Lookalike Covers:
I'm always a believer that great minds can think alike, but I also think covers that are too similar can cause confusion. When I saw the cover for The August 5, I really thought it was a new installment in the Witch and Wizard series. And if we are talking trends, these are both variations on the Great Balls of Fire cover trend, which I've talked about in a prior blog post.
I'm not sure if someone put these books in front of me with no context, I'd guess that these were YA. Especially a book called "Young Widow's Club." (I'll have a lot more to say about this book next week when I review it.)The sister cover is pretty, but to me its brightness doesn't really fit the dark themes of the book, which is about a sister suicide pact. (Can't read that one, but if you have, let me know your thoughts in comments.)
Favorite Recent Cover Reveal:
I've loved all the covers in this series. I should point out that they fall into the trend of Watercolor Covers, which what I called covers that have a lot of white space and contrasting bright colors in this past cover post. I'm really, really excited for this book.
What are some of your favorite (or least favorite) recent covers? Tell me in comments so I can check them out!
Those first two are way too similar. I agree about those next two looking very women's fiction - especially The Sister Pact. Love the last cover!!
ReplyDeleteSimilar covers just confuse me. I mean, I know I am easily confused but ....
DeleteThere was a book that's coming out and it had the same typography as Vengeance Road. The two are and will forever be interchangeable in my head!
ReplyDeleteOoh - I don't know what that one is, but I'll keep an eye out for it!
DeleteOh, I hadn't seen The Raven King - goodness gracious, talk about flawlessness! Thanks, Jen :)
ReplyDeleteI love those covers!!
DeleteI am absolutely fREAKING OUT with love for the Raven King cover!! SQUEEEEEE. My favourite covers will always be the more artistic kinds. Like Made You Up and A Thousand Pieces of You and the Raven Cycle books. They just feel like art and a book at the same time, and considering I spend more time with a book on my shelf than in my hands, I'm quite happy to be severely fond of cover love. ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree. Covers that are art are just the best of both worlds.
DeleteI haven't read any of the Raven Boys books but those covers are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI know covers go through trends and maybe there is evidence of sales to back up the theory but for me I start glazing over books that have similar covers. Or forget what I've read.
Karen @For What It's Worth
When I studied abroad way back when, the woman who was my host mom loved romances and because we were both big readers we'd go to the public library together. And because all the Harlequin covers (and the descriptions) were so similar, she would put a little "x" inside the covers of the ones she read so she wouldn't forget. Back then I thought she was a little senile, but now that I'm a blogger I understand. If a cover is too generic or too similar to another cover, I sometimes can't remember if I've read a book...
DeleteI'm a fan of The Raven Boys series covers - gorgeous! I recently came across the cover for Stone Field by Christy Lenzi that I really like but have not come across any others similar. I remember in the 80's how I loved HR and the covers, of course, we all heaving bosoms and bare manly chests, lol :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for The Raven King. Maggie Stiefvater is going to CRUSH OUR FEELINGS. (I sound like a real sadist here, don't I?)
ReplyDeleteI adore this feature - it's so, so fun to talk about book covers. And I agree with your first two points - lookalike covers are annoyingly misleading, as are adult covers that look like YA! Side note: I hadn't heard of The Sister Pact, but now my interest is piqued. I've only read one book dealing with suicide pacts that I can remember (My Heart and Other Black Holes, which I LOVED), and I'd like to read another, even though the cover doesn't really match the content.
ReplyDeleteThe Raven King is definitely one of my fav recent covers! I also loved the cover for Outrun the Moon.
ReplyDeleteAlso The Sister Pact looks SUPER YA to me but the cover for The Young Widow's club does remind me of some covers I've seen in the Women's Fiction genre.
Thanks for sharing, Jen! :)
Rashika @ The Social Potato
You lost me at sister suicide pact... What the heck!?!?!?! Doesn't sound like a book, I'll read either. Similar covers can be confusing. I agree the cover should match the theme of the book!
ReplyDeleteThe Raven King cover is an absolute marvel. On top of being art in its own right and matching the other covers so well, the covers in this series have always been a bit of a mystery, too - which I think adds a whole new dimension of AWESOME to them. Why the raven on book one? You read and you find out. Is that Ronan on book 2? You read it and find out. What's up with book 3? And so on. The titles are the same way. But then, it is my favorite series, so I'm entirely partial.
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly about this new YA Contemporary trend where the covers tend (a) not to match the content, and (b) to resemble a Danielle Steel book a bit too closely. I imagine that (b) is subjective, but I doubt anyone likes their cover deceiving them as far as the actual genre and content of the book.
- Lexie @ The Honest Bookclub