Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!
This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful covers!
It also provides information,
if available, on their
very talented creators!
if available, on their
very talented creators!
Algonquin Young Readers
September 16, 2014
Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction,
Thriller, Young Adult Fiction
September 16, 2014
Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction,
Thriller, Young Adult Fiction
Last week, I featured a cover in which the color blue was pretty much dominant. This week's cover has a blue background, and the central image is also blue, as is the scene placed within it. I am obviously very partial to blue covers! No other color in the universe will pull me in the way blue does!
Aside from the color, though, the whole design is nothing short of stunning! The young man's profile is presented in a bold close-up, which is reminiscent of 19th-century photographs. This image dominates the whole space.
What's most intriguing about this profile, though, is the scene superimposed on it. It's as if the young man were holding this image in his mind. And what a mysterious one it is, too..... It's a deserted street, at the end of which there's a door that's either open, showing light from a fireplace inside, or else closed, and painted a bright orange color. I'm not quite sure whether it's one or the other. The street looks like it's in a city around the turn of the last century. Along the left-hand side of it, all the windows and doors are dark. This serves to lead the eye to that door at the end of the street. There's also an American flag hanging from a window, on the wall on the left-hand side. The flag is in color, as is the door. These two objects form a marked contrast to the monotone colors of the street.
There's something else in the street scene that is done in color. At first, I wasn't sure exactly what it was. Upon closer inspection (I had to zoom the cover) it turned out to be a young woman seen from the back, running down the street toward the door, her red dress billowing out behind her. As she runs, she turns halfway toward the viewer, perhaps to see if she's being pursued. This heightens the air of mystery already present in this cover, which goes right along with the enigmatic expression on Jackaby's face.
The font used for the title is a majestic, very elegant one. It looks like the type of handwriting done in the 19th- or 18th centuries. In fact, it immediately reminded me of the signatures on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Whatever is going on in this book, this cover has certainly pulled me in! The cover illustrator has succeeded in catching my interest, and I know I'll end up buying and reading this novel!
The brilliant designer is none other than Joel Tippie, who also designed the Divergent series covers! He's the Art Supervisor and Associate Art Director at HarperCollins Children's Books, and is based in New York City. I couldn't find any website for him, but I did find information on the Divergent cover designs, as well as his LinkedIn profile and Twitter page.
week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
This cover is brilliant. It also seems full of enigma. The image in the young man's head, the sparing but striking use of read, all lead me to wonder what it is really about.
ReplyDeleteI have to think that the three red things, the woman;s dress, the door, and the flag have significance. I presume that they relate to the plot.
Hey, Brian!
DeleteThis cover is definitely brilliant! And it's certainly full of enigma, as well! In short, it really does a great job of reeling in prospective readers!
I, too, thinks it's very significant that there ae similar colors in the door, the flag, and the young woman's dress. Of course, they probably relate to the plot, which I've already looked up on Goodreads. This one is sure to be an exciting read!
Thanks for the interesting comment!! :)
I'm so happy to see this book featured here! This is another one that is on my shelf just begging to be read. I love this cover and think it is brilliantly done. Just from reading the synopsis of this book, it seems to fit incredibly well and just pulls me in. I hope to read this book this year. Thank you for sharing your thoughts -- I always love reading your cover analysis -- and this is another instance where you made me look even deeper at a cover I thought I loved but now love more.
ReplyDelete