A Spoonful of Malaysian Magic, which was written by various authors, is composed of 12 fantasy stories that were based on Malaysian folktales. Reading retellings of folktales is always a pleasant experience for me.

I think it would be unfair to rate this book as a whole, so I will provide an individual rating for each title, a synopsis, and my opinion on some of the titles.

1. Burong by Ismim Putera - 4★
Flashback story of Shajat, a burong warrior. The majority of the narrative revolves around Shajat's journey to becoming a warrior. Burong is a bird-like creature that resembles humans. I am fond of both world-building and the magic system. It’s beautiful!

2. Kampar and the Kings of Kedah by Joshua Lim - 5★
Kampar, a shapeshifter, was arrested by Bendahara, a king's advisor, for unintentionally starting a rebellion against the king. He was then employed as the guard of Bendahara. He eventually became aware of Bendahara's other agenda and his evil plans, as well as the truth about the past king.

The ending is what I find most enjoyable. I really value the choices Kampar made for his life. Additionally, this story includes original folktales and historical knowledge related to a city in Kinta Valley, Perak, Malaysia called Kampar.

3. Visitor in the Night by Zufar Zeid - 5★
Imagine what you would do if a beautiful, immortal creature came to visit you on a random night? It may sound scary, but thankfully, this beautiful creature is actually just lonely and needs someone to hear her story. The writing-style has calming flow, and I love the creature’s story. The emotion is captured so well.

4. Moonlight City of the Hidden Ones by Joni Chng - 4★
During his travels, Bram visited Bulan Café several times. Each time he went, he saw that there were no other customers and sometimes even the waiter was not present. Eventually, a cafe owner guided him to the kitchen, which ultimately led to a liminal space or another dimension where the Hidden People live called Moonlight City. The world-building is stunning. The story about Hidden People and Moonlight City is also fascinating and at times heartwarming.

5. Rosetta and the Fairy-in-Training by Ilnaz A. Faizal - 4★
Rosetta is a seamstress. A fairy came up to her one night after she finished a dress order for a customer. The fairy is currently in training and will be responsible for giving Rosetta a makeover. The friendship that is formed despite their chaotic dynamics is something I enjoy. It’s adorable.

6. Remembering How to Cook by Sharmilla Ganesan - 3★
A tale about Shree's struggle to cook food with magical abilities. Shree's family is known for having a gift of food magic, but she believes she doesn't possess it yet. As she tried to practice, she reminded herself of her memories of her late grandmother and all the magical foods she had tasted. It was unfortunate that the ending was so abrupt that the magical feeling seemed to disappear suddenly.

7. The Rivers and Lakes by Collin Yeoh - 3★
An action-based fantasy story about special people who have martial arts gifts. The fantasy aspect is impressive, but I question the absence of the folktales necessary to form the core of this anthology.

8. Flower Fell by Syazwani Jefferdin - 3★
An intriguing tale that is based on ancient Japanese mythology, Hanahako disease, an illness that occurs when one experiences unrequited love. Although this is in my best interest, the abrupt ending is a disappointment.

9. Up in Flames by Stuart Danker - 4★
Liam dreamed of being a wizard, but the magic school only prioritized Neesha ethnicity because they believed only Neesha people had the talents required for wizardry. The story is a great example of perseverance and not giving up for our dreams.

10. Taxation by Rowan C - 3★
This one probably the most complex fantasy in this book. It has great world-building, magic system, and political system. Despite being predictable, the plot is not bad. It's just that I can't quite grasp the point. I had assumed it would be about the taxation system in their world. It was indeed, in the beginning, and I am intrigued by it. But it turns out the story is mostly about the fight against the power-hungry conspirator.

11. The Fiery Tale of Embun and The Prince by Julia Alba - 5★
In the event of unwelcome circumstances, Embun has to travel from her village to the palace. She then assigned to tend to Zahir, the prince, every time he returns from fighting demons. I am fond of the warm friendship that exists between every character. They are generally likable. The characters' ability to handle conflict is also something I love. So is the maturity of the king, who as a parent is willing to admit his mistakes and apologize to his son.

12. The Dahlia of Hutan Kilat by Hamizah Adzmi - 4★
Seri Dahlia is a huntress of supernatural creatures, who wields a powerful keris. When she supposedly hunts for creatures in Hutan Kilat, the forest near her house, she encounters Terjah, the guardian of the forest. This story is filled with heartwarming moments and explores the friendship between a hunter, a forest guardian, and supernatural creatures. Although it’s mostly having warm vibes, it's scary at some points. The fact that I know the names of the creatures/ghosts makes it even more terrifying.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I did enjoy quite a few of these stories…it was magical and cozy but also cautious of worldliness in a profound way

Completely spellbinding and incredible. I'm not familiar with Malaysian folklore and fairy tales, so there wasn't the little spark of recognition I get when reading most retellings that are based on the stories from cultures I am more familiar with, which made this book particularly interesting. It makes me want to find a book of Malaysian fairy tales to read the original stories now, so I can become familiar with the roots from which these lush stories are grown.

The writing was hard to get into but I was pretty keen to read about Malaysian mythology. One of those books where you pick up a story here and there!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

I think that the stories were really well done and had so much to offer in terms of show casing the culture. I just wasn’t a fan of the writing style and the voice of the stories. So this is a personal preference issue.

I think if people love short stories and seeing cultures, they should definitely give this a try! I just wasn’t particularly engaged with it due to the style of voice.

Beautiful and colourful. If you like to be sucked in my magic and you love a good food this book is for you.
The magic seeps in form in between the pages and drags you in to a colourful world that many will enjoy

I was genuinely excited to read stories of Malaysian mythology and learn something about a culture I knew little about. Unfortunately, the very first story left me feeling lost and quickly led me to believe that I am not the target audience for this book. I love learning about new cultures and reading mythology from around the globe. However, this book presented cultural ideas, beings, and names without any context or background so I was never able to full connect. Definitely disappointed in this one.

It took me a while to finish this book as I was struggling with the descriptions at times (English isn't my first language) but I found the stories so incredible and well-written. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this one, so much so that I bought my own copy when it was published and read it over again. Like the editor notes in her introduction, there could definitely be more Malaysian fantasy out there and I’m glad and grateful for this collection of twelve contributions towards that. I can’t tell you how much of a delight it was to begin with a story from Borneo, and it was similarly heart-warming to discover the range of stories included here, geographically but also beyond this. Such richness! Eagerly awaiting more (a second volume perhaps?!) from the evident pool of talent from these shores. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the complimentary e-copy.

This book had good base concepts. I liked the idea and the structure. The issue I ran into was the writing style. It wasn't bad and I can see how someone could enjoy it but it wasn't for me. The writing style made the book feel dense and at times it felt like you had to drag yourself through the writing.

This was a new reading space to wade into - Malaysian Fantasy stories.
I enjoyed the format of short stories and that it covered so many different themes.
While I stay away from horror, this collection was quite engaging to read and explore the Malaysian culture and folklore and some of influences from other cultures.

I read this in 2023 and enjoyed it.

Congratulations to the author and thanks to the publisher for the copy!

Really good version of myth and hairstyle brought up to modern times and set in authentic Malaysian background.
Thoroughly enjoyable.

This....was pretty lackluster. I liked it okay I guess. The one that stood out to me most is The Rivers and Lakes. There are also a few that made me wonder, "But what's Malaysian about these stories apart from the authors?" because the stories are so generic.

Okay okay I'm being harsh but there are also a few that are okay to read like Kampar and the Kings of Kedah, Moonlight City of the Hidden Ones, Remembering How to Cook and The Dahlia of Hutan Kilat. The last couple actually ended way too soon for me. I wanted more :(

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this short story collection. I think there were only two stories that I disliked in the whole collection! Unfortunately one of them was the very first story in the book, so it was a little hard to get into at first, but once I was past that one, it was great.

I loved the diversity in the stories. Malaysia is such an interesting country in that it has people from so many different cultures who make their home there. It gave such a variety to the stories that you don't see in cultures that aren't so diverse.

My favourite story in the book was probably Remembering How to Cook by Sharmilla Ganesan, but I also loved Rosetta and the Fairy-in-Training a lot and Rivers and Lakes and Visitor in the Night # as well. Like I said though, this was a really strong set of stories so many were noteworthy!

This is truly a great way to explore Malaysian culture.

This is a good set of stories by different Malaysian authors. I wasn't keen on all the stories, but I'm sure another reader would feel the same, but about a completely different set of stories, so I think its a good collection. Short stories are not for everyone, but they give you an excellent chance to dip into the literature of a different country, which is what I loved about this book. This book is perfect for any customer who wants something a little different.

I realize this type of writing isn't really my cup of tea. The prose was too flowery and it felt difficult to connect with the characters. I did enjoy the concept, the atmospheric settings, and the folklore overall.

Very cool collection! I haven't seen a Malaysian anthology like this before and will definitely recommend it to folks who shop at my store!

This was great! The stories were well written and incredibly fun. It's a great opportunity to learn myths you may not know!