Wasn't really what I was thinking it would be. I guess I was just thinking it would be a coloring book. But there is alot of other stuff in it.

I...have mixed feelings on this coloring book. On the one hand, the things you get to color are very pretty, lots of detail and mixes various cultures symbolism for a melting pot of culture. But man there is a lot of reading in a coloring book, it certainly is a unique take on both coloring books and self help books, but I am not sure I want that much reading in my coloring book. Also the text boxes I found were somewhat hard to read with the way the color changes constantly and text boxes being different colors caused me a good bit of eyestrain, I know it sounds contradictory for a book called The Keepers of Color, but I would have been much happier if the text was standard black on white with all the color accents on the side panels. Another thing I found a little odd (it being a coloring book) is how many things were colored, like for example my favorite image in the book, a hummingbird flying up into Aten who is holding various symbols of faith in its many hands, it is gorgeously done...and for some reason the sun disc of Aten is colored in, I think it would have worked a lot better if it had been left blank for the colorist to decide the color. Overall it is an interesting book, glad I read it though probably not one I would add to my collection.

For those who may not know, I am a HUGE FAN of colouring pages. Always have been and still will be. When I stumbled upon this book on NetGalley, I knew that I needed to review it. Not only that, but it relates a self-discovery with colouring?! SIGN.ME.UP!

This is one of the cutest colouring books that I have found to date. It is not your average colouring book, but combines question and answers, alongside the colouring aspect.

Right from the start, readers are thrown into a journey of self-discovery, led by this cute little drawing that goes my ‘Color’ (yes, it is the American spelling, and it pains me as a Canadian to write it wrong, but what can ya do?). Colour explains what is going to happen when you start the book and is alongside you through the whole journey. As I was reading, I thought of it as a cute little companion that was a hopeful reminder as to what you were doing.

As readers travel through the pages of the book, they are introduced to a variety of ‘Keepers,’ who are present to document your answers and are trying to help you rediscover the ’Seed of Hope.’ Now, many of these Keepers are beautifully drawn, they each have their own names, colours associated with them, and little actions that reflect who they are on your journey of life. The Keepers are also the ones who ask the questions and will protect them, urging you to be truthful and make you reflect on your answers.

The questions that are posed are difficult to answers as they make you reject on your actions and how you are living your life currently. They are things that you would not typically ask yourself, but the book asks them, and you don’t realize that your answers would be that of what you had written. It relates the actions and the feelings that are presented by the Keepers, as well as the colours that refer to them help in answering and reflecting on the questions.

One of my favourite sections is the one on the masks we wear, and how each person we are with results in a different cover depending on who they are, how you relate to them, and how you feel towards them. It makes you think and realize things that you may not have noticed before, but are still present in your life and you are able to see how it changes you and can affect those that are around you.

After reading through the book, I feel that I have to take a step back and look at where I am with my life and what I am doing, and it feels like this book helps one become closer to themselves, and understand that experience is there for you to make mistakes, but it is also there to help in fixing the errors.

This book is lovely and is a beneficial book for those who are confused about life or need to take a step back and reflect. This book is much like a hand-held Yogi, who is there to help in making your life better by reflecting on the past and moving forward.

There is a lot of reading in this colouring book. If you're looking for a simple adult colouring book, you may be disappointed in the number of pages to colour. Instead, this is more like a journal, or workbook for setting goals for the future, with colouring playing a major part. Some of the questions take a long time and a lot of thinking to answer, while others are easier and explore your expectations for the future. Some are generic, like drawing a line to dive into water, while others are more interesting like a paint by numbers honeycomb, or filling out your own obituary. There are characters and a basic plot, which don't appear in too many colouring books, but help to guide you through the exercises. This probably won't satisfy someone looking to mindlessly colour, but if self-reflection through calming colouring is your goal, this will likely help you with that.