Freaky Folklore showcases monsters and cryptids around the world in illustrations, folklore facts, and even a short story featuring each monster/cryptid. This book is well researched and very creepy.

Perfect for adult readers that are interested in monsters, creepy stories, or horrors of any kind.

I received an ARC from Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press | Wellfleet Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The art in this book is fantastic and the detailed entries on each being is well done! I loved how animated everything feels and how the author took time to research and include beings from all around the world, many of which aren't that popular. This would be a great gift for anyone into the spooky and a perfect addition to a library!

I would like to offer a new perspective about this book: this is not only a well-illustrated, detailed and rich book for reader of horror, folkloric horror, and those interested in creatures but also for creatives, authors and artists, mainly, to be inspired, spooked and entertained.

I will revisit it and purchase it.

Freaky Folklore, published by Quatro Publishing Group - Wellfleet Press, is an absolute must-have for the cryptid lover in your life. This handy reference guide covers 50 different cryptids from all around the world. Each cryptid has it’s own fact sheet, followed by a description, color drawing, and fictionalized account of what an encounter with that cryptid might involve, and how it could end. A very handy desk or field reference! Of all the cryptid books I've come across, this one is the gold standard!

This is a great introduction. I loved the setup. Every creature had a section that started with identifiers and broke down the history: where was the creature first sighted? When did that happen? Etc.
I do think it may have been better to try to organize more by type, but maybe that wasn't practical. People who are curious about odd creatures or who want to get inspiration for thinking of their own stories will enjoy this. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A beginners guide that could use some editing, sensitivity reading, and a clearer art style.
It was a good overview of folklore creatures. I do think that they should have left the W*ndigo out for reasons that would be obvious if they had spoken to Native Americans who have these entities in their folklore.
The art felt like it was confused as to if it wanted to illustrate a children's encyclopedia or a TTRPG monster manual.
I think it had some great concepts and intentions but could use another round of edits.

Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World's Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids by Darkness Prevails is a fantastic book and a must-have for anyone interested in scary folklore from around the globe. This book is right up my alley and is a great resource for those seeking eerie tales from different continents.

I love reading folklore from various parts of the world. Often, books focus on just one story or one region. However, Freaky Folklore covers the continents comprehensively, from Bigfoot to Australia's drop bears. The layout is wonderful, with illustrations scattered throughout, making it a delight to read.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in global folklore, and I look forward to adding a physical copy to my home library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press for gifting me the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This ended up not being quite what I was expecting, but it was still a decent read. Many of the cryptids I had heard of before but there were many I hadn't yet, so learning a little about those was fun. But when I say a little, I mean a little. Each creature had a small little backstory to it, but it was only one page max. Usually less. Was this because there were dozens of them in this book and they didn't have the time/space or something? I guess I was expecting more of an encyclopedia type book with this and not just blurbs to whet your appetite with each one. And while the very short stories also included with each were interesting, they too just seemed too short to really get into that creature's myth. I'm not saying any of this was bad, I just wanted more.

As more of a side note, I can see this making a really pretty print book with all the pictures and the great cover.

Thank you netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press | Wellfleet Press and Darkness Prevails for the eArc of Freaky Folklore.

I love folklore books and this one from Darkness Prevails is a great introduction to Folklore all over the world. Each section takes on different folklore from each continent, with brief introductions and explanations of each cryptid. The illustrations were beautifully done which would spark off the imaginations to those who read books with these cryptid's, some scarily beautiful!

It did leave me wanting more which is a good thing so it could of been a little longer for me.

3.75 stars rounded to 4

The information in this book is so inconsistent. One minute it's saying the first sighting of a particular monster was in 1812, the next it's saying it's been terrorising people since the early 1700's, then it says the legend was born more than 265 years ago, and then it says the creature was born in 1735! Which is it?! OK, information about folk creature and cryptids is bound to be vague and undocumented by its nature, but why then try and put historical dates to it at all? It just makes the whole book look inaccurate and badly researched, which to be fair I don't think it is since there are a lot of creatures listed, not all of them that well known.

I would have liked to read real accounts of alleged sightings of the creatures, rather than a whole lot of samey fictional accounts of "person meets a monster and is scared/eaten". As it is, the book is just a list of monsters from around the world with some nice illustrations.

If you needed an encyclopedia for nightmarish creatures, this is your book. Chalk full of folk tales of scary creatures along with pictures. I love that it is divided into areas so you can see what is considered local to you, but still read some of the lore from other parts of the world. Amazing.

DNF. Starting off a book with a creature that Indigenous folk say shouldn't be named is a bad look. Even worse when another creature that shouldn't be named is featured pages later. (Only putting 1 star since I can't put zero stars.)

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.

Love both the layout and the illustrations in this book. It has a great combination of quick facts and longer format details. Kind of makes me think of a D&D monster guide.

Freaky Folklore has interesting information and cool illustrations. However, I wish there was more information or myths or actual recorded sightings, instead of the short stories that were part of each section.

Freaky Folklore is a collection of stories about legendary and mythical creatures spanning the globe.

Each creature includes the history, location, spooky tale, and illustrations. I was aware of most Americas-based creatures, but loved reading about all of them. I was aware of a few of the international creatures and found myself immersed in those that I'd not heard about before.

I do wish there was more information about each creature. An interview with someone from the culture in which these creatures hail would be great, as well. I love reading folklore told by those that know about them the best.

Freaky Folklore is well-written and visually appealing. Lovers of mythological folklore will enjoy Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World's Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids.

I really enjoyed this. The details were thorough and interesting and the pictures were very detailed. I especially enjoyed the “freaky facts” for the individual creatures. This would definitely be a fun coffee table book for anyone who loves spooky things.

"Freaky Folklore" is an intriguing collection that delves into folklore creatures from around the globe, ranging from Bigfoot to Baba Yaga to the Yeti. What sets this book apart is its comprehensive coverage, including entries from diverse regions like Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. As someone who's delved into cryptozoology in the past, I appreciated the variety and lesser-known mythos explored here.

However, I couldn't ignore some concerns raised by other reviewers regarding potential cultural insensitivity and the lack of confidence in the references provided, mostly from websites rather than published articles. While the fictional stories accompanying each entry were entertaining, I found myself wishing for more detailed information instead.

Despite these drawbacks, "Freaky Folklore" serves as a solid introduction to cryptozoology, offering ample material for further research. While I'm unfamiliar with the podcast or author behind it, I believe fans of the podcast would find this book enjoyable and informative.

I admittedly didn’t care for the short story bits and ended up skipping through them partway. I wish more room had been given for the background and tales of the cryptids instead. I loved the art in this book though! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley!

Freaky folktale was different to my usual reads; it’s an illustrated compendium of mystical beasts, organised by location across the world. It’s accompanied by beautiful illustrations, a fact profile and then a quirky short horror story.

As a previous Zoologist, I enjoyed the “scientific” way the monsters were described, and the dungeon and dragons fan in me, was thrilled with all the new monsters I learnt about! It reminded me of the lore books you can buy alongside dungeons and dragons campaigns, and I think would suit a DM in designing their own realistic monsters for their own campaign.

The short stories were a nice extra touch, and short enough to be skipped, if you prefer factual reads to fantasy, but I personally, felt it was nice to have that folktale aspect to it. The stories could have benefited from being developed further, but that is just a personal taste; I prefer my fantasy deeper rather than the R.L.Stine goosebumps vibes it gave me.
I think this book is one that would more benefit being brought as a physical copy, as the artwork really was stunning, and I was surprised by the length of the book.

I think it’s fair to rate the book a 4/5 stars; but I feel it is very much a book that will have mixed reviews based on taste and reading preferences. The graphics are truly stunning, and for that alone, I'd love to have it as a physical copy for fantasy writing inspiration.

Thank you to the author, and netgalley for providing a copy for me to review!