I am a huge sucker for a stunning book cover. I've never made any sort of claim otherwise. In fact, if we're being honest, I'm a cover slut - pure and simple. Capture me with a good cover on the shelves, and I'm almost guaranteed to read the book because, yes, I am that shallow. So, you can imagine my state of mind then when I see that some of the book covers I absolutely loved at first were receiving mid-series cover redesigns.
Here's the thing...I get it.
I totally understand the need for redesigns. It refreshes things, breathes new life into something stale and pretty much always bumps the book back into the spotlight. These are all great things. However, for OCD fans like me, I generally like my books to match, which means I then need to purchase all the new covers, of course. Here are some of the most dramatic cover shifts I've seen in the past few years:
Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi
This is actually an example of a mid-series redesign that actually worked for me. I remember discussing with Jenny when the book first came out that we were sick of pretty girls in dresses, especially when they really had no relevance to the story at all. Don't get me wrong...that original cover was stunning and sparkly, but I think the cohesiveness of the redesign really amped things up, and it really makes a statement.
The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood
This is an example of a mid-series redesign that left me feeling a little bit cheated. I remember when I first saw the cover for Born Wicked, and it took my breath away. It has such a beautiful, vintage, haunting feel, and it really leaves a lasting impression. So, you can imagine my surprise, when I saw that the redesign was a lot more generic, shall we say. That's not to say these new covers aren't pretty, but they definitely don't leave that wow factor in my mind.
The Ashes Trilogy by Ilsa J. Bick
Again, here's an example of a redesign that actually worked for me. Ms. Bick is an excellent, atmospheric, powerful writer that evokes fear and emotion with every single word of her books. That first iteration of Ashes, however, did not do her justice...at all. I love the look of the books now; the font, the darkness and all the colours mesh well, and I'm glad to see a more modern, exciting take on this series.
The Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver
I wasn't particularly in love with the first cover for Delirium, but I did love the font, and I really loved the fact that it was different than most of the books I had on my shelf. When the series switched over to the faces on the cover, I have to admit that I thought the change was pretty lackluster at best. In the scheme of things, this change was not all that original, and I'm not sure it stands the test of time either.
There are tons of redesigns out there.
Heck, some of these redesigns are absolutely necessary. Some of them, however, leave me a little perplexed. Andrea Cremer's Nightshade series, for example, turned into something I barely recognized. Maureen Johnson's Shades of London series is completely transformed, as well. Some them work, some of them don't. I'll never stop being entertained (and sometimes perplexed) by all these changes though. What do you guys think of mid-series cover redesigns?
