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| Description: She should never have touched his blood... The Etherlin muses have long served as a source of divine inspiration. Now their world stands between the forces of Heaven and Hell. As his muse, Cerise propelled her musician boyfriend to the heights of fame, but when he died under mysterious circumstances her powers vanished. Now she’s plagued by disturbing half-formed memories of his final night…until she meets Lysander who seems to hold the key to restoring her memories and abilities. Fallen archangel Lysander is consumed by his quest for redemption until it leads him to the captivating Cerise. Now his thirst for revenge is rivaled only by his passion for the woman he can’t resist. Bound by blood and stalked by a deadly enemy, will they pay the ultimate price for succumbing to their passion?
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| A much more PNR feel than the cover for book one. As much as I liked the anime feel of the first cover, but those gorgeous subtle wings wrapping around him make me willing to make a change of feel. | I like the ethereal quality that this series has, even though the covers are very different. The wings and branches are beautiful, & I even like the overly perfected look he has. |
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| Description: Vampires, werewolves, mages–the Others are very real, and wreaking havoc in Shiarra Waynest’s life. But now, she’s returning the favor… Once, she was one of the good guys–or as close as a New York P.I. can get. Then Shiarra Waynest was drawn into the world of the Others. Every faction has its own loyalties and agenda. And Shia’s recent betrayal by her ex-boyfriend means that she may be on the verge of becoming a rogue werewolf at the next full moon. Of course, with all the threats against her, Shia’s not sure she’ll live long enough to find out. The enigmatic vampire Royce wants her back in his clutches, as do two powerful werewolf packs, along with the police. More…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| It’s all about Shiarra on this cover, and that works for me. This new cover model has a darker, more exotic look, and that works twice as well for me… | Yes! This is an amazing series (one of my fav UF ever) & the last two covers we're as good as the books deserved. Well this one is. Shia looks wicked tough and beautiful. Give me this book now! |
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| Description: In Book 5: City of Lost Souls, the Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world after a betrayal by one of their own leaves them reeling.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Exciting to see Clary and Jace facing each other and in each other’s arms. These covers are always so well done, I like how this one fits the series. | Wowza. These covers always looks great, but this one is a new favorite. Magical & romantic. |
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| Description: Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago. Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. More…
Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else. That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does. More…
Love is dangerous and trust is priceless in Holly Black’s “powerful, edgy dark” fantasy series (Publishers Weekly).Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy. But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| This series has been all over the map as far as the feel of the covers. From the edgy, very YA prior covers this has a much more fantasy-esque feel. The covers above don’t jive with the edgier, urban feel of The Curse Workers, but I do love the look. | The rest of the series gets a new look to match the BLACK HEART cover. It's very 70's Disco chic for me. Cool looking, but I don't know that it fits the stories IMO. |
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Compare With:
| Description: Love isn’t the only emotion to survive death . . . When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider. As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both. More…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I feel like each of these gives a different cover model a chance to shine. The prior cover gives the female the focus, but the new one gives highlights the guy (and she looks kind of vacant). Though the new cover doesn’t have the romance of their nestled faces, I can’t resist a gorgeous guy. Love the t-shirt, love his expression, another thumbs up. | Pretty little title detail & I love the expression on his face. |
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Outside the context of the series, this one is kind of forgettable. The cover model is kind of forgettable (they didn’t give her much to differentiate herself other than a glare), but I like the green. | Love the green this time, but I miss the fiery haired 'Wow' of the first cover. |
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| Description: A comedic paranormal romance about a vampire concierge, set in Molly Harper’s popular world of Half Moon Hollow. Iris Scanlon runs a “daywalker service” for vampires in Half-Moon Hollow. Vampires have trouble running errands and keeping their households running in a human, daytime-oriented society. Iris’s new service is booming and she's successfully avoiding her clients, until she goes into her newest customer’s house one morning to find him dying of silver poisoning on his kitchen floor. The vampire, Cal, offers her an obscene amount of money if Iris will get him out of his house and shelter him until he can heal. More…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| The blood dripping out of lips is a cheesy touch, though it fits the playful nature of the title. Not a bad cover, but not for me. | I wish they had cropped more of her head. I prefer the look of the previous covers where we can't see her eyes, but I'm giving it the thumbs up because of his fangs. |
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| Description: All witch and part succubus, savvy businesswoman Raina has converted a Southern plantation house into an extremely profitable old-fashioned bordello. Because of her abilities as a witch, the demons under Raina’s protection can feed off the sexual energy of their clients without killing them—definitely a good thing for repeat business. But when a rogue incubus shows up on Raina’s doorstep begging for asylum, the witch’s well-run business is put in jeopardy. The incubus has stolen an object of great power from Lucifer, and Underworld Dark Guardian Mikhael will do anything to get it back—even if it means incinerating the incubus on Raina’s porch to get the answers he seeks. More…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| The red of the author’s name is a little pinkish for me, but I love the grittiness of his wings. | Nice gritty feel, makes me think this might be from Chris McGrath (anyone know?). He looks slightly bored, but everything else is working. |
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| Description: Imagine a city divided. A city where human and Fae magic rests uneasily next to the vampire Blood and the shapeshifting Beasts. A city where a fragile peace is brokered by a treaty that set the laws for all four races… a treaty that is faltering day by day. I didn’t plan on becoming a thief and a spy. But options are limited for the half-breed daughter of a Fae lord. My father abandoned me but at least I inherited some of his magic, and my skills with charms and glamours mean that few are as good at uncovering secrets others wish to hide. Right now the city has many secrets. And those who seek them pay so well… I never expected to stumble across a Templar Knight in my part of the city. Guy DuCaine is sworn to duty and honor and loyalty — all the things I’m not. I may have aroused more than his suspicion but he belongs to the Order and the human world. More…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| A gorgeous addition to the series, though this cover model looks less fierce and more waifish. I love the continuation of the title font and the setting. | This is a luke warm thumbs up. It does look nearly as fierce/cool as SHADOW KIN. I'm not even sure this is the same artist (Julia Rohwedder). Not bad, just not great |
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| Description: Vampires live only for lust and pleasure in the eternal twilight of Vamp City. But the city’s magic is dying. The only person who can restore it? A beautiful woman from the mortal world…one who knows nothing of the power she wields. Quinn Lennox is searching for a missing friend when she stumbles into a dark otherworld that only she can see–and finds herself at the mercy of Arturo Mazza, a dangerously handsome vampire whose wicked kiss will save her, enslave her, bewitch her, and betray her. What Arturo can’t do is forget about her–any more than Quinn can control her own feelings for him. Neither one can let desire get in the way of their mission–his to save his people, hers to save herself. But there is no escape from desire in a city built for seduction, where passion flows hot and blood-red. Welcome to Vamp City…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| This would make a very good Night Huntress cover, something about the crouch reminds me of AT GRAVE’S END. I love the lighting behind her, and her expression manages to be fierce without being over the top. | Nice. Feels like a Cat & Bones cover (both from Avon), so I'm betting the stepback image is smokin'. |
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And our picks for Best & Worst…
| Best | Worst |
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Which are your Best and Worst?
That's nuts how alike our thoughts were on this post! Does this mean you are ready to concede that WORKING STIFF wasn't a great read :)
ReplyDeleteI'll give you the awesomeness of Downside Ghosts and H&W Investigations, but let's not go *crazy*.
ReplyDeleteYes! Knew you'd love those! Royce and Terrible...can't wait to read their next books.
ReplyDeleteStacia Kane wins my unadulterated awe for giving Chess and Terrible a "HEA" without diluting any of the trainwreck potential of bringing two such damaged characters together. They just absolutely break my heart, I'm holding my breath for the next book.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reading these posts. Learn a lot from them!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoy them, E.B. The comments on Cover Art Posts are my favorite, it's always a fun conversation.
ReplyDeleteCan't say that any of these are standouts. Mostly reworkings of standard poses and images. The Holly Black's are interesting but seem unfinished. The text alone with the graphic accent is not enough.
ReplyDeleteI love Black's series, I would love to see covers that fit the gritty, gangster feel of the world. The black backgrounds may look sharp on the shelf, but the bive still seems very "fantasy-esque" to me.
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