Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.
-Vera Nazarian
I'm just trying to light up the world as much as I can one SciFi/paranormal/fantasy/space opera/time travel book at a time.
This read was an amalgamated graphic novel and folklore from various Asian cultures mashup. For me it was a hit or miss scenario. Many of the stories were new to me and their ratings varied wildly. The History of the Spectre Ship was awesome and Frog Skin was Rumpelstiltskin-ish. My favorite by far was The Tongue Cut Sparrow which was poignant and a bit horrifying (even if it was just desserts). There were a couple I didn't get, like Two Foxes and The Flying Ogre. The stories were basically judged on: if lessons were learned, was the moral conveyed, and was the writing style and graphics written well and drawn nicely. Is that shallow? I don't think so...it simply is what it is.
Overall:
The stories, for the most part, were intriguing (especially the ones where lessons were learned), engaging and new (for me). The varying graphics were interesting and showcased quite a lot of talent. Unfortunately, this is a one time read sort of book (for me) but I can definitely see parents sitting down with young ones and going over some of these tales repeatedly. SO, what's the verdict? It's a mixed bag of nuts (for me) and that is why the rating reflects it. Is it worth the time? Yes! Would I recommend it to a friend? Maybe, it would depend entirely on the friend and their reading preferences BUT ultimately it's a fun way to spend some time!
*** I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ***