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!
Here's my choice for this week!
Withering Rose
(Once Upon a Curse, Book 2)
Kaitlyn Davis
Kindle Edition, 314 pages
(Once Upon a Curse, Book 2)
Kaitlyn Davis
Kindle Edition, 314 pages
May 17 , 2016
Dystopian Fiction, Fairy Tale Retellings,
Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction,
Young Adult Fiction
Dystopian Fiction, Fairy Tale Retellings,
Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction,
Young Adult Fiction
My Thoughts About This Cover
To say that this is a stunningly beautiful cover is to state the obvious. Everything about is appeals to the potential reader. In fact, even if this cover were a poster, it would definitely influence the viewer to purchase it!
Of course, it's that glorious hot pink dress that dominates the image. I love not only its color, but the way the layers of fabric are depicted -- like wave upon wave of luscious color, accented by touches of lacy white.
One of the things I've always loved about Old Master paintings was their treatment of drapery folds. I am reminded of that here. The folds of this dress are masterfully done, with shadowy depths and highlighted crests. This dress is like a mountain of frothy cloth, rising to the peak, which is the princess smelling the dark red rose.
The arches in the background repeat the theme of the red rose, as they are all adorned with more red roses. The blue and white background has a very fairy-like feel, and both it and the arches perfectly frame the princess in the lovely dress.
I also love the candelabra on the balcony railing; its candles look very much as if they came from another realm.
The final, crowning touch is that rose that's part of the title. It's a very stylized one, too, and it matches the light pink pattern of the font used for the title.
In short, this is a very beautiful image, and it played a very important part in my purchase of this book. In fact, I even signed up for the upcoming blog tour! I will be contributing a review.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find out, thanks to the copyright page of this book, that the cover design was created by the author herself! However, this is a composite image created from several sources, so they all deserve part of the credit.
Kaitlyn Davis is a bestselling author of YA fantasy novels, as well as contemporary romance novels, for which she uses the name Kay Marie. She has published her own books, and so, has also created many of her own covers.
Online Links
Kaitlyn Davis
Kaitlyn Davis
Other Contributors
Kavaeka
Inadesign.Stock
vectorartbox.com
Olena Kucher
(depositphotos.com)
The image displayed here is titled
"Beautiful Girl in the Purple Dress"
week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
This is a really striking cover! I am impressed with contracts and I find that the pinkish/red shades really par nicely with the blue in the background.
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting that the author created the cover. I wish that this was more common as it would really match the cover with what is inside without question. I wonder if there are any other authors who do this.
Hey, Brian!
DeleteYes, it sure is! And I agree with you about the contrast between the pinkish/red shades and the blue background.
You make a very valid point in stating that, if authors created their own covers more often, they could match more closely their books' contents. However, there are cover artists who can really capture the essence of a novel's plot in a great cover image. Still, I do agree that it would be nice if more authors created their own covers.
Davis created hers by manipulating images from different sources. If you click on the "Olena Kucher" link, you will see the original picture of the girl in the dress. (And I wonder why it's titled "Beautiful Girl in the Purple Dress", as the color of this dress is definitely NOT purple.) The background of this picture is different from the one in the cover image, which I actually prefer.
I tried to get more information about Kucher, but all I found was that there's a Ukrainian singer by this name, who uses the stage name "Alyosha". Obviously this is not the person who created the original picture. (Or is it? I really don't know...) The picture is lovely, and I'd love to be able to post more about this person, but I haven't found anything else about her.
From what I've seen, the only authors who usually create their own covers are those who self-publish. Otherwise, authors seem to be quite content to let their publishers handle the creation of book covers. Obviously, self-published authors design their own covers in order to save money.
If I were ever to publish anything, I would much prefer to do so with a regular publisher. Then again, CreateSpace might be an option.....lol.
Thanks for the great comment!! :)
That is such a beautiful cover!! I love the dress and its color as well <3 I really enjoyed reading your thoughts, made me appreciate it even more :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read anything by this author, but I'll have to check this out!
Lipstick and Mocha
Hi, Carla!
DeleteYeah, I LOVE that dress!! Wish I could buy it somewhere! Lol. And the background is such a nice contrast to it, too.
I'm glad that my analysis made you appreciate this cover more!
I've just finished reading this book, and will be reviewing it next week. I highly recommend it!!
Thanks for such a nice comment!! I promise to visit your blog and comment back! I owe you two comments already....
Hope you're enjoying your weekend!! <3:)
As someone who loves retellings, I'm surprised I hadn't heard about this one! Thanks for highlighting this beauty!
ReplyDeleteHi, Amber!
DeleteI love retellings, too! I'm glad this post made you aware of this novel! And yes, the cover is indeed a beauty!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!! :)
I always love how you identify so many different details of the covers you feature! This one really is beautiful, and how neat that the author created the cover! Lovely post :-) *BIG HUGS*
ReplyDelete~Mckenzie
Hi, Mckenzie!
DeleteThank you so much!! I love to analyze beautiful book covers!
This one is indeed beautiful, and it's AWESOME that the author created it herself! I wish it were a poster, so I could frame and hang it in my bedroom....
Thanks for the lovely comment!! *BIG HUGS BACK*!!!! <3 :)