Bewitching Book Covers: The Ten Thousand Doors of January

Happy Sunday everybody! We’ve finally reached the end of the week! It’s been a while, so I’ve decided I’ve got to do another Bewitching Book Covers post. ‘Cause I want to get to doing it more often.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Bewitching Book Covers (formerly Tasteful Tuesdays, and before that, Majestic Mondays), is a series where I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.

This week, the book cover I’m highlighting is The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

LENGTH: 374 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Redhook

RELEASE DATE: 10 September 2019

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER Finalist for the 2020 Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards.

In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow’s spellbinding debut–step inside and discover its magic.

Book Cover Rating: 🗝️🗝️🗝️🗝️🗝️ • 5 silver keys

So, like, this book cover is absolutely beautiful. I decided to gush about this book in particular because it has “January” in the title, and considering the month… yeah. But anyway, I forgot how gorgeous the cover art was, and was abruptly reminded when I chose The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

First off, I love all of the different flowers bordering the cover. I love flowers in general, and I love clusters and bouquets of different flowers even more. The way these are drawn here is also very pretty. I also love all of the different looking, old-fashioned styled keys dangling from some of the flowers, as well. (I also love old-fashioned styled keys.)

The background being a matte black is also awesome. It allows a strong contrast between the backdrop of the cover and the colorful flora surrounding the cover. But it also contrasts the gold in the center of the cover and the white font of the title.

Speaking of the title, I love how there’s like three different fonts used for it. It really makes the title stand out and also makes it look pretty unique. Integrating the title into the cover itself was also awesome – via the second “O” in “Doors” – and really makes the entire book cover feel incredibly connected, and ties the whole thing together.

So yeah, here’s yet another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read The Ten Thousand Doors of January?

Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Bewitching Book Covers: The Crone of Midnight Embers

Wow, it’s already Sunday! This week has flown by! It’s been forever, but I’m back with another Bewitching Book Covers post.

This week, the book cover I’m highlighting is The Crone of Midnight Embers by Iris Beaglehole!

The Crone of Midnight Embers by Iris Beaglehole

SERIES: Myrtlewood Crones #1

LENGTH: 302 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Te Ra Aroha Press

RELEASE DATE: 23 September 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Why don’t more 60-something-year-olds get to have fun magical adventures?

Delia Spark is caught in a maelstrom. Her former life as a London theatre director is on the brink of implosion amid a scandalous divorce, a tarnished reputation, and, for reasons she cannot fathom, things keep spontaneously combusting around her. Her sixties were supposed to be peaceful, but now even her grown daughter won’t return her calls. Escape is the only option.

In the remote village of Myrtlewood, she seeks solace, not suspecting that in this quaint haven, far stranger adventures await than the urban chaos she left behind. Delia is oblivious to the undercurrent that her arrival stirs. Amid whispers of magic, she finds herself on the precipice of an extraordinary transformation.

As she grapples with these new realities, an ominous shadow lurks – a secret Order, steeped in ancient lore, is watching, plotting and scheming. Delia must confront her destiny. Will she surrender to the enchanting pull of Myrtlewood and the ancient prophecies of the elemental crones, or will she claw back her former life from her power-hungry ex?

Welcome to a world where the extraordinary is ordinary, where tranquillity is a veil for the mystical, and where time itself whispers secrets of old served with delicious cakes and cups of tea – or coffee if you insist!

Book Cover Rating: ☕☕☕☕ • 4 delicious cups of tea filled with adventure

So I’ll get into the cover in a moment, but can we just all agree that this is a great premise? Like, I haven’t read it, but the idea of a much older protagonist is super interesting to me. I love the idea that you’re never too old for an adventure!

Anyway, the book cover art for The Crone of Midnight Embers is very good. I’m always a sucker for blue, so it’s no surprise that I like it so much, considering the background is just that. I also like the lighter blue sequin-like designs around the border of the cover.

The bright golden yellow is also a beautiful addition to the book cover. I love how it stands out and contrasts with all the blue, but also isn’t jarring at all. I love the font used here (I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s one of my favorites), and the flowers are also very pretty. I’m a sucker for flowers, too.

My favorite thing about this cover art, though, has to be the crow and the moon sequestered off on the upper half on the right side of the cover. It just looks so good, and I love crows in stories. (Moons are cool too, I guess. Lol.) I also like the little journal/book with the feather pen near the bottom as well. I can never not complement a book, haha. This is a very pretty book cover.

So yeah, here’s yet another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read The Crone of Midnight Embers?

Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Bewitching Book Covers: A Fire in the Sky

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope that everybody is enjoying their weekend! It’s been a while, but I’m back with another Bewitching Book Covers post.

This week, the book cover I’m highlighting is A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan!

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

LENGTH: 336 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Avon Books

RELEASE DATE: 24 September 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan returns to the high-stakes, sweeping world of dragons, romance, and drama first evoked in her bestselling young adult Firelight series, in a brand-new epic adult romantasy series.

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous… especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it’s her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard… though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride… but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead… it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

Book Cover Rating: 🎇🎇🎇🎇 • 4 fires in the sky

A Fire in the Sky is another book with a less complex cover. Nonetheless, it’s still a very pretty one, and it definitely caught my eye.

First off, the way that the dragon is drawn is beautiful, and I love the shades of red in it. I also really like the red balls of fire floating around it, and how they look to be floating in the night sky among the stars. Not only do they stand out, but they also complement the night sky in the backdrop.

Also, I love the way the title looks. I usually have an appreciation for title fonts, but this one I really like in particular. I think it’s because titles are usually displayed on top of the rest of the book cover art, but this time that isn’t the case. The title print of A Fire in the Sky actually interacts with parts of the cover art here. And I love it. I love how the dragon seems to cling to the title, and how the edges of some of the letters have a bit of a swirl to them. Everything really complements the cover well. This is a pretty nice book cover.

So yeah, that’s another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Are you looking forward to A Fire in the Sky?

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads my posts. I hope that you enjoyed this one as well, and that you have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Bewitching Book Covers: Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White

Happy Friday everybody! Here we are again with a familiar post, but It’s slightly different than it was before. And before that. ‘Cause this post has had a few… evolutions, you could say.

I’ve decided to drop all pretenses – I’m clearly not gonna stick to a day of the week. This post is just gonna happen on whatever day of the week it happens on. So I’ve renamed it for the final time – Bewitching Book Covers!

This week, the book cover I’m gushing about is Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao.

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao

SERIES: Song of the Last Kingdom #2

LENGTH: 348 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

RELEASE DATE: 2 January 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic sequel to the book Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, is a fast-paced, riveting YA fantasy inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.

The Demon Gods have risen. Skies’ End has fallen to the colonizers. And Lan and Zen have chosen sides.

But they will not fight together.

Though Lan inherited the power of the Silver Dragon, she understands the path she must take. She believes the Demon Gods to be the cause of war, conflict, and turmoil, and that the future of the Last Kingdom depends on their being eliminated forever. Worse, she knows that if the Elantians manage to bind one of the legendary beings, their army will be unstoppable. To save her kingdom and her people, Lan will need to find the only mythical weapon capable of destroying the Demon Gods: the Godslayer.

Zen is sure that the only way to free the Last Kingdom is to use the power of the Demon Gods. When he bound the Black Tortoise, he paid the ultimate price: to inherit its strength, he will forfeit his body, his mind, and his soul. Yet one Demon God is not enough against the might of the colonizers. In the ruins of the northern Mansorian lands slumbers a magical army of demonic practitioners capable of facing off against the Elantians—but Zen must find the Seal to awaken them to fight by his side.

At the center of both Lan’s and Zen’s journeys is one city: Shaklahira, a former stronghold of the Imperial Court that vanished without a trace when the Elantians invaded. Its location is a mystery, and both are sure that it holds the answers they need, but the past it hides might be more dangerous than anything they’ve faced yet.

The battle for the Last Kingdom rages on. But to win the war, Lan will have to decide: Can she face the boy she loves again? And when she does, can she kill him to free her people?

Book Cover Rating: 🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶 • 5 gorgeous plumes

Like its predecessor, Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White has an simply breathtaking cover. It’s absolutely beautiful honestly, and is one of my favorite new book covers from this year.

First off, I adore the colors. The way the shades of pink pair with the red and the orange is so pretty. I also like how the bits of blue, green and yellow complement the rest of the artwork. This novel’s cover also both contrasts and complements the cover of Song Like Silver, Flame Like Night because of this. I also like how this cover art depicts another one of the four great Demon Gods that are important to this series – this one depicts the phoenix, much like how book one is focused on the dragon.

I also loved the Chinese characters in the bottom left corner of the cover. They just add so much to the artwork just by being there – which is something even I can tell, as someone who can’t read it. The font used for the title and author for these books is awesome, and also complements the cover art very well. I just love this book cover!

So yeah, that’s another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White or Song Like Silver, Flame Like Night? What did you think of it/them?

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads my posts. I hope that you enjoyed this one as well, and that you have a amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #6

It’s been a few weeks since the last time I did this post, huh? Yeah… Sorry?

For anyone unfamiliar, Tasteful Tuesdays (formerly Majestic Mondays – so it’s not new, I just switched days, haha) are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.

This time I’m gonna gush over the cover of another beautiful new release, one that’s coming out next month. It’s Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen.

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

SERIES: Fall of the Dragon #1

LENGTH: 480 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Viking Books for Young Readers

RELEASE DATE: 18 June 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Mulan meets Iron Widow in this thrilling silkpunk fantasy about a girl who must disguise herself as a boy and enter the famed and dangerous Engineer’s Guild trials to unravel the mystery of her father’s murder.

Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father, but after his sudden murder, her life falls apart. Left with only a journal of her father’s engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, a heartbroken Ying follows the trail to the capital and the prestigious Engineers Guild—a place that harbors her father’s hidden past—determined to discover why anyone would threaten a man who ultimately chose a quiet life over fame and fortune.

Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally—Aogiya Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. With her father’s renown placing a target firmly on her back, Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own.

The secrets concealed within the guild can be as deadly as the weapons they build—and with her life and the future of her homeland at stake, Ying doesn’t know who to trust. Can she avenge her father even if it means going against everything he stood for, or will she be next in the mastermind’s line of fire?

Book Cover Rating: 🐉🐉🐉🐉 • 4 / 5 dragons

I’ve been loving the covers of Asian inspired fantasies lately, and this one is no exception. I love all of the colors used here and how they complement and contrast with one another. It’s such a pretty cover.

I love the ocean on the bottom third of the book cover and how the waves are drawn. I also love the jade colored sky above it – it helps the title of the book pop. The green color of this part of the cover is also a really nice shade. The golden dragon that peeks out from the top is also beautifully drawn.

The fish skyboats are also cool looking. They really evoke silkpunk vibes before you even open the book up. I also really like the art style used in general. The title also pops with its font and color, as white isn’t actually used as much on the cover otherwise.

So yeah, that’s another Tasteful Tuesday. What do you think about this cover art? Are you looking forward to Of Jade and Dragons release?

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads my posts. I hope that you enjoyed this one as well, and that you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #2

So, I didn’t mean for there to be such a break after restarting this post. I knew I’d be doing a different post for Halloween, cuz Halloween – but I really did intend to do this post last week. But I had the absolute worst heartburn during my free time last Tuesday, so I was unfortunately unable to. Curse you heartburn!

Anyway…

For anyone unfamiliar, Tasteful Tuesdays are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty the point of this post.

This week I’ll be admiring a little book called Weyward, written by Emilia Hart.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

LENGTH: 329 pages

GENRES: Magical Realism, Historical, Literary, Fiction

PUBLISHER: St. Martin’s Press

RELEASE DATE: 7 March 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives—and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

Book Cover Rating: 🍃🍃🍃 • 3 leaves in the wind

First off, I love how colorful and filled with nature the cover is. It’s such a beautiful image. I also really like all of the different wildlife depicted here (except the beetles, ew). The art just feels so full of life.

I adore the crow (or is it a raven?) that’s front and center. It’s so cute how it holds the little leaf in its beak! Crows and ravens are just cool in general, and they always seem to be magical in literature and legends.

I also just really like the font that the title is in. I don’t know why – I think it’s a pretty basic one, though I can’t identify it – it just works so well with the cover image.

So yeah, here’s another Tasteful Tuesday. Have you read Weyward? What did you think of it? What do you think about the cover art?

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 10/23 – 10/29

Last week was crazy. I read a lot, and I got a bunch of stuff done around the house. So, lots of different kinds of progress.

I can’t believe that Halloween is tomorrow. These past four weeks have gone by so fast. Soon enough I’ll be posting October’s monthly wrap-up!

But that’s for another time. Let’s get into this part week’s wrap-up.

Tuesday 10/24: Tasteful Tuesday

Last Tuesday I brought back Majestic Mondays – but now under a new name! I’ve also moved the day of the week that I do the post – hence why I’m now calling it Tasteful Tuesday!

Tasteful Tuesday, if you aren’t aware, is when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it.

Tasteful Tuesday #1

Wednesday 10/25: A Curse for True Love Review

On Wednesday, I posted another book review. It was one of my anticipated reads of October 2023, and I devoured it within a day.

Yup, it’s the last novel in the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy by Stephanie Garber – A Curse for True Love. I gave it ★★★✫☆.

My review of A Curse for True Love

Friday 10/27: Reading Update

For my Friday post, I did something a little different. I wasn’t feeling a First Line Friday or anything like that, but I was having a time of figuring out what to do.

I eventually decided to give the blog a reading update. As of Friday of last week, I’d read 52 books within 43 weeks. I’ve never done that before (and I’ve read even more now!). I’m not gonna gush about it here, cuz I’ve already done so in the actual post.

52 Books in 43 Weeks

Sunday 10/29: Hounded Review

Yesterday I posted another book review – the second of two last week. It was a book (and series) that I was actually excited to read, but was ultimately disappointed by, unfortunately.

Hounded was simply not for me. I don’t think it was necessarily poorly written or anything – I just think it just wasn’t my type of book. I ended up giving it ★★✯☆☆.

My review of Hounded

Books I Read Last Week

A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

🎁💖 Wrapping It All Up 🎁💖

I know I’ve been talking a lot during this section of the post lately, but I’m going to cut it a little short this time. I’m tired and I haven’t been feeling well since last night.

This coming week I’m definitely going to post my review for The Graveyard Book. I’ve actually been saving it for tomorrow, since it’s Halloween and all – I wanted to do a spooky book review!

Aside from that, I’m gonna post my monthly reading wrap-up for October, and probably Spell the Month in Books. But I’m not sure about anything else.

But yeah, I don’t really have anything else to say. So this is the end… of this post.

As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope that you have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #1

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Majestic Monday. And since I’ve decided to bring back Weekly Wrap-Ups… well frankly, I just can’t do a double post day. Sorry, but I’ve tried before and it just doesn’t work. So, I’ve decided to move the post to a different day. And thus Tasteful Tuesdays was born!

For anyone unfamiliar, Majestic Mondays – or Tasteful Tuesdays now, I guess – are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it.

This week, the book that I’m admiring is one from my TBR that I’m moderately excited about. It’s also a new release: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

LENGTH: 400 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor

RELEASE DATE: 3 October 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Step into Starling House – if you dare…

No one in Eden remembers when Starling House was built. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the house – and its last lonely heir – go to rot.

Starling House is uncanny and ugly and fully of secrets, just like its heir. Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but it might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden.

It feels dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

But Opal isn’t the only one interested in the house, or the horrors and wonders that lie beneath it. If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it. She’ll have to dig up her family’s ugly history and let herself dream of a better future. She’ll have to go down, down into Underland, and claw her way back to the light.

This is a sweeping gothic fairytale from Hugo, Nebula and Locus Award-shortlisted Alix E. Harrow.

Cover Rating: 🪶🪶🪶🪶 • 4 starling feathers

The book cover for Starling House is absolutely gorgeous. First off, I love the colors, so much. The purples and greens and blues and yellows on the black background are so pretty. It’s also an awesome contrast. I like contrast.

I love all the starlings on the cover, too. I’m not sure how much the actual bird is related to the book, but I love their inclusion, as well as how the shadows make them appear similar to crows. It makes it all seem a bit sinister.

The bright yellow keys and flowers are also beautiful. I adore how much they all stand out on a cover primarily made up of darker, and cooler, colors. They’re all very eye-catching, which makes me think they’re quite important. My favorite thing about the cover art is definitely the birds, though.

What do you like about the cover? Have you or do you plan on reading Starling House? What did you think of it if you have?

Thank you to everyone so much for reading, and I hope you have a majestic and tasteful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Majestic Monday #16

Oh my gosh. It’s been waaayy too long since I’ve done this post. Not to mention how MIA I ended up being last week, to boot. Ah well, it’s in the past now.

For anyone unfamiliar, Majestic Mondays are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it.

This week, in honor of a spinoff and sequel releasing next week, I’m gonna gush about one of my favorite books. Again. That’s right – A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

SERIES: Shades of Magic (Book #1)

LENGTH: 400 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 24 February 2015

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A Darker Shade of Magic, from #1 New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab

Kell is one of the last Antari–magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.Kell was raised in Arnes–Red London–and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.

Cover Rating: ❤️🩶🤍🖤❤️ • 5 colorful hearts

The Fragile Threads of Power is releasing next week, and the new covers for the first trilogy have already come out, so I thought it was past time to gush about the original ones. Especially since I much prefer them to the new ones, even if they now match the one for the new book.

This cover (and the covers for the rest of the Shades of Magic trilogy) incorporate the “colors” of the four Londons featured in the series. It’s also a unique art style, and it conveys the main mechanic of the novel.

I love the way the colors are used here – to Kell’s red coat, to differentiate the two Londons Kell is traveling between, and even in the letters of the title. I even like the way that the negative space looks, despite the emptiness. It makes the universe of A Darker Shade of Magic feel very vast.

Do you like the cover art of the Shades of Magic trilogy? What are your favorite book covers?

As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Majestic Monday #15

Ugh, it’s been waaayy too long since I’ve last done this post. I’m sorry – things have just been kind of nuts over the past few weeks.

Anyway, for anyone who is not aware, Majestic Mondays are a (supposedly) weekly meme I created, wherein I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. And that’s pretty much it.

This week the novel art I’ll be gushing over is The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber. It’s the sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart, another cover that I’ve admired in a prior Majestic Monday post.

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

SERIES: Once Upon a Broken Heart #2

LENGTH: 416 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Flatiron Books

RELEASE DATE: 13 September 2022

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can…

Book Cover Rating: 💔💔💔💔 • 4 broken hearts

Much like the first book in this series, I really love the cover here. However, I honestly think I prefer the lavender to the rose gold used on OUABH’s. It’s for no reason in particular, though – I simply like purple covers, as people who’ve seen this post before may be aware.

I love how the black background appears to be a starry night sky. It makes me think of constellations – even more so with the beautiful purple arrow that takes center stage on the cover. It makes me think of Sagittarius a little, especially when a mythical figure known as the Archer exists in this series’ universe, and has a significant part to play in this book especially.

But yeah, Stephanie Garber’s publisher has a knack for choosing some very gorgeous cover art. And I mean all the cover art. The bindings are also lovely pastel colors, and the back covers are both pretty starry skies, similar to their fronts.

So yeah, sorry again for not doing this post for over a month. I promise that it’s never intended – stuff always seems to happen, and weekly wrap-ups were beginning to take a toll on me, so (double) posting on Mondays was hard. I’ve missed doing this post, though, so since Weekly Wrap-Ups are currently on a hiatus of sorts, you’ll probably see more of these.

And as always, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you have a stupendous day/night!

See ya ~Mar