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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I feel like Allie has really come to life in these covers, I love the character details they include. Neat to get a glimpse of her tattoos, too. | I love that Allie has been carrying a gun and a sword these last two covers. And I'm a fan of the leather jacket too. She might be the most covered up UF heroine we've seen on a cover in a long time. |
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| Description: Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn’t want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death. And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Pony Boy! I do love the old school “Outsiders” vibe on this cover, though I am not a fan of the blue wash that blurs the background guys. It looks foggy, not deliberate. | It's like a boy band book cover :) The guy right behind the main guy looks seriously pissed...so of course he's the one I want. |
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| Description: Being only half-vamp in a high school like Carpathia Night makes you a whole loser. But Danny Gray manages to escape the worst of the specists at his school. Thanks to genetic treatments he had as an infant, most people assume Danny's other half is human. Which is a good thing. Ever since the development of synthetic blood – SynHeme – vamps have become society’s elite, while wulves like his father work menial jobs and live in bad neighborhoods. Wulves are less than second class citizens; once a month they become inmates, forced to undergo their Change in dangerous government compounds. For Danny, living with his vamp mother and going to a school with a nearly all-vamp student body, it’s best to pretend his wulf half doesn’t even exist. But lately Danny's been having some weird symptoms -- fantastic night vision; a keener-than-usual sense of smell; and headaches, right around the full moon. Even though it's easy to be in denial, it's hard to ignore evidence. There's only a month until the next few moon, and Danny's time is running out. Peter Moore speaks to adolescents in a voice that will have them laughing, set in a world that will get them thinking.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I love the forest background and was ready with a thumbs up before I even noticed Danny’s shadow. I think this cover started with a fun image, and looks even better with the title/author info added in. | The is the PB cover & it is miles better than the HC. Love that his shadow is a wolf |
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| Description: WHAT IS OLDEST WILL BE NEW, WHAT IS LOST SHALL BE FOUND. The ozone is ravaged, ocean levels have risen, and the sun is a daily enemy. But global climate change is not something new in the Earth’s history. No one will know this better than less-than-ordinary Owen Parker, who is about to discover that he is the descendant of a highly advanced ancient race—a race that took their technology too far and almost destroyed the Earth in the process. Now it is Owen’s turn to make right in his world what went wrong thousands of years ago. If Owen can unlock the lost code in his very genes, he may rediscover the forgotten knowledge of his ancestry…and that less-than-ordinary can evolve into extraordinary.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| These cover models have a very individual look, I like that (even though I want to yell at the guy to straighten up. Posture!). The background images give this a finished look, too. | Atlantis! I'm so excited by the premise of this book that I'm going to be completely biased in judging this cover...it looks a bit like Michael Grant's Gone series covers..but it's Atlantis! |
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| Description: L.A. Candy meets the mystery and romance of Fallen in this sensational debut Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He’s days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone’s obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect—everyone ex- cept for Madison Montgomery. Maddy’s the one girl in Angel City who doesn’t breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn’t recog- nize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love. More…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| There’s lot of times when an angel cover, a partial face cover, or a “sexy tattoo” cover falls short for me, but I this one works. A great chin (with a hint of scruff), the t-shirt with just a hint of his tattoo, and the traditional white wings just emphasize his masculinity. Nice all around. | I remember seeing the early ARC cover a few months ago and being disappointed, but the final art looks great. Strong and masculine without crossing over into man candy territory. |
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| Description: Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| This cover is borderline for me, and I’m tipped down at the moment. Too grainy, Tempest looks angry, and the author’s name is sort of floating in the negative space to the left. I do like her Farrah hair, tattoos, and gorgeous scales. | The quality of this image isn't great, but I love the iconic mermaid pose on the rocks with the waves cresting up behind her. |
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| UNCLEAN SPIRITS Description: In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can't always play by the rules. Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers -- and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College. Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means -- magical or mundane -- so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life. Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions -- Aubrey, Eric's devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities -- Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast -- or break them completely....
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I’ve only read book one of this series, thus far, but I think the UK covers do a better job capturing Jayné’s personality. Though the world is dark, Jayné is more Buffy and Jill Kismet, and these new covers give her a more “every girl” look. | Following up the original covers by Cliff Nielsen would not be an enviable job for any artist, but these are so unbelievably generic it's like they didn't even try. |
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| Description: Just when her new life as a TouchStone – a mortal bound to help OtherFolk cross between Faery and human worlds – seems to be settling down, Abby Sinclair is left in charge when the Protectorate, Moira, leaves for the Faery Court. And when the Protectorate’s away…let’s just say things spiral out of control when a spell on Abby backfires and the Faery Queen declares the Doors between their worlds officially closed. The results are disastrous for both sides: OtherFolk trapped in the mortal world are beginning to fade, while Faerie is on the brink of war with the daemons of Hell. Along with her brooding eleven prince Talivar and sexy incubus Brystion, Abby ventures to the CrossRoads in an attempt to override the Queen’s magic. But nothing in this beautiful, dangerous realm will compare to the discoveries she’s making about her past, her destiny, and what she will sacrifice for those she loves.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| This cover gives Abby funky fashion elements without wondering into the school-girl fetishes that got such a backlash on cover #1. Love it! | Now this is a lot closer to how I pictured Abby as opposed to the tarted up look on the debut...love the blue hair and the chop sticks sort of suggesting horns...her face has a slightly non human look to it, like maybe somebody didn't know quite when to stop with the photoshopping, but overall, very cool. Plus I love seeing Phin on the back cover. |
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| Description: She’s the new head of the Underworld Detection Agency’s strangest division. What a nightmare… Being a human immune to magic helped Sophie Lawson get promoted. It’s also made her a major, very reluctant player in a game that stretches beyond even the Underworld. Having handsome buttoned-down Englishman Will as her new guardian is one tempting blessing, especially since sexy fallen angel Alex is mysteriously MIA lately. But as a frightening number of demons start disappearing around the city, Sophie suspects that an Armageddon-level prophecy is about to become everyone’s nightmare. And her investigation is testing her bravery — and Will’s unexpected vulnerability — in ways neither could predict. Now Sophie and Will are fast running out of time as an unstoppable evil prepares to lay waste to demons and humans alike…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Sophie has a shirt (even if it does lace up the back). We’ve discussed in the past how these covers don’t fit the lighter tone of the this series, but on it’s own virtues, I do enjoy them. I particularly like how the lighting makes her curls catch fire on this one. | This is my favorite cover yet in this series. The in your face sexuality of the previous covers is pulled back which I think suits the character more...they are starting to look a lot like Dianne Sylvan's Shadow World covers (also by Gene Mollica), but they look great. |
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| Description: J. M. McDermott returns to Dogsland in the stunning novel When We Were Executioners, book two of a sweeping fantasy series that revels in the small details of life. Corporal Jona, the demon-stained Lord of Joni, died in the woods. His lover, the Senta Rachel Nolander, is a demon-tainted fugitive, running from the wolfskin-clad priest and priestess of Erin, who track her through the city based on dreams plucked from Jona's crying skull, plotting to cleanse the world of the lovers' demonic taint. Past and present collide as the tale of two ill-fated outcasts unfolds, and the executioners of Erin grow ever closer to their quarry.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I love an opportunity to see the original art, and the finished cover compliments does a great job with it. I’m starting to feel guilty that I rave about the covers for this series but still haven’t read NEVER KNEW ANOTHER. I’ve got to get my act together…. | Not nearly as striking as the previous cover. It is distinctive compared to other covers in the paranormal genres, but not enough to get a thumbs up from me. |
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And our picks for Best & Worst…
| Best | Worst |
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Which are your Best and Worst?
I have to agree with Julia, I like the M.L.N. Hanover covers a lot. I find them atmospheric, modern and colourful. Not bad in my opinion :-)
ReplyDeleteDon't like the new Tempest one, looks like a not quite finished photoshop :-/
Thank you so much for including the cover of STORM!! The comparison to The Outsiders cracked me up -- when I first showed the cover to my husband, he said, "When are Pony Boy and Soda Pop going to show up?" :-)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the new cover for A Sliver of Shadow, I got to see this the other day when Allison posted it on her fb page, I almost died (in a good way).
ReplyDeleteI'm not too keen on the new covers for the MLN series, since I'm used to seeing the one tattoo around the waist, and not the "new ink covers"
@Stella - It makes sense that the new covers will be polarizing, everyone has a different mental picture for the main character. Glad you liked them!
ReplyDelete@Brigid - Can't wait to read it, thanks for sharing the cover ahead of time. I love your husband's comment, he and I are on the same wave length. The cover artist definitely did a great job channeling the "bad boy" vibe.
@Danielle - I'm loving A SLIVER OF SHADOW, too, I have to hurry up and read book 1 so I can enjoy this one when it comes out. I completely missed the tatt change for the Hanover covers, good detail!