Monday, June 18, 2018

2018 + 2019 Cover Reveals

So many new covers have been revealed these past few weeks. Here are my thoughts on ‘em.

Evermore
(Everless #2)
Publication Date: December 31, 2018
Hardcover, 336 pages, HarperTeen
Genres: YA, Fantasy

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

My Thoughts

The first book in this series had a silver cover. I like silver much more than gold. The background is fine, and even the gold title font is pretty. However, there is a lot of gold. Also, there’s a lot of red, which I’m not a huge fan of either. I know it’ll look good next to it’s predecessor, though, so at least there’s that.

***

Slayer
(Slayer #1)
Publication Date: January 8, 2019
Hardcover, 416 pages, Simon Pulse
Genres: YA, Paranormal

From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes a brand-new series set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that introduces a new Slayer as she grapples with the responsibility of managing her incredible powers that she’s just beginning to understand.

Into every generation a Slayer is born…

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams…

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.

My Thoughts

I was originally really worried about this cover. The way my roommate, who works at Simon & Schuster, talked, it was super ugly. I should have known better. We have complete opposite tastes in book covers. I actually really like this cover. One, because it’s purple, and two, because the pose is pretty kicka$$. The only thing I have to nitpick about is how bright red the hair is. It clashes a little with the purple.

***

The Cerulean
(Untitled Duology #1)
Publication Date: February 5, 2019
Hardcover, 368 pages, HarperTeen
Genres: YA, Fantasy

HarperTeen has acquired The Cerulean and an untitled sequel, a YA fantasy duology by Amy Ewing. The Cerulean tells the story of Sera, who lives in a Sapphic utopia where all women have three mothers and a young woman is chosen every 100 years to be abandoned on the planet below as a sacrifice. Publication is scheduled for 2019.

My Thoughts

I don’t know how I feel about this cover. It’s not bad, but it’s not my favorite. I liked her other trilogy’s covers better. I think this one reminds me a lot of the style of The Marked Girl, which is also a HarperTeen title. I bet they got the same designer for this cover. I like the color on this one, and the moon is cool. Maybe I’ll enjoy it more once a better description is released…?

***

Imprison the Sky
(The Elementae #2)
Publication Date: January 22, 2019
Hardcover, 416 pages, Bloomsbury YA
Genres: YA, Fantasy

Aspasia, eighteen, an Elementae who controls air, gets caught in a battle between Cyrus, who forces her to capture slaves for market, and a queen whose husband experiments on Elementae.

Description for the first book, Reign the Earth: Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands.

But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae.

This intense, richly drawn high-fantasy by the author of Scarlet will hold readers spellbound.

My Thoughts

It’s very…blue. While I like blue, this is a very bright blue. I guess it’s better than the red of its predecessor, but I’m not a fan of super bright colors on book covers. I prefer a darker or softer tone. I think the girl (not sure if she’s a real model or an illustration) looks good, though.

***

The Red Scrolls of Magic
(The Eldest Curses #1)
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Hardcover, 432 pages, Margaret K. McElderly
Genres: Paranormal, Adult

From #1 New York Times bestseller Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu comes the first book in a new trilogy featuring the centuries-old High Warlock Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood after they survive the Mortal War.

Magnus Bane, a centuries old High Warlock, has taken possession of one of the great relics of the supernatural world, a powerful spell book of dark magic known as The Book of the White and there are many who want to claim it for themselves.

After the Mortal War where the part-human and part-angel Shadowhunters teamed with the part human-demon Downworlders to fight against the incursion of an army of demons, Magnus and his new lover, the mortal Alec Lightwood celebrate their survival and victory by escaping the supernatural battlefield of New York City by touring the world, but the world won’t leave them alone.

The first adult novel set within #1 New York Times bestselling author Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter series, written with award-winning science fiction author Wesley Chu, is a fantasy thriller that will give new readers a great way to enter the Shadowhunters world and give the millions of readers across the globe answers they’ve been looking for in this start of The Eldest Curses trilogy.

My Thoughts

Oh man, am I disappointed by this cover. This thing is so ugly. I’m not a fan. At all. I was hoping for something either completely different from the TMI books, or the exact same style as the TMI books. Instead, I got a pattern-esque cover? I mean, why? Ugh. It’s just not pretty. Blugh!

***

The Perfect Assassin
(Assassins of Ghadid Trilogy #1)
Publication Date: March 19, 2019
Paperback, 320 pages, Tor
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

A novice assassin is on the hunt for someone killing their own in K. A. Doore's The Perfect Assassin, a breakout high fantasy for fans of Robin Hobb, Sarah J. Maas, and Brent Weeks

The assassins of Ghadid serve a higher power, dispensing justice in the shadows. Or so Amastan has been taught.

Until, unexpectedly, Amastan finds the body of a very important drum chief. Until, impossibly, fellow assassins are being killed off. Until, inevitably, Amastan is ordered to solve these murders. Even worse, the jaan of the murdered start roaming the dusty streets of Ghadid, restless spirits seeking any body to possess.

Time is running short, and Amastan must find this perfect assassin or become their next target.

My Thoughts

Another cover that I don’t know how I feel about it. The font is cool, and the cover model looks bada$$, but the background is red and boring. I just don’t like red. I think a stone wall would have made for a better background image.

***

Empress of All Seasons
Publication Date: November 6, 2018
Hardcover, 384 pages, HMH Books
Genres: YA, Fantasy

In a palace of illusions, nothing is what it seems.

Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete—all except yōkai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy.

Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren't hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yōkai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life will be forfeit. As she struggles to keep her true identity hidden, Mari’s fate collides with that of Taro, the prince who has no desire to inherit the imperial throne, and Akira, a half-human, half-yōkai outcast.

My Thoughts

This is a very simple cover, so that’s alright. However, it’s not really my style. It’s not a bad cover, in my opinion, it’s just not a great one either. The font is pretty and blade is cool, but the background is a bit boring.

***

Those are some recently revealed covers. What do you think? Do you like them?

2 comments:

  1. The Cerulean is such a beautiful cover. I just finished reading the Lone City series by Ewing, so I'll have to check that one out!
    Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian

    ReplyDelete

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