Saturday, August 26, 2017

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 223: Captivate, by Vanessa Garden



Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!



This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful covers!
It also provides information, 
if available, on their 
very talented creators!


This week, I'm comparing two 
different covers for the same book!




Captivate
(The Submerged Sun Series, Book 1)
Vanessa Garden
Trade Paperback, 277 pages
Independently Published
January 25, 2016
(Second Edition)
   Fantasy, Mythology, Paranormal Romance, 
Young Adult Fiction



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31408305-captivate?ac=1&from_search=true



My Thoughts About This Cover

This exquisitely beautiful cover captures all the tender romanticism of young love. The way the young woman cups the young man's face is just so touching and poignant.... His eyes, as well as hers, are closed, and they are obviously caught up in a timeless moment. This actually feels like a bonding of heart and soul. And I think it's highly significant that the young woman is dressed like a bride. So this is a beautiful underwater wedding between two young people who are very much in love.... And there's all that lovely blue surrounding them.... Sigh....

The font used for the title is not entirely to my liking, but I can see that the artist was trying to capture the undulating movement of ocean waves, and I think they succeeded. Still I would have preferred something different. I still ADORE this cover, though! 

This STUNNING cover goes so perfectly with the title, too, as I was instantly captivated by the powerful image! I love the boldness and intimacy of the design!





Captivate
(The Submerged Sun Series, Book 1)
Vanessa Garden
Trade Paperback, 294 pages
Harlequin TEEN Australia
January 1, 2014
(First Edition)
Fantasy, Mythology, Paranormal Romance,
Young Adult Fiction


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18683518-captivate


This is the cover of the Australian edition of the book. While I do love all the tones of blue, it just doesn't have the beauty and mesmerizing quality of the first cover shown. Besides, this is a Young Adult novel, so the models for this second cover are not young enough for such a novel. They appear to be in their thirties, while the ones in the first cover are obviously still teens.

I don't like the composition of the second cover, either. The bench the woman is sitting on looks very out of place underwater, I think. Furthermore, I don't like that her boyfriend is off to one side. More attention is paid to the bench than to the couple. Even worse, it looks like the man's head is not attached to a body. How ridiculous is that? Lol. He is wearing something that looks like some sort of sweater, but it's not very well defined, so that's why it looks like his head is disembodied. 

In short, this second cover has none of the wonder and magic of young love that is so present in the first one. If I were living in Australia, I'd do everything possible to get a hold of the first cover, for SURE!!

Of course, there are many different tastes in book covers among readers, so some of you reading this post may actually prefer the second cover. I do think, though, that most will prefer the first cover. It's just so much superior in beauty and emotional impact, in my honest opinion!

Now, as for the BRILLIANT designer of the first cover shown above, all I have been able to find out is that a designer at a company known as The Cover Collection created this beautiful cover. I got this information through the author's Twitter account. I will be sending the company a message through Twitter, in order to find out which of their highly talented artists created this cover. Since that might take some time, and I want to publish this post right away, I promise I will return and update with new information. Meanwhile, I'm leaving the company's links below.



Online Links
The Cover Collection
Website
Twitter
Facebook
 




What do you think of 
this week's covers?
Which one do you prefer,
or do you like them both?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!








8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hi, Stephanie!

      I do love the gorgeous tones of blue in both, but the composition of the second one doesn't give me as much delight as the composition of the first. I'm glad you like them both, though!

      Thanks for commenting!! <3 :)

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  2. Hey Maria - I must admit that the first cover is not my cup of tea. I do like the shades of blue.

    I agree with you on the second cover. It is two bad about the flaws that you mention because I think that it could have worked better with a few changes.

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Brian!

      Yeah, not everyone will agree with me on the first cover, as compared with the second one. The first cover makes me want to buy the book right away, while the second one doesn't.

      It is indeed too bad about the composition flaws in the second cover, as it could have been a REALLY great cover if not for those.

      Hope you're having a GREAT Sunday!! Thanks for the nice comment!! <3 :)

      Delete
  3. I really like underwater covers. I'm not sure what it is about them. The blues or what. I think I like the first one a bit better in this case, although I wouldn't mind the couple being a little farther back. I'm not a fan of the font either, though, as you pointed out.

    Thanks for sharing, Maria!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Wendy!

      Yeah, I like underwater covers, too!! In my case, I know it's because of all the blue, but there's also and element of enchantment and magic about these covers that I absolutely LOVE. So I'm definitely with you on these covers!!

      I know what you mean about the couple being too close to the viewer. Yeah, perhaps if they were moved back a little, it would be better. Maybe it's a bit claustrophobic, huh? Now that you have mentioned this, I must confess to some mixed feelings. I kinda agree with you, and yet.... I don't know.

      Glad you agree about the font. They could have come up with a better one, that's for sure!

      You're very welcome for the sharing! Thanks for the nice comment!! HUGS TO YOU AND MOUSE!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

      Delete
  4. Tbh.. I don't really like those covers x)
    I prefer the tone of blue of the second cover (because of the shade, the hue and the light above their heads) but I prefer the characters' posing of the first cover. But I don't really like both of the covers.. I feel like they are not dreamy or mesmerizing enough for a theme under water. But... Maybe, I'm just not fancy of cover with an Under water theme x)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Sandrine!

      So sorry for the late reply..... :( I had not seen this comment!!

      I'm glad you do like the blue in each of these covers, even though you don't exactly like the compositions! :) :)

      I do think that the first cover has a dreamy feel to it. I just LOVE that dress! However, it would be nice if the guy had his arms around the girl. That's one thing I don't like about the first cover. It's almost like he's indifferent to her. I didn't notice this at first, but I sure do now!

      Thanks for the great comment!! Vive la France!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)


      Delete

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