Two curses. One prophecy. A reckoning all have feared.
And a love more powerful than fate. All hail the king and queen of Hell.
Emilia is reeling from the shocking discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive. But before she faces the demons of her past, Emilia yearns to claim her king, the seductive Prince of Wrath, in the flesh. Emilia doesn’t simply desire his body, she wants his heart and soul—but that’s something the enigmatic demon can’t promise her.
When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.
Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.
Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.
Book Cover Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀 • 5 / 5 skulls
So eventually, I think I’d like to give this series a shot, even though it appears to have quite a bit of focus on romance. And I’m gonna be honest here: the covers of this series are definitely part of the reason why I want to try it, though the plot summaries also seem interesting.
Anyway, back to the cover of this book specifically: I really like it for some reason. Black and white and red always look good together and it’s part of what sets it apart for me from the other covers in the series. I also love the crown and how it looks on the skull. The blank backdrop also makes everything stand out so well.
The thing I like the most about the cover, however, are the smoldering roses around the skull, and the rubies glistening in its eye sockets. It just looks sooo good. I love this cover.
What do you guys think of this cover? Have you read any of the books inThe Kingdom of the Wicked series? If you have, what did you think of the book(s)?
Thanks for reading, and have an amazing day/night!
It’s March now, and spring is imminent, but it also means that February is over. So I’m gonna go over February’s statistics on The StoryGraph!
I didn’t read nearly as many books as I’d hoped, but I also didn’t read any less than I did in January, so I’m going to count that as a win.
Also, post #100 let’s gooo!!
So, uh anyway, now, on to the stats…
February 2023 Reading Stats
😐 Moods: Lots of moods in the books in February, Adventure of course being the biggest one, as per usual. My other moods were Mysterious, Emotional, and Dark, which also checks as every one of those except Emotional usually appears on my little pie chart.
👢 Pace: Most of the books I read are medium-paced, and that still shows here, but there dud read a book that I felt was fast-paced this month.
🔢 Page Number: I read a lot of longer books than I usually do in February, as 3/4 of them were 500+ page books. My preferred length of books is between 300 and 499 pages, and you can still see that a little bit here.
📖 Fiction/Nonfiction: 100% fiction once again. I swear I have a couple of nonfiction books on my TBR. I swear.
🎭 Genres: I upped the genres I read from last month. All of the books I read were Fantasy, which is my favorite genre so it’s absolutely no surprise. Most of them were also YA, which also isn’t a surprise as most fantasy that I read tends to be YA. Oh and Science Fiction! Hi there, second favorite genre! I read a lot less Romance than I expected to, even though all of the books I read technically featured it, to some degree.
📄 Format: All of the books I read last month were paperbacks.
⭐ Rating: My average rating for the month of February was 4.0 stars exactly. Not surprising – I gave all of the novels I read 4 stars, lol.
📉 Pages Read Daily: Once again, I was kind of all all over the place with the amount I read. I read more pages closer to the beginning of February, which makes sense, as I was able to read about three books in the first half of the month.
So I didn’t read and review as many books in February that I’d wanted, but hey, I got sick in the last week and a half, and when I’m really not feeling well I just don’t want to read. But I finally finished A Conjuring of Light, and I finally finally finished Cress, which I’m really happy about.
What books did you read in February? What did you think of them? Did we read any of the same books?
Thank you, as always, for reading, and have a marvelous day/night!
It’s been forever (a month) since the last one of these. (Sorry.) I really do love doing these, but since I started doing Weekly Wrap-Ups consistently, I haven’t had as much time to do Majestic Mondays as I’ve wanted.
Because of this, I’ve decided that some adjustments have had to be made. So, instead of highlighting three book covers, I’ve made the decision to go back to covering individual book covers, similar to my original Majestic Monday post.
For those who don’t know (since it’s been a while), Majestic Mondays are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover, and talk about what I like about it.
This week, I’m talking about a fantasy book that you might have heard of: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction–but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
Book Cover Rating: 🍊🍊🍊🍊 • 4 / 5 oranges
So, I personally, will never read this book – for various reasons – but that doesn’t mean I can’t admire the cover. And highlight the book for those who might be interested, the few who read this blog.
First off, I absolutely love the dragon. I love how it’s blue and contrasts perfectly with the orangebackground. Secondly, I really like the way that the tower the dragon is twined around looks too. Ancient, mildly weathered, and important looking.
I also love that the background is actually orange. I know, I know, the title has the word orangein it, why wouldn’t the cover? But you’d be surprised – some covers just don’t take the hint. And Priory’s cover looks gorgeous to boot.
I also really like how, if you look closer, the backdrop has two shades of orange! And one of them looks like a tree moving in the breeze or something! So there’s literally an orange tree on the cover! I love it when a cover is good.
What do you guys think of the cover? Have you read The Priory of the Orange Tree? What did you think of it?
Thanks for reading, and have an amazing day/night! Join me next week for another Majestic Monday. That’s right, they’re here to stay this time!
Whoa, barely made it! It’s still a Monday though, so there’s still time for Majestic Monday! You know, that thing where I point out pretty book covers and we admire them together.
This week, the book covers that I’m highlighting are: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson, Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner, and Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo.
Tress of the Emerald Sea (The Cosmere) by Brandon Sanderson
The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one.
With the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie.
But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea.
Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?
I’ve done a cover with similar colors before, and those who have seen that Majestic Monday post know how that turned out.
Cover Rating: ★★★★☆ • 4 / 5 stars
I love green and gold together. And this cover goes above and beyond by juxtaposing multiple shades of green against one shade of yellow-gold. I love how it makes it stand out. And both colors paired with black so that specific things appear in shadowy, low details? Very nice.
A “brilliant and terrifically fun”* debut novel brings an enchanting new voice to fantasy.
Onna can write the parameters of a spell faster than any of the young men in her village school. But despite her incredible abilities, she’s denied a place at the nation’s premier arcane academy. Undaunted, she sails to the bustling city-state of Hexos, hoping to find a place at a university where they don’t think there’s anything untoward about providing a woman with a magical education. But as soon as Onna arrives, she’s drawn into the mysterious murder of four trolls.
Tsira is a troll who never quite fit into her clan, despite being the leader’s daughter. She decides to strike out on her own and look for work in a human city, but on her way she stumbles upon the body of a half-dead human soldier in the snow. As she slowly nurses him back to health, an unlikely bond forms between them, one that is tested when an unknown mage makes an attempt on Tsira’s life. Soon, unbeknownst to each other, Onna and Tsira both begin devoting their considerable talents to finding out who is targeting trolls, before their homeland is torn apart…
Cover Rating: ★★✯☆☆ • 3.5 / 5 stars
This cover is even vaguer looking than the first one, but it makes up for it with more colors. I love how all of the different colors used are just in shades of pastels. It really stands out against the black backdrop. The whole thing kind of reminds me a little of those felt-drawing things for kids.
I also love the way that the leaves look. I really like twisting vines and forest imagery, so it’s no wonder this cover caught my eye. The cover also looks rather wild with the leaves and such, and really calls attention to the “unnatural” part of the title.
Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone Trilogy Book #2) by Leigh Bardugo
Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner–hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.
The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.
But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice–and only she can face the oncoming storm.
Cover Rating: ★★★★★ • 5 / 5 stars
I love, love, love this cover. I know that it isn’t the original Siege and Storm cover, that it’s another edition, but I honestly prefer this cover. It’s far more unique than the original, even with its relative simplicity. (Then again, the first covers for the Shadow and Bone trilogy were pretty simple, too.)
I love the colors on this one the most, which is why I chose to highlight this cover over the other two in the trilogy. (The others are beautiful too, though.) I just really like blues, greens, and in-betweens, and this cover has a lot of that. And the good magic against the black background is just *chef’s kiss*. Who’s excited for Season 2?
What are really awesome covers that you’ve recently discovered? How about your all-time favorites? Have you read any of the books that I highlighted?
Thank you so much for reading and have an amazing day/night! See you on the flip side for more bookish things.
It’s still Monday, but I wanted to start strong. And since it’s Monday, it’s time to look at awesome book covers. That’s right, here it is: another Majestic Monday post!
This week, the three book covers that I’m highlighting are The House Witch by Delemhach, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, and For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten.
The House Witch(Book #1) by Delemhach
A heartwarming and humorous blend of fantasy, romance, and mystery featuring a witch with domestic powers and the royal household he serves…dinner.
When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff of the King and Queen of Daxaria, he’s an enigma. No one knows where he comes from or how he came to be where he is, which suits Fin just fine. He’s satisfied simply serving as the royal cook, keeping nosy passersby out of his kitchen, and concocting some truly uncanny meals.
But Fin’s secret identity doesn’t stay hidden for long. After all, it’s not every day a house witch and his kitten familiar, Kraken, take to meddling in imperial affairs. As his powers are gradually discovered by the court, Fin finds himself involved in a slew of intrigues: going head-to-head with knights with less-than-chivalrous intentions, helping to protect the pregnant queen, fending off the ire of the royal mage, and uncovering a spy in the castle. And that’s only the beginning—because Fin’s past is catching up with him just as his love life is getting complicated . . .
Filled with fascinating characters, courtly intrigue, political machinations, delicious cuisines, cuddly companions, magical hijinks, and will-they-won’t-they romance, The House Witch is the first in a captivating new series, guaranteed to satisfy the tastes of any listener.
The first volume of the hit romantic-fantasy series—with more than a million views on Royal Road!
The House Witch: Plot Synopsis
Now, even though I DNF-ed this last year, I can acknowledge that it has a beautiful cover, even if the book itself wasn’t for me.
I love the way that the foodstuff looks, and the way that Fin’s magic swirls around the broom and the kitchenware. And Kraken the cat looks so furry and adorable! It’s no wonder that this book cover attracted me, honestly. It’s gorgeously drawn.
Cover Rating: ★★★★☆ • 4 / 5 stars
Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
Of course, some things are better left dead.
Gideon the Ninth: Plot Synopsis
I will admit, this isn’t exactly a pretty cover, but I think that it’s a great one nonetheless. Now,I haven’t had the pleasure of reading this (yet), but I can imagine that this captures the novel’s vibe pretty well.
I love the black backdrop and all of the skeletons everywhere on the cover. My favorite thing, though, has to be the font of the title. I just love the way that it looks, and how it stands out so much compared to the rest of the cover.
Cover Rating: ★★★★✯ • 4.5 / 5 stars
For the Wolf (The Wilderwood #1) by Hannah Whitten
The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf.
For fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale comes a dark, sweeping debut fantasy novel about a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn’t the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood.
As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he’ll return the world’s captured gods.
Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can’t control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can’t hurt those she loves. Again.
But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn’t learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood-and her world-whole.
For the Wolf: Plot Synopsis
First off, I love how wintery this background looks. I love the way the bare black and white trees are drawn, as well. I also really like the wintery background because of how it contrasts Red’s red cloak.
The shadowy castle and sword also looks cool, especially since Red’s face is shadowed too. As someone who hasn’t read this book either, I wonder if there’s some correlation there, or if it is merely an artistic choice? Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic cover.
Cover Rating: ★★★★✯ • 4.5 / 5 stars
What did you guys think of these covers? Which one did you like best? Did any of them (and/or their synopsis’) give you any interest in reading them? (Or have you read any of these books already?)
Thank you so much for joining me, and have a great day/night! Tune in next time for more bookish things. And join me next week for another Majestic Monday!
It’s that time of the week again. (Er, technically it’s past that time of the week again. Whoops.) Yes, that time of the week where I pick out three pretty book covers to admire. Majestic Monday! (Or Tuesday, in today’s case. What can I say? I got really busy yesterday.)
This week, the three book covers I’m highlighting are Fire by Kristin Cashore, The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima, and The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins.
Fire (Graceling Realms #2) by Kristin Cashore
A breathtaking, marvelous Graceling Realm book from New York Times bestselling author Kristin Cashore.
It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.
Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.
Out of all five Graceling books, my favorite cover is Fire’s, though they’re all very beautiful. I really like how Fire’s hair simultaneously looks like hair and fire, and how the golden arrows cross behind the book’s title.
Honestly, I really just like how all the colors look together in general, and how the reds of Fire’s hair contrast with the blue, white, and gold of the town at the bottom.
Cover Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 • 5 / 5 flames
The Gray Wolf Throne (Seven Realms #3) by Cinda Williams Chima
An epic tale of fierce loyalty, unbearable sacrifice, and the heartless hand of fate.
Han Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. The costs of his efforts are steep, but nothing can prepare him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is none other than Raisa ana’Marianna, heir to the Queendom of the Fells. Han is hurt and betrayed. He knows he has no future with a blueblood. And, as far as he’s concerned, the princess’s family as good as killed his own mother and sister. But if Han is to fulfill his end of an old bargain, he must do everything in his power to see Raisa crowned queen.
Meanwhile, some people will stop at nothing to prevent Raisa from ascending. With each attempt on her life, she wonders how long it will be before her enemies succeed. Her heart tells her that the thief-turned-wizard Han Alister can be trusted. She wants to believe it-he’s saved her life more than once. But with danger coming at her from every direction, Raisa can only rely on her wits and her iron-hard will to survive-and even that might not be enough.
Much like the Graceling Realms, I like all of the covers from the Seven Realms series, but this one is my favorite. If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know how much I like purple hues on my cover. And that’s the main reason why I like it best out of the four.
But I also really like the design of the Gray Wolf Crown. I like the shade of silver-gray, the triangular spaces within the points of the crown, and the wolf on the bottom. (I like wolves.) But I also like the way the mountains and mist look beneath the crown, as well as how the overcast sky appears. So pretty.
Cover Rating: 🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺 • 4 adult gray wolves and 1 gray wolf cub (aka: a 4.5 / 5 rating)
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.
But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.
Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?
With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?
Finally! A non-SFF novel makes its way onto my semiweekly pretty book covers list! Because contemporary books can have gorgeous covers too, and this one shows that.
This modern retelling of Jane Eyre has a very nice cover, as I’ve mentioned. I love the blue wallpaper with pink flowers, and how starkly the white banister stands out against it. And the black text of the title really stands out. I love how “innocent” it all looks, contrasted with the insidious sounding title. It’s such a good cover, especially if you’ve read the original Jane Eyre.
Have any of you guys read any of these books? What did you think of them, if you did? I’ve read the first Graceling Realms book, but not Fire or any of the others, and I’ve read and loved the whole of the Seven Realms series. I DNF-ed The Wife Upstairs a couple years ago, though.
Anyway, as always, thanks to everyone who joined me for a (very late) Majestic Monday! Tune in next time for more bookish things! Oh, and have a fantastic day/night!
Leslie over at Books Are the New Black created a cool thing – a monthly post called Birthstone Book Covers. Each month, she features book covers that are either the same color of that month’s birthstone or include the color in the title. As you can imagine, several people love it as well, including me. It just seemed like so much fun, that, when I discovered it, I had to join in too!
January has one birthstone: Garnet.
If you want to participate too, just follow these simple (and fun) rules: • Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black) and link back to her so she can check out your post. • Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. • HAVE FUN! • Nominate people if you want!
Vicious (Villains #1) by V.E. Schwab
Star Father (Star Mother #2) by Charlie N. Holmberg
Tangled in Tinsel by Trilina Pucci
The Glamourist (The Vine Witch #2) by Luanne G. Smith
It’s been a while, since the last time we looked at pretty book covers. Four weeks – nearly a month.
That’s unacceptable. (Lol.)
It’s time to once again celebrate majestic book covers on Monday. I promise I didn’t forget or drop this weekly… thing. I just got ridiculously busy during the second half of December because of the holidays. But, as I said, it’s been more than long enough – it’s time for another Majestic Monday!
This week, the three book covers I’m highlighting are: A Coup of Tea by Casey Blair, The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty, and Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer.
(NOTE: The pictures of the book covers and the headings beneath each one are linked to the books’ Goodreads pages if you want to check them out for yourselves. They are not affiliate links, or anything of the like. I just wanted to make it easier for those interested to check out the books that I highlight on the blog. Also, Majestic Monday is not a post series encouraging you to only read/buy books based on pretty covers – I just wanted to show of book covers that I think are pretty great.)
When the fourth princess of Istalam is due to dedicate herself to a path serving the crown, she makes a choice that shocks everyone, herself most of all: She leaves.
In hiding and exiled from power, Miyara finds her place running a tea shop in a struggling community that sits on the edge of a magical disaster zone. But there’s more brewing under the surface of this city—hidden magic, and hidden machinations—that threaten all the people who’ve helped her make her own way.
Miyara may not be a princess anymore, but with a teapot in hand she’ll risk her newfound freedom to discover a more meaningful kind of power.
A Coup of Tea is the first book of the Tea Princess Chronicles, a cozy fantasy series full of magic tea, friendship, and lifting people up even when the odds seem impossible.
Cover Rating: ★★★✯☆ • 3.5 / 5 stars
☕ I love the colors
☕ I love how the mist and steam floating around the teapot look magical, it really fits the theme of the novel
☕ I really like how the glow of the fireplace in the background looks as a backdrop to the teapot
Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad—and quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there.
Now, with Daevabad entrenched in the dark aftermath of a devastating battle, Nahri must forge a new path for herself. But even as she embraces her heritage and the power it holds, she knows she’s been trapped in a gilded cage, watched by a king who rules from the throne that once belonged to her family—and one misstep will doom her tribe…
Meanwhile, Ali has been exiled for daring to defy his father. Hunted by assassins, adrift on the unforgiving copper sands of his ancestral land, he is forced to rely on the frightening abilities the marid—the unpredictable water spirits—have gifted him. But in doing so, he threatens to unearth a terrible secret his family has long kept buried.
And as a new century approaches and the djinn gather within Daevabad’s towering brass walls for celebrations, a threat brews unseen in the desolate north. It’s a force that would bring a storm of fire straight to the city’s gates… and one that seeks the aid of a warrior trapped between worlds, torn between a violent duty he can never escape and a peace he fears he will never deserve.
Cover Rating: ★★★★☆ • 4 / 5 stars
🏺 I love the blue and orange contrast of the city in the background, as well as how it resembles copper
🏺 I love the blue light shining down through the middle of the cover behind the title, and how it transforms into water (the ocean?) at the bottom
🏺 I really like the contrast between the natural beach on the bottom part of the cover versus the artificialness of the city covering the majority of the cover
Echo Alkaev’s safe and carefully structured world falls apart when her father leaves for the city and mysteriously disappears. Believing he is lost forever, Echo is shocked to find him half-frozen in the winter forest six months later, guarded by a strange talking wolf—the same creature who attacked her as a child. The wolf presents Echo with an ultimatum: if she lives with him for one year, he will ensure her father makes it home safely. But there is more to the wolf than Echo realizes.
In his enchanted house beneath a mountain, each room must be sewn together to keep the home from unraveling, and something new and dark and strange lies behind every door. When centuries-old secrets unfold, Echo discovers a magical library full of books- turned-mirrors, and a young man named Hal who is trapped inside of them. As the year ticks by, the rooms begin to disappear and Echo must solve the mystery of the wolf’s enchantment before her time is up otherwise Echo, the wolf, and Hal will be lost forever.
Cover Rating: ★★★✯☆ • 3.5 / 5 stars
🐺 I adore the contrast of the white on royal blue, and how it’s just the two colors on the cover; it really makes both colors stand out a lot
🐺 I love how the wolves near the top of the cover, and the points of the compass and book below almost appear like old carvings
🐺 I really, really like the way the trees are drawn on the cover and how they almost appear to be overtaking it
So, um… It’s time for another Majestic Monday!! On Monday! Because it’s totally still Monday. Right?!?
Anyway, Majestic Mondays are when this blog gushes over pretty book covers. Majestic covers, one might say. And the three books I’ve chosen this week are: City of Lost Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ash and Embers by Jenna Wolfhart, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab.
City of Lost Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Length: 545 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: December 8, 2022
Book Description
There has always been a darkness to Ilmar, but never more so than now. The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Palleseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse.
What will be the spark that lights the conflagration?
Despite the city’s refugees, wanderers, murderers, madmen, fanatics and thieves, the catalyst, as always, will be the Anchorwood – that dark grove of trees, that primeval remnant, that portal, when the moon is full, to strange and distant shores.
Ilmar, some say, is the worst place in the world and the gateway to a thousand worse places.
Ilmar, City of Long Shadows.
City of Bad Decisions.
City of Last Chances.
Okay, to start off with, we all know how I like a trio of colors on a cover by now. We also know how much I like gold on covers. And we know that I like book covers where there are contrasting elements that are diametrically opposed to one another. And this cover has all of it, so it’s no wonder it’s on this list.
Cover Rating: ★★★★✯ • 4.5 / 5 stars
Ash and Embers by Jenna Wolfhart
Series: The Mist King [Book #2]
Length: 464 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: December 1, 2022
Book Description
All her life, Tessa has lived in the cruel shadow of the wicked fae on the hill. And when she tried to fight back, she failed.
Now, she is trapped in the dungeons beneath Albyria. Cursed to wed King Oberon, she’ll be bound to her enemy’s side for eternity if she does not escape.
But someone far more dangerous haunts her dreams. The Mist King. He wants answers, but so does she.
And when the deadly mists begin creeping into the Kingdom of Light, it seems the impossible has happened. Oberon’s protective barrier has cracked.
That can only mean one thing. The Mist King is coming. The question is, is he coming to save her or to get his revenge?
So this is a second book in a series, but I just like this cover so much more than the first book. It has an old-fashioned key on it! With a rose on it! And I love old-fashioned keys! (And roses too.) The cover also has that contrasting black and yellow-gold, and we know how much I love that.
Cover Rating: ★★★✯☆ • 3.5 / 5 stars
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
Length: 434 pages
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: October 6, 2020
Book Description
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
Were three-for-three with the gold this week. And (technically) three-for-three on the black and gold. Wow. I must be in a black and gold mood this time around.
But what I really adore about this cover isn’t the black/gold pairing here; it’s the constellation in the background. I absolutely love constellations – I just think they’re so cool. I also like the font of the title. I like stencil fonts a lot.
Cover Rating: ★★★★✯ • 4.5 / 5 stars
Annnd, that’s all I got for you today! Have you read any of these books? (*cough* The Ones That Have Actually Been Released *cough*) What did you think of it? How do you feel about the covers? Join me next post for more bookish things!
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, the three book covers I’m gonna highlight are Defy the Night, The Paper Magician, and Once Upon a Broken Heart.
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Defy the Night [Book #1]
Length: 467 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: September 14, 2021
Book Description
A desperate prince.
A daring outlaw.
A dangerous flirtation.
In the Wilds of Kandala, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade has been watching people suffer for too long. A mysterious sickness is ravaging the land and the cure, Moonflower Elixir, is only available for the wealthy. So every night, she defies the royal edicts and sneaks out, stealing Moonflower petals and leaving the elixir for those in need.
In the palace of Kandala, Prince Corrick serves as the King’s Justice, meting out vicious punishments and striking fear into the hearts of agitators and outlaws. Corrick knows he must play this role convincingly–with a shortage of elixir and threats of rebellion looming ever closer, the King’s grip on power is tenuous at best, and Corrick knows his brother is the kingdom’s best hope for survival.
But when an act of unspeakable cruelty brings the royal and the outlaw face to face, the natural enemies are faced with an impossible choice–and a surprising spark. Will they follow their instincts to destroy each other? Or will they save the kingdom together… and let that spark ignite?
First off, as usual, this cover is gorgeous. It’s purple and gold once again (hmm, is there a pattern here, I wonder?), and I just love how the neon effect on the golden lettering looks on the purple.
The flowers are also lovely, and I love how they frame the title and the castle cast in shadows. Everything in this cover stands out, and I absolutely adore it.
Cover Rating: ★★★★✯ • 4.5 / 5 stars
The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Series: The Paper Magician [Book #1]
Length: 234 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: September 1, 2014
Book Description
Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.
Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.
An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.
To start off, I just love covers that incorporate a monochrome scale, paired with one, distinct color. It’s similar to what V. E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series does, and I find this book cover art beautiful in the same way.
I also love all the red lines here, and how they still appear to be connected in some fashion, despite not doing so in any visible way. I think that the contrast and different pairings with all these colors here are also really pretty.
Cover Rating: ★★★☆☆ • 3 / 5 stars
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart [Book #1]
Length: 408 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: September 28, 2021
Book Description
Once Upon a Broken Heart marks the launch of a new series from beloved author Stephanie Garber about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after.
For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings…until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.
Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game — and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…
Getting into the cover, I’m starting off with one of my favorites. Contrast. I adore the black background and the pale pink dots (that glisten in the hardcover version), that sit atop it.
I also love the pink heart that almost appears to be made from locks of hair, and how it looks to be rotting from the inside out. And the day that the ivory font is used for the title and author, and how it still stands out, despite looking similar to the pink of the art, is just gorgeous.
Cover Rating: ★★★★★ • 5 / 5 stars
And that’s it for this week’s Majestic Monday. Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them (and their covers)?
Join me next Monday for (most likely) the same type of thing, as well as next time for book bookish things! Thank you, as always, for reading.
