EDGAR ALLAN POE, AN ADULT COLORING BOOK BY ODESSA BEGAY: BOOK REVIEW

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4 star

Edgar Allan Poe, an Adult Coloring Book

By Odessa Begay

ISBN#9781454921356

http://www.odessabegay.com

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

Description:  poe

Dive into the macabre, mysterious world of Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling tales with popular coloring book artist Odessa Begay (Little Birds). Inspired by Poe’s beloved stories, Begay has created images that reference settings, motifs, and details that fans will recognize. (Goodreads)

Review:

As a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, I am excited and pleased with this adult coloring book.

The book has a sturdy soft cover and relatively thick, smooth double-sided pages, but the binding does not allow the pages to lay completely flat when open.  There are ninety-two pages of illustrations.  Each two page “scene” includes a quotation from Poe’s works with an accompanying illustration.  Some are realistic, some surreal, and some more macabre and darker than others.  Odessa Begay does a fine job capturing the symbolism for which Poe’s writings are so famous.  There are plenty of fine line detail drawings, as well as some larger coloring areas, making it suitable for all skill levels of coloring.  Personally, I enjoy the drawings that contain a lot of symmetry and detail work, and, of course, those that include The Raven.

I think colored pencils and gel markers are best for these pages.  Crayons would also work for the larger, less detailed areas.  Fine tip Sharpies are, for the most part, ok and do not bleed through the pages much.  However, regular Sharpies and felt tipped markers definitely bleed through, leaving a mess on the backside of the page.  If these markers are your medium of choice, I would definitely make copies of the pages as to not ruin the images on the backside of the page you wish to complete.

Poe’s works included are: The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, Ligeia, The Gold Bug, Eleanora, The Oblong Box, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Murders at Rue Morgue, The Mystery of Marie Roget, The Purloined Letter, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, Tamerlane, The Tell Tale Heart, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
I recommend this adult coloring book to fans of Poe and the macabre and to those looking for a unique subject matter.