Another week! Another round of covers to analyse!
Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega #2) by Patricia Briggs
Cover done right!
We show romance and affection between the participants - without unnecessary sexualisation. And the emphasis is relationship and caring rather than hotness. The wolf makes it clear what the book is about, werewolves are obvious, and the colours really makes the central characters stand out.
If I have an issue it’s that the wolf emphasises the protagonist is Anna, but it also hides the fact that Charles is a Native American
Skin Trade (Anita Blake #17) by Laurell K Hamilton
There are several versions of the Anita Blake series, all with different covers. I find they vary from the utterly vague, to the non-descript (the many close ups of Anita’s face, for example) to the damn weird. I have picked these because they heavily fall in the damn weird category. As I’ve said before, they vaguely remind me of the Saw series and have absolutely no relevance to the contents of the book. I am honestly bemused by these covers and suspect they may be some form of modern art
Poison Promise (Elemental Assassin #11) by Jennifer Estep
Hip thrust! Coupled with the facial expression it just kind of ruins the entire attempted badassery of this cover. It’s like watching your 15 year old cousin (also, Gin isn’t that young) trying to act tough. I think she’d do better in a combat pose, wearing more combat clothing and with her hair tied back (I cannot see the professional assassin, Gin, fighting with hair in her eyes). It’s not an awful cover compared to some but it misses a lot of opportunity - not least of which to show some more of the series. Throw a dwarf or a giant on there! Where’s her ice and stone magic? Show me Gin! Show me Ashland! Show me the book!
Guildhall Guardian (Thamesian #1) by Aidan Ladsow
It’s a man’s head, from an odd angle and out of focus with a lot of red filter. It’s a man’s head. The book could be absolutely anything - because it’s just a man’s head on the cover. It’s not even “rawr look at my sexiness” head on the cover. It’s just a man, looking down.
