Top Ten Reasons I Pick Up YA Books

Judging a Book by Its Cover, Part 1

This week's list is motivated by my dear friend Nori of Nori's Closet, who composed the same list recently. Any excuse to ogle book covers is awesome, so I just had to make one of my own. Even though it often betrays me and covers can be exceedingly inaccurate, I will never stop judging them thusly. Instead of listing my top ten favorites, which would be a hard choice to make anyway, I decided to make a list of the top ten elements that attract me to YA books based on the cover.

10. Font Can Make All the Difference

Some book covers just would not work without the dramatic font used on the cover. I really love fonts anyway, so the fact that they made it onto my list is not surprising. Of course, they are generally used along with another element, which is even more eye-grabbing, so the ones reliant on font made the last category. I had never heard of Ruined, and probably won't read it, but the cover's lovely. Numbers does not have a special font, but it's just so perfect for the cover. Jane Eagland's covers are always (from the evidence of two I have seen) fantastic.

9. Surprise Faces

There is something really fun about covers that have something hiding. While I may not like what I find, I do enjoy the fact that there is in fact more to find. In I Capture the Castle's cover, there is a kissing couple in the clouds (lame find), Briar Rose has a face behind the thorns, and Sisters Red has a wolf face beneath the two girls.

8. Nerdiness FTW

A good nerdy reference can be the extra spice that makes a book really desirable to me. It can be something like some mathematical symbols or just a girl carrying a book, as all good girls should. Evil Genius reminds me of Harry Potter, because of the lightning bolt, although that's probably an accidental reference.

7. Closeup of a Strong Heroine

This is a category I had not realized held such appeal, until I made a list of covers I really liked. Revolution is great, because it gives you two strong heroines for the price of one. I think the closeup makes it more about the girl's strength and less about her looks, since you cannot evaluate her clothes and hair as much.

6. Elicits an Emotion

Sometimes it's not that the cover is pretty, although it usually is with my YA favorites, but that it perfectly conveys a particular mood or emotion. I have a love/hate relationship with two of these covers: Witch Child and Before I Fall. The Tomorrow, When the War Began cover I really just love, much like the book.

5. Dramatic Turns Looks Even Better with Fantastic Hair

Why is this so attractive? I don't really know to be honest. But I do know that a number of covers I liked were like this. It doesn't hurt that the girls tend to be wearing pretty dresses as well. Intellectually, I think these are kind of silly, but, aesthetically, so pretty!

4. Magical, Dramatic Colors

There's something about dark colors, which suggest drama, mystery and a bit of danger. I also noticed that they are apparently often purple. Which is interesting. I also want to note than absurdity does not stop the pretty, as evidenced by the Nightshade cover, which has absolutely nothing to do with the book's contents.

3. Oooh, Pretty Colors

A lovely color theme can attract me like a moth towards a shiny flame. Each of these books is the opening to a series and each subsequent book follows the theme of the first, but with a new color. Of course, covers often betray me, as none of these series have been a favorite. Matched is the best of them, and the sequel to Forever was better than the first book, but the Iron Fey series was a total waste of time.

2. I Will Want to Read Anything with a Pretty Dress on the Cover

I think the only reason I read all of the books in Anna Godbersen's Luxe series is that the dresses are so pretty. They're incredibly ridiculous and impractical, but that does not make them less shiny and pretty. Forgiven is not out yet; I found it on a list of books coming out this year and I loved the cover immediately. These covers appeal to my desire to get my princess on, in my mind at least.

1. Corsets Are Truly Breathtaking

While I would not want to wear a for reals corset (and by for reals I mean one that's so tight I faint), they are gorgeous. I want to read the Gemma Doyle series so badly, even though I tried and didn't like it, all because the covers are so gorgeous. Wildthorn was a good read, and definitely not like most YA lit. I think the appeal may lie in the laces.