Astrology Coloring Book Review: A Surprisingly Good Budget Find from Five Below

Spooky Cat Lady here, and today I’m flipping through a coloring book I picked up on a whim at Five Below for five bucks. No high expectations, no hype—just curiosity and a willingness to potentially ruin it with experimental art supplies.

The book is Astrology Coloring by Anna Jaron (or at least that’s how I think it’s pronounced—astrology names always feel like they require a second passport). At $5, it felt like the perfect candidate for testing out new coloring techniques without risking my nicer books.

First Impressions: Pretty Art, Budget Price

Right away, the cover indicates what you’re getting: clean, decorative astrology-inspired artwork with a soft, mystical vibe.

Normally, books like this retail around $11.99–$14, so finding it for five bucks at Five Below is a pretty solid deal. It’s one of those rare cases where you feel you’ve successfully outsmarted the retail universe for once.

The art itself is genuinely nice. It leans more toward elegant and symbolic rather than chaotic or overly detailed.

A Zodiac Breakdown (Yes, All 12 Signs Are Here)

The book includes all twelve Western zodiac signs, each with its own themed illustration.

Some highlights:

• Cancer (yes, I paused there personally)
• Gemini and other classic zodiac symbols
• Scorpio designs with that signature sharp, mysterious energy
• Capricorn (apparently involving… goo? I have questions)
• Leo, Aries, Taurus, and the rest of the lineup

Each sign gets its own page, and the illustrations are consistent in style—decorative, slightly mystical, and very colorable.

Paper Quality: Better Than Expected

One thing that actually impressed me is the paper quality.

The pages are:

• Thick
• Smooth
• Surprisingly sturdy for a discount store find

This is not flimsy “bleed-through-in-two-seconds” paper. That said, I still wouldn’t go full chaos-mode with heavy water or alcohol markers without testing first.

Copic markers or very wet mediums might struggle unless you prep the page with something like gesso or another barrier layer. So this book sits in that middle zone: good quality, but not indestructible.

Beyond Western Astrology: A Whole Zodiac Buffet

This book doesn’t stop at the standard 12 signs. It expands into multiple cultural and symbolic systems, which is where things get interesting.

Chinese Zodiac

There’s a full set of Chinese zodiac animals included, and they’re honestly some of the most charming pages in the book.

You’ll find:

• Dragons
• Dogs
• Pigs
• Roosters
• And other familiar zodiac animals

It’s a fun mix of cute and symbolic, and it adds variety beyond Western astrology.

Element Pages: Fire Wins (Water… Not So Much)

The book also includes elemental themes:

• Earth
• Water
• Fire
• Air
• Wood
• Metal

Fire, unsurprisingly, looks amazing. Very dynamic, very strong visual design.

Air is cute and light.

Water… feels like it could’ve been more creative. It gets the job done, but it doesn’t quite have the same energy as the others.

Metal is an interesting inclusion, though—it’s not something you always see in elemental sets, so that was a delightful surprise.

Cultural Zodiac Systems Included

One of the more ambitious parts of this book is how many zodiac traditions it tries to include:

• Celtic zodiac
• Egyptian zodiac
• Mayan zodiac
• Native American-inspired zodiac references
• Vedic zodiac

Each section includes short descriptions, which is helpful if you’re not already familiar with them.

Some of these feel more familiar than others. The Celtic and Egyptian sections are especially interesting visually, while the Vedic section feels more abstract if you’re not already familiar with it.

Bonus Pages: Sun, Moon, and Symbolic Designs

Toward the end of the book, there are additional symbolic illustrations:

• The Sun and Moon
• An owl motif
• Plants and nature themes
• An astrologer figure
• A stargazing scene (with a cat, which automatically improves everything it touches)

These feel more like bonus creative pages rather than strict astrology references, but they fit the overall theme nicely.

So What’s the Catch?

Honestly, there isn’t much of a catch.

It’s not a perfect masterpiece coloring book, but it also doesn’t pretend to be one. It sits comfortably in the category of:

“Nice, affordable, and great for practice.”

That’s actually where it shines the most.

My Main Use Case: Experimental Art Practice

This is the key takeaway for me.

I didn’t buy this book because I was deeply invested in astrology lore or expecting high-end collector artwork. I bought it because:

• It was cheap
• The paper quality was decent
• The designs are good enough to experiment on

That makes it ideal for:

• Testing markers
• Practicing watercolor techniques (lightly)
• Trying new color palettes
• Just loosening up without fear of “ruining” a favorite book

Final Verdict

Astrology Coloring by Anna Jaron is a solid budget-friendly find.

It’s not the most complex or emotionally gripping coloring book on the shelf, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s clean, well-printed, visually pleasing, and most importantly—affordable enough that you don’t feel precious about it.

If you see it at Five Below, it’s absolutely worth grabbing, especially if you like astrology themes or just want a low-stakes book to experiment in.

Sometimes the best art books aren’t the ones you protect—they’re the ones you actually use.

Do you prefer coloring books you “save for later,” or ones you immediately start experimenting on? Let me know in the comments.

For more coloring book reviews, spooky art experiments, paranormal adventures, and creative chaos, visit darkwhimsicalart.com.