Oh this week is something of a classic! Twisted spines, arses and navels, navels everywhere!
Blood Games (Chicagoland Vampires #10) by Chloe Neill
Surprisingly, this series is almost taking a step back from the increasing sexualisation of their covers. Yes, this is a step back considering the direction they were taking - but that’s more a comment on how the covers were devolving than how this is advancing. Merit on this cover is baring her stomach (and while I can see Merit in a tank top, I don’t see her midriff baring. Especially not in Chicago where she frequently tells us how cold it is). I doubt she can move comfortably in those jeans, let alone fight in them - and it’s hard to see but those boots appear to have heels. Sentinel, that’s not a great outfit for fighting in - though the tight jeans may explain the hip thrust
Then there’s her face - doesn’t she look awfully…. young in this picture?
Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between (Rhiannon's Law #1) by J.A. Saare
A classic! We have the arse-first pose (honestly it must be easier to turn around and face us than to desperately keep one’s buttocks in shot), the spine twist and she’s pushing both shoulders back which can only be to emphasise her chest. That’s not a sexy look, that’s a grimace of pain she’s desperately trying to conceal. Also check the supposed-to-be-sexy bedhead of doom. Damn, I hope that’s a creation of the cover artist and not the model’s actual hair because she’s going to be weeks conditioning that mess.
The Kraken King and the Crumbling Walls (Kraken King #6, Iron Seas #4.6) by Meljean Brook
Ah, the Kraken King, oh Steampunk, save me from all these midriffs, broken spines and arse-first poses! Alas, even this cover disappoints this week. Oh it’s a very pretty picture of a very pretty city - but it’s just that, a city. You could be excused for assuming the book was High Fantasy or even a historical novel. Is that why we have the cogs hastily plastered in the top left corner? Someone realised that there’s very little steam or punk on this cover so decided to shove some cogs on?
Dirty Little Misery (Miss Misery #2) by Tracey Martin
It’s the same model as the last cover so we have the same initial problem - she looks like she’s 14. I look at this and the Blood Games cover and wonder if this is a new thing? Is it trying to tap into the popularity of YA by presenting very youthful women on the covers?
She also appears to be wearing a bra under that jacket (actually, I assume she is because the shadows of the jacket suggest she may not actually be wearing anything at all) - yes, that’s more navels on display which i really can’t see Jess doing. She’s working as a consultant for the police force after all, teeny-tiny midriff boobtubes don’t scream professional.
