Cover Snark (27)

Welcome to Cover Snark, where we discuss covers freely and openly. Art is subjective, so feel free to love things I hated and vice versa. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! There are a ton of covers this week, so let's get started, shall we?

Ink (The Paper Gods #1) - Amanda Sun

Thoughts: Please don't hate me, but I'm not crazy in love with the art style. It's the girl that bothers me, though I don't know why. However, I do think the cover is just what it should be stylistically to go with the plot. Also, I freaking love the ink drips.

The Elite (The Selection #2) - Kiera Cass

Thoughts: Alright, I know I should be snarking all over the place, but I freaking love pretty dress covers. This dress has some issues (what's up with the hanging bits), but is still way more awesome than the blue one. Also, I find that shade of burnt orange so visually appealing. I also love that icy backgrouns still. Her hairstyle really doesn't suit the dress, and I do think the color is a little too close to the shade of her hair to be flattering. Also, that crown above the title is lame, and it doesn't blend in as well as the one on The Selection did.

Tidal (Watersong #3) - Amanda Hocking 

Thoughts: Goddamnit, cover designers, we have talked about this. Make sure you look at the prior book covers in a series before designing your cover. Eesh. The first two barely look like a series, and this one doesn't fit AT ALL. What's with the mood change? Why did we decide to stop with the pretty blue clovers in favor of this awful Lux + Altered style cover? Anyone able to tell me what's up with the feathers? Or why they're being spied on by a lighthouse? Or why they're only that deep in the water, but this is apparently a body of water boats regularly use, since there's a lighthouse? Also, where's he reaching???

Eternal Hope (The Hope Series #2) - Frankie Rose 

Thoughts: Tropeity trope trope. Seriously, this is like all of the ridiculous elements of YA paranormal romances combined: shadow person, terrible filigree, shirtless broody guy, tattoo, ridiculous title font, and SHINY HANDS. Why are there so many YA books about guys with glowing hands?

Phoenix (Black City Chronicles #2) - Elizabeth Richards

 Thoughts: Okay, so, first off, let me say that this cover is beautiful. The color of the feathers and the perfection of the flames are balling. My issue, though, is that I really have no clue what either of these covers has to do with the books. I've read Black City and there was nary an exploding flower, and, so far as I know, phoenixes are absent. Oh well, they are visually arresting, and every cover doesn't need to be literal, I suppose. I do not like that they moved the author name to the bottom, and I don't think the boring title font works as well on this cover as it did on Black City. Also, why would the feather be reflected like that? It makes no sense! On the water maybe, but on the city and the sky too?

Awoken - Timothy Miller

 Thoughts: Pretty good. I like it from a distance, and I'm hugely creeped out by the shadows at the bottom. Things that bother me: the random red in the middle of the O, the creepy faces on the edges, the strip of white between the gold border and the main image on the right side.

Dead Things - Stephen Blackmoore

Thoughts: Another UF for men. The art style is a little weird. I'm not a huge fan of pictures of people that almost look real. It creeps me out. I feel like this would be better with a bit more crispness in the background.

Agave Kiss (Corine Solomon #5) - Ann Aguirre

Thoughts: Okay, most of the covers for this series are simply awful, particularly for book one. Add in some model changes and that weird hairstyle on Devil's Punch and these are a hot mess. This one's pretty good so far as this series goes. Of course, this one, like the others, still looks like it's for a 90s books, what with the short, stomach-baring shirt. The background couls look less fake and the model could look less like she's checking herself out in the mirror, but this could be worse.

The Amber Light (Beyond Humanity #1) - Becky-Elizabeth Searson 

Thoughts: As an indie, I guess it's good. The image is high quality, but I feel like the various elements just fon't fit together. From the look of the model, I'm thinking something pirate-y, but the font treatments are so fruity and lame. I can't even. The electric blue eyes are not doing the cover any favors.

Mr. Real (Code of Shadows #1) - Carolyn Crane

 Thoughts: GROSS! ICK! I hate this. So much. Giant, hairy, sweaty, burly man, who's apparently on fire. *shudders*

Mind Raider (The Anomaly Trilogy #2) - Anna Hackett 

Thoughts: You can tell she's a mind reader because she grips her head. This does remove some of the usefulness of the talent, since people will always know when you're eavesdropping on their mind, but what can you do? Also, are her hands creepy or am I weird?

Dark Halo (Angel Eyes Trilogy #3) - Shannon Dittemore 

Thoughts: Yet another series where the books in no way look like they belong together. They're all awful in their own unique ways. This one features a guy coyly using an angels wing as a fan. He has lovely fake blue eyes like the girl up above, and the longest, sootiest ashes ever.

Enlightened (The Light Tamer #2) - Devyn Dawson

Thoughts: Apparently this is the week of non-matching covers. The first one looks like a YA contemporar, and this one looks paranormal, or maybe like the cover to an edgy yoga book. Those issues aside, Enlightened is a decent indie paranormal cover. I do like the background.

Half Lives - Sara Grant

Thoughts: I like it. OMG second girl upside down! I love surprise images. Awesomeness.

Red - Alison Cherry

Thoughts: Sassy red head? Heck yes! Also, it fits the blurb PERFECTLY.

Wild Awake - Hilary T. Smith

 Thoughts: I love when designers can make contrasting covers work. Orange and purple ought to look awful, but I like it here. Very dramatic and sure to stand out on the shelf. I'm not sure what's up with the model's pose, though. Mid dance move?

Rush, Fever & Burn (Breathless #1-3) - Maya Banks

Thoughts: More authors are hopping on the erotica train, since it goes to the land of monies. These covers are pretty, but weird. Like why does Fever have ice? Fevers are hot, right? Or have I been laboring under a misapprehension all these years?

A Touch of Scarlet (Unbound #2) - Eve Marie Mont

Thoughts: I just don't like this one as much as the first cover. I just love the shiny purple dress! I do like the red shawl a lot, but otherwise I'm a little bored. I hoped for more!

Fractured (Slated #2) - Teri Terry

 Thoughts: There's no blurb yet that I can find, which means I don't know if I should hate this for having a different cover model. I like how these work as a series for sure, though. The tag line is lame, but otherwise, this is pretty good.

Dance of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death #2) - Bethany Griffin

Thoughts: Okay, I don't like this one as much as the first, but it's still awesome. Parasol trumps fan and red is creepier than purple. I love these covers, though, and they totally fit the story! That dress does not flatter her at all, am I right?

Legacy (Night School #2) - C.J. Daugherty

 Thoughts: The French version of the cover for book two in the Night School series was revealed last week. It matched book one, and this one doesn't AT ALL. I do like the creepy school. I don't like that her hair is a different shade of red or that it's ALMOST the same as the color of the font treatment but not quite.

The Fall of Arthur - J.R.R. Tolkien

Thoughts: Tolkien + King Arthur? Hell to the yes! The cover fits the theme of Tolkien's non-LOTR covers pretty well, and does the whole knighthood thing. It's not super exciting, but solid.

Afterglow (Wildefire #3) - Karsten Knight

Thoughts: I like this one. The Embers & Echoes cover never really did it for me, but this one's almost as cool as Wildefire's. The one thing I don't like is the title treatment. I actually really like the way the title is done on book one, dainty, and probably shiny. This font they're using for the other two looks a little too comical for my tastes.

Cover Battle: The Dead and the Buried - Kim Harrington

First Attempt vs. Redesign: Usually, it's pretty evident why a cover's been taken back to the drawing board, even if the second attempt fails. In this case, I have no clue why they redid this one. I think the first attempt is much prettier, creepier and more unique. Oh well.

Cover Battle: Fearless (Reckless #2) - Cornelia Funke 

First Attempt vs. Redesign: Much as I love the first one, I can see why they would redesign: the cover didn't match Reckless' cover. Unfortunately, while the new one's cool too, it isn't as awesome as the first one AND still fails to match any of the Reckless covers.

Cover Battle: Easy - Tammara Webber

Indie vs. Penguin: Penguin purchased the phenomenally popular Easy and just barely changed the cover. I don't know about you, but they shouldn't have bothered. I like original font treatment for the title better.

Cover Battle: Doomed - Tracy Deebs

First Attempt vs. Redesign: Well, I didn't like the first cover, but all of a sudden I am overcome with nostalgia for it. This is the week for stupid redesigns.

Double Vision: A Temptation of Angels - Michelle Zink / Weaving Magic - Mindy Hardwick

Thoughts: Two things that aren't good ideas in creating your indie cover: using stupid font, using an image that is easily recognizable from a better cover. Wah wah.

WTF of the Week: Who Peed on My Yoga Mat?: More Stories from a Perfectly Imperfect Life - Lela Davidson

 Thoughts: I believe the words you're searching for are 'lol whut.'

Bonus WTF of the Week: GPS with Benefits - Vanessa Morgan

  Thoughts: For the safety of yourself and other motorists, it is recommended that you use your TimTim only when the car is stopped.

Outstanding Cover of the Week: Half Lives by Sara Grant