Hello everybody. I want to preface this blog with an announcement. Starting this month, I will be doing a post 4 times a month (barring any setbacks) and I will be revamping my content. The posts will go up on Tuesdays, skipping the first week if the month has 5 Tuesdays. Every month I will have content for both readers of my books and fellow authors, as well as bonus personal type content like today’s post. I will also be attempting some features in the coming months. If you have any questions or topic suggestions, let me know!
On to today’s topic: book covers. Today I’m sharing my top five favourite book covers and detailing why I like them. (These are only covers of books I own and I will only be featuring one book per series)
1. A Million Worlds with You (Firebird Trilogy book 3 by Claudia Gray)
Okay, I’m not even sure if I need to explain this one because hello? Who could argue with me? But... To put things in perspective, this book is about dimension travel. Every time the main character, Marguerite, hops into another dimension, she has to occupy the body of that version of herself, which means being wherever they are in the world. So the book involves a lot of different countries/cities and these settings are always showcased on the cover, one right side up and one upside down. In this case, it’s Rome and Outerspace. The book covers also always have such a vivid splash of colour on the front and back, which is reflected on the book itself, not just the jacket. This book is yellow. All in all, I think the covers do a great job of illustrating what the book is about and drawing you in.
2. Fire Star (The Last Dragon Chronicles book 3 by Chris D’Lacey)
This might seem like an odd addition to some of you, but let me explain. This series follows these clay dragons that come to life and eventually full sized dragons straight from the myths. Each book features a different dragon from the books and they’re always so well detailed. This one is my favourite because it’s red. Another super cool detail is that the dragons on the cover always have symbols in their eyes. In this case, it’s the fire star.
3. This Savage Song (The Monster’s of Verity book 1 by Victoria Schwab)
I was very tempted to put all of Schwab’s books on this list, but I felt that wouldn’t be fair, so I picked my favourite. I just love the vibe this book puts out. The blood red. The silhouette of the violin. The cityscape in the background. It all fits the book so well. This Savage Song is about a city full of monsters with lots of death(hence the blood red) and one of the main characters is a monster who steals human souls by playing a violin (hence the violin) And on top of that, I love the chosen typeface.
4. Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass book 4 by Sarah J. Maas)
Again, could’ve included all the book in the series, but here is my favourite. I love the reddish background that kind of hints and the growing darkness of the series. Then of course, there’s our main character who is always featured on the cover. On the front, she’s always in some kind of battlegear that is featured in the book and on the back she’s always in a dress featured in the book. I loved the mirrored affect of the front and back covers and how the clothing actually has meaning. Oh and the weapons are usually particular to the book as well.
5. Ruin and Rising (The Grisha Trilogy book 3 by Leigh Bardugo)
For those of you wondering why Ruin and Rising is on this list and not Six of Crows (whose cover is far superior) it’s because I have yet to read Six of Crows and I don’t feel I can properly judge the cover without reading the book. So with this cover, I like the red (have you guys noticed a theme with that?) This is the conclusion of the trilogy, so that red packs a punch. I love the russian style castle in the background and the typeface chosen. The thing that really stands out with this cover is the Phoenix. For those of you who don’t know, in each book in this series the main character is in search of some legendary creature. In this book, it happens to be the phoenix.
And I don’t think it would be right to end a post about covers without adding and explaining my own. So Silent Night cover is a dark greyish blue which adds to the aesthetic of the novel and points to the grey areas between good and bad. I also feature my main character with her assassin gear and a sword to give readers a feel for her. In the background is the dying city of Haven where the story takes place. One of my favourite parts of this cover is the feather at the top which is a symbol in the story.
As you can see there are a few main things to consider when creating or choosing a cover: colour, symbols, settings, and characters. I personally think colours and symbols are the most important. Colours can give readers a first impression without consciously thinking about it and symbols are great for aha moments when readers reach the part where they are implemented.
Let me know what your favourite cover of all time is and stay tuned for next week’s post on the best and worst writing advice I’ve ever received.
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