Cover VS Cover is a weekly meme at A Myriad of Books that I started because I've recently become fascinated with the differences between international covers-- US vs UK, German vs French vs Australian vs new vs old... you name it. This week we have another favorite series of mine: The Modern Faerie Tale series by YA fantasy author Holly Black. (The series includes Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside and all three books have been graced with have some truly beautiful, haunting, and occasionally bizarre covers.) Let me know what you think, guys-- commentary and suggestions are so welcome.
Original US
I've always liked this set of covers-- nice and symbolic. The light cast on the sword, butterfly wings, and thorn crown is really cool.
Original UK/ Australia
Valiant is my favorite of these paperback editions. The Ironside one not so much, but I love the trellises twining around the first two.
New US
These are the editions I have. They're undeniably creepy and the only covers for the Modern Faerie Tales where human models were used. (...Or not so human, as the case may be ;) I like the latter two best-- the troll ears on the Valiant cover look a little like something you might see at a sci-fi convention.
New UK Paperbacks
The two covers are too similar, I think. But at least these are simple enough that they have a wide appeal. I don't think Valiant was released with as one of these new paperback editions, seeing as it's technically separate from the other two books.
Original Tithe Hardcover-- US
The original cover for Tithe is by far my favorite out of all these. It's so gruesome, perfect for the story, and the art is simply beautiful. Too bad the other books in the series were never released with covers with art by this artist.
What do you guys think-- which of these covers is perfect, and which is not so much? If you know of any covers I've missed, or have suggestions for next week's theme, be sure to let me know!
6 comments:
I love when you post these.
Those covers with the humans are awesome. Definitely adding this to my to-read.
I'll always love the original US covers the best - simple and intriguing. But the new US covers are also eye-catching, just a little too alien-like for me.
I like the original US covers the best, everything just fits so well. They look the most eye-catching to me, the bright objects against the dark backgrounds are stunning. :D
I like the US original covers as a series the best but I prefer the UK/AUS cover of Valiant. Great post :)
@Anna-- I agree, that's exactly what I love about the original US covers. :)
Stephanie H-- Awesome! These are great books.
@Nic-- I like the UK/Aussie cover of Valiant, too. It almost seems not to fit with the other two.
I didn't realize until recently that there were different covers for books published in other countries. Looking at these, there doesn't seem to be a big difference in the style.
Ann
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