Saturday, December 29, 2018

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 272: Freya, by Matthew Laurence



Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!



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



Here's my choice for this week!



Freya
 (Freya, Book 1)
Matthew Laurence
Hardcover, 352 pages
Imprint
March 14, 2017
Mythology, Paranormal Fiction,
Urban Fantasy,
Young Adult Fiction




https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29102838-freya?ac=1&from_search=true




My Thoughts About This Cover

What an incredibly STUNNING cover!! I found it while browsing on Goodreads, and it totally floored me! Talk about "girl power"! (Btw, it should REALLY be called "female power", or "woman power".) The young woman on the cover just radiates power and confidence! 

I love how the photographer posed the model in front of a graffiti mural, right between those beautiful wings! I happen to LOVE graffiti, too, but the kind that is actually ART, not the type that's just a bunch of sprayed squiggles. THIS particular mural certainly qualifies as real art. (Sadly, the graffiti artist is not credited. But a lot of these artists do tend to remain anonymous.) It's dynamic and vivid, with gorgeous, bright colors. The feathers on the wings are so beautifully detailed, too! 

Another thing I LOVE about the mural is the circle right behind the wings. I ADORE circles!! And this one gives the overall composition such a sense of harmony and wholeness. Well, of course, since it symbolizes how this young woman -- who is in reality the Norse goddess mentioned in the book's title -- is totally in control of herself, and won't allow ANYBODY to mess with her!

All of the colors used on this cover also harmonize very well. Two of them are favorites of mine -- aqua and hot pink. I also love the yellow accents that shoot out from the circle!

The font used for the title is bold and GORGEOUS, as well. It's not really a font, though; this is the type of lettering used on graffiti. Of course, I LOVE it, too!! And the color used on this title is also GREAT! It's a dark green, with aqua borders around the letters. The joining of the letter "e" with the letter "y" is also very effective.

Last but definitely NOT least, are those AWESOME spears that shoot out from behind the goddess's back, as well as the winged helmet that seems poised to come down on her head.

In short, this cover packs a LOT of visual punch!!

The brilliant designer is Ellen Duda, an illustrator and book designer currently based in New York. Before establishing her own freelance business, Duda-Day Illustration & Design, she was a Senior Designer with Imprint, a part of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.

I've just added another great artist to my growing list of book illustrators and designers!

And one more thing: this book has GOT to become part of my personal library!! YAAAAASSSS!!!!  :)




Online Links
 


What do you think of 
this week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!









4 comments:

  1. I agree that this is a great cover. I also like graffiti art. I wish that I knew more about it. As you mention, the colors of the graffiti are shrinking and perfect. The concept of photographing a real person and putting threm in front of artwork seems very creative and innovative. I wonder if anyone else had done it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Brian!

      Oh, MOST DEFINITELY!! Glad you love it, as well!! :) :)

      And you like graffiti art, too? AWESOME!! You know, there's a neighborhood here in Miami, called "Wynwood", which used to be a bad area, but has been renovated, and is now a trendy place to visit! They have an area named "Wynwood Walls", which is totally dedicated to graffiti art. But the entire place is filled with graffiti murals on several different buildings! LOVE it!!

      Here's a link:

      http://www.thewynwoodwalls.com/walls

      And here's the link for the Facebook page:

      https://www.facebook.com/wynwoodwallsofficial/

      Yeah, the colors used on this cover are AMAZING!! They are all harmonious, and just PERFECT for this cover!

      I agree -- the idea of photographing a person standing in front of already existing artwork is indeed original and creative. It might have been done before, but surely never like this! This particular coverr ROCKS!!!

      Thanks for the interesting comment!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! <3 :)

      Delete
  2. That really is a very clever cover! And it suggests a humorous story. I would be very likely to pick it up in a bookshop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Sue!

      Yes, indeed!! I LOVE it!! And you're right -- it DOES suggest a humorous story! I'll add that to the genres I listed in the information about this book!

      If you do purchase this novel, I think you'll GREATLY enjoy it! I want to pick it up, too!!

      Thanks for commenting!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! HUGS!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

      Delete

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