This review will be a little different from my previous ones; I am not nearly ostentatious enough to review the merits of Chinese folk tales, so this review will mainly focus on the book itself.

It is a little troubling when the book itself fails to tell you how many fairy tales are included within its volume; the cover promises 73, while the back cover hints at "70-plus". In actuality, 74 fairy tales are included in this book. 

The fairy tales are a frustrating blend of enjoyable to read and a slog to burn through. When told as a traditional fairy tale (a la Grimm's), the folk tales are delightful. However, a good portion of the fairy tales are a strange hybrid of story as well as the origin of the fairy tale itself; the stories are so concerned about telling themselves, that they lose the charm of what makes them enchanting. Every fairy tale included in this book is preceded by a brief excerpt about the fairy tale, and then contains notes regarding the fairy tale after its conclusion. While the context is appreciated, this often becomes more redundant than beneficial and feels as if it solely exists to lengthen the book, or tries to reach an imaginary word count. 

There's a lot to like about this collection of Chinese fairy tales, but even more to dislike that keeps it from being a quality read.