I really enjoyed this book. I have always been fascinated by myths and legends, and it's interesting to read about more modern versions around the world. I had heard about some of the legends in this book previously, many of them not.

There were a few sections I felt might have fit into another book better, though, like the conspracy theories, even though they're interesting as well. It just felt like they made the book longer than it needed to be.

This book is a perfect read for the spooky season! I want to express my gratitude to Watkins Publishing for granting me access to this audiobook. I find myself imagining the author as a mystical figure within the community, someone who shares and passes down stories and legends, captivating the kids with thrilling tales. One of the remarkable aspects of this book is how many of the stories feel familiar, yet they still manage to be quite scary. It’s an excellent choice for anyone who loves the supernatural and urban legends. I thoroughly enjoyed all the parts of the book and appreciated how it was constructed and organized. It has quickly become one of my favorite reads of the year. Additionally, the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the stories to life!

This book is a must-have for all lovers of urban legends. It serves as a mini encyclopaedia of urban legends from around the world. While reading it, I was surprised to discover how many of these legends have travelled globally. In fact, I recognised many of them, even though they originated thousands of miles from my country. Some of these were the very stories we used to tell around the campfire during summer nights with friends by the beach—tales that made you jump, question every shadow and sound in the dark, and sprint halfway to your front door in fear.

It’s a wonderfully eerie book to keep in your home library for reference. The only downside is that it can be a bit repetitive, with the same legends appearing in multiple categories. At times, it feels more like a description of the legend rather than an actual telling of the story, which can be a bit frustrating. Overall, though, it’s a spooky must-have!

Also the narrator is great and I loved her voice and way of telling the stories!

This was a very comprehensive outline of urban legends from across the world - very diverse but very thorough. The discussion of the legends was interesting, but the sheer content and number of legends was a little overwhelming.

What a brilliant pot pourri of the true, fantastic and fantasy, This is a dip into myths and legends from all over the world, predominantly America and Europe but a few from other continents too. There are few that I’m familiar with and the accounts are truly fascinating. Over centuries, humans tie themselves to belief systems that defy logic. These stories explore some of those beliefs and how they arose. Absolutely captivating. I didn’t want it to end and unusually, it’s a book I’ll listen to again, maybe with an audience in the room on a spooky evening as a few of the tales are quite dark. The narration throughout is superb and perfectly paced.

Great audiobook to listen to before Halloween or for those interested in urban legends. Loved the range of stories on this and how easy it was to listen to. I was more interested in the spooky/thrilling legends so I wasn’t as interested in the more mundane ones but still great to listen to.

This was really interesting and definitely satisfied my craving for something a little spooky. It was fun to learn about the origin of urban legends that I told or was told myself as a kid. It was maybe just a little too overwhelming and felt quite info dumpy which meant that I took quite a bit longer to finish it than I would have liked.

Overall it was a very fun, very interesting read but I wouldn't recommend reading it alone at night!

Thank you Watkins Audio and Netgalley for the audio arc ❤️

I really did not enjoy this audiobook, it’s not what I was expecting it to be when I saw the description. I feel like it jumps all over the place with no cohesive order. Just not for me.

A fascinating and in-depth study of urban legends, mostly terrifying, with an intriguing and compelling explanation of the origins of each tale that undoubtedly affected each and every one of us at some point during our lives.

Informative and chilling, interesting and creepy this is a memorable book with insights that you NEED to know.

The audio version is exceptional, narrated beautifully by Kelly Burke.

Highly recommended with a well deserved five stars.

This was the mother of all rabbit holes!

Do you like urban legends?
Where you obsessed with the "How is made" show?
Discovery channel?
Do you enjoy podcasts, rabbit holes, and conspiracy theories?
Cryptids? Internet lore?
If you answered yes to any of these, this book/audiobook is just for you!

As someone who enjoys podcasts of the occult, random copy pastas, and love reading and hearing about folklore from different cultures, this was the most fun non-fiction book I've ever read/heard. With a plethora of information, facts, and lore it provided, it took me down a rabbit hole for weeks, where I had to stop, Google the facts given to me to learn more from it!

It's filled with urband legends, myths, and word of mouth stories that range from local lore like the wendingo, the headless horseman, big foot, and aliens, among other other occult lore to Q-Annon, the Kennedy assassination and other conspiracy theories. It was a fun as hell ride!

The Watkins Book of Urban Legends by Gail de Vos, narrated by Kelly Burke, is an extensive and thoughtful exploration of urban legends from across the globe. De Vos not only presents a wide array of intriguing stories but also provides historical context and an insightful analysis of each.
While the book is engaging, it does feel somewhat lengthy in parts. Personally, I found it more enjoyable at 1.5x speed, as Kelly Burke’s narration, though clear and articulate, was a bit slower than my preference.
Whilst I found the content had some variance there was a strong focus on North American folklore which created moments where I felt less connected, particularly when the stories didn't feel as local or familiar to myself but your mileage may vary.
Overall, if you're interested in urban legends, and looking for a casual listen and look into their origins, this audiobook is worth a listen.
The book truly Thank you Watkins for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
#TheWatkinsBookofUrbanLegends #NetGalley

This is pretty straightforward and interesting if you like urban legends. However, I already k ew so ma y of them, so I didn’t really learn much, as I had hoped.
If you are a horror fan, so many of these legends you have seen in movies or other books.
When it comes to things like haunted bridges or tunnels or other random tiny places, they are mentioned quickly, but you don’t get much actual history or stories from the area. It just comes off as “there is a haunted bridge in the middle of New Jersey” “there is a haunted tunnel in Japan”. It’s like you don’t get much more to the stories.

Also, it feels very repetitive. Like entire sentences are repeated when telling of the haunted place, and then telling a legend, I often thought I had accidentally hit rewind on the audio.

This may be better as a physical book you can flip through. Specifically if it has photos (I have no idea If there is a physical copy nor do I know if it contains pics, but that’s the style that I think would work for these stories)

Interesting book, but I think it could’ve been better

I hate leaving negative reviews but I just didn’t vibe with this audiobook. I’m not saying the legends weren’t good, they were. But what I didn’t like was the extensive explanations and such throughout the book.