I haven’t done many cover reveals on the blog. To date, I’ve only done one, actually. So I was a little more than excited to do my second one!
I know what you’re thinking. It’s another cover with not one, not two, but three faces. And faces on covers are certainly not my thing, right?
Au contraire. We have yet to discuss the case of the kick-ass heroine. There aren’t very many (that I’m aware of) in the YA realm, and I can probably only count a few on one hand that I’d pick up from a shelf. Adrienne Kress’ The Friday Society would definitely be one of them.
I think what I love most about the cover design is that it looks like a caper (and reminds me a little bit of Indiana Jones). Not the carefree and silly kind of caper, but the one that involves mystery, sleuthing, some wise-cracking dialogue and a generous helping of adventure. And weaponry-wielding, of course. Side note: if photographer Michael Frost had directed me to hold a katana I would not have been able to pull off such a look of don’t-cross-me-cos-I’ll-cut-you-ness. As for Nellie’s pose (on the far left), I think I would’ve been able to channel my inner Gambit for that role, definitely.
For a lot of elements happening all over its cover, it certainly comes together in a way that doesn’t feel overdone or overkill. Kudos to Penguin designer Greg Stadnyk for its subtleties that add to its overall design in an inconspicuous way. The artwork has bites of story, setting, tone and characters, and I’m really interested in seeing it in final print — texture would be a nice touch (no pun intended).
I’ll take a KH over a SGiPD any day of the week. What about you? What do you think?
