Cover Lover (or Hater)- October Edition

I started this feature because I love to look at book covers!  And I love to judge them!  Everyone judges covers whether they realize it or not.  Sometimes certain colors will draw your eye (like Pink for me!), while other times something on a book cover will remind a person of something that is deeply personal to them.  Covers can make someone pick up a book that they never would normally... or it can make you think a book is SO not for you even though it might totally be.  Basically a good cover is really important and I respect the difficulty it must be to come up with that just right cover for a new book.

Here are my opinions on the month of October 2013 book covers and check out my post about September covers if you want more :)

1.  Pemeditated

by Josin Mcquein

-This is one of those covers that made me want to read the book (I haven't yet, but I want to!).  Sure I have seen books with the whole broken glass idea on the cover before, but I love how everything behind the glass is blurred and then her eye is like "bam".

Verdict:

2.  Parasite

by Mira Grant

-How cool is this cover?  I LOVE how creative and fun this is.  The colors are awesome, it goes with the theme of the book (which is ...), and it's unique.  Two thumbs up from me!!

Verdict:

3.  How to Love

by Katie Cotugno

-I am so middle of the road on this one.  I love the colors and I feel like that makes it eye catching.  On the other hand, while I totally appreciate simplicity, this one is borderline too simple.  The only thing I get from this is Contemporary (and that's because of the title).  It has pretty colors, but leaves me wanting more.

Verdict:

4.  Perfect Ruin

by Lauren DeStefano

-I LOVE THIS!!  I love the navy with the red.  I love the font.  I love the tree branches with the gears and other do-dads hanging around.  The only thing I'm not obsessed with is the girl.  I'm not a fan of faces on covers and I don't like her hair-do.  I also don't like how she blurs out at the bottom, it looks too Photoshopped (I like my Photoshop to look seamless and real).  I really think I'm a sucker for swirly, decorative stuff around corners of books as there are quite a few that I love solely for that.

Verdict:

5.  Just One Year

by Gayle Forman

-I really really liked the cover of Just One Day (the first book).  That cover was a picture of a girl shown through the glass front of a cafe.  I liked the way her face looked and how the watch on her wrist was kind of a centerpiece.  This one is just okay for me.  I don't like kissing covers for the most part and the dude looks like John Mayer (who I think is a colossal douche).  Plus I'm getting a brother-sister vibe from this couple... they just look too much alike.

Verdict:

6.  One Crow Alone

by S.D. Crockett

-There is something about black tree branches that I find SO pretty.  Where I live in the late fall, after all the leaves are gone from the trees, you see the most beautiful sunsets because the trees look truly black against the blue, yellow, and purple skies.  I wish I could take a picture of how it looks, but I'm lazy and I would have to get out there ahead of time and set up a tri-pod and when will I ever feel like doing that?  Anyway this book... like I said I'm biased because black tree branches against a sky is one of my fav images ever.  I can see how some people might not be in love with this cover... but I am!  I think it's super pretty and simple and creepy.  The only thing I would change is maybe the font.

Verdict:

7.  The Dollhouse Asylum

by Mary Gray

-I think this is what you would call a cover win.  The first time I saw this cover I was like "I need to read this book!!".  It was only after reading many reviews that I realized I only wanted to read it because of the cool cover.... so I decided not to read it.  But the fact that the cover made me want to read a genre that I usually shy away from says something.  I think this cover is really cool and even pretty in a way.  I love the white with the pale skin of the girl.  It all just works.  I'm not sure what it has to do with the book, but it's cool.

Verdict:

8.  Relic

by Heather Terrell

-I don't know what it is with dystopians and covers like this.  There is a crew of dystopians that seem to have taken a step back to the mid-nineties with their covers.  I think this one is totally boring, forgettable, and looks dated.  And stop with the whole gold government symbol/seal dystopian designers!  I'm over it!

Verdict:

9.  Fault Line

by C. Desir

-LOVE!!!  This is the type of cover that I love.  Simple, but still super creative and pretty.  I love the contrasting colors!  I'm not sure what a lighter has to do with the story?  Does it have meaning to the story?

Verdict:

10.  The Brokenhearted

by Amelia Kahaney

-It's a story about a girl who is given a bionic heart, so this fits that pretty well I would say.  I think it's cool how dark it looks and how it gives me a sense that no good can come from the heart.

Verdict:

11.  Pretenders

by Lisi Harrison

- I read this and really really liked it.  It was funny and crazy and very Pretty Little Liars-ish.  Sort of.  But I don't think this cover goes with the book.  Yes the book is written in journal form and you have the whole background being the journal.  But it's giving me more "I write for the newspaper" than "this is my journal".  Black, white, and red do look good together, but I just don't think this cover does the book justice.

Verdict:

12.  Blackout

Robison Wells

-LOVE!!!  I have no clue how it goes with the book, but I think it's SO PRETTY!!

Verdict:

13.  Made of Stars

by Kelley York

 -LOVE!  I think I'm a sucker for snowy book covers.  And I love how the snow looks like a starey sky at the same time.

Verdict:

Other Covers

Red by Alison Cherry

-Okay clearly this isn't the most creative cover ever... but I think it's fun.  I like the whole Pretty Little Liars "shhh" thing going on because this book is all about a huge secret.  I just find this cover fitting for the book.
Verdict: Like Not Love

In the Age of Love and Chocolate (Birthright #3) by Gabrielle Zevin
-No I'm not feeling this one.  The girl on the cover is supposed to be 18, but to me she looks at least 28.  Also I'm not getting a dystopian vibe to this.  I really liked the first book in this series... but book 2 and 3 are just blah.
Verdict: Meh, Series Downgrade

Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory

-No.  It's dull and boring and what even is it??  It's about a girl that gets involved with troubled twins.  How does this say that?  To me it says weird 1/3 of a face that looks like a potato or something.
Verdict: Not Feeling It

The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

-This totally reads mystery/thriller to me... and that's good because that's exactly what it is.  But I just feel like I've seen it before?
Verdict: Meh

Bang (Visions #2) by Lisa McMann

-I love the covers to this series.  I think this is supposed to be Sawyer's eye... and I think I'm a little jealous of his long girly eyelashes!  I know eyes are being done a lot recently, but I think this series does them well.

Verdict: Cover Love

Season of the Witch by Mariah Fredericks

-Here we go AGAIN with the thin white handwritten font!  Like I said last month... please stop with this font!
Verdict: Not Feeling It

Eat Brains Love by Jeff Hart

-I like this!  The title and the cover art are like a joke that the author is in on.  I like people who can have fun and play... and this is definitely a playful way to do a zombie book!

Verdict: Creativity Factor, Like Not Love

21.  Finding It

by Cora Carmack

-WTF of the week: So obviously I'm not going to love this.  An entire 1/3 of the book is dedicated to self-promotion.  WTF?  And did we really need another couple kissing?  But at the same time it's SO much better than the first cover which made me feel like a voyeur/peeping tom.  This whole series needs redesigned.

Verdict:

So this is my take on the YA October covers.  What do you think of these??