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matheo96gro's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
joghansah's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
confused_about_life94's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
kathiwoe's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
This is encyclopaedic, which was not for me and I also am not sure if it doesn’t generally misses its mark of actually explaining rebels in folklore. This was basically a long list of characters in folklore, I would have much preferred a focus on 1-2 characters per continent.
lucianagrimm's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Folklore is such a beautiful and important part of cultures all around the world. This book combines a great mix of different stories and tales that evaluates how a lot of beliefs have travelled, or gifted or even stolen throughout history. The illustrations and descriptions are gorgeous and bring beauty to even the darker deities and spirits. I absolutely loved reading this book and will definitely be venturing back to re read it every now and then! The author also adds funny, relatable, and understandable modern and historical contexts that bring deep and complex meanings to the origins of each creature.
saracox's review against another edition
3.0
I found that this started really well and I was enjoying learning about the origins if some folklore. But it quickly became samey, and then if felt rushed, as if the author was trying to cram in as many as possible.
I would have loved more in depth analysis with reference to modifications - the same detail as the author gave to Robin Hood to all the other folklore.
I would have loved more in depth analysis with reference to modifications - the same detail as the author gave to Robin Hood to all the other folklore.
annabend's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
More like a creative encyclopedia of folklore creatures rather than actual stories. An interesting read, especially with how much space is devoted to non-European folklore.
Melissa Jarram’s illustrations are stunning and unique. They made the book. I want prints of many of them on my wall.
However, this book highlighted a folklore pet peeve I didn’t realize I had. I truly wish books stopped dividing general folklore books by modern countries. These stories are old and often come from people whose culture cannot be reduced to modern borders. Certain versions of the stories, sure, can be prevalent in a single country but the whole concept? No. I think that often gives into colonialism too much. I specifically noticed this with Baba Yaga and Russalka, and it made me question the legitimacy of all the other labels. Baba Yaga and Russalka are labeled to be from Russia, but any Eastern European person can tell you those are pan Slavic stories found in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, etc. Even though the text lightly touches on that, labeling them as Russian in the contents and header makes it seem like they derived from Russia to other Slavic cultures, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. These stories predate even the name Russia or when its empire wrote them down. So, it made me wonder if the folklore in other regions was similarly misleading. I noticed sometimes the author chose a regional label but not sure where the logic was and the name of the people this came from was usually second.
Other than that, a colourful introduction to global folklore.
Melissa Jarram’s illustrations are stunning and unique. They made the book. I want prints of many of them on my wall.
However, this book highlighted a folklore pet peeve I didn’t realize I had. I truly wish books stopped dividing general folklore books by modern countries. These stories are old and often come from people whose culture cannot be reduced to modern borders. Certain versions of the stories, sure, can be prevalent in a single country but the whole concept? No. I think that often gives into colonialism too much. I specifically noticed this with Baba Yaga and Russalka, and it made me question the legitimacy of all the other labels. Baba Yaga and Russalka are labeled to be from Russia, but any Eastern European person can tell you those are pan Slavic stories found in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, etc. Even though the text lightly touches on that, labeling them as Russian in the contents and header makes it seem like they derived from Russia to other Slavic cultures, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. These stories predate even the name Russia or when its empire wrote them down. So, it made me wonder if the folklore in other regions was similarly misleading. I noticed sometimes the author chose a regional label but not sure where the logic was and the name of the people this came from was usually second.
Other than that, a colourful introduction to global folklore.