I Always Judge a Book by Its Cover

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma. This design demonstrates the importance of perspective. Tilt the cover 90 degrees and you’d have a relatively interesting photo, but nothing fantastic. Yet this visual is gorgeous and impossible to look away from. The ripples of the water’s surface extend vertically with the length of the girl’s body, even as her auburn hair, flowing white dress, and bright red ribbon float perpendicular to her limp form. Due to the scene’s strange angle, her reflection within the ripples creates a sort of distorted portal, something to mirror her fears. The beautiful blue underwater surroundings set an oddly peaceful mood, yet the red ribbon starkly contrasts such a notion. The girl’s free-floating form and the ribbon wrapped around her arm like a trail of blood leads viewers to believe that this story is far from peaceful. My only complaint is the rather obvious, not to mention trite, tagline, though these are (unfortunately) common with YA covers.

Readers’ Average Rating: B

The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky. The artwork here is gorgeous. YA titles often have dazzling cover designs, but rarely through illustration, as is the case with this novel. The most stunning part of the cover is of course the dress, which is awash in sparkles, texture, and bounce. It is so grand that it seems to be wearing the girl, rather than the girl wearing it. The girl herself is clearly depicted as illustration, but it works terrifically with the dress and the background of subtle creams and pink baubles. The typography within the dress is fun, feminine, and fitting for such an interesting title. The black of the font does well to remind us of the other black accents, like the girl’s hair and stockings. This is a marvelous design that perfectly eludes to a girl’s journey through time and fashion.

Readers’ Average Rating: B+

Wither by Lauren DeStefano. This hot YA dystopian is turning heads for more than just its reputation—look at the gorgeous cover! I daresay everything about this design is gorgeous. The rich blue and green hues bring out a color scheme that is busy, but flattering. The background has a velvety texture that fades into a lighter gradient behind the young woman. The girl herself possesses a kind of melodramatic beauty, with her voluminous golden hair, pouty face, and extravagant dress. The bird cage somehow fits with the antiquated feel of the design. What I also love about this cover is the use of lines and geometric shapes to both connect the cleverly-situated titles and subtly enhance certain features of the design, like the bird in the cage and the girl’s ring. This is a dynamo cover whose words within reportedly pack as much punch!

Readers’ Average Rating: A-

Tiger, Tiger by Margaux Fragoso. This gorgeous cover art in no way speaks to the devastating truths within the pages. With a triadic color scheme of blues, greens, and yellows, the design emits a sense of deep peace and beautiful settings. It is interesting, too, that the forest (and cover itself) is framed by black vegetation, a kind of burrow opening into a magical place of nature. The trees themselves are illustrated with delicacy and ethereal grace. The yellow title sits naturally against the blue-green background, neither jarring nor camouflaged. Perhaps the sense of safety and calm expressed by the design is a metaphor for the memoir’s subject matter—pedophiles tricking children into their dark grips. Either way, the cover is misleading, yet undeniably mesmerizing.

Readers’ Average Rating: B+

The Girl With the Glass Feet by Ali Shaw. Since the weather outside doesn’t seem to be letting up, I thought I’d share a beautiful wintery book cover. This design is gorgeous on several different levels. Let’s start with the foreground: No one ever expects to see a white silhouette of something, which is why the buck and crow figures are so jarring—but it a strangely bewitching way. The delicate white orbs of falling snow sprinkle the cover to create a winter wonderland feel. The two trees closest to the foreground are very realistic and compelling next to animal silhouettes. Finally, the misty forest spreading in the background completes the perfectly magical landscape. The subtle blues and browns of the design only enhance the setting for this fantastical romance. To see another beautiful cover design of this book, click here.

Readers’ Average Rating: B

Across the Universe by Beth Revis. In all honesty, this cover looks like a movie poster, which is the one thing holding me back from truly loving it as a book design. You can tell a lot of money was put into this design, and with good reason—Revis’s sci-fi YA novel is very hot right now. The background is undeniably gorgeous, with its massing of stars and galaxies and deep, beautiful colors. I also find the title typeface an interesting and appropriate look for this space odyssey story. I’m hesitant to condone the male and female models, apparently suspended in time. All in all, though, this is a breathtaking cover that befits an epic tale.

Readers’ Average Rating: A-

Torment by Lauren Kate. OK, so this is the third YA novel I’ve featured on here. What can I say, everyone wants to be a YA writer, so the designs have got to be hot. Besides the fact that the dress the protagonist wears is hauntingly beautiful (at least from the back), her murky surroundings and writhing pose really do create a sense of torment. This look is gossamer, gothic, and gorgeous—three important Gs in the world of YA paranormal.

Readers’ Average Rating: B+