Clearly I can’t get enough cryptids in my life. This is the second book today I’ve read where they’re featured. I was drawn to this one because of its cover. This book takes you on a whirlwind trip around the world, introducing you to some of the locals. The local monsters, anyway. Sections are divided by geography: Americas, Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and Asia. For each entry, you’ll learn the name of the cryptid, monster or urban legend, where it’s found, when it was first sighted (usually by a white person) or mentioned in literature, its classification (eg, bogeyman), a few descriptors for its personality and some general information. This is accompanied by an illustration and a short, fictional account of a close encounter. There were a bunch of familiar faces but also some that were new to me. I’ve chosen to mention three of them. “In Scandinavian folklore, the Myling is considered one of the most disturbing spirits. This legend revolves around children who were either abandoned or murdered. The souls of these unbaptized children are doomed to wander the Earth, seeking someone who can provide them with a proper burial. They are believed to be particularly dangerous, possessing the ability to harm and even kill people.” Drop Bears are carnivorous koalas found all over Australia. They’re bitey and will drop on you from above when you’re out in the bush. They’re also an urban legend but they’re as Aussie as Vegemite and I can’t get enough of them. The Manananggal is said to look like a beautiful woman by day but by night, when she feeds on her victims, she transforms into something else entirely. “When night falls, the Manananggal grows bat-like wings, detaches her upper torso from her lower body, and takes flight in search of her next victim. As she soars through the moonlit sky, you may catch a glimpse of her intestines dangling from her split body.” Beware beautiful women, I guess? I enjoyed a lot of the illustrations but wasn’t as enthusiastic about the text. I would have much preferred to have been given more information about each monster or cryptid, or read an account of someone who swears they have encountered it instead of stories that weren’t based on real people or experiences. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wellfleet Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

This book takes you on a whirlwind trip around the world, introducing you to some of the locals. The local monsters, anyway. Sections are divided by geography: Americas, Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and Asia. For each entry, you’ll learn the name of the cryptid, monster or urban legend, where it’s found, when it was first sighted (usually by a white person) or mentioned in literature, its classification (eg, bogeyman), a few descriptors for its personality and some general information. This is accompanied by an illustration and a short, fictional account of a close encounter. I enjoyed a lot of the illustrations but wasn’t as enthusiastic about the text. I would have much preferred to have been given more information about each monster or cryptid, or read an account of someone who swears they have encountered it instead of stories that weren’t based on real people or experiences. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wellfleet Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

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. With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.