WHAT DRAWS ME TO A BOOK COVER?

Mabuhay, friends!

I would be lying if I said I never judged a book by its cover. But while a book cover does play a role in influencing my decision to read said book or not, it does not guarantee that I would buy the book. I don’t always buy a book solely for the cover.

However, there are books whose covers are so pretty that they pretty much live in my mind, rent-free.

After reading Nicole at Feed Your Fiction Addiction’s What Draws Me To A Book Cover? post, I thought I to analyse my own tastes and list the types of covers that catch my eye.

CONTRASTING COLOURS

• 

• 

Covers that play off of the different colours immediately catch my eye. It gives a colourful minimalist look especially with the clean lines. For example, in The Vanishing Half, I like how the colours intersect but never truly blend in. In the case of My Dark Vanessa, the pink background and red hair contrast each other but I find it more interesting how the cover artist chose a baby pink for a dark book.

ILLUSTRATED COVERS

• 

• 

• 

I love that there are more illustrated covers but it’s even more amazing for me to see brown-skinned girls on the cover! It’s not my preference to have characters on the cover of a book but seeing covers like With The Fire On High, The Black Tides of Heaven, and Set Fire To The Gods, I can’t help but come to love them.

🌸 WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH BY ELIZABETH ACEVEDO // a daring coming-of-age novel

BODY RE-IMAGINING

I was going to refer to this as body horror but that might sound a bit too much or dark; I love how artists meld the human body with either animals, plants, or the supernatural. I don’t mean body horror as something violent but almost a re-imagining, I suppose.

DEFIANT CHARACTERS

• 

• 

• 

How cool do they look? I absolutely love, love covers that showcase angry, defiant characters. Characters who are done with being pushed to the side; who stare right back from the page just daring you to deny their presence.

MINUTE DETAILS

• 

• 

• 

Covers that not only draw the characters but add in little details makes the story feel so much personal. For example, when I first came across the cover for The Empress of Salt and Fortune, I was not sure what the animals on the front had to do with the story until I read it. I love book covers that make do a double take; turning back to the cover at the end of a story trying to place each of its details.

🌸 THE EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE BY NGHI VO: A BEAUTIFUL NARRATIVE ON FIERCE FRIENDSHIPS AND THE ANGER OF WOMEN

Pin this post!

BOOKS MENTIONED

This list contains affiliate links. If you feel like purchasing any of the books I listed, please use these affiliate links as I make a small commission which helps support me and my blog at no extra cost to you. But, of course, no pressure!

📚 My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennet: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 Set Fire To The Gods by Sara Raasch and Kristen Simmons: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y Yang: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 Cinderella Is Dead Kalynn Bayron: The Story Graph //Book Depository // Amazon

📚 The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 The Empress Of Salt And Fortune by Nghi Vo: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

📚 Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho: The Story Graph // Book Depository // Amazon

🌸 Would you like me to do a similar post with a focus on one genre?

🌸 What draws you to a book cover?

If you enjoy my work here at Camillea Reads, consider helping me by leaving a tip through ko-fi!