This book was way too long for the story. It felt like too many twists were added. By the time I got to the end there were characters in play that I couldn't remember how they related to the story. At the 50% mark I took a break and realized I was only half way through but it felt like we had reached the reveal point. The motives didn't make sense at all, and keeping the main characters scandal a secret was more annoying than suspenseful. ( )

Great detailed drawings for many hours of fun! ( )

Okay, I admit it - when I first heard about adult colouring books, I was skeptical. Could sitting down to colour be enjoyable? Relaxing? Dare I say - stress relieving? And then I tried it - and the answer is yes to all of the above.

Johanna Basford has a number of adult colouring books out - all quite amazing. I thought I would dive (pun intended!) into Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure and Colouring Book.

I liked the gold accents on the cover - it hints at treasure within. (I'm a magpie - anything shiny catches my eye!)

Now, are you one of those people who will start at the beginning and do all the pages in order? Or are you like me - I'll pick the one that appeals to me and start with it, choosing another as the mood strikes. Lost Ocean offers a wide range of choices from intricate, to simple. Basford has touched on all things oceanic from images of creatures of the deep - fish, octopuses, mermaids, lobsters, crabs to sunken galleons and their treasures, whimsical designs and more. The last picture is a double sided four page foldout - okay I am indeed saving that one 'til last. Every page from cover to copyright page has images to bring colour to.

And then there's the added fun of trying to also find hidden images in the drawings - diamonds, rings, keys, gold coins and others. (No worries - there's an answer key at the back!)

Lost Ocean is produced on nice, clean, crisp white stock - all your colour choices will show up true. I thought I would start with imagining some brightly coloured fish under the waves.

Remember - there's no 'right' way to colour - enjoy it! Have you tried adult colouring books yet? Lost Ocean would be a good one to get your feet wet! (pun intended!) ( )

Sharpen up your colored pencils, because these are lovely, enticing, and intricate designs! You WILL need very sharp colored pencils to do them justice.

Some studies say that coloring like this is a worthy alternative to sitting meditation. Since trying to do sitting meditation makes me crazy, I have been looking for alternatives- and adult coloring books seem to work similarly.

And this one is gorgeous! Also very intricate, so one will have lots of chill time working on it- I just spent about 20 min coloring a small fish.

Fun to do piecemeal, and very, very pretty. ( )