is highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Wellfleet Press in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully presented and interesting collection of superstitions, mythology and other folklore from around the world. I love the effort that has been put into making this book attractive and I can only imagine it is better in a non-digital format. The information is presented geographically and then alphabetically which works really well. I had some issues with the tone and wording of some parts (for example, describing Africa as a mystical place is a little ill-informed in this day and age) but a lot of that is the usual tone of more spiritual books like this so I was willing to let that slide. Definitely a brilliant book to just pick up and flick through,

Hmmm… This was proof to me that this kind of book is hard to do well. It's a glossy, nicely pictorial (ie not space-wastingly so) dictionary of the world's monsters, gods and superstitions, but it is a bit higgledy-piggledy. Just take early chapters about Africa, the Levant and Asia – it's all very well breaking the world down into logical regions, but the creators here kind of give up on that, so that the gods of one region zip from country to country just to fit into the enforced A-Z format. Thus you get a nudge to the fact one god from here became known as the other god there, and the third god over yonder, but you don't really get the full gist of any mythological narrative as such, such are the thumbnail sketches used. I would suggest mythology is all about narrative, and a guide to it with hardly a full story in it kind of defeats the issue. You're given not enough information to learn much, yet too much in your helter-skelter geographical trip for you to piece anything together. Something is referred to as "another" thing known from the Arabian Nights before the first one is reached.

Luckily we eventually hit richer seams – the stories of Sedna and her creation of a watery purgatory/hell for the Inuit cultures is likely to be new to many readers, and we can get the best of this as it transforms from a wobbly dictionary to a more solid encyclopaedia. But flaws still remain – it's no good giving us Irish Gaelic gods and characters without a pronunciation guide, for one. So I don't wish ill of this book, but I still don't think I've hit the mother-lode when it comes to such reference books for the arcane. Three and a half stars, however, for the education this did (almost despite itself) provide.

This book felt more like a collection of folklore and mythical beings from various cultures than a book about superstitions. Did I enjoy nonetheless? Yes. It just really wasn't what I was expecting.

Superstitions: A Handbook of Folklore, Myths, and Legends from around the World
By D.R. McElroy
To be published May 26, 2020

Superstitions: A Handbook of Folklore, Myths, and Legends from around the World explains how and why these legends and the associated behaviors behind them developed. This is very well researched and encompasses every part of the world. It covers each continent and country and their beliefs, going way back to very early history. Their gods, goddesses, idols, creatures, monsters, totems, folklore, myths, legends, fables, parables, urban legends/urban myths, and of course, superstitions are all covered in this book. It gives a brief outline of each one and the basic belief behind them. There are pictures of some of them, and I would have loved to see even more pictures because they were fascinating.

My favorite part about this book were the superstitions from each part of the world. I thought it was interesting and fun to see the differences between the countries.

Also, to be able to learn about some of the other beliefs from history pertaining to each country and their gods, legends, folklore and myths were interesting as well. I also have to give a special nod to some of the more well-known creatures and monsters that we all know, such as Bigfoot, different types of werewolves, chupacabra, ghost ships, vampires, giants and leprechauns, etc. They and so many others can all be found here.

I enjoyed this book and if you are interested in this subject matter, I would recommend it.

I would like to thank the Quarto Publishing Group, Wellfleet Press and the author for this advanced digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Not what I expected, based on the title - this book focused more on mythologies/gods and goddesses and monsters/mythical creatures more than actual superstitions. Still, it was interesting, though I wish there were more images to go along with the entries.

The title of "Superstitions" is actually quite misleading in this case. There are only a few scant paragraphs that go into detail about some of the well-known superstitions that people take part in (not walking under ladders, bad luck for broken mirrors, etc.). The real heft of the book is broken down into different countries and their folklore and gods. While this information was interesting, I felt like I was expecting something quite different. I would have loved for McElroy to go into much greater detail about where superstitions originated and how they're still used in our present times. Instead, I read a lot of info about specific gods worshipped by everything from ancient Egyptians to Inuits. This book is extremely well-researched and I appreciated how each section was divided into easy-to-digest sections. However, I did find myself skimming certain paragraphs that just didn't hold any interest for me. People looking for factual tidbits about superstitions will likely have to look elsewhere.

I found the actual superstitions in this book more interesting than the gods and creatures featured in it. I enjoyed learning about the origins of the superstitions that I grew up with especially those such as: not putting your hat on the bed (Mexco) and itchy palms means money is coming your way. (all cultures but originated in Africa).

I found it very entertaining to learn about different superstitions from all over the world. It was an interesting journey and it's making me wanna dig up more and learn about superstitions from other countries.

Ahead of anything else, this is aesthetically very pleasing. The book travels the world for information about fables, myths and legends. Each page is beautifully laid out and though you could pick it up and start on any page, I read it end to end. It's accessible, fresh and hugely interesting for anyone who likes to think about the stories that make us who and what we are.

The synopsis of this book says it explains legends and the behaviors around them from all over the world, but it is really more of an encyclopedic list of gods and monsters. It groups by continent and is really interesting, but doesn't really explain superstitions. I really liked it and learned a lot.

A helpful book in my research library for all things superstitions, witchcraft and folklore, "Superstitions" is a great read. Not only does it cover a more global view than most books, it keeps it clear and simple for those who are not as deeply enmeshed in said beliefs.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "Superstitions" by D.R. McElroy. I love the cover art. I liked the drawings and artistic features of this book. I liked the content of the book but felt there was very limited information on each continent. A different title may be more fitting for this book.