Y’all, I’m a huge Courtney Summers fangirl. Not only was her debut novel mentioned in the prior post, but I’ve been on pins and needles waiting for her third novel’s cover since…like…ever. (“Ever” meaning a few months, but, well.. semantics)
I have a list of a few covers that I wanted to explore, and had my neat little schedule of how I was going to go about posting over the next week or so, but then, bam, guess who debuts her cover for Fall for Anything, today of all days?
Courtney, St. Martin’s Press done DID YOU RIGHT.
Looking at Fall for Anything‘s cover, my first reaction was “Oh dear, look. At. The. Mood.” The simple color grading from the burnt red to bronze overtones, the girl’s head down, in what, grief? Depression? Why does she look so sad?! Way to set a mood, St. Martin’s Press.
SMP also kept the same font for her name from her other two novels, which ties them all together in a very simple way. But this cover, this little beaut, it just emanates emotion. You just know something dramatic is going down in this one.
And my favorite part? The title’s typeface, how each character interacts. Is that custom illustration? Hmm – the n’s and l’s look too similar. There is balance and chaos in this novel’s cover, from its scribbly font, to its hanging photographs, to its centered title. There’s an additional beauty in its depth of field.
Let me be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of angsty faces on novels. (Vampire Academy, anyone?) I think that when a publisher puts a specific face on a cover, readers have already been robbed (dramatic terminology, no?) of what they believe that a protagonist looks like in their head. Descriptions in a novel are one thing, but when you throw a photograph on a cover, you’re basically saying, “This is what Protag looks like. Oh, and she has Crazyface. End of story.” While Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are revealed more and more of each protagonist’s face, this cover did it in such a manner that I didn’t recoil. At all.
Had I not already read Courtney’s work and seen this on my book retailer’s shelves, I would’ve swiped it at first glance to read its synopsis. Message received. And mission accomplished.
Don’t you just want to know what those photos represent?
I do!
Yes, I totally do! Really can’t wait to read this one!
As much of a turnoff as “real people” on book covers is to me, I like this one mainly for the depth of field as well as the color scheme. Gritty, blurry and makes me want to know more about the series. The cover makes the story seem ‘unsafe’ which makes the mystery of it more intriguing.
WELL, this is totally and completely day-making. So happy (and relieved) it’s a hit. I’m thrilled with it, myself.
!
I’ve never read Courtney Summers, but this makes me want to. I’ll have to check her out, definitely.
Well then GUESS WHO is getting one of her books next week?
Hey there. First off, welcome to the blogging world!
Second. That cover is amazing. I really enjoy it. And your comments on it, even better! I hope that you have a great time being a blogger, and I look forward to reading more from you! Have a great Wednesday!!
Thanks so much for the encouragement, Sharyla! It has indeed been a very warm welcome. =)
I agree. This is a nice cover – I like the color and the depth with the out of focus photos in the back. I also like that we can’t see her face – like you said, it kind of seals the deal for “this is who we’re talking about” when you see too much of a cover model. The only thing that really doesn’t work for me with this cover is the “a novel” on the photo in the background. It sticks out because the photos are blurry but the text is not – it’s made to look like the text is on the photo, but the illusion is broken by this difference. Also, not a serious issue with the cover, but what’s up with her part-line? It’s kind of wild, no? And the cursive “f” and “y” kind of frame it in a way that draws attention there. Anyway, excited about your blog! Will be adding you to our blogroll today!
Oh wow, thanks for the pointing out the part line! You’ve got some very keen eyes! I’ve had y’all in my RSS feed for a bit and enjoy your blog, too.
YES on Courtney’s cover. You’ve nailed why it works for me–it completely sets a mood.
Love this one too
I’ve never read one of her books but this cover is good. It makes me curious about the girl and what the pictures all mean.
This is a great idea for a blog, btw. I can talk about book covers all day long! Looking forward to more reviews.
Oh, you must must read Summers if you like YA contemporary. She is a must.
Oohhh. Pretty.
I hate Vampire Academy’s cover. I always think it’s Angelina Jolie and then in the later books “Rose” looks way different to the point I think it’s a different model but people tell me otherwise. I remember Richelle Mead saying she had no idea who the guy was supposed to be on one of the covers. *insert eye roll here*
OMG, totally thought the same thing when I first looked at the VA cover. Angelina Jolie! That was just straight up shameful.
Love this cover! i just want to read it NOW!
Me too, Adiba! ME TOO.
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