Cover Art Coverage: 12 New Titles!

 

Both of the favorite picks this week are gorgeous (I had a very hard time choosing between POLTERGEEKS and ANGEL’S INK).  Though only one came out on top as my Best cover, it was an easy choice to add both to my TBR list.  There are also some exciting cover redesigns, with the latest reboot of Georgina Kincaid and a re-imagining of Jackson Pearce’s Fairytale Retellings.

Poltergeeks (Strange Chemistry #1)
by Sean Cummings

Expected publication: October 2012 by Strange Chemistry Books

Source: Author’s Blog Art by: Paul Young

Previous Covers: N/A Buy/Add links: Description: 15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection. In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
“It’s a gorgeous, GORGEOUS cover and I’m just blown away by the quality of the artwork.”	If this cover is indicative of the kind of art Strange Chemistry is going to give its covers, I can't wait to see what's next. I love everything about it. See looks like a real teen and there are so many cool things to find in the background.	Gorgeous cover! I love the color, the “camera” angle, and the movement of this image.

 

The Torn Wing (The Faerie Ring #2)
by Kiki Hamilton

Expected publication: October 2, 2012 by Tor Teen/ Macmillan

Source: Kiki Hamilton’s Blog Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: Buy/Add links: Not Yet Available for Pre-Order.   Description: Tiki’s greatest fear suddenly becomes all too real: the fey have returned to London seeking revenge. As war escalates in the Otherworld, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold, is attacked. In order to protect her family and the ones she loves, she needs to know the meaning of an fáinne sí, the birthmark that winds around her wrist. But will Tiki be brave enough to face the truth? A bloody escape, a deadly threat, a shocking revelation…

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
“I've also  had lots of input on the cover for THE TORN WING and I'm thrilled to reveal it today.”	I'm kind of surprised by how much I like this since I wasn't bowled over by the debut cover, but this really compliments the first cover while making me like the series look much more. I especially like the glow/wing on only one side to fit the title.	A nice compliment to book one.  The title “band” on THE TORN WING looks a little abrupt across the middle, but I like how the blue flash looks a little bit like a wing.

 

Angel’s Ink (The Asylum Tales #1)

by Jocelynn Drake

Expected publication: October 16, 2012 by Harper Voyager

Source: Wanton Thoughts & Wicked Scribes  Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: N/A Buy/Add links: Description from the Author: The series is firmly settled in the urban fantasy genre, set in what I like to call an open world (ie, everyone knows about all the other races and has for a really long time, allowing everyone to live side-by-side in a relative, occasionally strained, harmony.) Some of the races that you meet in this series include, but are not limited to: humans, elves, trolls, dwarves, pixies, werewolves, vampires, ogres, minotaurs, incubus, faeries, goblins, and many many more that are fighting to get their time on the page. At the center of this mess is Gage Powell, a tattoo artist who owns a parlor in a sketchy little neighborhood in Low Town called Asylum. More…

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
N/A	I'm really excited about this series. Premise sounds awesome. This cover hits hard on both the tattoo and paranormal elements just like it should. Want. Want it now.	I wouldn’t have expected to like this shade of pink, but it looks good with the touch of blue.  I like the posture of this cover model, and that glow is intriguing.

 

Losing Lila (Lila #2)

by Sarah Alderson

Expected publication: August 2, 2012 by Simon & Schuster

Source: Wanton Thoughts & Wicked Scribes Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: Buy/Add links: Description: Alex and Lila are on the run, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the Unit, which somehow is managing to track their every move. Whilst Alex is determined to keep Lila safe and her ability secret at any cost, Lila’s only thought is of finding a way back to California so that she can rescue her brother and mother from the military base where they’re being held. Struggling to control both her growing power and her deepening feelings for Alex, Lila decides the time has finally come to stop running and start fighting.  More…

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
N/A	Wow is this better than the first cover. The colors are great here, all the complementary neutrals with the light blue and that the punch of red. My only complaint is that there is no visual indication about the supernatural element.	Movement to compliment book one, though Lila is wearing much more “flight appropriate” clothes.

 

Prodigy (Legend #2)

by Marie Lu

Expected publication: January 29, 2013 by Putnam Juvenile

Source: The Night Owl Post Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: Buy/Add links: Description: The Elector Primo of the Republic has died, with his son assuming power over what’s left of the USA’s West Coast as it teeters on full-blown chaos. June and Day join up with Patriot rebels so they can rescue Day’s brother and head east for the Colonies. In order to help, though, the rebels want June and Day to kill the new Elector, who may pose an even greater threat than his father.

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
N/A	I like the direction here, but it doesn't feel finished. It feels flat and too plain. Maybe in person it's better.	These covers definitely look dystopian, though I’m ambivalent overall.

 

The Rising (Department Nineteen #2)

by Will Hill

Expected publication: August 16, 2012 by Razorbill

Source: Goodreads Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: Buy/Add links: Description: James Bond meets Dracula in this epic saga of one boy and a ton of weapons versus the world's oldest evil--vampires as you've never seen them before! Sixteen-year-old Jamie Carpenter's life was violently upended when he was brought into Department 19, a classified government agency of vampire hunters that was formed to deal with a little problem . . . known as Dracula. But being the new recruit at the Department isn't all weapons training and covert missions. Jamie's own mother has been turned into a vampire--and now Jamie will stop at nothing to wreak revenge on her captors. More…

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
N/A	This series has crazy action movie vibe (which I love) and this time they set it on fire. Killer!	I’m not a big fan of how busy these covers are, though this one certainly comes together to create a cohesive impression of violence and aggression.

 

Ghosts: Recent Hauntings

Edited by Paula Guran

Expected publication: September 2012 by Prime Books

Source: Publisher’s Site Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: N/A Buy/Add links: Publisher Description: The spirits of the dead have walked among our legends, myths, and stories since before recorded history. Ghostly visitations, hauntings, unquiet souls seeking the living, vengeful wraiths, the possibility of life beyond the grave that can somehow reach out and touch us…these are some of literature’s most enduring icons. Now, in the twenty-first century, we are no less fascinated with phantoms than our cave-dwelling ancestors or our Victorian-age forebears. Thirty modern masters of fright and fantasy fill this anthology with shivers, chills, and spooky explorations of both sides of the veil. Be prepared to keep a light on all night!

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
N/A	It's a little ho hum. Might have been nice to have some kind of spectral/ghost figure somewhere in addition to the cemetery.	I really like the angle and lighting on this cover, eye catching and a nice compliment to the subject matter.

 

Shadow’s Claim (The Dacians #1)

by Kresley Cole

Expected publication: November 27, 2012 by Pocket Books

Source: Author’s Facebook Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: N/A Buy/Add links: Description: He won’t be denied Trehan Daciano, known as the Prince of Shadows, has spent his life serving his people, striking in the night, quietly executing any threat to their realm. The coldly disciplined swordsman has never desired anything for himself—until he beholds Bettina, the sheltered ward of two of the Lore’s most fearsome villains. She’s bound to another Desperate to earn her guardians’ approval after a life-shattering mistake, young Bettina has no choice but to marry whichever suitor prevails—even though she’s lost her heart to another. Yet one lethal competitor, a mysterious cloaked swordsman, invades her dreams, tempting her with forbidden pleasure. More…

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
I put in a few cover requests for this one. I wanted to have the hero looking like he’d just returned from punishing the heroine’s enemies, basically a “you mess with her, you’ll see a man get mean” scenario. I requested mud on his grim face, a menacing stare that says “you’re next,” stuff exploding in the background, clothes all ripped up. And the art department delivered!	I love it when an author gets this much input on a cover. I think Kresley was spot on with how she wanted this cover to look. Looks great. I think the series graphic looks a little too delicate, but that's my only criticism.	The background is a little muddled, though I like the explosion centered right behind this cover model.  I like the look on his face, and a cut up t-shirt is better than nothing!

 

The Shadow Society

by Marie Rutkoski

Expected publication: October 30, 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Source: The Book Smugglers Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: N/A Buy/Add links: Description: What if everyone thought you were a freak of nature? What if they were right? Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. So she isn’t surprised that she doesn’t recognize Conn, the new boy at her high school, even though he seems to know her—or at least know something about her. What does surprise her is how quickly she comes to trust Conn, and that he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But his interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her. More…

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
N/A	I think we should forgo the up or down on this one since it's not final, but this work in progress looks very cool. We'll be sure to include the final cover when it's released.	It’s hard to tell with interim art, but presuming that the background image would be crisp in the final version.  I like the color and her movement.

 

Zom-B (Zom-B #1)

by Darren Shan

Expected publication: September 27, 2012 by Simon & Schuster

Source: The Book Smugglers Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: N/A Buy/Add links:   Description: Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count is guaranteed!"

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
N/A	I keep thinking of the song by The Cranberries when I see this title :) Did you guys check out his claws? I don't know if those are nails or bones filed to points...creepy, but cool too.	I’m not a fan of the cutesy title, but I like the movement in the cover.  The talons are a little odd, but those blank eyes are a nice compliment to the background lighting.

 

Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings #3)

by Jackson Pearce

Expected publication: September 4, 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Source: Author’s Blog Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: Buy/Add links: Description: Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo. Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality. More…

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
“Anyhow, the long and short of it is that SISTERS RED and SWEETLY are getting new paperback covers to match FATHOMLESS’s hardback cover. […] I had my fingers crossed and was wishing and praying and hoping and– AHHHHHHH THEY’RE SO GOOD I JUST CAN’T EVEN”	Very nice. This series is know for unique covers/titles that dance around the source story. This new look is perhaps less subtle, but still intriguing.	I can understand Pearce’s hesitation, I really liked the optical illusion paperback covers for SISTERS RED and SWEETLY.  The lighting on FATHOMLESS is gorgeous, and the title flourishes look wonderful.  I’m glad they’re updating the entire series, so they compliment this new style.

 

Succubus Dreams (Georgina Kincaid #3)

by Richelle Mead

Expected publication: November 1, 2012 by Kensington Publishing Corp.

Compared with: Source: Author’s Blog Art by: N/A

Previous Covers: Buy/Add links: Description: Some days, a girl just can't catch a break ... especially when the girl in question is Georgina Kincaid, a shape-shifting succubus who gets her energy from seducing men. First there's her relationship with gorgeous bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, which is unsatisfying on a number of levels. It's not just that they can't have sex in case Georgina inadvertently kills him (generally a turn-off for most guys). Lately, even spending time together is a challenge. Seth's obsessed with finishing his latest novel, and Georgina's under demonic orders to mentor the new (and surprisingly inept) succubus on the block. Then there are the dreams. Someone, or something, is preying on Georgina at night, draining her energy, and supplying eerie visions of her future. Georgina seeks answers from Dante, a dream interpreter with ties to the underworld, but his flirtatious charm only leaves her more confused-especially as the situation with Seth reaches crisis point. Now Georgina faces a double challenge-rein in her out-of-control love life, and go toe-to-toe with an enemy capable of wreaking serious havoc among mankind. Otherwise, Georgina, and the entire mortal world, may never sleep easy again.

Author Comments	Abigail’s Thoughts	Julia’s Thoughts
“Here's the US mass market cover for Succubus Dreams, which will be out in November. It originally came out in trade/large paperback. That cover is today's avatar. Which do you like better?”	I'm loving the new covers they've been doing for this series since I was never a fan of the vampy originals. Sexy in Seattle...	I love the new cover, more kick-butt Urban Fantasy than vampy succubus (without sacrificing Georgina’s sexiness).

 

And our picks for Best & Worst…

Best	Worst

Which are your Best and Worst?

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