Huh? you say. But it already has a fantastic cover.
I know. Tell me about it. I love, love, love the original cover to bits. But covers change all the time–at least in YA it does. The good folks at Harper reconsidered the cover and decided that they wanted an approach that more strongly evoked the epic fantasy-adventure feel of the story.
And I have to say, the final cover blew me away just as much.
The same artist, so definitely all the same epic feel. The image this time illustrates rather than contradicts the title. Both ways work great: one magnifies the message, the other raises intriguing questions. I’m just fortunate to have received not one, but two magnificently evocative covers.
And here, as promised, the snippet from the book that encapsulates the tipping point of the romantic arc.
But his expression, after an initial shock, turned grim. He pushed the sheet aside and struggled to get up. “Why did you not tell me sooner?”
She gripped his arm to steady him. “I thought you were drawing your last breath.”
He swayed, but his scowl was fierce. “Understand this: you will never again care whether I live or die, not when your own safety is in danger. My purpose is to guide and protect you for as long as I can, but in the end, only one of us matters, and it is not me.”
A bright pain burned in her heart. She might yet save herself from falling in love with him, but she would never again be able to truly despise him.
If that is not a Sherry Thomas romance, I don’t know what is. 🙂
What do you think about the new cover?
You can read an excerpt here and order your copy from Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Google, & IndieBound.
I like the new cover. It just fits better with the title.
Upon seeing the original cover, I was left wondering what the upside down castle and the lightning bolt represented – a world turned upside down? I didn’t get a feel for the story. That said, I think there’s something at play with the new cover. It appears to be some sort of Rorschach test.:) I see a dragon in the flames and a feather near the word SKY. Is that imagination or what the reader should see?
Best wishes on this new venture into YA.
At one point I also felt it was a bit Scifi-ish. But it’s always nerve-wracking to change covers, especially when the first one had such a positive response and was so unusual. Thank goodness it worked out.
I personally kinda see a pair of tiger eyes staring out at me from the fire phoenix’s armpits. 🙂
I just found the eyes. LOL It’s a great cover.
Any word on the distribution situation? Since so many retailers are expanding their YA sections at the expense of romance books, I would think this will be carried by a lot of stores.
YA as a whole might be increasing in distribution, but that doesn’t necessarily mean my particular book will benefit. We shall see. My publisher is keen on a good distribution, of course. And YA hardcover titles tend to have somewhat longer lifespan than paperback romances. But again, we shall see.
I really liked the first cover, but this one, WHOAH! This one is simply EPIC.
LOL. Thank you, Karen!
like the cover. honestly i loved the first one,i just like the second.
I preordered off the first cover because i loved it so much 🙂
Nothing wrong with the new one, it just looks more general fantasy, as opposed to young adult fantasy.
Now I’m super curious, G. What about the old one that specified that it was YA fantasy?