Fun coloring book for Harry Potter Fans but has some issues which effect coloring printed on both sides of page

Attached to this review will be a silent flip-through of the entire coloring book so you can make an informed decision as to whether or not it will work for you.

Rather than discuss how this is like or different from the books and/or movie series except to note that the iconic images seem to be taken primarily from the movie, I will discuss only how I feel about it as an adult coloring book.

The book is illustrated by a variety of artists and it shows. Some of the designs are simply drawn and some are complex, a few with small intricate details that may be difficult to color. I am really glad that they did not over draw the faces with too much detail as I will be able to add my own blending (this was a problem with the recent Sherlock coloring book.) Some of the designs are quite heavy on black spaces something I would have preferred to put in myself. Otherwise, the designs are well done artistically. They have included glossy pages at the end of the book perhaps so we can know what colors are to be used or simply as a fun addition to the book.

The book is printed on both sides of off-white heavyweight and non-perforated paper. A good number of the designs are printed across two pages and merge into the bind (which is glued rather than sewn.) I did a count and this is what I came up with: 40 one page designs, 4 of which are wallpaper repeating patterns; 19 designs spread across two pages 5 of which are wallpaper style designs. Unfortunately, a good many of the iconic scenes were in the ones that were spread across two sheets. I was able to bend the binding enough to get the book to lay flat and found that the pages lines up very well and I didn’t lose any of the picture into the binding itself.

What was weird for me is the smell of the book. I can only think that it is the ink and/or the paper but I had several individuals smell it and we all said it was reminiscent of mildew. I’ve bought inexpensive paperback books in the past with the same odor and I have never been able to figure out what it is. It is not mildew but it kind of smells like it. The smell is present inside and also on the cover. If you are sensitive to scent, you may want to take this into consideration.

I tested my coloring tools: all markers bleed through though Staedler triplus fineliners merely left a shadow of color rather than full ink but you could tell what the color was from the back of the page. Gel pens did not leak through but again, there was a very light shadow. The paper did well with various coloring pencils.

In the end, the fact that ink could leak through and the pages were printed doubled sided was enough for me to take away a point. It forces me into coloring pencils of losing part of the book. I wish the book had perforated paper but I don’t detract for that. The odor well, that may be only a few books, so again, I won’t take away for that but do check to see if yours has a similar smell.