Sinophagia was my introduction to Chinese horror. While I enjoyed the overall experience, this collection did leave me with some mixed feelings. 

There was a disconnect between my expectations and this book's approach to anthology. Sinophagia follows each story with a discussion of cultural and historical context. These breaks were often insightful and made the story even more interesting, but they also interrupted the pace for me. The ultimate effect was that this anthology felt less like entertainment and more like academic study. Again, this was not inherently good or bad, but it just wasn't what I was expecting.

I also noticed that everal stories seemed to overexplain the horror. I'm not sure if this was a stylistic choice, an artifact of language differences, or simple coincidence. 

While I struggled with some aspects of this book, I am very happy that it exists. These stories are creative, beautiful, and haunting. I hope to see more Chinese horror enter the international book community. 

I'm grateful for the opportunity to check this book out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.