This week we have a lot of pretty to feast our eyes on - but also a lot of books that, for various reasons, just have bits that seem out of place. Either the book itself hasn’t been consistent with the setting, or the cover isn’t really conveying what lies within the pages.
Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly
There seems to be an odd link between compelling, beautiful covers and pretty bad books. Not always, by any stretch, (Steampunk tends to break the rule); but here we have a pretty beautiful cover and a not very compelling story
It does a good job of showing the story, but in some ways it has been too faithful - like showing the burning building under water. And showing the very book-accurate gown on the mermaid which just makes me think how incredibly awkward it must be Serafina to actually swim in. The cover’s too accurate! It shows how silly some parts of this world are!
Mountain Echoes (Walker Papers #8) by C. E. Murphy
A lush, beautiful scenario full of the natural wonder that is so important to the series. Subtle Native American accents to Joanne’s clothing which fits with her so well and makes the link that so underpins this book without resorting to feathers etc.
And Joanne apparently wanting us all to look at her breasts. Why is she laid in the middle of the forest (she’s probably laid on a rock. Or a pine cone. It looks damned uncomfortable)? Why do we have a protagonist who has an enchanted sword and wears an ankle length white leather duster not looking cheesey-awesome and badass on the cover? Did she get lost on the way to saving the world and instead end up in a magazine shoot?
Ensnared by Magic (The One Rises #3) by Anna Wolf
This is a shame - I like this book, I love this series - but this cover? I don’t know, it feels cheap to me, there’s something about his face that doesn’t work. I have to put my hands up to personal taste here though, I prefer my covers either to be completely cartoony if drawn, or to look like photos if not; this sort of in between looks like a not-especially-well-executed art project.
But more than that, it tells me nothing about the book. It’s a guy, smoking, with a smile on his face that suggests he’s going to try and convince me to let him fix my roof at an exorbitant rate. Sorry Mark, I’m wary to cowboy builders
The Kraken King Part 3 (The Iron Seas #4.3) by Meljean Brook
Ooooooh, so pretty. Steampunk, you can always rely on Steampunk to bring the pretty. The background, the clothes, the Victoriana - it’s always beautiful. does it tell me a lot about the book? Not really - except that it’s Steampunk, has a female protagonist and she’s not impressed by a great deal; but I’d buy it still.
Skin Deep by Neal F. Litherland
If this were a hardboiled noir book, the cover would be intriguing. Though the gun suggests a modern setting and the backdrop, complete with mist and lamp, looks very historical which would give me pause. The protagonist depicted is also interesting - it’s very human with a strong hint of grey areas and lines to cross
What I don’t see is anything saying angels, demons or anything else supernatural. The cover is compelling and interesting - but if I were looking for urban fantasy I’d click past it.
