The Cover Championships of Champions (Part 1/2)

August 07, 2015

Let's all admit it - it's super-fun to judge books by their covers. You can see the prettiness, stroke the prettiness and then assess the prettiness.

Okay, sorry. Got a bit fangirly there. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to host a little Cover Championships (of Champions). And yes, I am the only judge, so what I say goes, unfortunately. For now. You guys can have your say in the comments section!

Here are the competitors:

From Top Left: Dorothy Must Die (Danielle Paige), Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell), Heist Society (Ally Carter), Red (Alison Cherry), The Jewel (Amy Ewing), I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You (Ally Carter), The London Eye Mystery (Siobhan Dowd), Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas).

Today, we're going to do the preliminary rounds (if you're wondering, I did the draw randomly using this virtual hat), and tomorrow will be semi-finals and finals. I don't want to bore you all with a massively long post! And, without further ado, let's get going.

Quarter Final #1 - Dorothy Must Die vs. Throne of Glass

Two stylised female figures. Two beautiful title fonts. I did give myself a tricky one to start with, didn't I?

I like the colour contrast in Dorothy Must Die, and the metaphorical implication that she is nothing but her clothes, but the 'dirt' on it makes me uneasy. I like a clean-cut cover. And the best part of Throne of Glass is the fact it has an ice heart, like the heroine.

It's a close-run thing, but let's go for Dorothy Must Die. I like the design. :-)

Quarter Final #2 - Red vs. Fangirl

Fangirl? Red? Fangirl? Red? I keep going back and forth, because they're pretty in a way I can't rationalise. I NEED TO RATIONALISE OR I CAN'T JUDGE IT!

Okay, Fangirl has lettering that better suits its characters, and I have a soft spot for the cartoon-ery. Red put up a good fight, but has been eliminated.

Quarter Final #3 - Heist Society vs The London Eye Mystery

I like these two because they need solving - they're full of little details which give clues to the plot. Look at Heist Society, and the painting reflected in Kat's sunglasses. Without that, she'd look like any other girl, but that painting shows who she truly is - a thief. In The London Eye Mystery, the dark sky shows that all isn't what it seems, and the fact the Eye is bigger than the characters shows how lost they feel. It's a close one, but I'll go with The London Eye Mystery. It's refreshing to see a cover which doesn't just focus on the Main Character.

Quarter Final #4 - The Jewel vs. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

This one's basically the Duel of the Dresses, since I ~~chose~~ nominated them both for the beautiful clothing, and I think I'm going to have to go with I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You (typing that out makes my fingers hurt, it's so long). I love the tartan skirt; heart as an O, and nail polish.

Mind you, I have to give an honourable mention to The Jewel for that beautiful lettering. Don't you agree?

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Do you guys agree with my decisions, or want to kill me for them? I won't be offended if it's the latter! And which is YOUR favourite book cover?