It was interesting and highly informative. However, the information bits were too loaded with information. I would have liked more development to some of the legends and lore behind the murder ballads.

Filled with background on some of the most popular murder ballads, including potential historical inspirations and different versions and accompanied by Horan’s gorgeous folk horror illustrations, Murder Ballads is a must-have for any fan of this song style (or music history or folk horror in general).

I'd happily read several volumes of this, an interesting look behind some old folk songs/murder ballads


I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

4/5. Thank you to Ms. Horan, the publisher, and Netgalley for the beautifully illustrated ARC.

This was a very interesting read. I know some of these songs from my own childhood, but to trace back the origin of them (and the many, <i>many</i> variations) is an adventure. I can't say that as a child I noticed the rampant misogyny and racism, but the way Ms. Horan has laid it out really does begin to tell the tale.

Murder Ballads are exactly what they sound like: ballads that deal with gruesome crimes. Sometimes, they're from a single event that has been twisted through years of oral tradition. Sometimes they get changed from place to place to suit the local traditions. They can come from the UK, Ireland, America, Scandinavia - anywhere.

What Ms. Horan does is trace these songs from their origin (or as near as can be found) to modern day, where artists continue to sing and adapt these songs. Accompanying the historical perspective and lyrics are illustrations that I adore. That was one of the big reasons I wanted to read this ARC: I love her style. And each piece had so many lovely little details to admire.

I don't know if this is a book one will read over and over again, but it is certainly a fun addition to a library that loves musical history, true crime, or folklore.

This book is not what I hoped it would be. It's very light on the history, and very heavy on the author's own views - which are very narrow, 21st century feminist ones. There's holes in several different areas of her research (ie her failure to bear a male heir was not the historical grounds that Henry VIII used to divorce Katherine of Aragon). And although she claims in her introduction that she loves these ballads and is fascinated by them, Ms. Horan spends a good deal of time in the essay sections of her book lecturing the audience and telling them reasons why they SHOULDN'T like these ballads, or listen to them. These include, but are not limited to: sexism, racism, and misogyny.

Yes, it's unfair that women were treated badly histortically. It's unfair that black people were, at any point, thought to be less than white people. It's unfair that Hollywood doesn't do its due diligence and see if there is any real people behind these songs that they should pay royalties to for use of their life stories - but those things did happen, and Hollywood isn't going to change. Ms. Horan should go rant about those things and do a book about those things if that's what really interests her. She shouldn't advertise her book as a collection of history and lore, when that appears to be the third or fourth thing on her mind after her opinion on why these ballads are in actuality quite horrible. It felt almost like reading one of those articles that try to lecture and make a person feel badly for enjoying true crime documentaries and podcasts - because, after all, their motives for doing so must be terrible.

I follow an amazing podcast called "Bone and Sickle". It has several episodes on historical ballads. I would recommend anyone go listen to those instead of reading this book. I would give it zero stars if I was able. Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel publishing for the advanced reader's copy. This review is voluntary, all views and opinions are my own.

5⭐/5 - An eerily fascinating exploration of the history of macabre songs, each complemented by the author's captivating illustrations.

I want to thank NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and the author/illustrator Katy Horan for providing this e-ARC for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Katy Horan offers a unique history of twenty murder ballads. Each ballad's origins and lore are explained in great detail, including various adaptations. The author pairs the lyrics of these ballads with hauntingly beautiful folk illustrations that would make an excellent addition to any coffee table book!

This work was a delightful surprise. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in the historical perspective of true crime as reflected in folk music.

"For history enthusiasts and lovers of folk music and lore...." I really enjoyed this collection of ballads and learning about their origins. The art work is wonderful. It took me a little longer to read than probably should have but after reading about a ballad, I had to listen to its various versions before moving on to the next.

I really enjoyed this book, and will probably invest in a physical copy for the illustrations. I have enjoyed this author/artists Literary Witches deck, and as a fan of murder ballads, folklore, folk horror, & passed-diwn songs, this title was right up my alley. It's an easy read, with enough history to give you the meat of the story, accompanied by a gorgeous illustration of the ballad, and then the song itself. I could easily see this book being a podcast, because I'd love to hear these songs with an audio of the lore. Each chapter is easy to read & then put down, so I enjoyed it over a few evenings. Highly recommend for fans of musical history & folklore.

What a stunning mix of history, folklore, music and tragedy. The folklore and events behind the beautifully written lyrics are about tragic and heartbreaking events but they remain alive and passed down through the generations due to the music and stories shared.

The art work by Katy is so hauntingly gorgeous! Its absolutely mesmerizing to look at the detail in these simple pictures 🥀

There’s a recommendation for addition reading and the known recordings of the ballads at the end of the book 🎶

This was well put together and would be amazing as an audiobook where you could listen to each of the ballads!

Thank you to the author and artist, Katy Horan, publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing and Happily Booked PR for the opportunity to read this book. I received an epub and am leaving my review voluntarily.

This book will be published 4/29/25.

What an interesting concept. I really enjoyed the collection. Each piece really was enjoyable. It's something different.

The illustrations were great but what really made this one stand out for me was how original the idea was. It reminds me of one of those wikipedia-rabbit-hole nights where you become obsessed with a specific topic and wanna know more and more. When we're following one random story, graphic novels tend to get a bit boring for me; this stopped that form happening. Instead of one story that doesn't get enough time to be explores, we get a collection of well researched mini-stories and enough information to never get bored.

This is the kind of book you can get as a gift for a book lover, not having to worry about if maybe they already read/have it, or if it will fit their taste exactly, because as long as they're into creepy stuff, good art or graphic novels, this will be fun and original.

3.5 Murder ballads are something I’ve been fascinated with since I first found out about them. I love seeing a collection of them. I really enjoyed that each ballad is paired with a historical note and an artwork. Although I do feel the informational sections could’ve been better written. Maybe a little more engaging of a voice would draw me in better. However, the artwork was perfect, emotional and dark, I liked it a lot. The ballads themselves are great, and I like the wide variety covered here. .

I loved this! Admittedly anything illustrated gets an extra star in my book, but this one didn’t need it. It was already at five stars! The format kept a quick pace, combined with interesting stories and beautiful art, I read this whole thing in one sitting. I just couldn’t stop!

As posted on Goodreads:

This book is a brilliant combination of history, folklore, lyrics, and beautiful artwork that I absolutely loved. Murder ballads are not something I knew a lot about going into this book, but the concept was intriguing and the book cover is gorgeous - and before I even finished the foreword I was hooked.

I took my time reading through this book, enjoying the artwork and even making a playlist of the songs mentioned (when I could find them), and listening to them from start to finish.

If you, like me, enjoy folklore/folk art, music and true crime (kind of a bizarre combination, but it works), this is a beautiful coffee table book that you’ll actually want to read, and that will spark plenty of interesting conversations.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I grew up with murder ballads because my grandmother is Irish and my grandfather is English so I've always loved learning the songs and the stories behind them. This was an interesting read. It goes into the history behind the ballads while also providing the lyrics and the artwork is gorgeous.

Ho trovato affascinante il concetto di ‘murder ballads’ (canzoni popolari ispirate a omicidi, reali o immaginari) e al fatto che si siano tramandate spesso per secoli, e talvolta attraversando l’Atlantico, esclusivamente per via orale. Tracciarne le varianti, e risalire quando possibile ai fatti di cronaca che le hanno ispirate dev’essere stato un lavoro immane, come indicare le versioni moderne spesso incise da grossi cantautori di oggi. Sono tutte più che inquietanti, ed è interessante riflettere su come anche oggi canticchiamo spesso testi di cui non percepiamo davvero il significato orrorifico, o come molte filastrocche per bambini (di un tempo, adesso il massimo è Whisky il ragnetto, per fortuna - o purtroppo, io lo detesto 🤣) siano state le testimonianze di fatti di cronaca che avevano avuto un forte impatto.
La cosa più debole sono le illustrazioni dell’autrice, che ho trovato piuttosto mediocri.

I really enjoyed reading about the history of these murder ballads and learning if there was any truth behind the story. I didn’t realize how much history was behind some of these ballads and how long they have been around. This was super interesting topic and a pretty fast read.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Beautiful collection of historical ballads. I'm in no way an expert on the genre, but I am an enjoyer of media where music and literature come together. Beyond the beautiful ballads themselves, I loved reading about the historical and sociological context from their earliest iteration to present day interpretations. The book is very accessible to novices, so you can absolutely jump into it with zero previous knowledge.

The highlight for me however were the illustrations. Just like the cover, they are dark, ominous and eerily beautiful, accompanying the texts perfectly and enhancing the atmosphere.

This one is for fans of folklore, music and true crime - an interesting combination for sure.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

Thought provoking analysis on a variety of murder ballads. As an amateur folklorist and a devourer of true crime, it was an enthralling read. Beautiful artwork that really brought the book together as a whole. Highly recommend.

I had high expectations going into this, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to them. While I appreciate the effort that went into exploring the history of murder ballads, the analysis felt shallow in places. Some interpretations seemed to miss the mark entirely, oversimplifying complex themes or drawing conclusions I didn’t find convincing.

The selection of ballads was also a letdown. A few of the choices didn’t seem to belong in a collection about murder ballads, and better-known or more fitting songs could have taken their place. This left the book feeling incomplete, like it wasn’t quite sure what it wanted to be.

One highlight was the stunning artwork—undoubtedly the book’s strongest feature. The illustrations are beautiful and bring a touch of magic to the pages.

While I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped, I can see its appeal for casual readers who want a visually pleasing coffee-table book rather than an in-depth exploration of the topic.

Therefore only 1.5 ⭐.