But, between the title and the cover, I thought that this must be some sort of paranormal or even a fantasy, if I was lucky.
Not so.
Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived … and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.
Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?
What about this cover says 'modern contemporary serial killer?'
Is the font a little modern? Sure. Is the girl in modern clothes? Yeah.
All the indivdual parts represent the book.
But together? They don't. If I picked this up off the shelf, I'd be disappointed; people who were looking for the murder mystery wouldn't neccessarily pick this up because it doesn't look like the kind of book they'd want to read.
Book covers are the first impression of a book, the same way a poster might be the first impression for a movie. We watch the trailer of a movie to see if it is something we would like; we read the flap of a book to see if it is what the cover represents.
If it's not, and if the book doesn't match what we want, we put it back.
If it never looked like something they'd like to begin with, potential fans skip over entirely.
So while this cover is b-e-a-utiful, and the title is awesome, I don't think I like it for this book. It just doesn't seem to fit.
What do you think?
TOTALLY AGREE! I saw that cover in my newsfeed and was like, what IS that book? I'm a big lover of paranormal romance, and it looked like this book would have an eerie feel to it.
ReplyDeleteSerial killer? I think not.
I think publishing companies are focusing so much on making gorgeous covers that they forget the purpose of covers: to draw the reader into the story. I would pick this up, say, "what a pretty cover" read the flap and be disappointed it didn't match. But say it had the same girl walking down a dark alley with a shadow behind her or something like that, it could be just as gorgeous and true to the story.
-Jessica
I saw the cover AND read the synopsis and I still didn't realize this was contemporary. I figured there was some paranormal or fantastical element that I just wasn't seeing in the synopsis. It's really just contemporary?
ReplyDeleteThis cover doesn't say contemporary or serial killer to me, I get paranormal.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I think it's a beautiful cover but definitely wouldn't be expecting a story like that if I picked it up!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have guessed a serial killer story at all. There have been articles criticizing YA readers' infatuation with covers, but covers are important. It's essentially the book's clothing. It doesn't determine who you are, but it is something of an outward reflection. A person wouldn't go into a job interview wearing sweats; s/he would wear a suit, or something along those lines, to show that s/he is professional. The same goes for books- the cover needs to represent what the reader is going to get.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree that the cover is gorgeous and isn't what I'd expect of a murder mystery. But, I must confess that I like to be surprised, so I like that the cover is completely unexpected!
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree. I love the cover for Shadow Lands, but it does not match the summary at all. It's so frustrating when book covers do that!
ReplyDeleteAck! Yeah, we totally agree with you. There's definitely a disconnect between the image and the story, even though the individual elements are all really well executed. A shame. :/
ReplyDeleteThis post got me thinking about what it was about this cover that shouts "paranormal/fantasy." Because you're right, it does - and yet there's nothing actually fantastical about the cover, except the comparison with other teen fantasy novels with girls and clouds and birds on the front cover. I suppose there's a sort of dreamy, fairytale feel to it - but is it fair to say that "this is a fantasy/paranormal book cover"? I don't have answers for that, it just made me ponder.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the Wonderland-esque feel to it -- the girl looking around her in something that could be pretty or ugly in a gorgeous dress and her gorgeous self being confused. Add in the birds (often used on fantasy covers, lots of symbolic stuff) and it leans towards the fantasy sign, though it's not pure-fantasy.
DeleteI love this cover, and I would agree with your thoughts, except... I just read the book. And after reading the book I would say the cover is pretty accurate and absolutely perfect for the feel of the story. The description is accurate to the story too, but if anything I would change the description of the book to make it a bit more mysterious and twisty-turny sounding, because that's exactly what the book is. I wouldn't call it paranormal at all, but it's definitely not a strictly contemp thriller either.
ReplyDelete