Earlier this month I was browsing one of my new favorite cover art blogs, Caustic Cover Critic, and discovered the gorgeous cover art to David Ward’s Between Two Ends (out next week).
You guys. You guys. I promise you from the very bottom of my heart that Amulet Books is not paying me to pimp their cover art. Two covers in a row is pure Cover Lovin’ coincidence.
Okay, I’m not gonna lie, the first thought that came to my mind when I saw this book other than *gasp* it’s so alluring and magical! was OMG is that the Sultan’s castle from Aladdin??!!1!11! If you need to know one fact about me (besides my cover art snobby hobby), let it be the fact that I love the animated film Aladdin and can recite every song word for word. In each character’s voice.
On a serious and more professional note, to say that Between Two Ends’ cover is stunning is a complete understatement. In one look it has the ability to show me parallel worlds, fill me with complete wonder, and turn my slightly piqued curiosity into I-Must-Read-What-This-Novel-Is-About-Right-Now-ness. It’s like a complete story on the cover without being Photoshop overkill. The title is a part of the artwork, anchoring two different realms, and not slapped on as an afterthought.
The creative energy behind Between Two Ends’ cover art is the brilliant illustrator/painter Yuta Onoda. His illustrations and paintings are beautiful and mesmerizing, not unlike this cover. What’s more, the cover art for Between Two Ends is just scratching the surface of a story that sounds completely magical and full of adventure and totally up my alley. It also kind of makes me want to burst into song. “A Whole New World,” if you were to ask me which specific song.
Bravo, Onoda. Any work of cover art that beckons me to fall in love with its pages is doing right by its author, publication house, and most of all, its audience.
