I received an advance digital copy of this book for review, and as a fan of the series, I absolutely loved it! I meant to only read a set number of pages each day because I get headaches from too much computer screen time, but it was so interesting and beautiful that I ended up reading the whole thing in a few days.

I loved all the little tidbits about the show and characters and how their art and designs came to be. Everything from faces to hair to costumes to scars to body shapes is meticulously chosen. Shapes and colors and what they evoke, designs from the games, real life cultures and time periods, practicality of clothing for fighting, and more is all taken into consideration. It was also fun seeing different ideas for designs that the artists tried out before the final ones were chosen. I enjoyed the little quotes from the artists sprinkled throughout too. (Some were quite funny!)

The backgrounds were impressive, detailed, and beautiful. There is really, truly some gorgeous scenery in here. I didn’t fully appreciate the backgrounds while watching because I was focused on the characters, so if you’re like me, this book is a great chance to really soak them in.

There are character model sheets, facial expressions, costume designs, early ideas, concept art, line art, 3D models, storyboards, and moody portraits. There are designs and notes on main characters, small characters, characters who didn’t even have lines, night creatures, demons, castles, scenery, lighting, whole towns, individual rooms, and specific items. There are explanations for how some of the art and animation was done. I learned so much! It really makes you appreciate how much work went into this series.

I imagine this whole book would be even more fun for anyone who’s played the games, since the creators point out a lot of references that were included throughout the series.

Overall, a wonderful book full of fascinating info and gorgeous art that made me appreciate the series even more! Any fan of the Castlevania Netflix series will love this!