Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!
***LATE EDITION***
It's happened again.....I could not
post yesterday, so I opted to
do so today.... I'll get this all
figured out eventually, never fear!
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!
The Sin Eater's Daughter
(The Sin Eater's Daughter, Book 1)
Melinda Salisbury
Hardcover, 312 pages
Scholastic Press
(The Sin Eater's Daughter, Book 1)
Melinda Salisbury
Hardcover, 312 pages
Scholastic Press
February 24, 2015
Fantasy, Paranormal Romance,
Young Adult Fiction
Fantasy, Paranormal Romance,
Young Adult Fiction
This is such a stunningly GORGEOUS cover! I don't think I've ever come across anything so wondrously original!
I love richly-designed, brilliantly-hued covers, and this one fits the bill perfectly! That lovely shade of blue in the glass beaker instantly caught my eye, as did the very ornate metal frame around it. This frame looks like the type that would go around a mirror, which is intereting, because, in this case, there's no mirror. Also, the frame has clamps that are holding the beaker in place, as if it needed to be protected from tumbling out of the frame.
There's a very mysterious-looking young woman inside the beaker. Why is she there? Is she the creation of some mad scientist? This is the first thought that crossed my mind when I saw her. There are red splotches all over the glass walls of this beaker, and they look suspiciously like blood....
The beaker reminds me of the ancient magical procedure known as alchemy. So I'm wondering whether this young woman is being somehow transformed into a different type of being. This image does have a rather creepy aspect to it, in spite of its beauty. It also brings up womb imagery. It's as if the girl were gestating, waiting to be born....perhaps as a formidable magical being? Is her father the one organizing the experiment? And why is he known as "The Sin Eater"? How can anyone eat sins?
The theme of wholeness versus confinement is a very strong one in this cover. The more I look at this image, the more my analysis takes me into psychology, rather than art. On the other hand, as I recall, there was an art movement known as "Symbolist Art". I am also reminded of Surrealism, of which Symbolist Art was a precursor.
The most striking thing about this cover is that, in spite of its beauty, the image it depicts is indeed rather disturbing. So we have a visual contradiction here; the colors are bright, the design ornate and beautiful, but the whole concept is actually creepy. I love these rather unsettling contradictions! They show that the artist/artists is/are brilliant!
The font used for the title is also a striking one, although, honestly, I would have preferred it to be a bit more ornate, in keeping with the cover's rich ornamentation. However, I still like it, as I get an "Arabian Nights" vibe from it, mostly because of the flourishes on the some of the letters, which are certainly nice!
The illustrator is Jamie Gregory, and the designer is Christopher Stengel. Jamie is the Design Manager at Scholastic UK, and designs all of Salisbury's covers. I have been able to find a YouTube video for him. I'm also including a link to his LinkedIn profile, as well as the Scholastic website.
I have been unable to find any links for Stengel, but he's listed on the book's copyright page as the designer. If anyone would like to confirm this, it can be ehecked by opening the book's Amazon preview and scrolling down to the copyright page. You can access the preview HERE. Just click on the book's cover.
What do you think of this
week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
This is a very striking cover.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis in terms of wholeness verses confinement and the bright colors verses the disturbing aspect of the image is brilliant. I think that you illustrate these themes perfectly.
I think it is fairly uncommon to see artwork where this many strong colors are so prominent. It seems it is more common for an image to highlight just one or two colors. I think that this gives this cover a very powerful feel to it.
Hey, Brian!
DeleteThanks so much for the compliment!! Much appreciated!! :)
You're made an interesting point here about all the bright colors in this cover. Usually, one or two colors do predominate on most covers. And yes, all these bright colors make this cover look very powerful!
From what I know of this book, it seems to be a dark fantasy; the main female character has the ability to kill people just by touching them.... So the cover does allude to that. Creepy, indeed!
Thanks so much for the TERRIFIC comment!! :)
I love this cover! To me, it says there are dangerous, magical events that will occur.
ReplyDeleteHi, Betsy!
DeleteI'm glad you love it, too! And it definitely lets readers know that there will be "dangerous, magical events" within!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!! :)