Covers to Gush Over (6)

Each of the Literature Monsters have pets of their own so we decided to dedicate this week’s CTGO to animals. Big or small, wild or trained; here are five gush worthy covers we enjoy.

Radiance by Alyson Noel

Labs are one of my favorite breeds. They’re very loyal, playful, intelligent, and protective; the last of which is demonstrated beautifully on Alyson Noel’s cover of Radiance. The book itself revolves around a recently deceased 12 year old who becomes a guild for unhappy and lost souls and her dog Buttercup. To me, it seems as if Buttercup is protecting her owner like she would if they were both still alive. On its own the cover is very pretty, but once you’ve read the book’s description it becomes more captivating. A lot of detail was put into Alyson’s cover to make it personify the story itself. A great example of this is that Riley, the main character, and buttercup appear to be floating above the field they’re in, rather than sitting in it. I love how the bridge slowly dissipates into the fog or light of the background. The detailing around the R in the title is also very pretty.  

White Cat by Holly Black

Me-ow, is all I have to say about the cover of White cat. The dark and mysterious guy on the cover gives you shivers, and the fact he's holding a white cat makes you even more curious. Men generally don't like cats as much as women do. So seeing a cover with a guy holding a cat was unexpected, to say the least. The cat seems to be looking away, which is interesting. I would have thought they would've made the cat looking directly in front on the cover. But this also adds something to the cover that I can't quite put my finger on. At first glance, I wasn't so sure about the book because it made me feel a little uneasy. Although after reading the back of the book I began to be more and more interested. There are two covers for this book and I personally like the one where Holly Black's name is much bolder than the title of the book itself. I believe that's most likely why they changed it, but I really loved how ' the curse workers' was written over the guy's eyes. And in the newer cover, that isn't there. I found that made it more mysterious but much more awesome.  Great cover, as well as a great book!

 Mockingjay by Suzann Collins

If you haven’t read Suzann’s books, I really recommend them. The covers are a little odd if you haven’t read the book, but I really enjoy them. The one for Mockingjay is probably my favourite because it’s the only one that shows you the actual colours of the bird itself. The other two covers have brass and gold coloured representations. I like to think they used it as a type of foreshadowing for events that happen in the novel. The fact that they created a representation of the bird based on its description in the novel is probably what I love most of all. It’s one thing to read and imagine it, but another thing to see it, figuratively, brought to life. I also really like Suzann’s cover because it one of my favourite shades of blue and it’s a nice complementary colour to the two previous cover colours.     

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

This cover is a never-ending feast for the eyes. All the different shades of blue and the snowflake outlines come together to create an amazing backdrop for the main focal points of this cover. The polar bear is beautifully textured and I love how you can see some of the swirls from the backdrop on his face. It creates a subtle personality to the bear’s expressionless face. In addition, the red haired girl on the right is a real eye-catcher in comparison to the blue and white hues on the cover. I also love how her hair looks like it's on fire--it completely offsets the rest of the cover. It adds a splash of color that was definitely needed in order to complete this entire ensemble. Such a beautiful cover that deserves to be included in this week’s CTGO!

The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison

If there are two things you could combine together in a book to make it awesome, the medieval era and Great Danes was one I definitely wouldn’t have thought of. Luckily for me, Mette Ivie Harrison made the connection when she wrote and published The Princess and the Hound. I’ve harboured a love of Great Danes ever since I started watching Shaytards on Youtube and this Mette’s cover made me smile when I saw it. The Great Dane is considered a rather noble breed so it fits perfectly into the whole princess theme. Aside from the dog I really love the embroidery on the princesses’ dress and the colour of the fabric. The font used for the title is also a nice touch.

Covers to Gush Over (2)

May is zombie awareness month, in honor of this for the rest of May CTGO is zombie themed! This week’s theme is blood because zombies can smell blood from a mile away.

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

What is there not to love about Dia’s cover for Slice of Cherry. The white background brilliantly accentuates the covers main image and is a sharp contrast to the black title. I love the title’s lettering style and the stacked teacups are adorably colorful, but not in a way that deters from the fact that Slice of Cherry is a horror novel. Another thing the white background is useful for is for texturising blood. I love how the blood on this cover seems 3 dimensional and having it drip down the teacups was a fantastic idea. I also really like the books tag line: “You Always Hurt The Ones You Love.” This is a statement that has been use/proven many times over and knowing that Dia’s book is about the infamous Bonesaw Killer’s daughters makes this line twice as interesting.

Sleepless by Thomas Richard Fahy

The cover for Sleepless is mysteriously gruesome, which is definitely what drew me in to read the book. Wanting to read Thomas’ book had a lot to do with its description, but when you see the cover you really get an aspect for the novel. You can definitely tell that it’s a horror story. When Blood is illustrated on covers it has this effect that makes its beautiful, yet disturbing. This is exactly what the blood coming from the girls eyes on Fahy’s cover does. The more gore, the better I always say!

Bliss by Lauren Myracle

Lauren Myracle is on our top five list for a second time in a row this week, but with good reason. Lauren has so many interesting covers and the one used for her book Bliss really caught my eye. The cover itself is rather simple. A dark red background, a blue and white photo, the book’s title written in blood. The eeriness of the cover is an amazing representation of what readers can expect from the novel.

Haunted by Kelley Armstrong

The cover of this book automatically caught my eye. I love the contrast between the black background, the bold white letters and starkness of the grey feather. I also love how much detail you can see within the feather--almost every individual strand. Finally, the focal point of not only this week’s "Covers to Gush Over" but the cover of this book; the blood. I like how the blood seems as if it's coming out of the feather. It adds a sense of mystery and 'danger' while insinuating what the novel could be about.

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

I love the cover of Sarah’s book purely on its comedic aspect. Drink, Slay, Love is a story about vampires, and when I first saw the cover of Durst’s book I honestly laughed. Vampires are usually ferocious creatures who will tear your throat out, but her cover has a vamp sipping blood from a straw. It’s genius. On a side note I really like how the hair frames the left and right side of the cover. It, to me, draws more attention to the red bottle.