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.
Cover Rating: 💍💍💍💍 • 4 / 5 engagement rings (uh oh, looks like someone’s hiding something…)
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!
~ Mar ~