Polka Spots and Freckle Dots

Last year, I devoured the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, and adored the books so much, I've been a little obsessed ever since.

My love for this enchanting world of gorgeous fae lords and warriors, magic, friendship, and romance hasn't stopped at the series, oh no. Not content to stop at the novels, I also went and acquired the officially licensed A Court of Thorns and Roses colouring book, and spent many a good pain day painting my way through some of the pages in 2023.

I may have an ACOTAR problem.

But I just couldn't resist.

And thank the Cauldron, because it's one of the best colouring books I've ever seen or owned.

If you're a fan of the ACOTAR series, and love colouring, I think you're going to love this as much as I do.

So, the A Court of Thorns Colouring Book takes you on an illustrated journey through the first three books in the series- A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, and A Court of Wings and Ruin.

This was the first page I painted, and for my first attempt at mixing skintones, I'm kinda proud of how Feyre's colouring came out. I made such a mess of Tamlin, though, especially his hair and sleeve from overworking the paper, but I guess it's fitting since his character is also a train wreck. I also wish I'd done the butterflies differently- I started off attempting to make them into Monarch butterflies, and it went a bit wrong- but overall, I really enjoyed working on this page.

I can't paint realistic trees to save my life, but this page makes me want to live in the Spring Court.

I'm not much of a fan of Elain so far (I'm gonna need her story to change my mind), but this was one of my favourite pages so far. I loved playing with lots of pinks and purples- it was so relaxing. Side note: her garden in the mortal world was described as having purple and white flowers, but I added in some pink to compliment her dress. The roof of the house was said to be emerald green, so I decided to give it green window frames- but they look awful, so I wish I hadn't.

So many of the iconic characters, settings, and scenes in the series have been brought to life in stunning detail, from Tamlin taking Feyre from her home in the mortal world, to meeting the people and wonders of the Spring Court, and Rhys and Feyre's first meeting on Calanmai ('There you are. I've been looking for you.'), to the horrors of Under the Mountain. You can colour your way through Rhys gate-crashing an important wedding and Feyre throwing a shoe at him; meeting the Inner Circle and Mor rescuing Feyre; the wonders of Starfall and the heartfelt moment at the beginning of Chapter 55; and even intense scenes like Feyre battling the Attor, and Nesta crawling out of the Cauldron at Hybern. As the illustrations move to the story of the third book, you'll be able to colour-in Lucien bowing before Feyre on Solstice, and the Bone Carver looking like a demon child that needs to be killed with fire; cool locations like the Forest House and the Night Court library; Nesta sizing up Cassian, and Azriel sweetly loaning Truth-Teller to Elain; to Amren taking on Hybern, and Rhys and Feyre sharing a quiet moment together on the rooftop in Velaris after the war. There is such a fantastic and diverse selection of scenes and characters included, and every last one is amazing.

Some of my favourites include Tamlin and Feyre lounging in the glen, Alis leading Feyre to Under the Mountain, the wedding scene, Mor rescuing Feyre after her panic attack, Rhys and Feyre on Starfall, the landscapes of Velaris and the Spring and Summer Courts (so intricate!), and the romantic little scene in the cabin before things heated up. (You know the one I mean *wink*).

This one was fun as I got to use my metallic Winsor & Newton watercolours for the first time. I used them on the floor tiles, staircase, statues, and curtains. The colours of the Spring Court entry aren't described, so I chose spring greens to symbolise Feyre fading into the background as she was wearing a green dress in that scene. Her hair was supposed to be golden brown, but I screwed up again and it came out a little too ginger.

I totally messed up this page. I had a minor disagreement with the black paint, and also messed up the curtain and Rhys' skintone. It was my first time attempting to mix darker skintones, and didn't go quite right. (Apologies to anyone with brown skin- no insult intended)! And I couldn't try layering other shades on top to fix it as the paper started to disintegrate.

Altogether, there are forty-five drawings from five different illustrators to colour-in, with sixteen based on A Court of Thorns and Roses, eighteen dedicated to A Court of Mist and Fury, and eleven inspired by A Court of Wings and Ruin. You can also colour-in the introduction pages, which features an illustration of Feyre surrounded by thorns and roses.

Each illustration has been given a double-page spread, with one side featuring the illustration in thinly-lined black ink, and the other displaying a relevant quote from the books in large type, cornered with swirling patterns that look a little like butterflies. The pages are white and made from good-quality paper that is thick enough that most inks shouldn't bleed through, and spoil the quote on the back. I've been using watercolour paints to colourise the drawings, and even though the paper isn't designed for that, it can cope with a light layer or two, with some rippling to the back of the paper. The paper will disintegrate if you keep working it with a wet brush, though. But overall, I'm very impressed. The pages are perforated so that you can tear them out and use them how you wish, but unfortunately, they are printed back-to-back, which means you'll have to choose between displaying your artwork and the quote of the following illustration.

Overall, it's a fantastic colouring book for any fan of the ACOTAR series. The illustrations are so beautiful that it's a must for any fan's collection- even if you don't plan to colour them in, it makes a great companion book for better visualising the characters and scenes in the books. But for those who want to use it to get creative, it's such a treat. Whether you love the Spring Court or the Night Court, are team Feysand, Nessian, or Elriel, whether you would rather throw Ianthe to the Middengard Wyrm or the Attor, and can't decide who you hate more- Amarantha or Tamlin, this book has it all. (Excluding topless Illyrian bat boys (pity) and s*x scenes, that is). There's no explicit content, so apart from a few creepy monsters, it's suitable for under-18s, too. It's so satisfying to be able to bring so many favourite characters and scenes to life with colour, and I couldn't recommend this colouring book to you more.

I'm loving it, and I can see it keeping me entertained for a long while yet. I also have the Throne of Glass colouring book, which is also amazing, but I have a lot more painting to do before I'm ready to review it.

The A Court of Thorns and Roses colouring book retails around £13-14 in the UK, and you can find it on Blackwells here.

Are you a fan of A Court of Thorns and Roses? Do you enjoy colouring-in?

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