Cover Cravings: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Title: Born Wicked
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Published: February 7th 2012 (Razorbill)
Click photo to see it full sized


I'm currently listening to this one on audiobook, but I'd like to talk about that awesome cover for a bit too. It was the cover that drew me in to pick it up (yes I know, I pick books because of their covers) and the fact that it's about witches. We need more books about witches! Vampires and werewolves bore me sometimes, while magic is something that's always refreshing.

From the cover you can't really tell this is about witches. There are no cool swirly things or sparkles or wands, the only indication it has magic in it is the subtitle "The Cahill Witch Chronicles". I like the title and its font - it's simple and short, yet very mysterious and appealing. Born Wicked? How can you be born wicked? It has an instant attraction that makes you want to know more about this book.

The main focus of the cover is the upside-down face with the flowers. The rest of the body is slightly out of focus, making the eyes pop out. I absolutely adore the colour composition of this cover. The mossy green outside, the bright white dress and the red and pink of the flowers underneath her blue eyes. I love the fact that even though the main character is apparently "born wicked", she is wearing a white dress which is a sign of purity. I'm not sure how much I like the dress itself - it's slightly too ruffed for my taste.

The main reason I love this cover so much is because it stands out from other YA covers. Blue, red and black are colours that are very hip right now, usually with a girl standing or running. I think this one looks very beautiful and inviting, everything a cover should be. I would love to have this one in hardcover so I could put it on my shelves.

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.

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Top 10 Book Covers of 2011

Organised by A Life Bound By Books, Confessions of a Bookaholic, Fiktshun and Two Chicks on Books, Top 10 of 2011 is an event to connect bloggers from all over to share their Top 10 lists. Make sure to visit one of their sign up posts.

Today I'll be sharing my favourite book covers. I haven't read all of these books, but I did drool over their pretty covers! Feel free to share your favourite covers below.

As always, the covers link to Goodreads.

Title: Hourglass

Author: Myra McEntire

Publisher: Egmond USA, 400 pages (June 14th 2011)

Everything from the pose, the dress, the hair is absolutely perfect. By far my favourite cover of 2011.

Title: So Silver Bright

Author: Lisa Mantchev

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 354 pages (September 13th 2011)

I love all the covers of the Théâtre Illuminata series. I read the first one, Eyes Like Stars this year and the inside matches the beautiful outside! 

Title: The Vespertine

Author: Saundra Mitchell

Publisher: Harcourt, 293 pages (March 7th 2011)

This book was also featured on yesterday's list as one of my favourite 2011 reads. It has a great historical atmosphere, and let's face it, I'm a sucker for dresses.

Title: Carrier of the Mark

Author: Leigh Fallon

Publisher: HarperTeen, 342 pages (October 14th 2011)

I love how the letters become white where her dress is. The cover has a simplicity that makes it very pretty. I haven't read this book, and I'm not sure if I want to. It sounds a bit like a Twilight-lookalike. It is set in Ireland though, which seems interesting... If you've read it, let me know what you think? (:

Title: Sweetly

Author: Jackson Pearce

Publisher: Little Brown, 312 pages (August 23rd 2011)

The branches make a creepy face! How cool is that. I read the first book in this standalone series, Sisters Red, and I really enjoyed it. This is a modernisation of Hansel and Gretel and the cover fits perfectly.

Title: The Replacement

Author: Brenna Yovanoff

Publisher: Razorbill, 343 pages (September 21th 2010)

I know I'm kind of cheating here because this version of the book was published in 2010. You can see the 2011 cover here. I very, very much prefer the old one. It looks so creepy and mysterious. A bit twisted and horror-ish in a not gross way.

Title: Forever

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic Inc, 390 pages (July 12th 2011)

All the covers in this series look soooo good in real life. I got the boxed set for Christmas and they're beautiful. A fun touch is that the font inside matches the colour of the cover. The letters in Forever are red for instance. I don't know how this will effect readability, but it looks good.

Title: Wise Man's Fear

Author: Patrick Rothfuss

Publisher: Gollancz, 994 pages (March 1st 2011)

I have a little crush on big books like this. It's one of the best epic fantasy covers I've come across. It has the character in a battle pose, but this one is more mysterious with the shadows and the autumn leaves.

Title: Everneath

Author: Brodi Ashton

Publisher: Harper Collins, 384 pages (January 24th 2012)

Okay, I know I'm cheating again here. It's not exactly published yet, but I did read it this year. I can tell you it's really good. My review will be up on the publication date. I love the red dress that matches the red letters, and that her dress looks to be turning to dust at the bottom.

Title: Darkness Becomes Her

Author: Kelly Keaton

Publisher: Simon Pulse, 273 pages (February 22nd 2011)

I have no idea why I like this one because it doesn't really resemble anything, yet I'm still very much drawn in by this one. I can't wait 'till the second part comes out!

What Makes a Good Cover?

Quite a while ago, Pavarti asked me to do a guest post on her blog, preferably about book covers. Now, a few months later, the post is finally there! I would like to thank Pavarti for letting me talk about my biggest passion of all time: books!

When you are standing in front of your local bookstore's fantasy section, or romance section, or whatever section is your favourite, there is one thing that immediately will catch your eye. The book covers. They all have different shapes, different colours, that make them unique. They will try to draw you in, mysteriously hinting at their insides. Some of them you will love instantly. Others will make you frown, or more likely, you won't even notice them. What makes a good cover?


Read my post on Pavarti's blog! >>

Covers: The Green Eye

Inspired by other blogs that compare covers that use the same image, I came across these similar pictures!

Rising Shadow by Jacquelyn Wheeler 

VS

12.21.12 by Killian McRae

I don't know what Rising Shadow is about, so I'm going to talk about these books purely coverwise.

The thing I like best about the Rising Shadow book is the way the green eye stands out in a rather darkened face. The title colours complement the eye beautifully, and I like the font chosen. The girl looks like she can look through you, know everything you're thinking. At the same time you don't know if you want this girl to know all your secrets. In a way she looks a bit feline, ready to pounce on you when you least expect it. The rather dark impression the picture gives me corresponds with the title this book is given. Overall I think this is a pretty good cover, it makes me curious to know more about this book.

The things I don't like about this cover are only a few small aesthetic annoyances. Why is her hair wet? That doesn't seem to have anything to do with the rest. Is it symbolical for something? To me she looks like she's just come out of the shower. I'm not really sure what we're supposed to read into that. Another thing that makes me frown a bit is the sparkly half moon underneath her eyes. Is she just extremely sweaty? Or did she put on glittery make up after the shower? I think this cover had been better off if they had refrained from putting that much make up on the model. She would have looked more fierce if she had only worn the black eyeliner.

Then we have the other cover featuring a green eye staring at us, 12.21.12. In this cover the green of the eye stands out because the rest of the cover is in general in dark earthy tones, and I think this contrast gives it a piercing look. The concentric tattoos that surround her eye give it even more attention. I like the placing of the title, giving us an unobstructed view of the girl. Just like the girl from Rising Shadow, she looks feral in a way, especially with the disarrayed strings of hair surrounding her face. This book is more mysterious, the title doesn't give away much and the drawings make you wonder. I like the mystery surrounding this book, and it definitely makes me want to pick it up.

There is something that's really weird and I don't think that it was the artists intention. The girl has no nose. It just doesn't seem to be there. Above her lips we can see a slight discolouring indicating that there is some way this girl can fill her lungs with oxygen, but to me the lack of some sort of bump in the middle of her face seems unnatural. The problem is most probably the lighting with which this picture is taken. It makes the cover a bit unnerving to watch once you've noticed it. And maybe it's just me, but she doesn't seem to be a lip gloss kind of girl. It doesn't really correlate with the earthiness of the rest of her countenance.

What do you think about these covers? Feel free to leave a message below (:

Note: 12.21.12 will be featured on NBR in a blog tour in March. 

Covers: the Fallen series by Lauren Kate

Recently, Lauren Kate unveiled the cover of the upcoming book, Passion, on her website.

The Fallen series has two of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen. I first spotted the cover of Fallen while browsing Goodreads. Something about it made me want to have this book, even though I had absolutely no idea what it was about. It kept haunting me in its beauty. It radiates a kind of sadness, despair, a sense of being alone. The dark woods surrounding the girl seem dangerous and dark. She's wearing a beautiful dress (always a plus). I like that we see her from the side. Her arm curves in a fluent shape, covering her face with her hands. Her hair, flowing from her back, adds some movement to the picture.

When Torment came out, I forgot all about Fallen. This cover is even better. The contrast between the cold bare background and her soft voluminous dress. Oh, that dress. And the shining healthy black hair that is even longer, falling in loose waves from her back. The point of view that shows off her tiny waist. The pose, the way her hands desperately go through her hair. The whole picture is balanced, even the font of the title goes with the feel of the picture. I love that she is standing in a barren, cold landscape. We seem to have kept the forest theme, but in this one it isn't as prominent as it was in Fallen. In real life, this cover is even prettier than on screen. When it came in through mail I sat down, put it in front of me, and just marvelled in the strength of this cover.

Having such a strong affection for these two books I couldn't wait for the Passion cover release. So, when it was finally there, I was a little bit disappointed. It is by no means a horrible cover. It's great. It just isn't as great as its predecessors. I like that there is a little touch of red added to the palette, but I think the clouds in the background should have stayed white-grey. That way the focus of the picture would have been the flower she is holding, and not the clashing unnaturally coloured background. The top of her dress is very pretty, but the rest of it lacks the volume the other two dresses had. Because of that it looks a bit like a tired dress, that has had its best days. Another thing that bothered me is that she doesn't seem to fit in her environment. It looks like she doesn't belong there at all. The gorgeous black hair I so often jealously beheld looks dull here. We finally get to see her face, but I think I liked the covers more when we couldn't. The model looks too skinny here. Her shoulders are hunched in a vulnerable way, making her arms look too thin and her hands too slender. Overall, she looks worn out, not passionate. She looks like she has just buried a loved one, she's fallen into depression, stopped eating and caring for herself, and she is now standing at the foot of his grave with a flower.

It still is a pretty cover, and there must have gone a whole lot of work into it, but I think it is just off. If this was another series, it would have been completely fine, but after two of those amazing covers, you expect something different. I feel sad for Passion. It is completely outshone by it's baby brothers Fallen and Torment. I am still curious for the fourth instalment of this series though. I have hope that Passion is a little detour, and that Rapture will blow us away completely.

Note: this is purely a review on the covers of these books and by no means represent my opinion on the content. Those will be discussed in separate reviews.