Thank you to Quarto Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World's Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids is an amazing collection that would make the perfect gift for the monster hunter in your life. The book includes in-depth stories and details about 50 monsters and cryptids. Along with the story, each monster also has a dedicated full-color illustration that helps the reader to visualize the monster in question. This is definitely the definitive compendium of monsters and the best version of this book that is on the market currently.

Here is an intriguing excerpt from the first page:

"North American folklore features tales of creatures not only from the fifty states of the United States of American, but also from Canada, the continent's many tribes of the Indigenous Peoples of North America, and Mexico, From the desolate backroads of the US Midwest to the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest, and still more to the sparkling beaches of Mexico, always be on your guard, for you never know what monsters might be around the corner."

Overall, Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World's Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids is an amazing book that will appeal to fans of Pokemon or The X-Files. One highlight of this book are the amazing illustrations. The illustrations definitely helped me picture each monster and helped me decide which monster I wanted to read more about and in more detail. Another highlight of this book is how the book is organized. The book is organized by continent so that monsters are grouped by the continent where their stories or sighting emerged. Each continent also includes an opening text describing what monsters have been sighted there. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of monsters in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book, which is available in bookstores now!

“Freaky Folklore,” by Darkness Prevails

What a cool book. I liked the art and layout of the pages, very simple and clean looking. There was lore that I expected to be in the book and that I knew prior to read but also there was a bunch of one I’ve never heard of before like the weird otter man one and a toad old man lol. There was lore from all over the world instead of just one place. Really fun read and I’m so glad I picked it up. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I liked the artwork, but found the short stories very repetitive. The Americas section were all very similar and probably should have been in the middle of the book. Great starting info if you wanted to write a book but didn't know what Crytid to choose

A beautifully illustrated book, I found this so interesting and I’ve bought this as a physical book as I wanted this on my bookshelf!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. 3/5 stars.

I appreciated the art style and the design of this book, but it felt lack luster in the information about the monsters and cryptids and relied more heavily on the short stories that were with each entry. Some of the short stories were fine, but some of them were meh. I found myself skimming a lot of them because I wanted more information first before reading the terrifying tale. The way they have the book structured is interesting too. It does have a lot of diverse tales represented, but I think it still could have had more.

I am so pleased that this book exists: a beautifully illustrated, thorough examination of the monsters and mythical creatures from around the world. AROUND THE WORLD - including Africa! How wonderful to have all continents represented, and for people to be able to learn about different boogeymen around the world.

I’ve gotta say, I’m not a fan of the little story - or skit - included with each chapter. I really didn’t find them to contribute much to the book, and they actually all followed the same rhythm. I think the “encyclopaedia” of monsters is more than enough. This would be a cool book to have in hardcover in your living room or study, to enjoy time and again.

Freaky Folklore, a book for the cryptozoologist lovers, filled with artwork and fantastical stories, shares the stories and facts of the cryptids around the world.

There was a lot of variety in the cryptids they shared, ranging from America's Wendigo to Europe's El Cucuy to werewolves. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the mini stories accompanied with each creature, and learning about the many cryptids I never even knew about. While they did stick to mostly the Americas, it was entertaining to venture across the world.

I would've loved to see more of the facts surrounding each creature, and/or even longer stories. Their narrative and stories helps readers delve into the world, and the artwork is incredible.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

I'm in shock at how young the legends of Moth Man and the Chupacabra are. Those are two of the cryptids I'm the most familiar with s someone in central Canada. I found the book entertaining and kind of creepy. As a child would have studied this boon and shared facts with everyone I knew. I might still do that.

I have always harboured a fascination for the dark creatures, especially as I grew up with them with Grimms and Andersens Fairytales. Anyone who feels the same fascination for dark folklore or folklore horror will feel right at home in this book. The information is well written in a chilling way and I adore the illustrations that accompany it.

Book Review: Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World's Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids
Darkness Prevails with Carman Carrion

Rating: 4 Stars

Freaky Folklore by Darkness Prevails and Carman Carrion is a spine-chilling compendium that delves into the history and culture of over 50 terrifying mythical creatures that have haunted human imagination for ages. As a folklore enthusiast, this book was an absolute delight for me.

From the blood-draining Chupacabra to the curse-spawned Jersey Devil, and from the shape-shifting Kelpie to the aggressive Moehau, each monster is brought to life with vivid descriptions, eerie tales, and captivating illustrations. The book also introduces us to the haunting Kuchisake-onna from Japanese folklore and the elusive Dogman reported in Michigan.

I was particularly drawn to the "freaky facts" accompanying each creature, providing intriguing insights into their origins and characteristics. The stories shared in the book were both frightening and entertaining, keeping me engaged from cover to cover. The illustrations added an extra layer of spookiness, enhancing my reading experience.

One of the standout features of Freaky Folklore is its accessibility and readability. The writing is clear, descriptive, and easy to follow, making it a perfect choice for both casual readers and enthusiasts of the macabre. The book strikes a great balance between informative content and entertainment, ensuring that readers not only learn about these beasts but also enjoy the journey through folklore.

Overall, I had a fantastic time exploring the world of mythology through the pages of Freaky Folklore. It's a must-have for anyone intrigued by the darker side of folklore and mythical creatures. I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for a bone-chilling yet captivating read that will leave you wanting more.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Rating: 4/5
I received a eARC for my honest opinion.

I love all things that have to do with folklore, mythology, and anything that is just creepy. So when I saw this book I knew that I had to read it. I liked that each Cryptid/Monster had a brief history about the creatures and where they’re located. I liked that the author had sections of different creatures for the different continents. Some of the creatures you will read about you might already know about them and their stories, but I even found some that I didn’t know about and found their history to be interesting.

I liked that each creature had their own fictional stories, and I thought the illustrations were well done and fun to look at. I would read another book written by the author again.

I want to thank NetGalley and Wellfleet Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Interesting look at a decent round up of Cryptids! I loved that we covered a global perspective and not just focused on the US. The illustrations were fantastic! Some of the stories got a little similar - it would've been neat to get a snippet of an interview with someone with a real life encounter or an indigenous person sharing the folklore from their culture. Great place to start with Cryptids.

Great book with shirt horror stories for each folklore I love it. I would love to have a physical copy to go through it every once in a while when I want a short scary story to read.
Great descriptions and pictures really enjoyed it!

Nice book full of different folk lore from around the world.
Book is laid out really well with each creature being introduced with where in the world they are, when they were first sighted, what their personality is like and the history of them.

I really enjoyed it and thought it was a good book to dip in and out of when you only have a few minutes to spare for reading

Loved that this included some of the more obscure cryptids and monsters.

The real highlight of this book has to be the illustrations, bringing the creatures to life - the blurb was really more of an accessory.

Absolute joy of a book!

This book has a nice amount of creatures with just enough information without being overwhelmed. The styled layout and illustrations complement this perfectly. It definitely gave me the "feels" I was looking for.

99% of the creatures are malevolent. I love how cultures have their own version of the boogeyman, and that most stories reflect their homeland.

Bigfoot Personality: Extremely Shy
..well, bless his big cotton socks. He warms my heart.

Who I'd most like to encounter: Big Foot, Werewolf

Who I'd rather not: Wendigo, Pishtaco, El Culebron

New Favourite: Adze

Not featured in this book but absolutely terrifying: Onryō (Japan)

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read and review Freaky Folklore. I enjoyed the artwork, especially the monsters. Freaky Folklore is divided into different areas around the world. It was fascinating to read about different cultures and how they view monsters/myths. The only real "issue" I had with the book is that I could not pronounce a lot of the monsters. It would have been helpful to have a "how to pronounce" under the name.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I’ve heard of several of these cryptids yet there were several that were new to me. The drawings were great. This book makes me want to delve more into the more unusual ones in this book.

I really liked this one. As someone who is very familiar with “mainstream” cryptids, I appreciated the overview of those creatures.

Each one has a description page and then a brief summary about the sightings and history. The last part of the profile is a tale about an interaction with the beings.

I think for people who are unfamiliar with these tales, it’s easy to read and interesting. A really good starting point.

I was not familiar with all of them! So for me it was really cool to read about new things and I will dig deeper on my own.

The artwork, love it! The organization, great! Content? Could honestly be a little better. I really liked the info parts but once we got to the story for each one that went with the folklore monsters I ended up just skimming/skipping.
I am now very interested in werehyenas and yara-ma-yha-who though.