The Beasts Beneath the Winds is a whimsical, poignant compilation of short stories centred around Southeast Asian myths and cryptids. The sheer variety of creatures found in countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Laos took me by surprise.

Each chapter gives each creature a spotlight, starting with sketches of the cryptid and its habitat, as well as some key characteristics. This turns the whole collection into a sort of cryptid guidebook, which is a really nice effect. Each author's voice comes through very well. Most of the protagonists of the stories are children, making it suitable for young readers. Some of my top favourites were Fish Out of Water and The Girl in the Graveyard.

Some key themes covered by these stories include grief, growing up, identity and belonging, the environment, and family. I loved the journey that this collection took me on, and I think it achieved what it set out to do.

Loved this! Alluding to its Nusantara focus, The Beasts Beneath The Winds delivers just that in this enthralling anthology of seventeen short stories from around the region, by a mix of local and diasporic writers. It wouldn’t be Southeast Asia without its spirits, and this collection expressly celebrates this heritage, each story commissioned to feature one specific cryptid from each region’s supernatural lore, with accompanying illustrations by Jes and Cin Wibowo. Most ASEAN countries are represented here, apart from Brunei, Cambodia, and Timor Leste (certainly not for lack of lore!), and it was interesting to note the similarities and differences in culture and folklore.

The book is geared towards middle-grade readers (and the young at heart!), it’s contents reflecting this intended audience. Always such fun to read MG lit imo, that mix of adolescent verve and vulnerability coalescing into unguarded (sometimes foolish!) bravado and unforgettable larger-than-life experiences. In the various stories, kids come face to face with aswang, pelesit, naga, and many more ancient beings, these extraordinary encounters like a threshold between a then and a now, leaving them transformed, perhaps wiser, in some way.

Diasporic concerns feature heavily, the various creatures simultaneously offering a means of cultural and generational connection as well as a curious kinship, bound by a shared otherness. I loved where the imagination went in this regard, like yes, why wouldn’t an orang pendek be in the forests of North America when overseas migration isn’t a foreign experience. Just as people do, stories too migrate and transform across space and time. I also loved when stories (such as Mae Respicio’s) would lean into said kinship, the solace to be found in embracing liminality, the ability to shape-shift and belong to more than one world extending beyond metaphor.

And perhaps this is why folklore continues to endure, multifaceted and timeless tales that are forever evolving, ancestral wisdom passed down from mouth to mouth across the generations, always on hand to light imaginations and offer comfort.

One of my favourite stories was Mandy Moe Pwint Tu’s The Egg, a beautiful, poignant tale that was symbolic of all that has been taken since Myanmar’s first military coup in 1962, and all that can still be hoped for. I was reminded of editor and contributor Hanna Alkaf’s words in her introduction:
▫️”So whether you're flying through the skies on the back of Garuda or dancing with a ky lan or listening for the song of the karaweik, I hope you remember one important thing: All it takes for something to be real is for you to believe that it's real. And as long as nobody can prove otherwise, there's always
hope.”

A gorgeous note to leave you on! This is an early copy so the various artwork was yet to be finalised, and there were very minor logistical errors in the text which I imagine will be ironed out in the final copy. I cannot wait for this to be out in October and will definitely be getting a print copy to read with the little one! Thank you so much @hannaalkaf for generously sending this copy, so glad this book exists! Such a wonderful read, here is to more ❤️

I have loved reading what I can get from Hanna Alkaf and a lot of the other authors in this collection, I'd only read in other anthologies. I had a GREAT time reading all the stories in this collection and particularly love that each chapter has illustrations. I know that kids (and readers of all ages) will really enjoy having the art to accompany the engaging stories about different myths/folklore. I plan to read it again when it's out with the final art!

This is a collection of short stories set all over Southeast Asia, which we can all agree is extremely haunted for no particular reason. There's a lot of biodiversity here, the supernatural realm included. Each story introduces a mythical creature—a cryptid—from the region in a way that is geared towards young readers. Many of the creatures featured are classics but there are a few unexpected ones, e.g., I didn't expect the Merlion to be included, let alone in the form of a kitten (or should I call it a fry? hmmm).

Death and dismemberment are often unavoidable when drawing from Southeast Asian lore (dead babies, cut tongues) but the stories here try to keep it light, play it down, remove as much gore as possible. The contemporary urban setting would be a familiar one to the current generation—people have mobile phones and live in buildings with electricity—so this really is a reimagining of how we continue to exist alongside living myth, an idea that I find heartening. The stories also include drawings to help the reader visualise how the creature looks (eliminating the need to imagine it) and the style is very safe and un-scary. I would get this as a gift for primary school-age kids and hope their parents don't blame me afterwards :-)

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy; all opinions are my own.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

This is a great short story complication focused on the cryptids of Southeast Asia. I didn’t think there was a dud among them. Some of the stories focus on a child trying to reconnect with a culture that they haven’t grown up in. The creatures reach out and help. They are lighthearted and sometimes a little creepy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Kids for this DRC.
#TheBeastsBeneaththeWinds #NetGalley

Very appealing illustrations, a nice variety of less common cryptids, and well-written short stories with the right blend of relatability, suspense, and ultimately cozy resolution make this easy to recommend to monster fans at the library. I also think the information presented does a nice job of walking the line between making the information understandable for the majority of US children who are likely unfamiliar with these cryptids and their homes, while the book still feels like it's for children who come from these cultures. Overall, a very nice title that I will definitely be purchasing for my library.

A middle-grade books about the South East Asia infamous cryptics! Sign me up!

This book is a short story selections, especially for middle graders. Honestly, I learn a lot about the cryptics of South East Asia, especially outside of Indonesia. It's cute, it has the cultural references and dealing with real issues that often teenager would feel. Some stories are better than the others, my favorite story is the Mystery of the Meowing Makcik, The Girl in the Graveyard, and the Mawas in the Airport.

However yes, I can only judge the 3 Indonesian cryptics featured in the story and I don't think that 2/3 are quite accurate to what we are used to hear.... but anyway! It was overall a great and refreshing read. We need more of these type of books to unite SEA!

A lovely read! This is a great introduction to a different group of South East Asian cryptids in folklore which can be considered uncommon. They are somehow very familiar to South East Asians; like you have probably encountered them in Asian folklore stories but they seem not very actively talked about globally. So this was a great insight to each cryptid, and I love the art graphic and explanation of their nature at the start of each chapter, so the reader is given a visual in their mind as they enter the story. I also like how uncliché the plot of each story is, like I was expecting a "fight evil, be the hero" kind of storyline for every creature, because most folklore stories heavily highlights the generic "good vs evil" concept, so I was pleasantly surprise how each story was written with a different perspective, yet still very heartwarming with moral values familiar to stories of folklore. This book made me so happy! Recommended for lovers of magic and folklore.

The Beasts Beneath the Winds is a collection of stories of mythical beasts around Southeast Asia, written by different authors.
At first, I thought it was going to be mysterious, thrilling and horrific. However, this book is catered towards middle-grade; thus, it is not horrific but has values like acceptance, family values, self-discovery, etc. I truly enjoy reading the stories. I learnt alot about mythical beasts in folklore around SEA. I heard some of it, but most of them I never knew. Therefore, it is truly nice to learn about them. The illustrations at the start of each chapter give visualisation to readers. As someone who has trouble visualising when reading, I love it!

Review: 4.5 Stars

This book comprises a collection of 17 short stories for middle grade readers with each story highlighting a mythical creature/cryptid that is known in South East Asia with each story written by a different author like June CL Tan, Jesse Q. Sutanto and many more including Hanna Alkaf who also edited this book.

Each story given that it is written by a different author is unique in its own way consisting of different themes and told in the POV of the child encountering the mythical creature for the first time. Themes like grief, change, adoption, bullying, fitting in, family and hope are strongly featured in these short stories. Every chapter includes a useful history of the mythical creature feature along with some illustrations of the mythical creature providing a more visual image to young readers to follow along.

I really appreciate stories like these as a nod to South East Asia culture. Being from Malaysia, it’s always lovely to see books like these to preserve the culture, legends and myths I grew up hearing. I find the use of the local dialect wonderful with a touch of food and religion peppered throughout hinting at the unique heritage to readers.

My only nitpick is that most of the stories take place in North America and speak to the culture there with only hints of the mythical beasts. Might be due to most of the authors being located in North America? I also hope the final edition may add a glossary of terms that may help a lot of non-local readers to grasp the unique terms we use in the book to provide a better understanding.

My favourite stories are:
The Girl in the Graveyard
The Curse of Sang Kelembai
Dance of the Unicorns
Kusu Island
The Mawas in the Airport
Melati And The Eternal Battle
Naga Fireball
Ellie Takes Flight

I enjoyed this collection as it brings me back to the roots of my heritage and the stories I grew up with and it’s definitely one not to be missed!

My favourite stories are:
The Girl in the Graveyard
The Curse of Sang Kelembai
Dance of the Unicorns
Kusu Island
The Mawas in the Airport
Melati And The Eternal Battle
Naga Fireball
Ellie Takes Flight

I enjoyed this collection as it brings me back to the roots of my heritage and the stories I grew up with and it’s definitely one not to be missed!

I don’t usually read MG or YA but I’m a fan of Hanna Alkaf. I’ve been following her work, so when she announced this compilation, I was intrigued. Growing up, I had rarely seen books featuring Malaysian folklores in English, let alone those that combined mythical creatures from neighbouring Southeast Asian countries. Love that there’s now representation, and this book is one I’d happily share with younger readers and those keen to learn more about cryptids specific to SEA countries.

Out of 17 authors featured, I was only familiar with three. I’m glad that I read this book because I get introduced not only to the mythical beasts from other nations, but also to the writings of the authors from SEA. As with any compilations, some stories really took the spotlight, while the rest, not so. However, all in all, I applaud the effort put into the writing, and had fun discovering the myriad ‘faces’ these cryptids took shape, and how they were portrayed in different cultures.

Personally, the ones that stood out to me were The Girl in the Graveyard, The Curse of Sang Kelembai and Melati and the Eternal Battle.

American Cousin 2*
Mystery of the Meowing Makcik 4*
The Girl in the Graveyard 5*
The Egg 3*
Fish out of Water 3*
Forest Keeper 2*
Oliver Santos and the Best Birthday Yet 4.5*
The Curse of Sang Kelembai 5*
Dance of the Unicorns 3*
Rich and Strange 2*
Kusu Island 3*
The Mawas in the Airport 3*
Melati and the Eternal Battle 5*
Naga Fireballs 3*
Ellie Takes Flight 3*
Dara, Danny and the Thai Giants 2*
Lexie Libot Gets Lost in a Wedding 3*

This book is great for kids, and I’d recommend this to adults too 😉

Thank you to Hanna Alkaf for the advanced copy in exchange for my review!

The Beasts Beneath the Winds is a short story anthology of tales of children encountering the mythological creatures of various Southeast Asian traditions. I went into this book with very limited knowledge of these creatures, but that didn’t keep me from thoroughly enjoying these stories. I particularly enjoyed ‘The Egg’, ‘The Girl in the Graveyard’, and ‘Naga Fireballs’.

Not only is each story about an encounter with a different cryptid from various Southeast Asian cultures, but every tale revolves around the importance of family – no matter the form it takes. Some of the stories involve children who have moved to America and are visiting family, while others are exploring familiar surroundings. I appreciated the variety of experiences represented here.

I was grateful for the intro pages to each story that included cute drawings and information on each creature.

Thank you to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley for providing the e-arc for my honest review.

As a seasian myself, I wish I had encountered cryptids back then when I was younger. Now I could only imagine if I ever had cool experiences like all of the kids in this book!

I enjoyed every story, meaning, and friendship between the kids and cryptids woven into fun tales to tell to your western relatives who want to connect with their cultures. Most of them are stories for diaspora kids, but there are also unexpected stories from natives that taught more than "connect with your roots," but also underlying bigger issues than that. This is why I love middle grade books! They might have a 'heavy' theme infused into the story, but the writing made it easy to process without lessening the meaning behind it.

Overall, the adventures were magical and a little bit nostalgic, not because I had experienced it, but as an adult, I just miss being a kid and their whimsical world. Even if the stories came from all around seasians, as an Indonesian, I could relate to some content. Especially with gorgeous illustrations, I couldn't wait to see the final result!

Here are my 5 favorite stories from the book, not in order:
- The Egg by Mandy Moe Pwint Tu
- The Curse of Sang Kelembai by Hanna Alkaf
- Melati and The Eternal Battle by Jesse Q. Sutanto
- The Girl in the Graveyard by Brandon Hoang
- Fish out of Water by Moniza Hossain

Thank you Hanna for the e-arc!! I always love your middle grade books like they're my own children

I'm a fan of myths, folklores and legends, especially Asian ones, so I was very excited for The Beasts Beneath the Winds! What a stellar idea, to have a compilation of short stories featuring Southeast Asian mythical beasts. While Middle Grade is not my usual go-to genre, I do enjoy magical ones, so I thought I was going to enjoy this one.

But it is a compilation of short stories by various authors, so it turned out to be a mixed bag of enjoyable and not so enjoyable stories.

1. 🇵🇭 Kapre
American Cousin by Erin Entrada Kelly - 2 ⭐

2. 🇲🇾 Pelesit
The Mystery of the Meowing Makcik by Nadia Mikail - 4 ⭐

3. 🇻🇳 Thần Trùng
The Girl in the Graveyard by Brandon Hoang - 5 ⭐ (my favourite, I could even imagine this story as a novella!)

4. 🇲🇲 Karaweik
The Egg by Mandy Moe Pwint Tu - 2 🌟

5. 🇸🇬 Merlion
Fish out of Water by Moniza Hossain - 3 ⭐

6. 🇱🇦 Pi Nu Vai
Forest Keeper by V. T. Bidania - 2 ⭐

7. 🇵🇭 Aswang
Oliver Santos and the Best Birthday Yet by Mae Respicio - 4 ⭐

8. 🇲🇾 Sang Kelembai
The Curse of Sang Kelembai by Hanna Alkaf - 5 ⭐

9. 🇻🇳 Kỳ Lân
Dance of the Unicorns by Van Hoang - 3 ⭐

10. 🇮🇩 Orang Pendek
Rich and Strange by Greg van Eekhout - 4 ⭐

11. 🇸🇬 Kusu
Kusu Island by June CL Tan - 4 ⭐

12. 🇲🇾 Orang Mawas
The Mawas in the Airport by Shing Yin Khor - 2 ⭐

13. 🇮🇩 Barong
Melati and the Eternal Battle by Jesse Q. Sutanto - 4 ⭐

14. 🇱🇦 Phaya Naga
Naga Fireballs by Veeda Bybee - 3 ⭐

15. 🇮🇩 Garuda
Ellie Takes Flight by Emma Goddard - 3 ⭐

16. 🇹🇭 Yaksha
Dara, Danny, and the Thai Giants by Dow Phumiruk - 4 ⭐

17. 🇵🇭 Tikbalang
Lexie Libot Gets Lost in a Wedding by Gail D. Villanueva - 4 ⭐

What I liked:
✅A good variety of beasts
✅Descriptions of local cultures and foods 🤤
✅Use of local languages
✅Drawings of beasts and their details before each story
✅Good lessons weaved through the stories

What I did not particularly care for:
🔴A lot of the stories feature Asian Americans. My guess is the main target audience is the Americans
🔴Some stories barely even featured the beasts

Additional note:
One of the things I learned from here is that "Indo" refers to people of Indo-European descent, particularly Dutch, and not to all Indonesians.

As for every collection of stories, some chapters stood out for me than the others. The true beauty of this work are the illustrations!

Featuring charming illustrations and a diverse range of personalities among the MCs, each story in this collection is immersive and atmospheric, with a wealth of food, slang, insights into familial structures, and, of course, the local customs and superstitions of each spotlighted culture. I love that amongst the creatures shown, we get a range from those who are human-loving and friendly to the less welcoming variety. Those of primary to middle school age would benefit from reading the array of stories here, ranging from light-hearted to mellow because of troubles with friends, school, or family. By the end of each story, readers are inspired to maintain curiosity, hope, and appreciation for the world around them.

Thanks to Netgalley, ABRAMS Kids, and Amulet Books for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

As an avid fan of Hanna Alkaf and the unapologetically Malaysian stories that she brings to the table, I knew I was going to fall for these short stories from the moment the anthology was announced.

One of my favorite things about this anthology is that, not only does it explore the myriad of mythical creatures from various parts of Southeast Asia, but it also includes illustrations!! They are wonderful, complete with little fun facts about each beast that really add on to the reading experience of the short story that follows. Kudos to the artist!

These short stories not only portray the way the characters interact with the beasts featured in their story, but also navigate through heavy themes such as loss and grief. Be it a parental figure or a friend, or even yourself—it's refreshing to read about these real life issues through the eyes of adolescents.

Writing in a middle grade perspective can be challenging, especially when we are adults who can barely recall what it's like to be a child. To be a pre-teenager seeing the world through a different lense. And these short stories capture that essence. It's not perfect, but I'm glad it exists.

As it is with anthologies, of course there are stories that I love and hold dearly more than others. Maybe I'm a bit biased, but as a Malaysian, it's no doubt that the stories feel closer to me than the rest. That doesn't make me love the others any less!

If I could name my top three short stories, it would be (in no particular order): The Girl in the Graveyard because it illustrates grief in stages and the twist made me tear up; The Curse of Sang Kelembai (everyone act surprised) because out of the various portrayals of grief, this one is of losing a parental figure but not to death, and the feelings of the protagonist hit a little too close to home; and Oliver Santos and the Best Birthday Yet because it's very unique to see the way the characters themselves can become the beasts. I especially liked the detail about the grandparents.

My only complaint is that I wish some of these stories were longer. And maybe it's because the characters are of a younger age group, the voice/writing style can sound a little too similar at times even though the stories are each written by different people. But this only occurred to me during a few stories. Some of these writers have quite distinct voices.

All in all, I had fun reading this anthology! I can't wait to see the final version because I'm sure the illustrations will look gorgeous. And I'm so glad to see more SEA voices and cultures in books.

Who else is going to uphold our stories and share them with the world if not us?

I was mesmerized... entranced by the many magical creatures spotlighted in this anthology. TBH, I was today years old when I learnt of so many folklores, definitely an eye-opening read and kept me going. As it's all short stories, it was an easy read to finish.

I do not have any particular favourites as each story has its own flair and carry its own tale. Most of the authors are unknown to me. I do find some of the writings and plots were not as polished. Since it is short, it was bearable and easy to finish reading it. Offhand, I would say Kusu Island, The Egg and Oliver Santos and the Best Birthday Yet were memorable to me.

Overall, if you are looking for some easy read with mythical elements, please give this book a try. I am glad to be given the chance to read and review this e-ARC, all thanks to the author and editor, Hanna Alkaf.

i received this as an e-arc!

this is the book that i'd always wanted to read. a book with different southeast asian mythical creatures and how they appear in their respective countries' stories. what i was most intrigued by was the approach that the authors of this anthology took with framing these creatures as cryptids more than folklore/myths that i grew up listening to/reading about.

as far as i know, when speaking of these mythical creatures, we think of them as folklore and some believe that they exist and some don't, most do. it's just the belief in the supernatural that pervades southeast asians i feel. so to frame these creatures as cryptids feels like something that should have been obvious to me as its equivalent but to me, SEA mythical creatures have such heavy mythology that perhaps there is a hesitance to modernize them, i may be digressing.... my point is that i think its super unique and called for to 'modernise' (or more like, to keep up with the times) this for a mostly YA/MG audience could absolutely fall in love with it. i have no doubts that esp SEA adults would love it very much too (exhibit a: ME)

i loved the profiles for each creature and the variety of stories from different authors! i'll admit that i was drawn in by erin entrada kelly and hanna alkaf but these are some short stories that particularly stood out to me!

- 'the girl in graveyard' by brandon hoang
- 'oliver santos and the best birthday yet' by mae respicio
- 'rich and strange' by greg van eekhout
- 'the mawas in the airport' by shing yin khor
- 'lexie libot gets lost in a wedding' by gail d. villanueva

what i also loved from this anthology was the love and life of SEA that's apparent in every story. some stories are mainland, some diaspora, in the end, we share our struggles of identity and trying to fit in. the usage of non-human creatures to bridge the gap of understanding between an 'outcast' and their 'otherness'? i eat that up every single time. i'm so happy that this book exists and definitely can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this as soon as i can...