Bead Fantasies II expands the fashion beading repertoire of Takako Samejima's earlier book, Bead Fantasies, There is more of an emphasis on central motifs, such as the clover, several flowers, wreath, dome, snowflake, and crown, while the earlier book featured intricate seed bead chains. Also, you'll find many ideas specifically for beaded rings in Bead Fantasies II. The designs are upscale, featuring gemstones and crystals interlaced with seed beads.

The first part of the book teaches motifs, followed by patterns incorporating those motifs, and then a section of ideas for different types of jewelry (rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, cell phone straps, and brooches). The back of the book covers basic techniques and tools. The color photos of the finished pieces are beautiful. Each project includes a materials list, step-by-step numbered instructions, and colored diagrams. The text size for the instructions is clear, but in a small typeface. In other words, there are a ton of projects packed into 84 pages, but if you have trouble reading small text, be aware that might present a problem for you.

I'd recommend this book for anyone from intermediate through advanced. The pictures and instructions are clear enough for a beginner, but some of the patterns are complex and you'll want familiarity with materials to be able to make suitable choices for the materials. The designs are flirty, fashionable, and fun. It's a nice addition to a beading library, particularly if you enjoy Japanese designs. Personally, I love the snowflake necklace design made using different sizes of bicone crystals, and would buy the book just for that. I also like how the author takes a design and shows how it will look using completely different types of beads. If you've made designs from a Japanese-translated-into-English book before, you'll realize bead substutitions sometimes have to be made. In this book, you can get a good idea what your designs will look like when you explore choices of materials.

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