Cover Cravings: Rapture by Lauren Kate

Title: Rapture

Author: Lauren Kate

Published: June 12th 2012 (Delacorte Books)

Click photo to see it full sized

A long time ago I did a cover review of the Fallen series. I didn't like the last cover, the cover of Passion, and I just kind of forgot my whole fangirling towards these covers.

But as I was looking for some nice 2012 releases I came across the Rapture cover. It would be too subtle to say it blew me away. My mouth just fell open, and I might have made a "ohhhh" sound. The cover of Rapture is BEAUTIFUL. It's everything I could have wanted.

It's stunning at first glance, but even after seeing it a lot it doesn't lose its charm. I'm so glad the strange red accents from the Passion time are gone and that the cover has returned to its original grey-blue colour scheme. Still it doesn't feel as dark as the other covers in the Fallen series, and I'm glad for that. Doom and gloom is perfect, but if you're sticking with a series this long, you want them to get a bit of happiness too.

The first thing that stands out between the other Fallen covers is that the dress the Rapture girl wears is white. All the other dresses were black. Maybe it stands for something? Maybe that Luce finally comes to terms with her former selves, therefore being finally whole and pure again.

I am a big sucker for beautiful dresses, and this is definitely one. I love how the wind just subtly plays with the ruffles at the bottom, adding some more volume. The dress is pretty tight around the waist, which is necessary for this picture to work. I'm not really sure what that big patch of white cloth is under her right arm, but I guess most dresses just aren't made to raise your arms in.

The pose is pretty weird when you start to think about it. With her right hand she's kind of scratching her head and with the left it looks like she's throwing a pebble. The only way to rectify this kind of pose is if she's stumbling out there in that barren landscape looking for something or someone she's lost. I kind of like to think of her like that. Like she her loved one has been stolen away from her and she's venturing into dangerous lands to find him back.

As always, the font of the cover title and author name look nice while not taking away any attention from the picture itself. The little swirl under the title has the kind of underestimated beauty that I love to have on a cover. If it's too much in your face, it won't look nice any more.

I'm very glad of the direction the covers have taken. With a little bad apple in Passion, the Fallen series are all stunning covers that tell a story that might even be better than the story they actually hold. I'm very glad to have these on my shelves.

***