Tag Archives: Redesign Reactions

Mar

Redesign Reactions [9]: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

The paperback version of CARRY ON is coming out in May and the cover got a redesign! I feel like most paperbacks come out with new cover designs and I like the marketing behind this decision! It’s a chance to give the book a fresh look, grab new readers who weren’t grabbed by the original cover, and collectors will want to add these new beauties to their collections. Let’s take a look at the new paperback cover for CARRY ON!

OLD COVER: Rainbow Rowell is a BIG name nowadays, so I remember being very disappointed when the original cover reveal happened. Messy silhouettes? Funky type that also looks disorganized? Yellow and light blue and red? It was all just so boring and pretty lack-luster for a Rainbow Rowell cover. I’ve loved the simple and yet adorable covers of her previous books and I understand that CARRY ON is very different and doesn’t need to look the same, but this was a total miss for me.

NEW COVERS: When I saw the new cover for CARRY ON my first reaction was YEAHHHH!! Okay, so I still haven’t read the book (oops), but this is everything I was expecting for a major author with an epic new book coming out. Dudes! Wands! PURPLE! A dragon! A badass scarf and blazer and this is the kind of typography I was looking for! It still looks a little doodled and hand-drawn but it’s not sloppy and all over the place. It’s more structured and placed much better.

Which do I like better? It’s a np-brainer for me. Literally EVERYTHING about the paperback cover is more appealing to me and that’s what would draw me in if I knew nothing about the book or author. I think this redesign was a slam dunk!

So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!

[bctt tweet=”Which covers for CARRY ON do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]

Oct

Redesign Reactions [8]: The Wrath and the Dawn Duology by Renee Ahdieh

Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
The Wrath and the Dawn Duology by Renee Ahdieh

If you’ve been keeping up with the bookish happenings lately, you’ve seen the announcement for the new covers for Renee Ahdieh’s Wrath and the Dawn duet! I was totally taken by surprise because I didn’t even know this was in the works, especially since WRATH was already out in paperback, but it’s a fan-favorite with so many people that the internet was all abuzz with the changes! The design is quite different than the original so let’s take a look at them!

OLD COVERS: I really loved these when the books first came out! I enjoyed the WRATH cover more because I really liked that rich pink/red and the shape of the cut-outs on the cover. The merch that was offered with it (like the scarf) was just so stunning and I loved the design! Plus it was fun to see the full image of Shazi on the side cover. I wasn’t as excited for the ROSE cover. Blue is my favorite color but I think I was looking for another rich and exciting cover versus a light, powdery blue. I also didn’t like these cut-out shapes as much.

NEW COVERS: When the announcement happened and I caught a snippet of the full image, I actually wasn’t impressed with the new covers. Once I went to go see the full covers, especially side-by-side, I think I actually do like them so much more! At first I didn’t like the font because it felt a bit outdated but then I thought about how the overall feel really gives it a sort of antique vibe and how the new font, images, and color scheme sort of open the appeal up to such a variety of audiences.

Which do I like better? The original covers scream YA, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s clearly a young girl with her hand on her hip, looking a little sassy, which Shazi is but that’s not really capturing the tone of the novels well. The new covers bring some new to the table, appealing to an adult audience (in my opinion) and conveying a darker tone with the color scheme and selected images. It’s a much more stoic image of Shazi and the facial expression better conveys a girl who has been essentially sentenced to death instead of a sassy girl who’s up for some clever YA banter (not that I have anything against that. Banter is the best). I think the new covers are the winner for me and I’d actually like to own these books in the new covers instead of the originals!

So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!

[bctt tweet=”Which covers for The Wrath and the Dawn do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]

Aug

Redesign Reactions [7]: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Yes, yes, I know this is a super old redesign but with EMPIRE OF STORMS coming out SO SOON (omg, it’s really almost time!), I thought it would be fun to revisit this cover redesign. I got into the Throne of Glass series a little later than others. I didn’t pick it up until HEIR OF FIRE was coming out. Long story short, I had tried THRONE OF GLASS and was A) not a big fantasy person yet (how is that even possible) and B) not in the right place for it so I had returned it back to the library after time ran out with the promise to try again. When I tried again a few years later, I couldn’t believe what I had been missing out on! I totally binged the first three books, but that meant that I hadn’t gotten to discuss this cover change since I wasn’t in on it from the beginning! So let’s chat:

OLD COVER: The old cover was kind of cookie-cutter YA. The girl on the front was an average YA-cover girl who looked WAY too sweet to be arrogant and vengeful Celaena Sardothien. This girl looks more like a protected princess who’s pretending to be a warrior but she doesn’t really come off as tough. Also my biggest thing with this cover is… Is it just me or does this cover girl bear a striking resemblance to author Sarah J. Maas? Maybe not so much now that we all “know” Sarah but when I first picked up the book way back in 2012, I totally thought the cover model looked like the author.

NEW COVERS: I wasn’t totally in love with new cover when I first saw it because I wasn’t prepared for an artistic rendering of Celaena since I was used to this more photographic image of a cover model… But obviously these covers are much more appropriate for the books and the characters! (Side note: I love them now. I was more unsure of what to expect when the cover change happened and it took me a second to get used to!) These covers continue the series and each one depicts something that directly correlates to the book, which I always LOVE. Celeaena is always so badass in these covers and the whole vibe really just fits. I think most people are fans of the new covers but I’m curious to see if there are old-cover fans!

Which do I like better? For me, it’s the new cover(s). The overall feel and vibe from this artwork really just fits the book so well and the attitude (and hair color) totally makes a difference. I also just LOVE that there’s a back view of the picture on the back cover (as in, actually seeing this image as if you were looking at it from the back) and the back cover image features Celaena in one of her dresses so we still get a pretty girl in a pretty dress cover but in a totally different way. I think it’s so clever and I love that we get to see the dresses from the back, and warrior Celaena takes precedence on the front covers.

So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!

[bctt tweet=”Which covers for Throne of Glass do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]

May

Redesign Reactions [6]: The Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver

Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
The Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver

I’ve had my ups and downs with the Delirium Trilogy but DELIRIUM will always hold a special place in my heart for being one of the first dystopian books after THE HUNGER GAMES that I really, truly fell in love with. It opened the doors to more dystopian and consequently, more young adult (there really wasn’t any adult dystopian that I could find so I inhaled all young adult). I was actually really excited to see the redesign for some new paperback editions of the series! It was great to see the series move away from the cut-off face trend and I really like these bright and beautiful colors.

OLD COVERS: The old covers were great for their time, I think. It was a trend that was in and these books were one first big series that I personally read and so I think they were sort of trendsetters too. I don’t quite like how all of the covers look side-by-side like this because there’s not a good pattern to how Lena’s face is cropped (one side cut off, then the other, then not a cut-off but just a different angle), but I do love the flowers that frame her face and how the colors of each cover are different but work well towards an overall collection. They don’t necessarily create a specific color palate but they don’t clash and I actually like the teal with the orange and red.

NEW COVERS: I actually really like these new covers! I had no idea they were in the works and just happened to see them the other day and I’m really impressed! I like that it’s sort of minimalistic with just a heart as the main focus but the heart on each cover is made up of different smaller elements that seem to relate to the books. The shadows and shading are a nice touch to really add some texture as well as focus and I really like how the colors work together in an overall scheme! I love that shade of teal on the DELIRIUM cover and I really like that PANDEMONIUM changed from an orange scheme to more gray/dark purple/dark blue. I also appreciate that while they’re totally new covers, they do still have (generally) the same color schemes to really tie into the original hardcovers. (Although this DELIRIUM cover is actually the first redesign of the very original which also looked totally different.)

Which do I like better? I’m totally into the new covers! I really, really love them and I like how it’s bringing the series into the latest cover design trends. I think this seems a lot easier to transcend throughout the years and remain a design that will age well. I don’t know why but I am totally digging the shades of teal/aqua and the raspberry sort of red. There’s just something about them that’s so appealing to me!

So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!

[bctt tweet=”Which covers for The Delirium Trilogy do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]

Jan

Redesign Reactions [5]: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

THE START OF ME AND YOU got a redesign for its paperback release unlike Emery’s debut novel, OPEN ROAD SUMMER. It seemed to be a fan-favorite upon its unveiling and I really liked the creativity and how it applied to the actual content of the book! Let’s take a peek at the old and new covers:

OLD COVER: The original cover immediately grabbed me. I’m a sucker for lots of color on a cover, especially shades that have a sort of ombre effect, whether as a design itself or incorporated into an actual image like this fading sunset. The purple text on top added one more color in there to tie it all together. I also really liked the text placement as well as the font. For me, it wasn’t as noticeable that “and you” was a different font and it didn’t stand out as much as I feel like the new cover does.

NEW COVERS: I feel like lots of fans really like this new cover! It applies to the book a bit more with a water scene and a person (who I’m assuming is supposed to be Paige?) diving into a pool. I think that really brings a main topic from the book and slaps it on the cover which I always love! It’s definitely simpler and a little softer and I love the blue “waves”.

Which do I like better? Lots of people seemed to love the redesign but for me, it’s all original cover! I’m just such a sucker for these colors!!! I also really like the boy and girl on the front. I don’t always like people on the covers because then the cover models have the possibility of changing how I see a character but without seeing their faces and with hair color and whatnot obscured by the colors, I didn’t find that it affected how I pictured anyone at all. I also generally prefer the font, especially the cursive lettering when comparing side-by-side.
The redesign doesn’t really do it for me. I really do like the “waves” but I really don’t like that girl diving into the pool at all. It feels much too cartoon-y and really brings the whole cover down for me. I feel like it makes the cover look much younger instead of cleaner and simpler. It definitely does have less going on and that heart in the water is cute but it all feels a bit too cutesy for me. This is a book with a lot of emotion and this cover makes it feel like the inside will be a bit fluffier.

So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!

[bctt tweet=”Which cover for The Start of Me and You do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]

Dec

Redesign Reactions [4]: The Winner’s Trilogy

Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

Hoo boy did things blow up with the reveal of the new cover for THE WINNER’S KISS, the final book in Marie Rutkoski’s Winner’s Crime trilogy. I don’t personally know the ins and outs of why the cover was changed after the initial reveal but obviously there was serious potential for the new covers and expanding to another market or larger audience.

Personally? It does irk me when covers are changed mid-series… But I really think some people did not handle it well. Keep in mind that a cover change is really almost always out of an author’s control and they’re probably stressed out about the book already much less when a new cover is revealed. I have to say, I wasn’t a fan of the way some people handled their frustration and it was a bit upsetting to see BUT I also understand being upset about a big, fan-favorite series getting a cover redesign on the last book.

I actually really like the new covers! I do think it’s a bit more “YA-looking” with the girl on the cover (although there was a girl on a cover in a dress before so that was even more “YA-looking”, I guess?) but I love how badass Kestrel looks and it really gets me excited to think about what’s in between those covers.

The good thing for readers is that Fierce Reads announced just yesterday that after everything they heard from fans of the series, they are now in fact keeping the original cover for THE WINNER’S KISS so apparently this is now a battle between the hardcovers and the paperbacks! Breathe easy, matchy-matchy friends. Your hardcovers are safe from change!

OLD COVERS: The original covers were clean and simple — just an image of Kestrel, obviously her dagger, and some lovely typography. I actually liked the dresses on this cover since it wasn’t just “girl in a dress” syndrome — Kestrel actually does wear nice dresses and I think they’re gorgeous to look at. Although let’s just say… I really, really did not like THE WINNER’S KISS original cover. That pose? HER FACE? It just all looks terribly uncomfortable and awkward. I can’t stand her facial expression there.

NEW COVERS: I really enjoy the general badass feel of these covers… But I don’t know that they give off the right impression to readers before they pick up the book. Yes, Kestrel is badass but she really is more of a strategist than actually heading into battle. The lines do blur there but I actually thought “girl in a dress” felt more accurate than badass fighter (as much as I love it). Also, I don’t know why but THE WINNER’S CRIME cover just looks off to me for some reason.

Which do I like better? I do think I like the original cover better for THE WINNER’S CURSE and THE WINNER’S CRIME and I frankly, I think I like the redesign more of THE WINNER’S KISS. In a perfect world, the covers would have matched with the dress theme and Kestrel would have just been in a different pose on THE WINNER’S KISS cover, but I’ll take the redesign here. I’m so torn on the change/change back with the covers that just happened because I really did like the new cover for THE WINNER’S KISS, even though it wasn’t 100% matching (the spine would have matched). I know it was hard for readers to swallow a change mid-series but I do understand a publishing house/marketing team has serious reasons to do so! A redesign also spends a lot of time, money, and resources to put together so I trust their reasons for pulling the switch. At least now everyone can keep their original matching hardcover and the paperbacks will still feature the redesigned covers so all of that effort isn’t totally wasted.
If I hadn’t seen the originals and this redesign was the first set of covers that I knew, I think I would still be excited and stunned, but knowing the first set of designs… I do lean more towards the originals. Especially for books one and two.

So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!

[bctt tweet=”Which cover for #TheWinnersTrilogy do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]

Jul

Redesign Reactions [3]: Just One Day

Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Forman!

JUST ONE DAY is one of my all-time favorite books! I adore Gayle Forman, I adore the book, and I actually adore both of these covers! I feel like when the redesign came out for the paperback release, a lot of people were relieved but I didn’t think the original was bad! Let’s take a peek…

OLD COVER: The original cover for the hardcover release was a picture of Allyson — I’m guessing in a coffee shop of some sort — and I actually appreciated this cover a lot! I like seeing a main character featured on the cover so well — from the hair to the watch — they captured a lot of details on this cover that I thought were appropriate.

NEW COVER: I think the redesign for the paperback release does capture that wanderlust feel much better though. I remember reading on Twitter that a lot of people were so happy this got redesigned and how much better it was for the book, and I do agree that it embraces more of the overall feel. I didn’t think the original was bad though!

Which do I like better? I’m really not sure! I loved being able to get a picture of Allyson on the original cover but I also really love the redesign. The silhouettes against the sunset, the setting, just the feel of it shouts “travel” and I do love it! I guess if I had to choose, I’d go with cover #2! But it’s a pretty close race for me.

So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!

[bctt tweet=”Which cover for JUST ONE DAY do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]

Apr

Redesign Reactions [2]: The Book of Broken Hearts

Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS by Sarah Ockler!

THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS is actually the first Sarah Ockler book I read and so far, it’s still my favorite. Something I find so difficult is NOT judging a book by its cover. I actually read this for a group feature so I trusted my friends who had selected it and I’m so glad that the book was just absolutely fantastic for me… but I feel like it’s suffered some real cover struggles. Before I get into discussing, let’s take a look at old and new and see what you think:

OLD COVER: Would I have picked this book up based off of the cover if I hadn’t been reading it with my friends? Truthfully, probably not. Not having read Ockler before, I had no incentive to pick up this book. A stock photo plus a boring purple background… it doesn’t tell me anything about the book and it’s not representative of the story in any way at all. Honestly, this is one of my least favorite covers EVER because it’s just such an obvious stock photo (I’ve seen it elsewhere before) and I feel like it’s such a misrepresentation of this beautiful book.

NEW COVER: So do I like the new cover better? Well… I think it’s better than the original. It was obviously selected to represent specific elements of the book (the motorcycle, the couple) but I’m DEFINITELY still not sold. Why does this couple look like they’re at least thirty years old when this is a YA book? And considering I can’t see a stitch of clothing on them, it almost feels like they’re some sort of stock romance cover models. The image in the rearview is still pretty cheesy too because you can tell they just fit the image into the mirror and it’s not like it’s really a reflection. (Okay, I’m being picky, but you get it.) And to get REALLY picky, I don’t like that motorcycle either. It was something I really loved about the book because my husband (who was only my boyfriend at the time that I read it) loves vintage bikes (he has one that he restored) and it just don’t look anything like a vintage motorcycle, or at least not what I was picturing. (I’ll be honest… I don’t know everything there is to know about vintage bikes so hey, it could be. But I don’t think it is.)

Which do I like better? I guess the redesign since they took the time to pick out things from the book to put on the new paperback cover… But I still feel like it was just kind of thrown together. Maybe it’s a budget thing? I have no idea how cover designs work, but I think this one could have been just a bit nicer and really been a much better cover!

So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!

[bctt tweet=”Which cover for The Book of Broken Hearts do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]

Apr

Redesign Reactions [1]: Anna and the French Kiss

Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS (+ companions) by Stephanie Perkins!

Just before the release of the last book in the series (ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER), the companion series that kicked off with ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS got a major cover overhaul! For a long time, fans er… expressed their opinions about the cheesy covers and how they especially didn’t do justice to the words inside. I know before I read ANNA, I totally judged a book by its cover (IT HAPPENS. We can’t avoid that) so the redesign might be doing it a little more justice now! Let’s take a look at old and new and see what you think:

This redesign happened right before the third book came out. I know lots of people (me included) like to have their series with the same covers and in the same format so LUCKILY the publisher took notice and actually re-released ANNA and LOLA in hardcover with the new covers so people could now have matching series to include the new ISLA cover (well, original cover to this book, new design concept).

Personally, I’m not 100% sold on the redesign. I do like that they got rid of the cheesy cover models and setting. Everything looked very photoshopped together and nothing seemed to really fit well on the cover. I do like more about the redesign than I dislike. I love the colors schemes for these, LOVE the settings of the books in the background, and I like how each book/girl gets their own sort of symbol to represent them (heart, star, rose). What I’m not sold on? The font isn’t great. It didn’t have to be crazy typography or anything but it just felt a little TOO plain… but maybe I’m just being overly analytical! I like that the little symbols are there but I’m not a huge fan of their placement how simple they are as well (but then again, they wouldn’t really be able to be used as symbols/icons if they were extremely detailed).