A fun compendium of different folklore from around the world.

The illestrations were very detailed and matched what was written about each creature and I enjoyed the little snippets of stories for each beast.

As a serious book it cannot be recommended but to quickly describe each being and get to know the different legends it is fantastic.

This one was a risk, since I both loved the show Supernatural and also can't stand anything scary. Go figure. Anyway, this book is an entirely creepy look at monsters and cryptids of lore, with scary stories and video game-esque artwork to match. It was interesting to compare the information in this book with what I'd picked up from pop culture along the way. This book is for anyone who wants a field guide to creepy and spooky legends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

If you’re looking for a book on creatures this is it. However be warned that this book is not suitable for research or reference purposes, but it's great for middle-grade or teen readers who enjoy spooky stories about creatures.

I quite enjoyed the way the title pages were organized for each creature, providing details such as the creature's name, a brief overview, its specific location, first sighting/recording, classification, and even its personality traits. However, I did find it a bit annoying that the illustrations for each creature were not directly placed on the heading page or the following page, but rather located elsewhere within the chapter, it made it feel a bit unorganised, I also found that some of the illustrations did not match the details within the book.

As I encountered some of the creatures in the book previously while researching folklore and mythology, there were a few I was unfamiliar with, so I couldn't accurately assess their authenticity. For the creatures I did know, the book provided inconsistent levels of research, which was disappointing.

Furthermore, after the overview of each creature, the inclusion of a short story was noted. While these are fictional, I found that they awkwardly interrupted the flow of the book. Most of the stories seemed amateurish in nature, although a few were well-written. In my opinion, it would have been more engaging if the author had included real stories here instead. If you’re looking for a book on creatures this is it. However be warned that this book is not suitable for research or reference purposes, but it's great for middle-grade or teen readers who enjoy spooky stories about creatures.

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!

This was a lot of fun. I like that it's split up between continents. I will say I just skimmed through most of North America because they were all about things I'd read about before, I was mostly just looking at the illustrations involved. However, as the book went on I'd heard of less and less of the folklore and creatures. Which, for someone who reads a lot of these types of books, I really liked that I hadn't heard of a great number of creatures in these books once we left North American and Europe. The illustrations were nice as well, a creepy addition in some places, but still nice to get a visual of these creatures. The little add-ons of similar creatures were nice as well. Something to research a little more. I also liked that there was a little index at the end of all the creatures visually so you could back and read them again. The short stories attached to each little section were hit or miss for me. To the point, I skipped a lot of them. Some of them were creepy, but others just sort of fell flat. But, as a whole, I really enjoyed this and might need to add this to my physical collection!

I love things that deal with the paranormal side of life. This book has some interesting creatures and monsters I had not heard of, so you won't only find just the well known in here. The pictures to these stories are wonderful as well!

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.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy this book! I enjoyed how it referenced many different monsters from each continent. Some I had heard of before and some were new to me. I did enjoy how this book was formatted with the brief overlook, a bit more detailed description on the background, and then a short story featuring the monster. I would recommend this to people who also love folklore!

While this was laid out well, and the illustrations were interesting, I found the book to be a bit confusing and felt like it didn't quite know where it was going. Not bad overall, but definitely unsure as to what the point of this book was supposed to be. 2.5/5

This was an unexpected read!

Somehow, I got it in my mind that there would be a comedic bent to the book, so the part educational and part scary short story form was kind of surprising. I liked the bite size descriptions of the creatures and pictures.

This could make a fun gift for anyone into spooky and cryptids.

I love folklore, especially the darker side of it. Darkness Prevail’s collection of tales from 5 regions of the world provide interesting facts about familiar folk creatures like Baba Yaga and unfamiliar ones like Goatman. I’m always hesitant when these collections include stories from Indigenous tribes, as these stories are incredibly important to their culture and worldview. I liked how they included information about which tribe the story comes from, but I think a little more about the sensitivity of the stories could be added. I loved the illustrations and the inclusion of a horror story alongside the facts of each folk creature. The addition of the horror stories was a fresh take on a folklore collection.

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