The story was cute, and so was the art.   It was cute, and lush and I loved it. 

Unfortunately, I didn't connect to the characters at all: I didn't care for them, so I didn't care what happened to them. 

I feel like maybe reading this as a stand-alone might have been the problem, although the author claims that he wrote it to be a stand-alone. 

I honestly had so much fun reading this book! I've recently been on a bit of a traditional Asian mythology flex. So I got this book. The book, it's self is very fun with bright pages packed full of art and history and tell you about the different "Yokai's" supernatural monsters. There's all kinds of crazy Yokai in this book! For me personally the reason why I love Yokai is the crazy art depicted of them from the Book of the 8th century Kojiki, (古事記; Record of Ancient Matters) The art always fascinated me so when I saw this I had to get it. A truly perky and wonderful book.

Book 8 in #PaperbackSummer is Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide. While this book introduces the reader to ghosts, monsters, and demons that are much less known but that are a traditional part of Japanese folklore, it is... somehow boring. In a way, it read like an ecology textbook. Of course, is interesting to know the characteristics of each yokai and their traditional locations, but the book lacks excitement even when it does share bits of the actual tales the yokai come from.

Positives:

Names and pronunciations of the yokai

Color artwork

Strengths/Weaknesses, in case we ever meet them in real life

Brief history of where each yokai would be found

Negatives:

Books reads like a textbook rather than a collection of folklore

Some yokai include stories of when yokai were seen, but many others don't

*Library copy*

Overall: 2.5 stars, don’t bother

Story: 2 Stars

Art: 3 Stars

Self Purchase, Humble Bundle.

First Impression: like the art well enough

Very simplistic story line . Expected more from this. I know this is meant for kids but I like kids stuff and just don't think this is all that great. It didn’t need to be this simplistic for kids.Dialogue was unexciting and everything was pretty predictible.   Also it was really short. The art was better than the story but not by much. I don’t think I’ll read more of these unless they are included in an awesome Humble Bundle again.

Description (Comixology): Yokai are the monsters, demons, and spirits of Japanese folklore, such as the shape-changing kitsune, the obakeneko demon cats, and the evil oni ogres. Usagi faces all these and more when a desperate woman begs for his help in finding her kidnapped daughter. Tracing the abducted girl deep into the forest, Usagi finds it haunted by creatures of Japanese legend and discovers that they are amassing for a great raid on the countryside! Fortunately, Usagi is joined by Sasuke the Demon Queller, who is also fighting to prevent the invasion, but things aren't always as they seem, especially when dealing with the supernatural!

100 Nightmares by K.Z. Morano is a collection of 100 horror stories, each written in exactly 100 words, and accompanied by over 50 illustrations. Inside, you’ll find monsters—both imagined and real. There are vengeful specters, characters with impaired psyches, dark fairy tales and stories and illustrations inspired by bizarre creatures of Japanese folklore.


Praise for K.Z. Morano

"100 Nightmares took me for a thrill ride from the very first page. This book is filled with some of the creepiest and horrifying illustrations and flash fiction I've ever come across. K.Z. Morano knows how to take the fairy tale and twist it into a horrifying piece of flash prose, or subject an innocent person to the most brutal torture, or death. Seriously, some very disturbing moments were encountered as I read each story. Wow, keep an eye out for this writer, my friends, she's going to be delivering horror the way it's meant to be." ~Charles Day, Bram Stoker Award®-nominated Author of THE LEGEND OF THE PUMPKIN THIEF, and author of DEEP WITHIN and HUNT FOR THE GHOULISH BARTENDER

“I can’t say enough about this book… It's well written, different, scary, and very unique.” – Bittersweet Book Reviews

“There’s an art to writing an effective story in so few words and the author nails it.” – THE CULT OF ME

"Such a brilliant concept with no two stories alike. Timeless enjoyment to be reread over and over..." - Paula Limbaugh, Horror Novel Reviews

“In all, Morano delivers an eclectic range of ambitious micro-fiction, the more accomplished of which is truly impressive in what it achieves in such a small amount of words.” – Horror After Dark


It takes a brief encounter with death to cause enduring nightmares.
A single well-placed blow could maim you for life…
One well-placed word could haunt you forever.

Micro-fiction is a blade—sharp, swift…
Sometimes it goes for the jugular, killing you in seconds.
Its silver tongue touches your throat and warm blood hisses before you can scream.

Sometimes, the knife makes micro-cuts in the sensitive sheath of your sanity, creating wounds that will fester throughout eternity.

Take my 100 words daily like a slow-acting poison or read them all and die of overdose.
Your call.
It’s your suicide after all.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JVRJNG0

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Nightmares-K-Z-Morano-ebook/dp/B00JVRJNG0

Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/shop/kz-morano/100-nightmares/ebook/product-21592369.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/431783