Trending Thursday: Cover Trends: Rainbow Bright and Exploding Flowers


Welcome to Trending Thursday, a periodic Thursday feature in which I pick a YA trend and we debate and discuss.

I've noticed a newish cover trend that I liked at first, but now that I've seen more and more similar bright pastel covers, I'm beginning to feel like I ate too many jellybeans.

Brilliant Light of Amber Sunrise This Raging Light Will Never Let Her Go
Wrong Side of Right Under a Painted Sky Ana of California
The Brilliant Light of Amber Sunrise by Matthew Crow
This Raging Light by Estelle Laure
Ana of California by Andi Teran
The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne
Under a Painted Sky by Sherry Lee
Seed by Lisa Heathfield

First of all, I'm sure it's just a case of "great cover designer minds think alike," but some of those covers look way too similar for me to keep them straight.

And is anyone else getting a 90s toy vibe?

pic name pic name


Here's another trend that I've been seeing over the past few years: exploding flowers! Call me weird, but I kind of love the contrast between the beauty and the violence.

Silent Alarm Charlie Presumed Dead Black City
Husband's Secret Dark Song

Published in 2015:

Silent Alarm by Jennifer Banash
Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel

Published earlier:

Black City by Elizabeth Richards
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
Dark Song by Gail Giles

Rainbow Bright? Exploding Flowers?  Yes or No? Tell me in comments!

Comments

  1. Okay, the exploding flowers is such a cool trend, I can't believe I never noticed it before! Not so much a fan of the pastel covers though, and the eyes in Seed are just plain scary.

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    1. I made a Pinterest board of them a year or so ago, and I keep seeing them!

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  2. Hmm I like them both. I was thinking these covers could make pretty good wall displays. Not sure about Seed though. The face seems creepy.

    Ella @ The Filipina Booknote

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    1. It makes me think of Silence of the Lambs, with the face and the petal/wing thing over her mouth...

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  3. Can't say that I like either of those trends.

    All *trends* do is make pass over books either because I thought I already read it or they all become a blur and I lose interest.

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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    1. Yeah, I'm sure the lookalike covers are unintentional but they are way too similar!

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  4. Yes I have noticed colorful trend and love that you'd think of Rainbow brite :) I didn't realize that there was an exploding flowers one lol

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  5. I love the exploding flowers! I don't know why, maybe because of what you say about beauty and violence. But I don't like the colorful covers. I rather just one or two solid colors.
    However, I love to see book covers!

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    1. I love them too. Even though I feel sad for the flower...

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  6. Thanks for putting all of these together. I thought I kept seeing the same book over and over, but now I realize I wasn't.

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    1. Yeah, those rainbow ones are eerily similar!

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  7. How very perceptive of you! Excellent article <3 It's funny, I'm sure we're all looking at the same covers all the time, but it never would've occurred to me to keep an eye out for repetitive patterns :) And you're absolutely right about the flowers, that contrast IS delicious.

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    1. Thanks -- I started out doing Pinterest boards of similar covers and then incorporated it into my trend posts.

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  8. I do like the exploding flowers theme, but I'm over the rainbows. They seem kind of generic looking to me.

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  9. I love how you spot all these trends!! Hahaha 90s toy vibe for sure ;)

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    1. I read somewhere that unicorn toys are back!

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  10. I actually thought books one and two were the same book cause they are pretty similar. I like the bright colors. Which is saying a lot considering my favorite color is black. I also have a thing for those exploding roses...

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  11. YES TO EXPLODING FLOWERS. They're quite epic. XD And though the rainbows are catchy, they're not really my favourite. Too bright. *dons sunglasses* Give me my dark creepy shadows pleaseandthankyou.
    xD

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    1. Yeah, too many of those bright pastels are not so good...

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  12. I just got excited because I saw your My Little Pony picture hahahaha!! But you're right I'm totally getting that vibe! Also, they ALL look the same!! whats up with that? lol, definitely a trend. I don't really read many contemporaries so I probably won't read any but those covers are so prettyyy!
    Thanks for your kind tweet Jen <3

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    1. My Little Pony!!! However, those colors were designed to appeal to 5 year old girls. So there's that...

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  13. I love both of these haha. I love the simpleness of the bright colours and I'll always pick up a book like that. The exploding flowers are gorgeous and that's exactly why I bought Black City. Unfortunately the pretty cover is not enough to save that one. Unfortunate seeing as the other covers in the series are lovely too!

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    1. It's sad when you love the cover but are disappointed in the book!

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  14. I love the exploding flowers! However, the bright colors is very blinding haha

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    1. I love seeing them all together. I'm so weird!

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  15. Hah hah, too many jelly beans and exploding flowers. I like some of the covers pictured above like THE BRILLIANT LIGHT OF AMBER SUNRISE (wow, that's a mouthful) and THE HUSBAND'S SECRET, but taken together, especially the bright covers, it's kind of a lot.

    You're so good at spotting/gathering trends! Fascinating.

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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  16. LOL for 90s toy vibe! That's the best comparison I have seen and it's stop on. It really reminds me of that time and honestly I don't think I like it. I'm all for colors but this is not what I have in mind. About those flowers it was really nice Black City appeared, but now it's getting old. Great post :)

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  17. OKAY BUT THE WRONG SIDE OF RIGHT HAS SUCH A GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS COVER. I'd be lying if I didn't say that was 80% of the reason I needed to get my hands on it ;P

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  18. Remember Lisa Frank? That's what all of these colors remind me of! I definitely love this trend though, it's so eye-catching!

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  19. I love the pastels, The Wrong Side of Right & Under A Painted Sky both have beautiful covers. I see the explosion flowers quite often now. I love these posts!!

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  20. I also love the exploding flowers kind! It hints that something explosive is about to happen, and, like you said, the the contrast between beauty and violence has its charm. The rainbow thingy, I'm not exactly too sure about it...it kind of reminds me of candies and bubble gum, to be honest... not something I'm 100% a fan of! Haha.

    Faye at The Social Potato

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