This was an interesting and beautiful book. Though I did not finish it, it wasn't because the book was bad by any means, it just didn't hit fully for me as I think I wasn't into the subject matter as much as I thought I would be. I did still click through and read the songs and look at the illustrations. I thought the illustrations were very cool and definitely matched the vibe of each song and the book altogether.

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrew McCall Publishing for the chance to read this book.
Murder Ballads by Katy Horan is an retelling of true crime cases.

I would give Murder Ballads by Katy Horan a 3 star review because, I like how its an original story that I've never seen anyone else do, the author did a good job on incorporating artwork and folklore into the novel.

This is a very pretty and interesting book. I feel like I was either missing context about classification of ballads or it would’ve helped to include a bit more about that, and of course I’d have loved some more details about each ballad but oral tradition can be tricky.
The illustrations are fittingly haunting, with the Lankim one being just genuinely terrifying.

An in-depth historical and folk lore exploration of twenty different murder ballads from the US and Europe.

This was so fascinating! I had known of The Twa Sisters since I read a retelling by Tamora Pierce in middle school. And I knew more of these songs by the time I was in college, but not all of them! And this introduced me to so many!

And a lot more of these were able to be traced back to historical, documented incidents than I was expecting! What I loved the most was how broad the contents of murder ballads could be, and how Horan examined all the different intersections of class, race, gender, and sexuality in the different ballads:

Also, I loved the illustrations! They reminded me of the League of Lady Poisoners in style which I also adored! And I’m always a fan of a nonfiction book that gives me a bibliography to go reading more in depth.

I also ended up making a Spotify playlist of some of my favorite versions of most of the ballads. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2PoRQc5TCI3bx5QtHWV00E?si=EjbYK1-AQeCflpR6q8zGog&pi=l4vv8yKpQCCsD

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this arc!

This book gives you a look into the history of what a murder ballad is, with a sampling of different examples. The author offers a brief overview and some details of the history behind each ballad. She then provides one example of that particular ballad with an accompanying bit of original art.

This a great read for anyone who appreciates the beauty in the macabre, as well as a bit of dark history.

I am a huge murder ballad-head, and I thought this was a really beautiful, well-researched dive into ballads-- most of which I'd never heard of. Recommend for lovers of folk history and ghost stories.

I really enjoyed this book. It was so unexpected and unique. Being raised in the Southern Appalachian mountains I grew up hearing and learning about ballads. That is why this book got my attention. I love the care and respect the author put into researching and putting this book together. The guide is packed with great information about where the ballads originated from, its history and how this type of music impacted our lives. I love the Illustrations she created as well. I was happy and appreciative of her research and by giving us the lists of recordings for these famous murder ballads. I grew up listening to "In the Pines " and was so excited to learn the history of the ballad. I found new- to-me ballads like "Cold Blows the Wind" and " You're Hurting". This book is perfect for anyone who loves music, a history of songs and great storytelling. Horan is an amazing storyteller and shows great respect to the music. You will truly enjoy this book.

I found this book to be quite insightful. I haven't heard of the majority of these murder ballads, and it was interesting to get a short history behind them, though I wish there was a bit more included. The artwork was wonderful. I think it may have flowed a little better to have the ballad before the history, instead of the other way around, but that is mostly a personal preference. Overall, it was a very interesting read!

As someone who absolutely adores folk music in all forms and the history behind it - this was a pretty natural choice of reading material to pick up. Some of these songs I recognized and appreciated reading about, but even more were ones I'd never heard so I greatly appreciated to expand my knowledge a bit.

The illustrations were of course absolutely beautiful! I was a tad disappointed that the book was relatively surface-level, but I think this was the nature of it. This is a wonderful, casual read not so much a deep research guide.

Overall, a very cool book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McHeel publishing for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Murder ballads is an intriguing book that had me hooked from the start . Who knew that one of my favourite clash songs originated as a balled . You’ll find it in the book along with others that you somehow remember but don’t know where from . A magical masterpiece. I shared a post on Instagram of the book kindly gifted by the publisher Andrews McNeil and the author Katy Horan messaged me to say how much she loved it . The artwork is superb and the cover even glows when the light hits it enchantingly magical. A must read for fans of folklore and dark cottagecore . I loved it

Murder Ballads by Katy Horan explores the idea of ballads of scorned, violent, unrequited love of women gone wrong. One of my favorites was The Bloody Gardner. The illustrations and historical background of each tale elevated the collection.

Very well researched. I love the inclusion of all the iterations of the ballads offered at the back of the book. Great for those who love true crime or literary origins. The illustrations complement the feeling of each of the ballads. The only thing I think would have made it better would have been a slight change in format. I believe the presenting the ballad first followed by the background information would have made for a more intriguing experience.

This is a really neat book! You get some stories and artwork. The stories are connected to ballads, as is the artwork. Each story gives a quick detail on how the two correlate. Definitely a neat table-top type of book.

#NetGalley #MurderBallads

This is wonderful! I love the format of the book and the history. I can tell our author did a lot of work researching this. I had a blast reading it.

This was a very interesting read! I am a big fan of history and this did not disappoint. The illustrations were also very beautiful and Interesting. I will probably invest in a copy!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read "Murder Ballads".

"In this unique, illustrated collection, Literary Witches co-creator Katy Horan unearths the true and fictional stories behind twenty traditional murder ballads, exploring the beauty and horror of the art form through stories, lyrics, and original illustrations.

Murder Ballads is a guide to the origins and cultural impact of murder ballads as a music genre, covering its roots in patriarchal violence and white supremacy, as well as its contemporary relationship to true crime.

From "Delia's Gone" to "The Death of Queen Jane," each of twenty carefully chosen ballads is accompanied by one of Horan's beautifully macabre illustrations and a thoroughly researched reflection on the song's history and evolution. At the back of the book, readers can browse a list of essential recordings for each ballad.

Mysterious and alluring as the songs themselves, Murder Ballads will delight history enthusiasts, armchair musicologists, true crime fans (and critics), as well as anyone who appreciates the darker side of folk music."

I really need to do more of a deep dive on murder ballads.

This book tells the background stories of 20 chosen Ballads and gives the reader general information on murder ballads. Illustrations inspired by them accompany the stories and lyrics of the ballads.
The events that inspired the ballads were well researched, and the illustrations perfectly fit the book's theme. I will definitely check out her recommended reading, as this book piqued my interest.
Thank you, Andrews McMeel Publishing, for providing me with this book to review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for the ARC.

As someone who enjoys the spooky side of folk music, this dive into the historical sources of various murder ballads was very satisfying. It addressed the dark, complex, and often prejudiced ways that the stories of real people are transformed into folk songs, without taking away from the enjoyment of them, and recommending certain iterations both classic and modern. The illustrations were a nice little bonus as well.

This was very insightful to read. I haven’t heard most of these ballads and I did love the history and perspective about them.

Personally I would have loved to read the ballad first and then about the history about them. That just personal preference.

The art in this book is perfect! I loved the illustrations and they were so beautifully fitting for the theme and vibe of the book.

Recommended for anyone that likes read background story for old murder ballads and true crime history.

I loved the illustrations and theme of this book, which I don't think can be done justice digitally. I would love to have this in places where my house guests could easily pick it up and read it.