Cover Lust (19)

Check out these covers that I've discovered recently:

Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith

(Candlewick / Feb. 8, 2011)

I love how delicately beautiful this cover is. The mix of textures--the velvet silkiness of the rose petals on the crispness of the dress train, dragging across the ground--mmmm.

Possession by Elana Johnson

(Simon & Schuster / June 2011)

White covers can often be so powerful in their simplicity. This cover is practically perfect in my opinion: there's nothing to distract you from the creepy beauty of the butterfly half trapped in the ice cube, its "iciness" so sharp you can practically feel its harsh coldness just by looking at it. The font types and colors are beautifully balanced with the image. Talk about rendering one speechless.

Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

(Harlequin / Oct. 1, 2010)

Huzzah, a proud and beautiful Asian woman on a book cover! It's a historical romance set in Asia; can the cover be any more perfect?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

(Katherine Tegen Books / April 2011)

Hi-tech dystopian-esque cover FTW. I love the Big Brother vibe that the fiery eyelike symbol gives off, and love how it contrasts so strongly with the Chicago skyline. I NEED to see this cover in person, I'm telling you.

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

(Random House / April 26, 2011)

I find this eerie, in the best way. It gives off a sort of noir, graphic-novel-adaptation-to-film (e.g. a la Sin City) vibe, which is totally up my alley in terms of noir stuff. The cover's mostly flat, but the forced depth to this image is just so totally gruesome, IMO. Add to that the bright red of the bird silhouettes... wow.

Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

(Katherine Tegen Books / 2011)

I thought the cover for the first book, Forgive My Fins, was just okay, but this one is way cool in my book. The girl on the cover finally looks like an actual person (or more like an actual person than the girl on the first cover), and there the really cool infusion of glitter and nautical color tones. Mmmmm.

Saltwater Vampires by Kirsty Eagar

(Penguin Australia / Aug. 30, 2010)

It does typical American YA paranormal covers one step better, I think. Forget faux-emotional teen-angsty moodiness: this one seeps cool and disconcerting danger. I LOVE the pale blue eyes; I think this is the first time I've actually seen a pair of blue eyes standing out in a cover that I actually believe could be real. And I like how the text is no-nonsense, because everything else about the cover is already evocative enough. Too bad it's available only in Australia. *sigh*
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What do you guys think of these covers? Which of these books would you want to read?