All in Cover Chat

Cover Chat: Hooked by Liz Fichera

Earlier this week, I reviewed (and recommend, with reservations) Liz Fichera's debut novel for teens, Hooked. However, I keep coming back to the cover--it just doesn't work, in either the U.S. or Australian edition.

Three things lingered with me after I finished reading Hooked:

  1. It's not a romance;
  2. Setting is almost a character in and of itself; and
  3. It's a rare YA novel in that it really got the "feel" of sports right.

List-O-Rama/Cover Chat: 7 Stand-Out Early-2013 YA Cover Designs

I spend a fair amount of time snarking on covers that just don’t do it for me, so I thought I’d spotlight a few upcoming covers that rock my world. I thought I’d focus on young adult covers, since that’s that category that seems to have the worst case of same-old, same-old in terms of cover art.

It seems like publishers are finally moving away from the frothy dress/lots of hair covers, doesn’t it? 

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff (Razorbill, Jan. 2013)

I don’t really understand what this book is about, but I will be buying Paper Valentine—in paper form, and I’m a pretty dedicated digital reader—even though it sounds like it’s not my normal thing. The cover artwork is just that gorgeous and eye-catching. I would usually hate the title’s type treatment, but it works with the intricate details of the papercut-style graphic. It feels mysterious and is more mature than a lot of YA covers (all of Yovanoff’s books have had covers I’d label as “sophisticated”).

Goodreads / Amazon

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz (Simon Pulse, Jan. 2013)

Even though I—once again—don’t really understand what this book is about (an early review mentioned an f-bomb-dropping mer-boy) but I love the striking cover featuring fish hooks. While I’d prefer the author’s name be larger (it’s hard to see on a screen), I forgive that because the textured background is so unusual and eye-catching. This is one I’ll probably check out as well based only on the intriguing cover art.

Goodreads / Amazon