The premise was so good: an essay collection about various female ghosts from Asia and the essays will relate the women's lived experiences or the cultural nuances, or examine deeper about the origins of the lore. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat.

While I do appreciate the depth and the personal tone of the essays here, overall the essays felt repetitive and lack of diversity. There are many stories about hungry ghost or nine-tailed foxes, and many of the authors are descendants from East Asian culture (esp. Chinese), even those who come from SEA. I especially want to read more about South and Southeast Asian women's voices, since they are often not present in the genre. The themes also lack of diversity, I wished there are more essays that examine the societal problems like the 2 stories that touched on domestic violence and gender-based crimes, but the rest of the essays focused more on personal experience and their dual identity of being Asian (or mixed) in another country. Again, not that it was bad, but in a collection of 21 essays, I was expecting more themes being explored.

Unfortunately, I couldn't finish it. The first story was decidedly odd and failed to hold my interest.

these essays challenge the idea of femininity. the blatant racism and sexism these women experienced is so hard yet so important to hear. the significance of ghosts always being women and always being hungry stuck with me even days after reading this - it was dark, haunting yet essential to be devoured and understood.

so many trigger warnings throughout - the asian folklore and mythology described included a lot of suicide and violence against women so beware of this going into it.

if you want to learn more about asian mythology/folklore, expand your knowledge on different cultures, rediscover areas in history that are mostly unheard of or listen to powerful women’s voices unapologetically asking to be heard, i would highly recommend reading this influential novel.

of this review hasn’t convinced you, swipe and read an extract from the introduction and let the evocative writing speak for itself.

After making multiple attempts, I must say that I found the book to be an onerous read. While the essays themselves were beautifully written, I had a different expectation of what I was in for in the reading of this book. A fault that was my own and not that of the writers.

Guys I have to come back and redo my review because I'm still not over this book ."Unquiet Spirits," curated by Lee Murray and Angela Yuriko Smith, was an eye-opening literary journey for me. This anthology plunges you deep into the heart of ghostly narratives and the uncanny, offering more than just fleeting chills—it invites you into a full-on exploration of otherworldly realms. I often read anthologies especially horror ones but this one stood out.

What really sets this collection apart is its diversity. Murray and Smith have brought together a wide array of ghost stories, each enriched by its own cultural backdrop and personal touch. Reading through "Unquiet Spirits," you encounter a spectrum of voices, from the well-established to the up-and-coming, all harmonizing to create a spine-tingling medley of the spectral that stays with you long after you've finished the book. Unlike some anthologies, you can tell each voice distinct from each other!

The anthology brilliantly juxtaposes the eerie with the profound. These aren't just stories designed to spook you (no cheap jump scares here); they're thoughtful explorations of love, loss, grief, and what it means to be human. The ghosts haunting these tales symbolize not just supernatural entities but also the personal haunts of regret and unresolved issues.

Every story in "Unquiet Spirits" shines with its own light, offering a fresh take on the theme of hauntings. Whether it's a classic ghost story that has you looking over your shoulder or an inventive twist that surprises you, the range is impressive. The editing is top-notch, ensuring a smooth flow from one story to the next while maintaining a rich variety throughout the collection.

This anthology dives deep, examining the theme of hauntings from every angle—fear, longing, closure, and the complex web of human relationships that extend beyond the tangible. The stories provoke thought and invite reflection, often leaving you pondering their deeper meanings well after the eerie sensations have passed.

"Unquiet Spirits" also stands out for its global perspective. The collection spans various cultures and landscapes, offering a panoramic view of how spirits and the supernatural are interpreted around the world. This global outlook enriches the anthology, setting it apart from the typical Western-centric narrative in the genre.

In terms of writing, this anthology is a showcase of narrative excellence. The prose is rich and evocative, with each author contributing their unique voice and style. The settings are so vividly described that you're transported directly into the story, with a pacing that alternates between the deliberately suspenseful and the intensely thrilling. It's really hard to do that with ghost stories

To me, "Unquiet Spirits" is much more than a compilation of ghost stories (I AM NOT JUST SAYING THAT). It's a deep dive into the shadows that lurk within us, reflecting our darkest fears and deepest yearnings. It proves that ghost stories can do more than scare—they can enlighten, challenge, and touch our hearts.This collection is as thought-provoking as it is haunting. It's a book I find myself coming back to, each time !

This is not an anthology of horror stories, but an anthology of deeply personal essays written by 21 female Asian horror authors.

It will draw you in and bring you to the author's place straddling cultures, the power of identity, the strength of belonging, and their reality as women in a culture where the majority of monsters are female.

Not all the essays are comfortable reading, but they are all told from the powerful place of truth.

This book will bring you to an understanding of Asian horror in a way you hadn't expected, and may make you examine your perception of what 'monstrous' truly means.

*Thank you to Black Spot Books Non-Fiction and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this title.*

An absolutely beautiful book. I knew very little about the subject matter, and have read hardly anything in the way of oriental literature, so this was fascinating. Strong women and ghosts, the ties between the everyday world and that of spirit... I've already been recommending this, and will be following some of the authors from now on.

An excellent anthology.

When I first started reading it, I had no idea what to expect. I try to start every book without many expectations, this way I can't really get too disappointed. This companion connects Asian mythology to the lives of Asian Horror/Ghost Story Writers in a series of intensely personal and emotional essays rather than simply a collection of ghost stories. Which I actually hoped for.
It was interesting reading about the background of all those ghost stories, which always star a female ghost. But unfortunately, I don't really know all those stories which were marked. Or maybe I did hear of some of them, but just a slightly different version. As it is with all kind of mythological creatures, every culture has them in a slightly different version.
It was quite interesting reading about the writers' backgrounds, but nevertheless I hoped for more ghost story time.

Beautifully written - every essay was so amazing to read.
So thought provoking and truly a must read. Dark and sad as well.

Unquiet Spirits is an illuminating series of essays from women about Asian mythology and the ways it continues to interact with the lived experience of Asian women. Each piece introduces a mythological figure or creature and ties its story to the story of women in the cultures that engage with these figures. In some of the accounts, the authors explore the origin of these creatures, which often arises from horrific life circumstances, while in others the focus is on the activity of the creature after it is formed. Ranging from substitute-seeking ghosts who try to free themselves by persuading people to kill themselves in the tragic way the ghost had originally died, to figures who become displaced spirits hungering after the living, and only having their being because of evil committed against them or because they were taken from their home, oppressed lives and tragic endings brought out these unsatisfied beings. It costs them their final rest, but finally gifts them with power they never could claim in life.

Throughout all these stories, myth and culture are found reflecting each other, and sometimes it’s difficult to tell which one grew out of the other. In their stories, these Asian women writers discuss the horrors of Asian mythology, and show how intimately they are linked to the experiences of family, culture, purpose, “otherness”, displacement, and disadvantage. They share, with personal accounts, how expectations within their particular cultures led women, and men, down the same road that these cultural ghosts traveled. Being ashamed at not fulfilling an expected role in society and family, or oftentimes by being removed totally from their cultural home and the land where their ancestor’s spirits would remain, the authors yet found that the restless spirits of their homeland followed them. For some, they realized they had actually become the unquiet spirit.

But these stories are not about loss of hope. They are about new life but also about the old. They are about living with both sides of yourself. They live alongside the supernatural: some evil, others divine, others good, and still others existing as all three. In trying to understand these figures, what seems horrifying at first might not be as evil as you thought. As Geneve Flynn quotes in her essay on the kwee kia, “…some things were dangerous, but could be lived with.”

As any collection of essays, there were some that resonated with me as a reader and some that didn't, averaging out at 3 out of 5 stars.
The perspective of Asian women in horror is a very interesting one to read, and I enjoyed the role of myths and legends throughout the collection.
Recommend

A fascinating and beautiful look at the entanglement of Asian immigration and horror, each essay giving readers a new insight. The cover is stunning as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Black Spots Books non-fiction! I loved learning about Asian paranormal, ghosts and folklore!

This was a great collection of essays that showed some interesting connections between the modern horror and the myths and culture that effected these new tales.

Horror is often about the clash of worlds the supernatural taking over our world and bending it to its will. The impact on those who witness it and the warnings they carry for us reading and watching with our mouths agape. But horror also allows us to process our reality; to see ourselves perhaps empowered to battle or become the monster and give us new perspectives on what our world means. In the fascinating Unquiet Spirits – Essays by Asian Women in Horror edited by Lee Murray and Angela Yuriko Smith we get an absorbing collection of tales where authors who themselves cross boundaries of Asian and western life with also the traditional views of the past mixed with those of the twenty-first century talk about various myths and legends and what they now represent. It is a powerful read I was captivated by and has given much food for thought.

In this collection all the entries are well worth reading but amongst the many to recommend are

Displaced Spirits: Ghosts of the Diaspora by Lee Murray – Murray talk of living as a woman of Kiwi and Chinese heritage in modern day New Zealand and why the legend of the hungry ghosts – ancestors who need placating to avoid their acts of misfortune has a strong historical resonance. This essay explores how not knowing much about your homeland and culture can itself make you hungry and feel lost; how for some immigrants there is the tragedy of knowing you now have family members we no longer remember the names and stories of and in particular how this in particular impacts women who were often viewed as lesser in the family traditions of the time.

Fox Daughter by Celine Murray – An exploration of a writer with Chinese and Māori family trees and this time linked to the story of the Huli jing – the nine tailed fox demon who loves to appear human and will kill to do so. Murray shows sympathy with the idea of someone appearing to fit in with another culture and hiding their true nature as an someone not wholly of the New Zealand world they live in. An interesting take where now the monster becomes someone we can actually relate to

Some Things Are Dangerous, But Can Be Lived With: The Ghost Baby of Malaysian Mythology by Geneve Flynn – this excellent tale looks at a family story and connects it to the legend of the kwee kia a creature made from the spirit of a deceased human fetus. Here Flynn sees this story as about how the past controls us and we find out about various members of the family in particular Aunt Rosemary a woman in an unhappy marriage that ultimately led to her battling to stay afloat and an untimely death that itself led to many further restrictions on Flynn’s mother which she never understood. The past shapes us in our families perhaps as cautionary tales to persuade us to be obedient and never be more than our families want. Flynn asks can that cycle then be broken in future generations as we come to terms with what happened.

The Substitute by Yi Izzy Yu – this essay also explores a family tragedy in this case a suicide of heir Great Aunt Wang Peiyu and Yu explores how the Tsigui a ghost that tricks others to dying the same way they did becomes an unusual way of explaining away suicide and suicide attempts that hides the more deeper issues that may have led to someone wanting to take their own life. It’s a sobering and thoughtful piece which will stay with me a long time.

The Unvoiced, The Unheard, The Unknown, The Unquiet by Ai Jiang – This powerful essay explores Jiang’s feeling of always being the outside; the person asked to always be quiet. The family pressure to have children; not to follow career dreams and here being themselves the hungry ghost that needs to feed their own desire to live the life they want and how this has echoed their later work. Here the culture and tradition of the past still has a huge shadow over the future of a family and even covers marriage and more and yet the love for the family is still very much felt.

Thai Spirits and Wanting to Belong by J A W McCarthy – this essay explores a half Thai and half white woman and her feeing over where she belongs. Growing up being felt to be other by various people she meets and not herself knowing her own culture and background. Her relationship with her Thai mother is fascinating a woman who pushed her to follow a white identity – Catholicism, food and even on application forms. But this approach made McCarthy eventually seek out more and horror assists that and allows exploration of the racism in America her mother tried to protect her from and now means McCarthy is still exploring more of her hidden past

Lucky Numbers, Or Why 28> 58 by Eliza Chan – this essay explores how even now superstitions over the power of numbers still covers today from little things like house numbers to when even a wedding can take place. A wry but informative essay exploring how this can cover so many aspects of life and each little number explains even more of certain ideas on love, family and wealth and even lead to arguments over what people can do still today!

Hungry Ghosts In America by Vanessa Fogg -this also explores the hungry ghosts idea but this time with Fogg exploring their relationship with their parents who always have seemed to disapprove of their various life choices not fitting in with her Thai family traditions and expectations. Fogg explores deeper family histories which help explain why people act as they do and what this means for their own future choices as a writer. It’s a very poignant and bittersweet tale.

100 Livers by K P Kulski – a very memorable tale starting with the tragic death of Kulski’sm other and how her white father kept her away from her Korean family afterwards and hid her from her own culture. Here Kulski links her need to find out more about who she is and where she comes form with the fox spirit the kumiho that eats hearts of its victims to become human. How being a person prevented from knowing herself and often being forced to be seen as a white person by family members made her feel other too and this has impacted their own future work.

Plant A Cherry Tree Over My Grave by Kiyomi Appleton Gaines – this tale explores a woman who has realised she does want a child and how that reconciles against a whole family and cultural tradition that women must become mothers. How usually in Japanese society the only role that fits such a person is the yamauba – the mountain witch which is really telling of how such women are judged. It’s a great piece of writing exploring Gaines’ own thoughts; worries and discussions with family and friends and though a man I can recognise certain conversations I’ve had over never wanting to become a parent.

Belonging to Fear by Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito – Ippolito talks about their grandmother Popo who came with the family to Alabama from China and at a young age loved to watch American horror movies on VHS at home with their very young granddaughter. This story explores how the joy of horror is that it can help empower us to take a moment from the fears we have in the past and the events that led to Popo’s emigration from China and her fear of strangers at the door get explained and make us review events in a slightly different way and is probably my favourite in the collection.

Unquiet Spirits is just a brilliant and thoughtful read. All the essays are worth reading and although some explore similar myths there are fresh and different perspectives in each one. It explores how horror is such a valuable part of exploring what being human is and how we can always reassess myths as to what they mean to us now. Strongly recommended

An absolutely amazing collection of essays. It introduced me to some new writers whose work I'm looking forward to reading. The writing was strong and resonant, and it was often so intimate and compelling that I felt like I was stepping inside of the authors' minds and seeing things from their perspectives. I particularly loved learning not only about Asian ghost/folklore but also about how these stories and beliefs personally impacted the authors.

Fantastic collection of folklore, well put together and a great place to start finding new anuthors for me, but also to learn about folklore of different cultures, great stuff

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a stellar collection of essays from Asian women in horror. Their personal connection to these beings and how they have been integrated into their childhood and adult lives comes through each essay and resonates with the reader. The patriarchy is wrapped tightly around every incarnation of ghosts and spirits, how they are made, and the actions they must take in this new form.

These authors also take a look at how specifically they can relate to these spirits and how they create stories around them, based not only on their on experiences but those of the women (mothers, aunts, and grandmothers) who are closest to them and who theybgrew up hearing about. Using their familial history and cultural connections adds layers as you move from one essay to the next, seeing how these very same ghosts show up in their very modern and at times removed existences within the societies in which they now live and work.

First, I'll start off saying that I love anthologies. It's a nice way to discover new authors and stories from different cultures. This is a horror anthology book. Thats what caught my attention. I can honestly say that this book did not disappointed. The tropes for the stories range from vampires., ghost, urban legends and other fantasy entries. an incredible collection of stories that fuse well together. I discovered new authors and uniquely weird stories. I enjoyed my journey with this book, and I think it's a must read for horror fans.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Black Spot Books for a copy of this book and I am leaving this book voluntarily.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for the advance copy of this stunning collection of essays! I was so happy to get to experience the delving into the experience of the Asian women whose minds were picked for these horror reflections. It shows how alike some of our histories can be, but also the immense weight of how different they have been and still are treated. All of this being wrapped up in my favorite genre was an amazing way to present these stories. It was so easy to get into the mindset of the writers and follow along with their specific journeys.

These essays contain myths and legends such as the White Lady, and more Asian folklore like fox spirits. No matter which one-- the writers would weave in their personality and upbringing, making each story a unique beast. Some are formal, others written like a letter to a friend. The prose keeps things flowing in a beautiful way that really sends the heavy topics home. Behind the fictional monsters are ever-present behemoths like struggling with trauma, coming of age, and societal and familial expectations. These things shaped all of the women included here, and their hearts bleed onto the page... opening long-closed scars to share with the readers.

Though I cannot fully relate to the lives of the writers of these essays-- the issues they spoke on are universal. I think this is a must-read, not just for horror fans, but for those that are trying to gain insight on cultures that are different than their own. If we listened to more of these stories, the world would be a much kinder and pleasant place. I really respect the editor of this book for getting this group together, and I very much enjoyed hearing all of their voices and finding common ground between us. I hope to read more novels like this one in the future.