New Pretties!!

Lots of awesome cover reveals lately. Here's just a few of them, and what I think of them!

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer - paperback edition out in June - Goodreads
Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer - to match the new pb of Nightshade, the Wolfsbane hardback cover got a redesign, out 26th July - Goodreads

I really like both of these. I thought the original Nightshade cover was pretty, but after reading it, didn't think it looked remotely like Calla and it didn't suit the book. And unlike most, I wasn't impressed with the Wolfsbane cover either. But I really love these. More simple, but dark and beautiful. I particularly love the Nightshade cover with the purple and how both Calla's human and wolf side are shown, and the eye is awesome. The Wolfsbane cover doesn't have the same drama to it, but I still think it's pretty.

Crossed by Ally Condie - sequel to Matched out Nov 2011 - Goodreads

I completely love this cover!! I love the Matched cover, simple and striking. This is more so with Cassia breaking out of the bubble. Still simple, matches Matched, still eye grabbing and beautiful. Plus, blue is my favourite color. Seriously awesome.

Living With The Dead by Kelley Armstrong - new UK pb edition The Otherworld #9 out 3rd Nov 2011 - Goodreads

I love the new UK covers for this, one of my favourite series, even though it happens to be the only Otherworld book I didn't enjoy. I'm not really sure what the tornado has to do with anything, but it's a striking cover and I still love it far more than the original version. For comparison, here's all the old UK Otherworld covers and the new ones below (click to see them bigger). Which do you prefer? I'd love to know!

Cover: Sirensong by Jenna Black

So I was working on a 2011 releases list for Rachel Vincent's forum, The Pride, this evening, got to Sirensong on the list and lo! The cover was up! So I headed to twitter and asked Jenna, 'is this the final cover?' to which she replied 'yes!' making me go Hurrah!!

How freaking Beautiful is that cover?!? I am in love with it.

 

Sirensong is the third book in Jenna Black's Faeriewalker series, due out July 5th from St. Martin's Griffin. I just reviewed book 2, Shadowspell earlier today (or yesterday, technically, for me). Now, I really liked the cover for Glimmerglass (book 1) and Loved the Shadowspell cover (which happens to fit the book perfectly as well!) and I didn't think that Sirensong's cover could outdo them, but it totally did. I love getting to see Dana face on, I love the pose. I love the touch of the rose petals from each court on it. And it still manages to fit in beautifully with books 1 and 2 with those little metalic silver dots. It's just a stunning cover and for an awesome series as well. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy!!

Previous books:

What do you guys think? Like it, love it, hate it? (I promise not to throw things if you say you hate it. Or, not many anyways ;) ) Comment away!

Pretty New Covers!!

Few new covers floating around that I'd like to share, first up being the cover for Devon Monk's forthcoming steampunk novel, Dead Iron.

  

I really like this cover. Very eye catching and I'd totally go pick it up if I saw it in store! Dead Iron will be the first in her Age of Steam series and it's due to release July 5th 2011 in the US from Roc.


Next up, Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers book 2 in her Personal Demons trilogy.

I much prefer this cover to the first one. They still look a bit too old for the characters, but they do look closer than on Personal Demons. I love that Gabe is up front on this one!! I love Gabe more than Luc and it's nice to see him up front! Original Sin is out July 5th in the US from Tor.

Final one I want to show is one I've completely fallen in love with. UK cover for Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead:

I love the colors, I love the birds, I love the text and I really love the detail of lightning in her eye. I'm annoyed that they've changed the covers (making all three of her series getting cover changes in the UK this year), but it's so freaking pretty!!! I'm actually barely bothered, because every time I look at it, I fall a little more in love with it. Iron Crowned is being released February 22nd in the US from Zebra (imprint of Kensington) and March 31st (pretty please let that get changed to earlier!!) in the UK from Bantam Books.

What do you guys think?

Pretty Pretty!! Magic Slays cover

Yep, that's right, the cover for the 5th book in the Kate Daniels series from husband and wife writing team 'Ilona Andrews' has been revealed. And it's sooo pretty!!! Looks!

 

Soooo pretty. Though I think that's a new model for Kate, I'm a little unsure on her. But otherwise, I loves!! Can't wait to get my hands on this and it sucks that it's not out til the summer next year (no date yet). The Kate Daniels series is just magic (no pun intended!). No question it's one of the best UF series around right now. If you get past a not so great book one. You wouldn't regret it, trust me!

Covers, Covers + Polls

Been floating around various sites this week and found a bunch of new covers just gone up that I thought I'd share. Also, I'm curious and am adding a couple polls to see which style covers are preferred.

First up, the UK cover for Nightshade VS the US cover.

UK cover

US cover

When I first looked at the UK one I was very unsure about it. It's not as crisp or stunning as the US one, and I prefer the type on the US one, but otherwise I think I actually prefer it. Why? Because 'Calla' is wearing far less makeup in the image, and in the book she refuses to wear it at all. So for me, I think the slightly simpler look fits better having read the book. What do you guys think? UK edition is set for release 28th December.




The Rogue by Trudi Canavan [book 2 in the Traitor Spy trilogy] out 5th May 2011 (UK)

I really like this cover. Continues to fit with book one, and the trilogy that came before it, The Black Magician. I like the red, I like that it's not a face on shot. Good cover! Not sure if this is final yet, as it is still a long time until release, but I'm hoping it won't change much.

New UK covers for The Otherworld books 3 and 4 by Kelley Armstrong. Fan's of Kelley's Otherworld series probably know this already, but for those who don't, the series has been out for 10 years now so there is/has been a total cover revamp. In the US, Canada, and the UK. But it would seem the UK is doing it slowly, over 2 years rather than all in one go. Books 1 (Bitten), 2 (Stolen) and 10 (Frostbitten) all have their shiny new paperback covers already (also, they're trade size now rather than mass market). Next up are Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic, which will release February 4th 2011.

I love these new covers they're coming up with. They're clean, fresh and for the most part fit as well. But then, I still love the old ones as well. So which do you prefer? New UK covers or the old ones? (old and new covers for 1, 2 and 10 below as well)

 Old // New

Would love to hear all thoughts/opinions on these various covers. :)

New Cover...

This has been floating around for a little while, but Penguin posted it on their Facebook page...this morning? Last night? One or the other so I'm guessing it's offical now, when I'd seriously been hoping it wasn't the final version. Here is the UK cover for Last Sacrifice, the final Vampire Academy book by Richelle Mead.

Please excuse me while I now scream and rant some. (want to skip the fuss, scroll down...)

WHAT THE EFFING HELL!?!?!

Okay, I feel a little better. Sort of. Now let me explain. For those who don't know, when the UK (finally) had rights for VA and started releasing them, they took the new versions of the US covers for Vampire Academy and Frostbite (books 1 & 2). Then before 3 (Shadow Kiss) they decided on a redesign. Books 1-5 took on the US modal image and put it on a black background with some pretty swirls (see below). Not my favourite covers, I love the VA gates on the US ones, but good covers anyway (in person, they don't look good on screen, and okay, I'm not a fan of the Spirit Bound cover at all). Now, for the final one, they decided to change things agian. For the final one!!! Instead of the US cover modal, it's a black heart design (which I don't like). Instead of all black, it's all red. The only thing they haven't changed from the 'new' UK versions, is the font for 'Vampire Academy' (which I've never really been a fan of).

When Penguin posted this cover, I commented that I wasn't happy because a) I didn't like it and b) it was different to the rest. They commented back that the rest of the series are going to be rereleased at the same time as Last Sacrifice is released with all red covers to match. I've seen no sign of this on Waterstones or Amazon.co.uk's sites though, so...guess we'll see.

So once again I'm screaming in frustration and anger. One change to make UK covers different to US I get. A second change, for the final effing book, just one year later, I really, really don't get. It's annoying because it means covers don't match. It means no continuity. And for new readers I'm sure confusing, for potential readers, how are they going to know they're all the same series? Sure they all say 'Vampire Academy' on them but do they look like they're from the same series? Um, I think not. Not a happy VA fan today. Not at all.

Straight comments on the cover minus all the side fuss. It's not pretty. The fonts/title/author name placement don't work with a solid background like that and no design to fit around it. The 'blood dripping' from the top right corner seems a little tacky and cliched to me, along with the dripping black heart. The birds in the black heart along with whatever else is there that I can't make out, I just plain don't get. It's plain and I don't think it's the kind of thing I would look at and go 'ooh I wanna read that!'. Instead I'm looking at it and thinking 'erm, tacky, cliched vampire crap...??' Which is very, very unfortunate because I'm a huge Vampire Academy fan and Richelle's work is a gazillion miles from cliched, tacky and crap. I'm curious though, to what others, who care less or none about the cover change, what do you think of it? I promise not to delete comments simply cause you disagree with me ;-) I'm genuinely curious and want to know what others think of it, because clearly, I am not impressed.

There are so many beautiful, stunning YA covers out there, and yes I know you can't please everyone, but it kind of seems to me like VA (in the UK at least) has never been given a chance with a stunning cover. Which royally pisses me off because they're some of the very best YA UF books out there. I like the current UK covers, but I don't love them, I think if they were going to change from the US versions, they should have been given a complete overhaul, not a half-assed one which they then decided to change again, because this is crazy.

The one thing about this that makes me laugh? Around April/May, I bought the UK covers, despite having the US ones, because I had to get a UK copy of Spirit Bound in order to read it on release day. I thought what the heck, they're pretty covers and then I'll have a whole matching UK set alongside my US one. One of my best twitter buddies (I forget which of the two it was, we were all chatting together that night), Aly or Nikki, said 'I'd wait til the last one is out, in case they change them again'. I basically blew the comment off saying 'Nah, it'll be fine, they won't change them again now.' How wrong was I. And I owe one of them, possibly both, an apology!! 

The 'new' (old now I suppose) UK covers for 1-5:

Cover Love!

Chances are you've seen this one already, I've been meaning to post it for a while. It's the US cover for Shadowspell by Jenna Black, the second book in her YA series Faeriewalker, follow up to Gimmerglass [review]. I adored Glimmerglass, it's got to be my favourite fae book to date, so I can't wait for the second one in Feb 2011 [edit: double checked that date, is actually out Jan 4th! Yay!!]. And I am soo in love with the cover for it as well!!

Simply stunning right? Thoughts, opinions?

Shiny New Cover!

The cover for the second book in Holly Black's Curse Workers series, Red Glove, has been revealed on her blog today! Or it may have been yesterday, time difference. I saw it this morning...anyway...
I really like it, but I'm a little disappointed they changed the style from the first one, White Cat. The PB cover for White Cat is different from the HB version and matches the style of this one, but I still prefer the HB version. But still, it's a very eye catching cover and I'm very, very excited for the book! White Cat was fantastic and the ending left me desperate for more! Can't wait to see where it goes.

EDIT: Everytime I look at this cover I'm liking it more and more...

UK Cover for The Gathering

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong, out Spring 2011, will be her 4th YA, the first in her Darkness Rising trilogy and the UK cover just recently got revealed. Unlike the Darkest Powers trilogy which the US and UK had very similar covers (after a false start with book 1 in the UK) they're totally different for this new trilogy. Here's the UK one:First time I looked at it I'll be honest and say I didn't think much of it. But it's growing on me and I love that it's so different. It is, if nothing else, eye catching!

If you've not see the US one yet, this is it:
Very different and more similar to the Darkest Powers ones. Personally, I'm favouring the UK cover this time around, what about you?

More Cover Love

Shannon Delany, author of 13 To Life (my review here) revealed the cover for the second book in the series, Secrets and Shadows earlier.
Another beutiful cover, with the themes from the first one continued and I kinda love it!

If you've not read 13 To Life yet, you should. It's a fantastic YA werewolf book and I couldn't put it down. Very excited for Secrets and Shadows (out Feb 15th 2011).

New Cover Love!!

Rachel Vincent did something a little different with the reveal for her new US Soul Screamers cover. She did a countdown widget for it and it went live with the cover at midnight last night (depending on where in the world you are, was about 6 or 7am here I think). Anyway, Was very excited to get up and see it this morning and WOW! It is, without a doubt, my favourite Soul Screamers cover to date. The color is beautiful, the pose is beautiful, the layout (tilte/author name) works perfectly, and it's generally just stunning, don't ya agree?
If you're not familiar with Rachel's YA series, it's about a teenaged banshee, or bean sidhe to be more correct, Kaylee, and it's very, very good! There is a free e-book prequal available to download here on Rachel's site. The books currently out are My Soul To Take, My Soul To Save and My Soul To Keep and for me they just get better. MSTSteal is due out Jan 1st 2011 in the US (I believe Dec 1st 2010 in Aus, so if you're there, you're VERY lucky!) and I really, really can't wait for it. There is also a short story set in the Soul Scremers universe, though not with the main character, in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology which I reviewed recently here. It's a fantastic short and I can't wait to see the main character from that, Sabine, meet Kaylee in MSTSteal. Should be very exciting!! Shaping up to be the best book of the series so far and MSTKeep is hard to top.

Shiny New VA Stuff

It's no secret at all that I'm obsessed with the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. It's dark, sassy, smart and whilst featuring a (very hot) Russian love interest, he's not all Rose thinks about. She is completely capable of taking care of herself, she doesn't rely on others to do the ass kicking. And on top of fantastic characters, it's set in a world filled with myth and legend. Aside from featuring real vampires (definitely no sparkling going on here!!), it's got a hierarchy of mortal vampires, dhampirs and the evil, soulless killers. Much to sink your teeth in to and enjoy (pun maybe intended..). So forgive me a link heavy post of VA awesome.

First up, the final cover for the final book in Rose's story, Last Sacrifice, is finally live! Well, the US version anyway. Unfinished versions have been floating around for a while, but this is the final one, as Richelle posted on her blog in the early hours of this morning (for me anyway).
I can't say it's my favourite, the old and new Shadow Kiss covers still hold that spot with me, but I do like it. And I'm very glad 'Rose' is no longer blond like she was on earlier versions! She still doesn't look like Rose, but darker hair is a start ;)

Also, there is an Official Vampire Academy movie page on facebook, run by Preger Entertainment who hold the rights for VA. It is not a for sure thing it will get made, it's only been optioned so far, but fan support is a must, so if you like the series, join it!!

There is now a company, Arcane Vault, who supply official Vampire Academy merchandise as well, and they offer international shipping. Only a couple of designs are available at present, but they are in the process of making more. According to their facebook page, some of the new one should be up in the next 2-3 weeks. Their facebook page which has latest updates on new designs and stuff is here. I've been following it since the VA line was added a few weeks ago and they're good about replying to questions and they're happy to hear suggestions! Good people to follow if you like VA.

Other big things Richelle revealed recently: the Promise Mark and Zvezda mark artwork. If you don't know the series, these won't make sense, but if you do then you will know I'm talking about the tattoos Guardians are given. The Promise mark is given when a novice graduates and becomes a Guardian. The Zvezda is the battle mark, given for killing lots of Strigoi in battle. These marks are in addition to the Molnija mark (for killing a single Strigoi), which the artwork for has been around for a while. If you don't know and are curious, Molnija is Russian for lightning, and Zvezda is Russian for star.

Promise mark
Zvezda

I love both these marks, and the molnija, and I'm glad that they'll be available on clothes via Arcane Vault soon! Here ends my VA/link heavy post.

[EDIT} Oh no. Wait, missed one. This has been around for a while, but still totally deserves a mention and should be checked out. Vampire Academy jewellery! Sold by Psynde on Etsy, here. It's beautiful hand crafted items and I've got several peices. They're all fantastic! She offers other items as well and you should totally check those out too. Okay. Now I'm really done.

UK Cover Love!!

Rachel Vincent's YA Soul Screamers series are (finally) coming to the UK next year. Book 1, My Soul To Take should be out January and the others after that, but no dates yet. Rachel just posted the covers for the UK editions on her blog and I love them!! The US covers are very pretty and it was going to be hard to top them, but personally, I prefer these UK covers. They're stunning! So much so I know that me being me, I'm going to end up getting them, despite having US editions already. So what do ya think?

Mockingjay Cover!

Mockingjay is the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It is out August 24th and it is one of the books I want most this year. The first two books were awesome and I can not wait to see what happens in the end!! The UK cover has finally been released so if you've not yet seen it, here it is:
I love it. I've always prefered the UK ones over the US covers, but this is my favourite of them. Be really interested to hear what others think of it verses the US one below.

New Cover Art

The 9th Moganville Vampire book, Ghost Town, by Rachel Caine isn't out until the beginning of November, but the cover art for the UK version just went up on AmazonUK:
At one point the first four books were available with glow in the dark covers, I have those and they're cool, but this is my favourite cover to date easily. Very pretty!!

UK cover for the 8th House of Night book, Awakened, (P.C. and Kristin Cast) is live there too. Not a book I'm looking forward to, just one that I noticed on the Ghost Town page, figured I'd share it too.