It’s that time of week again, so it’s time for another Majestic Monday.
Majestic Mondays are when The Blog that Nobody Knows takes a look at some pretty book covers. That’s it, that’s what we do.
This week, I’ve decided to start doing three books, as opposed to a single book, like I’ve been doing until now. This week we’re gonna admire the covers of Sorcery of Thorns, Gild, and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking.
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Length: 464 pages
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: June 4, 2019
Book Description
All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire, and Elisabeth is implicated in the crime. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
Book Cover Rating: ★★★★☆ • 4 / 5 stars
First off, I love the emerald background with the darker green thorns, leaves and vines, swirling around on it. It’s a gorgeous backdrop. I also love the lavender roses nestled in the bottom left corner. Paired with the title, they automatically bring to mind roses and their thorns.
Speaking of the title, I adore the curling ivory font that was chosen. It keeps the “thorny” theme going, and really stands out at the same time. Elisabeth, the woman on the cover, also looks lovely. I love the blue outfit she’s wearing, and how you can see thorny vines attempting to ensnare her. And the way the red and silver sword she’s holding stands out amongst everything else is so eye-catching. What a beautifully illustrated cover.
Gild by Raven Kennedy
Series: The Plated Prisoner [Book #1]
Length: 400 pages
Genre: High Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: October 1, 2020
Book Description
By bestselling author Raven Kennedy, comes the first book in a stunning new fantasy series, perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L Armentrout.
The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.
Gold.
Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.
Even me.
King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe.
Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.
Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.
Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left.
The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you from the very first page.
PLEASE NOTE: This book contains explicit content and darker elements, including mature language, violence, and non-consensual sex. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age. This is book one in a series.
Book Cover Rating: ★★★✬☆ • 3.5 / 5 stars
Okay, so even though I rated it half a star less than Sorcery of Thorns, this cover is still unbelievably gorgeous. I just preferred the other one a little bit more.
I love how all of the gold looks in front of the black background. Absolutely beautiful. I love the look of the cage in the center of the cover; how it resembles a birdcage, and the way the title weaves in and around its bars.
I also adore the way that the liquid gold looks writhing around the cage, as if it’s simultaneously trying to emerge from the cage, but also appears as if it is growing too large for the cage to contain it. Very pretty.
It should also be noted, that the other covers in The Plated Prisoner series are also absolutely beautiful, so check them out!
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Magical Realism
Release Date: July 21, 2020
Book Description
Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.
But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona’s worries…
Book Cover Rating: ★★★★✬ • 4.5 / 5 stars
So, um, just pretend that eyesore of a gold circle isn’t sitting on the bottom left portion of the cover. Yeah.
Anyway, if you ignore that portion of the cover – or just look at a version of the cover without it – it’s a very pretty book cover. Honestly, my favorite types of covers are those that look simpler – like, they don’t have to have complex illustrations or anything to be beautiful. I actually prefer covers like this one, where there’s a simple background color – but a very good color – with another color or two on top of it for the title and basic artistry, to dress up the cover a bit.
I love the shade of purple on this cover. I love the golden shade of the title and decorations too, and how it looks like dough used for baking. The gingerbread man with a sword and a cute-looking, angry expression on his face is also just… perfect.
This entire cover so adorable. It’s just so nice, and it gives me the urge to bake myself. Or eat cookies.
So what did you guys think of these book covers? Are any of them making you want to read any of the books? Have you read any of these books before? What did you think of them? Thanks for reading, as always, and join me next time for some more book stuff!