Reviews

Tales of Japan: Traditional Stories of Monsters and Magic by Kotaro Chiba, Chronicle Books

egmoo's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

emmaprew's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

I was hoping for more stories of things like oni and fox spirits but this was still an enjoyable collection. Nice illustrations for each tale also.

ruthlesss's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

4.0

janinevduijn's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

As ever, with a collection of tales I won't love every single one, but found this very engaging and written in an accessible manner. I particularly enjoyed the 'Journeys' and 'Tales of Justice ' section, whereas the 'Ghost and Monsters' tales were a little short and more difficult to connect with. 

Overall, a fascinating view into Japanese culture, which I am interested in. I was fascinated to see that so many themes and moral lessons are similar across the world! 

ipanzica's review against another edition

5.0

A beautiful collection of traditional Japanese stories. Each one was unique and entertaining. The only thing I disliked about this book was that it was so short.

anaidelawless's review

4.0

I mean I would not lend my neighbor anything after he did what he did in one of the stories, but I guess that is just the case of different cultures. Everyone is really polite in these stories (like way too much). It was the most interesting entry in the series so far and it managed not to kill the vibe entirely.

insp84's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

belovedacquaintance's review against another edition

adventurous informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

metaylor1381's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a beautifully laid-out book, with lovely illustrations and an interesting collection of Japanese folk tales. I would perhaps have preferred an annotated collection written by an actual Japanese person instead of Edwardian observers, but I realize the publishers are re-releasing stuff in the public domain to keep costs down.

maria_elisabeth's review against another edition

4.0

4,5⭐ - I loved it!

This was so beautiful ❤️
Some tales were new to me, some familiar.
I love the illustrations, but I just hoped it would have had more of them.
Can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series, getting to know tales from other counties too ❤️