Some of the Best YA Novel Covers in Recent Times- Part 1

I continue writing about YA. Home Sweet Home.

Today, I'm reviewing some of the best YA covers of recent times. Not all of them turned out to be great books, but I discovered sometimes a book can be judged by it's cover and other times, you'll be cheated out of your wits. However, i maintain cover design is an art in itself and needs to be reviewed and celebrated just like books.

1. The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

This was not a good book. It blurb drew me in, but as it turns out, it lacked the one thing that makes a YA romance worth reading- likeable characters. But in my opinion, the cover is awesome. It almost looks like an alternate poster for 500 Days of Summer (fantastic film) and when I saw it, I thought it was about the different seasons in a relationship- the warm summery beginnings, the chilly fights, the autumn of separation and fragrant spring of rediscovering each other.

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I explained this in my previous post, but if you haven't read it, here we go again. Diane Arbus was a photographer famous for capturing the creepiest, most intriguing photographs that you make you want look away and stare on at the same time.  The photo on the upper right corner has that Diane Arbus quality. It's pushed to the far corner, which what being a wallflower is all about. The face is not shown, so it's a reference the anonymity Charlie wants. Green is an interesting choice of color, especially with the fluorescent  undertone. Hands down, one of the best YA covers of all time.

3. School of Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

This looks like a cover for a graphic novel. The shield in the centre reminds me of the Harry Potter houses. This is not a cover full of symbolism. In fact, it's pretty straightforward. But I think this kind of artwork needs to be made a lot more common in YA, especially for fantasy or dystopia. It's got some wonderful use of light and shadow, a lot of artwork packed into the small cover and it tells the reader exactly what the story is about and who it's for. But the white swan is in front of the dark palace and the dark swan in front of the white palace, and I'm asking myself what that's all about. It's the kind of book cover that's attract girls who have read all the Harry Potter books and are now looking for more. 

3. Elanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Simple. Tender. Beautiful. I will say no more.

4. Jewel of the Thames (A Portia Adams Adventure) by Angela Misri

Lovely. That's one word for it. Sometimes, simple is good, like in Elanor and Park, but in this case the ornamental swirls and black-blue-white color scheme simply work. The lack of oestrogen was what didn't draw me to Sherlock Holmes, but here I have a girl in a Holmesesque cap and magnifying glass and Baker Street in the background. We need more covers like this, covers with ornamental artwork. This book wood look fantastic on my book shelf and I'd position it so that the cover and not the spine faces outwards. It's like room decoration.

5. My True Love Gave To Me by Various Authors

I've never read this book, but I'm trying to get my hands on a copy. It's got all my favorite writers' work in it. It may not turn out to be great, but I'm still buying it for the cover. I mean, look at it! It's adorable! And I've heard the skaters on the cover are characters from the book, which makes me feel like it's Christmas in February.