Join us as we gaze upon these gorgeous covers!
Artist credit: Cliff Nielsen
Carrie: PUT IT IN MY EYEBALLS.
Amanda: I love the cover redesigns of this series and how much movement there is!
Tara: I feel like I know what my next D&D character will be, because she just looks so badass.
Aarya: Female piracy + font that looks like sea serpents = one-click
Ellen: Can she be my girlfriend?
Artist credit: Arantza Sestayo
Designer credit: Adam Auerbach
Elyse: Paging Sarah.
Amanda: Despite not liking the first one (wrong book at the wrong time) in this series, I HAVE to read this one.
Carrie: Those flowers tho. Much pretty, much pre-Raphaelite, much want.
Sarah: If that had been a poster when I was a teenager, I’d have owned at least two copies. Have mercy that is gorgeous.
Sneezy: I have literally NO CHILL for this cover! Grace Draven always gets pretty covers, but this is SUPER EFFECTIVE, Mario on MUSHROOMS, and IS SHE FRIENDS WITH THAT DRAGON OR IS IT GOING TO EAT HER?!
Aarya: I wanna know what evil deity she’s performing sacrifices to in order to get these covers.
Ellen: This reminds me a LOT of the cover art for Juliet Marillier’s Wildwood series…I wonder if it’s the same artist? Googling is not helping me with this question.
Amanda: Ellen, you are right! Good eye! Those covers are on the artists’ website.
Amanda: I read it because it’s very short. But I couldn’t get into it!
However, the cover is very cute for a murderous old woman
Carrie: One of those covers that is so eye catching and creative that I would absolutely pick it up just on the basis of the cover.
Tara: The cover and the title are totally working for me. I might have to try it.
Aarya: The needle pierced through the skull’s eyeball…this cover gets creepier and creepier the more you look at it.
Shana: Yup. The needle makes me imagine someone putting down their needlework, picking up a cane, and making mischief.
Ellen: I hope this starts a trend of covers with macabre handicrafts.
Amanda: There has to be an Etsy shop for that.
Artist credit: Adeyemi Adegbesan
Designer credit: Jenna Stempel-Lobell
Carrie: Holy fuck!
Elyse: I feel like if I had a throne of skulls instead of an office chair I’d get more done and people would bother me less.
Amanda: It’s like when you put up a Do Not Disturb sign. “Excuse me, I’m in my skull chair.”
Sneezy: “There’s a cost should you insist to speak now. No, no, put your wallet away… you know better…” *doom music plays*
Ellen: Girl + throne almost looks like a game piece. Wonder if that was deliberate? Or if I just play too many board games…
The artist who did Juliet Marillier’s Wildwood covers is Kinuko Craft, who is one of my favourite artists – I have all of the picture books she’s done, and a number of framed prints of hers. The cover artist for Dragon Unleashed is Arantza Sestayo, who did covers for some of Juliet Marillier’s other books, and other stunning artwork too.
I remember reading fairy tales illustrated by Kinuko Craft to my oldest when she was little. The artwork was stunning!
Arantza Sestayo did the covers for Marillier’s Blackthorn & Grim novels.
Kinuko Craft also did Patrica McKillip’s covers for years. Even after I went exclusively digital, I’d still buy the paper books for the covers. With textured cardstock, it was almost like tapestry.
The DRAGON UNLEASHED cover has an almost Pre-Rahaelite quality—the beautiful woman, the flowers, the ethereal aura. Just gorgeous. And can I thank you once more for crediting the artist or design company when that information is available for these lovely covers.
When I added the Rena Barron book to my wish list, the store also showed me ALL THE STARS AND TEETH by Adalyn Grace, the cover of which has skulls and tentacles and stabby things consistent with the theme of this post, albeit in a soothing monochromatic blue color scheme.
She’d be a bit more pre-Raphaelite if her hair were red, but then she’d clash with the flowers. It’s a lovely cover nonetheless, and my TBR stacks are about to get even higher.
love the Dragon Unleashed cover
These are all fantastic though I am worried about Seafire girl tearing her rotator cuff.
Elyse said: I feel like if I had a throne of skulls instead of an office chair I’d get more done and people would bother me less
OH YEAH. I feel this one-ups the Iron Throne in radiating power, menace, and fear, and I can always use that in the workplace.