Cover art like this makes me a little bit mad and a little bit sad, all at the same time. There's nothing wrong with the work itself but the overall affect is just... bland. If you took the title off the front, you wouldn't be able to pick this book out from dozens of others with the same kind of design. I get the thinking from a marketing perspective but I can't help but wonder if this thinking does the book itself an injustice. You want someone to read a book? Give it a cover that does something a little different and stands out because of it; the first thing someone sees on a book is the cover so make the most of that cover instead of essentially camouflaging it on the shelf.
The blurb actually looks interesting, I like a little bit of 'totalitarian police state' in my reading sometimes... :o)
2113. In Jenna Strong's world, ACID - the most brutal, controlling police force in history - rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered dissent goes unnoticed - or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.
The only female inmate in a violent high-security prison, Jenna has learned to survive by any means necessary. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID - and to uncover the truth about what really happened on that dark night two years ago.
What do you think of this cover?
I mean, she's cute and all, but you are correct in that it is the kind of cover that just blends in with all the similar covers out there right now. I may be a bit biased as I prefer illustration over photo usage, though there are some photo reference covers that are actually quite eye-catching. This one looks like they got a good start and then stopped short of anything that would make it scream "take me home".
ReplyDelete'This one looks like they got a good start and then stopped short of anything that would make it scream "take me home".'
ReplyDeleteThis.
I can imagine the conversation going something like this,
Cover Artist: "This is what we have so far. I reckon we could make it a little more eyecatching though so..."
Guy who signs off on the covers: "Don't worry about that. There's a girl on the cover so 'Acid' should sell just as well as all those other books that just have a girl on the cover."
Cover Artist:"Wha..."
Guy who signs off on the covers: "Are you still here?"
Cover Artist: *sigh*