Shelf Candy Saturday No. 207: Toward A Secret Sky, by Heather Maclean

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!

*Late Edition*

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!

Toward A Secret Sky
Heather Maclean 
Hardcover, 368  pages
Blink
April 4, 2017
   Christian Fiction, Fantasy,
Young Adult Fiction

My Thoughts About This Cover

This is a truly powerful, bold cover, and yet it's also a lovely one. I would say it has a very well-balanced combination of power and flowing peace. Not an easy thing to achieve in a cover, I think!

The strange flower right in the middle of this cover is what first catches the eye. It's not a realistically depicted flower. At least, I've never seen one like this. While at first glance it appears to be a rose, the middle of the flower is like nothing I've ever seen before. This flower is completely symmetrical and not quite solid. It also gives me a slightly sinister feel....

On the other hand, this flower could be a symbol of wholeness, of the attainment of spiritual perfection. Red is the color of passion, however, which points to a connection with the heart. For some reason, I'm reminded of Dante's Divine Comedy here.

Beneath the flower, the sky is a combination of beautiful colors -- the clouds are tinted in brilliant shades of orange, pink, and purple as they lie over the gently-rolling hills, only to turn dark and threatening as the eye moves further up the cover. If you start from the top, as I think most people would, because of the flower, then the threatening clouds turn into serene ones, colored by either the sunset or sunrise -- I'm not sure exactly which.

The font is a classic one, but it has three unusual features: the letter "t" in the word "toward" is in the shape of a cross, and two of the letters in the rest of the title are reversed. These things immediately catch one's attention, making one wonder as to the possible meaning.... The cross points to Christian elements, while the reversed letters could symbolize opposition, as well as a mystery that must be solved.

I also love the elegant flourishes around the letters of the title, which are the third unusual feature. These all come from the center dot of the letter "o", and spread to the rest of the title, giving it a gently feminine feel.

To sum up, this is a totally striking image that beckons the reader to enter what promises to be a totally intriguing world. This is borne out by the synopsis. Of course, this book is already on my Goodreads shelves! And it will be released this Tuesday, so I might get it right away!

When I checked out the Amazon preview to find out who the brilliant cover artist is, all I could find was the following name: Brand Navigation. Puzzled by this, I did a Google search, and came across their website. This is obviously a company that specializes in design. I found the following slogan on their site's home page: "We define, design and align brand stories." That sounds like they do mostly PR work. 

When I checked out their Bio page, I finally saw a name: Bill Chiaravalle. He is the Principal, as well as Creative Director. However, nothing seems to indicate that he was actually the creator of the cover I'm featuring today. The bio states that he wrote the book, Branding For Dummies, and has more than 20 years of experience "....specializing in branding for a broad range of global, national and regional companies in an extensive range of industries." 

I think that, most likely, an artist working for Chiaravalle's company created this cover. If so, that person has not received proper credit for their work. On the other hand, Chiaravalle could very well have been the creator, and simply prefers to credit his company instead of himself directly.

The Amazon preview also states that the interior design was done by an artist named Denise Froehlich. Since I don't own this book (yet!) I have no idea what this looks like. However, if she had also designed the cover, I'm sure she would have been credited for it. At least, I would hope so!

Online Links

Brand Navigation Website

Facebook
LinkedIn

Branding For Dummies

 

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

First Chapter, First Paragraph No. 2: The Healer's Apprentice, by Melanie Dickerson

Welcome to First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros,

hosted by Diane @

Bibliophile By The Sea!!

Every Tuesday, each participant
shares the first paragraph 

(sometimes two) from a book
they're reading,

or thinking about reading.

The book I've picked this week is....

The Healer's Apprentice
Melanie Dickerson
Trade Paperback, 272 pages
Zondervan 
September 15, 2010
Christian Fiction, Fantasy,
Fairy Tale Retellings, Historical Fiction,
Romance, Young Adult Fiction

 
Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.



Chapter 1


Spring, 1386, Hagenheim, 
The Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony

The townspeople of Hagenheim craned their necks as they peered down the cobblestone street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Duke of Hagenheim's two handsome sons. The top-heavy, half-timbered houses hovered above the crowd as if they too were eager to get a peek at Lord Hamlin and Lord Rupert.

Rose shifted her basket from her left hip to her right and wrinkled her nose at the stale smell of sweat from the many bodies pressed close, mingled with the pungent scent of animal dung. Chickens and children skittered about, the clucking and squealing adding to the excited murmurs.

"I'll wait with you to the count of one hundred, Hildy, then I'm leaving." Rose couldn't let Frau Geruscha think her apprentice was a lazy dawdler. 

"Are you not curious to see if they've changed?" Hildy asked, her green eyes glinting in the sun.  
 

     

Have you ever read this novel?

If so, what did you think?

If not, would you continue reading,
judging from the excerpt above ?

Shelf Candy Saturday #144: Auralia's Colors, by Jeffrey Overstreet

 

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!!

This is my weekly feature

showcasing beautiful book covers!

It also provides information,

if available, on their very talented creators!

For more information

about Shelf Candy Saturday,

simply go HERE.

Here's my choice for this week!

Auralia's Colors

(The Auralia Thread #1)

Jeffrey Overstreet 

Trade Paperback, 334 pages

Waterbrook Press

September 4, 2007

Christian Fiction, Fantasy

Romance, Science Fiction

My Thoughts About This Cover

This stunning cover actually has a very simple, yet very effective composition, and it derives most of its power from its overall gorgeous tones of blue. Of course, I was immediately pulled in; this color affects me like no other!

This is a very mysterious, moody, and mystical night scene. The glowing moon in the cloud-filled sky, the bands of mist across the landscape, suggesting the contours of a forest, and perhaps, the ocean beyond that, all contribute to the total effect. Furthermore, the faint contours of a city can be seen looming out of the band of very light blue mist in the bottom half of the cover.

I also love the young woman's billowing cloak, which also contributes to the romantic mystery of the scene, strongly reminding me of 19th-century British fiction, such as Jane Eyre and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. The purple color of the gown also contrasts with the predominantly blue tones of the rest of the cover.

The positioning of the young woman at the lower left of the image adds yet another layer of mystery to it. The young woman is looking out over the landscape as if pondering a decision, or whether she will venture out into the night. What thoughts are swirling through her head? Again I am reminded of Jane Eyre....especially as she pondered what to do about her romantic relationship with Mr. Rochester.

Adding to the magic of this cover are the curling, fanciful designs located on each side, at the bottom of the image. Another of these also peeks out from the top right-hand corner.

The final touch is the equally magical treatment of the title itself. The letters of the font glow with light -- especially the word "colors", and the title is enclosed in a box that might be an ancient scroll.

Once again, I have encountered the frustration of not being able to find any information about the creator of this masterpiece of a cover..... As for the Amazon reader, which offers previews of books, it has not been any help at all. 

I hope you all enjoy looking at this cover, though, just as much as I do! 

Update

Jeffrey Overstreet, the author of

Auralia's Colors, has just given me the

name of the brilliant artist who 

created this gorgeous cover.

His name is Kristopher Orr. Below are

some links for him, including

an interview with the author of

this exciting fantasy novel!!

Website

Facebook

Twitter 

Instagram 

Instagram Profile 

Interview with Jeffrey Overstreet 

 

  

What do you think of my 

choice this week?

Please leave a comment

and let me know!

Shelf Candy Saturday #34: The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

 

 

 

Welcome to

Shelf Candy Saturday!!

 

 

 

This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,

features beautiful book covers!

It was originally hosted by

Stephanie @

Five Alarm Book Reviews,

a blog I really miss...

 

 

If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. Just be sure to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.

As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer in your post, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!

 

 

 

Here's my pick for this week!

 

 

 

 

 

The Chronicles of Narnia

C. S. Lewis

Leatherbound Hardcover, 800 pages

Barnes & Noble

August 13, 2009

Genre: YA Fantasy

 

 

Barnes & Noble Purchase Link