Reviewers' Roundtable- Polarizing Covers

The Reviewers' Roundtable is a weekly discussion feature hosted by me and Emily from Read Your Bookcase.  Each week we discuss a different bookish/blogging topic and hope you guys will share your thoughts too! 

Go HERE to find a list of past/future topics.

The Hosts:

Emily at Read Your Bookcase

Michelle at Pink Polka Dot Book Blog

Polarizing Covers: Covers You Were Obsessed with and Ones You Could Do Without

OK I just rolled out my new feature Cover Love (or Hater) last week, so I kind of have covers on the brain right now.  My Cover Lover feature is more about *brand new* covers and this topic is talking about any cover, like ever.  So that's pretty hard!  I think I'll break it down into categories of cover trends that I love and stuff I'm not so wild about.

1. Unique and/or Beautiful

-These are covers that I found to be simply beautiful or really unique (or both).  Sometimes I just love the colors on a book cover and sometimes a cover will be just pretty and I don't know what else to say about it excepy ooohhh pretty!!

• Hysteria by Megan Miranda- So cool
• One by LeighAnne Kopans- I think the colors are beautiful and the glittery wings and the wall painted like the sky is cool and unique.
• Bubble World by Carol Snow- So interesting and simple
• Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian- Ohhh pretty colors!
• The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks- Beautiful!
• Bunheads by Sophie Flack- How can you not find this cool looking??
• The Lying Game by Sara Shepard- Cutting a girl in half and flipping her for every book makes this series super unique and you know what it is as soon as you see it.  LOVE!

2.  Hair

-For some reason I love covers where the hair is flowing and covering the girl's face.  So yeah it might be getting a little played out, but so far I'm still on board!

• Blaze by Laurie Boyle Crompton- Love the pink-fade
• Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols- Cool swirling hair
• This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers- Just so freaking beautiful, creepy, and cool.
• Hourglass by Myra McEntire- Love the force behind the hair

3.  Simple

-Sometimes less is so much more.  I love covers that are just one simple idea... I really think I like this best of all :)

• Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler- Just simple seaglass against some wood boards.  Simple but so eyecatching.  I could look at a cluster of books and my eye goes to this one every time.
• Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan- It's simple and it's fun and it totally goes with the title and the content of the book... it's just perfect.
• Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld- You probably could not get more simple.  It's just a striped belt.  But it just works.
• Past Perfect by Leila Sales- I debated whether this should be categorized as unique or simple so hard.  I think it's probably both.
• Fault Line by Christa Desir- So pretty.  All it is is a lighter sparking, but I just love it.
• Crash by Lisa McMann- Eyeball books!!  I love them!!  So pretty and simple and a little bit weird.  (Seriously this cover is SO pretty in person).
• Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser- LOVE this cover!!  It's so pretty... and lonely and simple.

4.  Cool Font

-Cool fonts are always eye-catching for me.  It can be something swirly and pretty, or a mix of fonts, or even color.  Whatever it is it's usually got something different going on.

• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia- I loved this font at first sight. 
• Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard- Cool and swirly.
• Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke- This font takes up almost the whole cover... but I kind of like that.  It makes this book super memorable.
• Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith- Mix of font that I like.
• Game. Set. Match. by Jennifer Iacopelli- LOVE the colors of this font over the black and white background.

5.  Dresses

-Yeah this trend is kind of getting overdone for sure.  But I like fashion... and outfits on covers will definitely catch my attention.

• The Selection by Kiera Cass- I will never read these books... but I love the pretty dresses!!!
• Unearthly by Cynthia Hand- I think this is super simple and pretty.
• Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black- If you don't think this cover is pretty, we can't be friends LOL.  This is one of the coolest covers I've ever seen.
• Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Stromeyer- This is the paperback cover... and I love it so much!!  I love the bare feet and the fluffy skirt and the colors.  I just love it, it's one of my all-time favs.
• Shadowlands by Kate Brian- I like the birds but I also like the girl on the front (and there's one on the back) in their pretty outfits.

1.  The Almost Kiss

-YUCK!!  The dreaded almost kiss.  It's terrible and EVERYWHERE.  Book cover designers: PLEASE do something new.  I mean just look at those covers ^ up there.  They all look exactly the same and so *yawn* inducing.

• Out of Play by Jolene Perry
• Easy by Tammara Webber
• Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard
• Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
• Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
• Not That Kind of Girl Siobhan Vivian
• Return to Paradise By: Simone Elkeles

2.  My Least Favorite

-So these are the ones that have stuck out to me over the years as ones I would order a redesign for.

• Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty- I had NO idea that this was a YA book for years and years.  I had seen it around, but just always assumed it was chick-lit because of the cover.  This cover does not say "teen" to me at all... and it doesn't do the awesomeness of Jessica Darling justice.
• Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson- I love Laurie Halse Anderson.  And I loved this book... but what is up with this cover??  There is nothing supernatural about the book, so I really have no idea how an "all seeing eye" type thing is relevant.  Oh yeah and it's ugly.
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead- Awkward pose of the model + she looks too much like Angelina Jolie in her younger days.  Everytime I see this I think Laura Croft.
• Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray- This is not out yet, and I hate it.  The Diviners is such a cool book... and this just looks like late 80's/early 90's style covers.
• If I Stay by Gayle Forman- Wait what??  I don't get it.
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor- For a fantasy book, I'm just not feeling it.  There are SO many cool covers out there and this is just not one of them.

So what do you think of my cover winners and losers?  Any cover trends you're feeling right now?  Any that you are just completely done with?  What's your favorite cover out there??