Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Cover Lover (or Hater)- November 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 books from way back in the month of November 2013 book covers (cause I got behind on this SORRY!!) and check out my previous posts if you want more :)




1.  The Naturals
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

-This one just does not feel YA to me.  I like the idea of the police tape/present thing going on there, but I want to look at a book and know if it's adult or YA.


Verdict:







2.  Ketchup Clouds
by Annabel Pitcher

-I may be biased because I loved this book and I also have a dress that looks exactly like the one the girl in the cover is wearing.  I definitely think the cover did it's job though because it is one of the main things that got me interested in reading the book (that and the title is really attention catching too!).  Also birds have a significance to the story so it's not just there for nothing.

Verdict:








3.  After Eden
by Helen Douglas

-Meh.  The book is about a girl who falls for the new guy who happens to secretly be from the future and is on a mission to stop the girl's BGF from discovering something that will have big consequences on the future.  This cover does not say that to me at all.  This cover says 1996 and maybe something supernatural.

Verdict:







4. Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always
by Elissa Janine Hoole

-Not the most original cover I've ever seen, but I like it.  It's pretty, and it's simple, and it definitely says Contemporary and Coming of Age.

Verdict:







5.  Pawn
by Aimee Carter

-Oh I love this one!!  I love the blue and the gray.  I love the font.  I love the eye.  I wish more dystopians looked like this!

Verdict:







6.  Crash Into You
by Katie McGarry

-I like this one.  Cars are a big part of both of the characters in book lives, so it's pretty much perfect for them to be lying in one.  I don't think I'm a big fan of all those TOES though... creeping me out!!

Verdict:








7.  Engines of the Broken World
by Jason Vanhee

-Definitely a creepy sounding book with a cover to match!!  Those hands!!  The only thing I don't love is how over Photoshopped the top colors look.

Verdict:






8.  Splendor
by Elana K. Arnold

-I'm a sucker for cute outfits.  The dress is so pretty and I love the colors.  It's definitely a simple cover, but I think it works. 

Verdict:







9.  The Fiery Heart
by Richelle Mead

-Oh these Richelle Mead books!!  They all just need redesigned pronto!  Like what is this, a still from Days of Our Lives?  And the font with the flowery designs around it??  ICK!


Verdict:





10.  Loud Awake and Lost
by Adele Griffin

-I love this.  The hair in the face, the darkness to it with the pop of color on the lips.  I think it's eye catching.

Verdict:







11. The Captive Maiden
by Melanie Dickerson

-I like it.  It's OK.  The girl is pretty.  Her dress is pretty.  The scenery is pretty.  The font is pretty.  That's it though, it's just pretty.  Nothing I haven't seen before :(

Verdict:







12.  Save the Enemy
by Arin Greenwood

-This is a cool looking cover.  It doesn't really scream YA Mystery/Thriller or anything, but I can get over that because of all the pretty/creepy colors!!

Verdict:






13. The F- It List
by Julie Halpern

-It's not my personal favorite, but I do think it's eye-catching and unique.  The way the curse word is ripped out and the notebook paper are cool... I just don't know if I'm feeling the beach scene at the bottom.  It seems out of place.

Verdict:







Other Covers


Horizon (The Soul Seekers #4) by Alyson Noel
-This whole series has pretty covers.  I haven't heard the best things about the books themselves, but I can't deny a pretty cover :)  Girl on Fire rip off though???
Verdict: Ohh It's So Pretty, Like Not Love

Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu
-I like the covers for book 2 and 3 much better than the first book.  That one was just too much like every other dystopian out there.  This one is cool looking.
Verdict: Series Upgrade, Like Not Love

The Lair (The Farm #2) by Emily McKay
-I think it goes nicely with the first book.  It looks like the same girl on both covers.  But I'm not like amazed by it or anything.
Verdict: Meh.

Broken by CJ Lyons
-Definitely have seen this one before.  Many many times.  Not that I don't think it's pretty looking, I'm just bored.
Verdict: Meh.

Firebrand (Elemental #2) by Antony John
-Holy Divergent rip off!!!
Verdict: Confused, Not Feeling It

The Wicked Game by Michelle Zink
-I like it a lot.  Cool looking metal fence and striking eyes.  What I'm wondering is I read somewhere that the narrator is a person of color and the girl on here is totally white.  WHY??
Verdict: Confused, Not Feeling It (if the narrator thing is true, that's why I'm not feeling it... we need to have other ethnicities represented on book covers!!!)

Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School #2) by Gail Carriger 
-I love the covers for this series!  I love the wallpaper in the background and how the girls on both covers look fierce.  I also love the way the "&" is woven through the words.
Verdict: I'm in Cover Love

Revelations (The Elysium Chronicles #2) by J.A. Souders
-I like this cover better than the first one, but both are kind of ehhh.  I think this one is more modern, which I'm guessing signifies her going to the Surface.  But it's just kind of plain.
Verdict: Meh.

Twinmaker (Twinmaker #1) by Sean Williams-I don't hate it, but I don't really like it either.  I think books like The Lying Game and Minders have done this concepts better.  And I don't like the black background.Verdict: Not Feeling It.



HOLY WTF:


A Stranger Thing
(Ever-Expanding Universe #2)
by Martin Leicht & Isla Neal

-WTF of November: This is happening, right??  There really is a girl up there in pleather pants shooting some sort of ray-gun while holding a baby, right???  I'm not imagining it?  Tagline: "Parenting can be a real Mother."  Nice.  I know this series is not serious... it's supposed to be silly and funny but still WTF??





So this is my take on some of the YA books that came out in November 2013.  What do you think about these covers??  Any that you just love?  Any that you just can't take?

11 comments:

  1. A Stranger Thing? Nope, don't think there is. That is bad, just really, really bad.

    I do love the covers for Splendor and Pawn though! And Champion, I love the whole creepy dead rose thing it has going on :)

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  2. I so agree with so many of yoru thoughts. especially on The Naturals... it looks more adult to me... and A Stranger thing.... what??? I liked the firset book cover... the original one. I am not much on the redo.

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  3. I completely missed the eye on the Pawn cover!! Now I can't not see it! Haha

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  4. This is so fun! My favorite two cover are Ketchup Clouds and The F It List, both are unique and very eye catching. That last one is just up absurd!

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  5. I think I enjoyed your picture graphics you made over the covers HAHAH

    And yeaaaaaah, what is with that cover for A Stranger Thing. Er, STRANGE lol

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    1. Thank you!! I am not the best at making graphics, but I try :)

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  6. I love this feature and I agree with you on so many of these! The Naturals can be a bit confusing, but I personally love the police box and tape, it's so cute! After Eden's cover makes me cringe, haha!

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  7. This is such a cool feature! I agree with you about not liking the cover for The Fiery Heart very much :( I personally love the cover for The Captive Maiden, though! Pawn also has a super cool cover, especially underneath it's dust jacket. Great post :)

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  8. Even though I did not love Ketchup Clouds, I do love the cover.

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  9. Ooh I love the Pawn cover! I never noticed there was an eye until you pointed it out. A Stranger Thing is just plain weird though. Love this feature!

    Under The Mountain

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