Majestic Monday #9: Tress of the Emerald Sea, Unnatural Magic, Siege and Storm

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.

Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner

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.

See you later ~Mar