21 December 2011

Cover Art Coverage: 9 New Titles!

A short but sweet post this week, if these nine reveals don’t sate your cover art desires maybe voting in the 2011 Cover Art Awards will.  There’s a week and a half left to cast your ballot, be sure to let us know which covers are your stand-out favorites from the finalists before voting closes on Thursday, December 29.
 
 
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

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Description:

N/A

No Author Comment Available.

  • Series: Steampunk Chronicles #2
  • Artist: N/A
  • Goodreads: Link

Julia’s ThoughtsThumbs up

Abigail’s ThoughtsThumbs up

I think THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET is still my favorite for this series, but this cover is a lovely addition.  Just look at that necklace!  It's stunning.
Previous Covers in This Series

The Girl in the Steel Corset (...

  

 
Messenger’s Angel by Heather Killough-Walden

(Click to enlarge)

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Description:

Since the beginning of time, the archangels have longed to know true love. When four female angels were created for the four archangels, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Azrael, a chaos spurned by jealousy erupted, and the archesses were secreted away to Earth. The four favored archangels followed, prompting a search that has lasted millenia

As the former Messenger Archagel, Gabriel has had lifetimes to search for the one woman intended for him. So he's surprised to discover Juliette Anderson in the dark corner of his favorite pub in Scotland, the land he's called home for two thousand years- and the last place he expected to find her. The connection between them is strong, hot and instantaneous. More…

No Author Comment Available.

  • Series: The Lost Angel #2
  • Artist: N/A
  • Goodreads: Link

Julia’s ThoughtsThumbs up

Abigail’s ThoughtsThumbs up

If Zach Braff were an angel, I think this is what we’d get.  Much better than the first cover in this series, I think the black t-shirt amps up the sex appeal.  Also, these two are going to have babies with *gorgeous* hair. Yes!  I love how tender this looks.  Beautiful colors and he's wearing a shirt which gives this an edge over the debut.
Previous Covers in This Series

Avenger's Angel (The Lost Ange...

  

 
Vengeance Moon by Lee Roland

(Click to enlarge)

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Description:

The Sisters of Justice

We are the Sisters of Justice. For millennia we have served the ancient Mother Goddess. Ashera, Inaras, Ishtar, are but a few of a thousand names they have called the ancient Earth Mother, the Mother of Men. Most of her servants see her as a nurturer, a giver of life. The Sisters of Justice see her darker image. Men will call her Kali—Kali the Destroyer.

She hides that darker face and we are abandoned—save when she needs us. We are the last she calls, when all of her earth witches’ gentle methods fail. We worship her. We despise her. We are her dark angels, her servants. Our blades are sharp and we strike upon her command.

No Author Comment Available.

  • Series: Earth Witches #2
  • Artist: N/A
  • Goodreads: Link

Julia’s ThoughtsThumbs down

Abigail’s ThoughtsThumbs up

Good colors and drama, but something about the staging of this cover makes the model look short-waisted (and distractingly pouty rather than kickbutt). Not as strong as VIPER MOON's cover, and her stance is a little too 'look how hot I am' but I still like her weapon of choice and the whole look fits nicely into the series overall.
Previous Covers in This Series

Viper Moon (Earth Witches, #1)

  

 
Demon Hunting in the Deep South by Lexi George

(Click to enlarge)

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Description:

The warrior and the wallflower . . .

Shy, self-conscious Evie Douglass tries to stay under the radar, especially when her nemesis Meredith Peterson, aka The Death Starr, is anywhere around. Meredith and her bitch posse of skinny girlfriends have tormented Evie since the seventh grade, calling her names like The Whale and Thunder Thighs.

Evie tries to stay invisible, but that’s not an easy thing for a plus-sized gal to do in a small town like Hannah, Alabama. She finds it doubly hard to avoid Meredith’s wrath once she takes a job at the lumber mill. You see, Meredith’s husband is Evie’s new boss. Translation: more torture time for The Death Starr. More…

No Author Comment Available.

  • Series: Demon Hunting #2
  • Artist: N/A
  • Goodreads: Link

Julia’s ThoughtsThumbs down

Abigail’s ThoughtsThumbs down

Oh good heavens.  I have no idea what time period this is supposed to represent, but the “leather vest over bare chest” look is even more of a mess next to a sun dress and straw hat.  Usually I’ll give leeway for the cover models to differ from the description, too, but they belabor “plus-sized” to the point that that the disconnect bugs me. This red-head is no where close to being round, let along “plus” anything. This looks like characters from two different covers got glued together. I get that they are supposed to be from different worlds, but they don't look like they belong together at all.
Previous Covers in This Series

Demon Hunting in Dixie

  

 
His Dark Embrace by Amanda Ashley

(Click to enlarge)

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Description:

N/A

No Author Comment Available.

  • Series: N/A
  • Artist: N/A
  • Goodreads: Link

Julia’s ThoughtsThumbs up

Abigail’s ThoughtsThumbs up

This is a great melding of two dis-separate images, I love the intensity on his face. I thought this was a Christine Feehan cover at first.  This is a half thumbs up.  I'd have a strong reaction either way. 
Previous Covers in This Series

N/A

  

 
Werewolf in Seattle by Vicki Lewis Thompson

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Description:

He arouses her animal instincts

Luna Reynaud has always been a lone wolf—because she’s half human. Afraid she’ll be rejected by both communities, she’s kept her secret from everyone, even the Weres she’s found a home with working on an estate in the San Juan Islands. But when her boss suddenly dies and the heir arrives, she discovers some secrets aren’t meant to be kept.

As the head of the most powerful werewolf clan in Scotland, Colin MacDowell isn’t eager to take on the responsibility of his great aunt’s estate—until he meets her sexy assistant, Luna. He thinks she’s the Were of his dreams, until he finds out she’s not. Highly opposed to bringing even half-humans into the pack, Colin knows he must resist this powerful attraction. But once aroused, a wolf’s instincts are not so easily subdued.

No Author Comment Available.

  • Series: Wild About You #3
  • Artist: N/A
  • Goodreads: Link

Julia’s ThoughtsThumbs up

Abigail’s ThoughtsThumbs up

A cute cover, fits the others in the series (though if it didn’t have “Werewolf” in the title, there is nothing to say “paranormal” at all).  *note – Completely missed the wolf Abigail mentioned.* Cute Seattle cityscape. Cute girl. Cute wolf in the background.
Previous Covers in This Series

A Werewolf in Manhattan (Wild...Werewolf in the North Woods (W...

  

 
Blood of Innocence by Tami Dane

(Click to enlarge)

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Description:

N/A

No Author Comment Available.

  • Series: Sloane Skye #2
  • Artist: N/A
  • Goodreads: Link

Julia’s ThoughtsThumbs up

Abigail’s ThoughtsThumbs up

A nice compliment to book one, though both seem a little two-dimensional.  The covers for this series are almost too understated. This one is better than the debut.  I like the teal wash and the expression on her face (ever if she looks a bit like Anna Paquin).
Previous Covers in This Series

Blood of Eden (Sloane Skye, #1...

  

 
Magic Unchained by Jessica Andersen

(Click to enlarge)

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Description:

Cara Liu is determined to unite the forces under her leadership but when Nightkeeper Sven enters the scene, Cara has trouble separating her duty to her people from her desire for her ex-lover. Their secret affair will not only jeopardize a tenuous alliance among the Nightkeepers, but it also distracts them from a danger within their own ranks planning a vicious betrayal...

No Author Comment Available.

  • Series: Nightkeepers #7
  • Artist: N/A
  • Goodreads: Link

Julia’s ThoughtsThumbs up

Abigail’s ThoughtsThumbs up

Simple, but cute.  I like the lighting across his back, and the moon/tattoo touches are just enough to differentiate this paranormal cover from a thriller.. A half hearted thumbs up.  The paw print doesn't strike me as very masculine (blame Mercy Thompson), but the wicked looking knife helps.
Previous Covers in This Series

Nightkeepers (Nightkeepers, #1...Dawnkeepers (Nightkeepers, #2)Skykeepers (Nightkeepers, #3)Demonkeepers (Nightkeepers, #4...Blood Spells (Nightkeepers, #5...Storm Kissed (Nightkeepers, #6...

  

 
Tricked by Kevin Hearne

(Click to enlarge)

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Description:

Druid Atticus O’Sullivan hasn’t stayed alive for more than two millennia without a fair bit of Celtic cunning. So when vengeful thunder gods come Norse by Southwest looking for payback, Atticus, with a little help from the Navajo trickster god Coyote, lets them think that they’ve chopped up his body in the Arizona desert.

But the mischievous Coyote is not above a little sleight of paw, and Atticus soon finds that he’s been duped into battling bloodthirsty desert shapeshifters called skinwalkers. Just when the Druid thinks he’s got a handle on all the duplicity, betrayal comes from an unlikely source. If Atticus survives this time, he vows he won’t be fooled again. Famous last words.

“Oh, my. Cover artist Gene Mollica has surpassed himself. This is so badass! […]WOOOO! No hidden face. No glaring off-camera. Just straight up I’m-gonna-liquidate-your-401K! I love it!”

– Kevin Hearne

  • Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #4
  • Artist: Gene Mollica
  • Goodreads: Link
  • Publisher: Random House Publishing
  • Release Date: April 24, 2012
  • Source: Author’s Blog

Julia’s ThoughtsThumbs up

Abigail’s ThoughtsThumbs down

I like the lighting and the composition of the cover, but that facial hair and necklace are butt-ugly.  Of course, they’re both details from the book itself, so I can hardly fault the cover. I'm so bummed that I don't love this since the first 3 covers are awesome, but this look looses a lot of the cool factor of the previous covers.  It's too colorful & I don't like seeing Atticus' full face. 
Previous Covers in This Series

Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles...Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles,...Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicle...

  

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Which are your Best and Worst?

 

5 comments:

  1. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar is a great collar, agreed, but there's a cheese factor to the Demon Hunting in the Deep South cover that I think works. Personally, I thought Vengeance Moon just looked lazy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Bob - 'Lazy' if only by weird posture... The DEMON HUNTING IN THE DEEP SOUTH cover definitely matches its title, and both separately would have been enough to stop me in my tracks (and back slowly away, I'm rarely a fan of campy humor in my fantasy). VENGEANCE MOON was nothing special, but it would have slipped right under my radar on the shelf. Not necessarily a good thing, but not enough to turn me off.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PS - The first part of my comment was agreement, I was remarking that the cover model herself looks lazy and pouty, I can't imagine that was what the cover artist was going for.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love The Girl in the Clockwork Collar cover!

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Hoping - I love the posture of the model from book one better (it adds to the drama of the image, while the slight slouch in book two detracts), but I love the dresses, coloring, and staging of both. This series looks lovely.

    ReplyDelete

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