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

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

Website

Interview: Children's Illustrators

LinkedIn

Twitter

 

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

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 267: The Chaos of Stars, by Kiersten White

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!

The Chaos of Stars
 Kiersten White
Hardcover, 277 pages
HarperTeen
September 10, 2013
Mythology, Paranormal Fiction,
Romance, Urban Fantasy
Young Adult Fiction

My Thoughts About This Cover

My first reaction, upon coming across this cover, was that it looked as if thousands of lapis lazuli stones had been strewn all over it! Some are lighter, some are darker, but they are all a lovely shade of blue, my favorite color. This has created a very beautiful, grainy background that perfectly sets off the cover's design.

The contrast between the background and the design superimposed on it is amazingly GORGEOUS! The gold tone of the design really stands out. I love all the detailed artwork depicting typical Egyptian flora and fauna. It's so delicately done! 

The font used for the title and author's name contributes to the delicate, detailed look of this cover. Although a classic one, it has been altered in very interesting ways. First of all, the letters have been made taller and thinner. Next, some of them have "grown" these graceful little loops that hook some of the letters together. Last, the ending strokes of the "A" and the "R" of the word "STARS" have been extended to blend into the flowers and branches located at the lower right-hand corner. The same thing has been done with the word "The" and the word "CHAOS". In additon to this, the word "CHAOS" also links up with the word "of". What a lovely touch! 

In short, this is a STUNNING cover with a rich, jeweled look -- totally fitting for a book about Egyptian mythology! 

In this particular case, I have been unable to locate any information about the highly talented cover artist who created this luscious cover..... The Amazon reading preview has been no help at all, and a Google search has also failed to yield any information. I guess I'll just have to wait until I actually own this book to see who the cover artist is.....


 

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

Teaser Tuesday No. 2: The Last Days of Magic, by Mark Tompkins

Welcome to "Teaser Tuesday"!!


This meme is hosted by  Ambrosia @ The Purple Booker every week, and the rules are very simple.

RULES

* Grab you current read.

*Open to a random page.

*Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere

on that page.

*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

(Make sure that what you share doesn't

give too much away! You don't want

to ruin the book for others!)

*Share the title and author, too, so that other

TT participants can add the book to their

TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Note
Since I'm a slow reader, I don't have a new book
started every week. I am therefore going
 to bend the rules a little.....
I'll be featuring books I want to read,
that are currently sitting on my shelves.

Here are my teasers!

"There was a Greek sorcerer named Honorius, the son of Euclid the mathematician. This must be a translation of his grimoire."

"How do you know all that?"

"As I was not born male or the eldest daughter, or the most beautiful, I spent all my time studying. My father was a healer, and more, with a large library." -- Chapter 7, page 108

"Jordan and Najia galloped around the north end of the bog and reined their horses into s skidding stop on the frozen ground. Spread out to the south, the battle had become a melee. Waves of enchantments rolled through the snowy air, dashing into one another in sudden, fierce swirls, each canceling out the other. Gallowglass and Celt were cutting through the English archers, overpowering their light swords and small shields. Fifty English knights, with armor and broadswords, bravely mounted a charge to protect their men." -- Chapter 24, page 300

The Last Days of Magic

Mark Tompkins

Hardcover, 384 pages

Viking
March 1, 2016

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mythology

An epic novel of magic and mysticism, Celts and faeries, mad kings and druids, and the goddess struggling to reign over magic’s last outpost on the EarthWhat became of magic in the world? Who needed to do away with it, and for what reasons? Drawing on myth, legend, fairy tales, and Biblical mysteries, The Last Days of Magic brilliantly imagines answers to these questions, sweeping us back to a world where humans and magical beings co-exist as they had for centuries.
Aisling, a goddess in human form, was born to rule both domains and—with her twin, Anya—unite the Celts with the powerful faeries of the Middle Kingdom. But within medieval Ireland interests are divided, and far from its shores greater forces are mustering. Both England and Rome have a stake in driving magic from the Emerald Isle. Jordan, the Vatican commander tasked with vanquishing the remnants of otherworldly creatures from a disenchanted Europe, has built a career on such plots. But increasingly he finds himself torn between duty and his desire to understand the magic that has been forbidden.
As kings prepare, exorcists gather, and divisions widen between the warring clans of Ireland, Aisling and Jordan must come to terms with powers given and withheld, while a world that can still foster magic hangs in the balance. Loyalties are tested, betrayals sown, and the coming war will have repercussions that ripple centuries later, in today’s world—and in particular for a young graduate student named Sara Hill.
The Last Days of Magic introduces us to unforgettable characters who grapple with quests for power, human frailty, and the longing for knowledge that has been made taboo. Mark Tompkins has crafted a remarkable tale—a feat of world-building that poses astonishing and resonant answers to epic questions.

I bought this book about a year ago, brand spanking new, at a local Indie bookstore (which is rapidly becoming a chain), named "Books and Books". The cover, as well as the title, immediately caught my eye. The plot is incredibly fascinating, too! In short, I really can't believe I haven't read this book yet! 

What do you think of my teasers?

Are you interested in this book?

Please leave a comment, 

along with the link

to your own "Teaser Tuesday" post, 

and let me know!

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 260: Circe, by Madeline Miller

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!

Circe
Madeline Miller
Hardcover, 400 pages
Little, Brown, and Company
April 10, 2018
Classics Retellings, Fantasy, 
Feminist Fiction, Historical Fiction,
Mythology

My Thoughts About This Cover

This is such a visually STUNNING cover! This novel is a retelling of the story of Circe, the nymph and goddess of magic from Homer's Odyssey. 

This cover is bold and dramatic, as well as being an example of virtuoso two-dimensional design. It is very much influenced by an ancient Greek style of pottery, in which the background was black, and the figures an interesting, and highly-contrasting, orange tone. In this style, figures and faces were heavily stylized. This is also evident in the cover above. Circe's facial features are stylized, not realistic, and yet, they do convey a feeling of realism. She wears a head ornament that incorporates roses, and her hair, which beautifully frames her face, resembles sheaves of wheat.

Since this is a feminist revisioning of the original story, this fact is evident in the face depicted on this cover. The nymph/goddess stares out at the viewer with a strange mixture of sadness and defiance, with no apologies. It's as if she were saying, "See, I've been misunderstood and unfairly vilified. This is who I REALLY am!" In this context, I suddenly realized that her face also resembles a shield. She's ready to do battle, this goddess!

See below for the type of Greek art that had such an influence on this cover.

 Interior (tondo) of a red figure kylix, depicting Herakles and Athena, by Phoinix (potter) and Douris (painter), c. 480-470 BC, Antikensammlungen Munich, Germany

 (Source: Wikipedia, Public Domain)

In the article I'm linking next, a photograph is included, which shows a 2,500-year-old clay wine vessel depicting the scene from Homer's Odyssey in which Odysseus confronts Circe after she has turned his men into pigs. I wish I could include this photo here, but it's from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which means it's protected by copyright. This is such a GORGEOUS image! You can access it, as well as the article it forms a part of, HERE. The article also includes a breathlessly beautiful image of this book, showing the cover in glowing bronze.

Equally striking is the bottom half of the cover, which features those sheaves of wheat framing the bold, one-word title. This title uses a font which was influenced by ancient Greek writing.

This is a cover that will inevitably draw a reader to the book, and compel them to dive into its pages! I hope to add this book to my collection as soon as I can!

Unfortunately, this is another case in which I've been unable to find out who the brilliant cover artist is.... I suppose I will be able to get this information when I actually hold this gem of a book in my hands. The Amazon preview has not been any help in discovering the artist's identity, nor have I found any references to him or her through Google.

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

Can't Wait Wednesday No. 74: The Triumphant, by Lesley Livingston

Welcome to "Can't Wait Wednesday"!

This is a weekly event hosted by

Tressa @ Wishful Endings!

This is also where we excited book bloggers showcase future releases we're eagerly anticipating! 
For more information, 
please click HERE.


There's also a Linky widget, so participating blogs can link up!

Here's my choice for this week!

 The Triumphant

(The Valiant, Book 3)

Lesley Livingston

Hardcover, 384 pages

Razorbill

     February 12, 2019

Feminist Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mythology,Romance,

Young Adult Fiction 

    

    

The final book in the Valiant series takes Fallon and her warrior sisters on an epic journey from the corrupt Roman Republic to the wonder of the ancient world: Alexandria, Egypt.

In the wake of their victorious fight to win back the Ludus Achillea, Fallon and her gladiatrix sisters have become the toast of the Republic. However, as a consequence of his actions during the Ludus uprising, Fallon's love, Cai, has been stripped of his Decurion rank and cast down to serve as one of Caesar's gladiators.

Amid fighting for Cai's freedom, Fallon soon learns that Caesar's enemies are plotting against him and planning to get revenge on his fearsome gladiatrices. When Caesar is murdered by these conspirators, Fallon and the girls lose any sort of protection they once had. Fallon also realizes that the foreign queen Cleopatra is now in grave danger.

Fallon rallies her war band and Cai's friends to get Cleopatra out of the city, and the group heads to the safety of Cleo's homeland, Alexandria, Egypt. Once there, the gladiatrices are promised a place of honor in the queen's elite guard, but is that what any of them really want?

 Why I can't wait for this one!

Oh, yes, peeps, here I am again with the very same situation.....I can't wait for the last book in a trilogy, when I haven't read the first two.... LOL. But the thing is, I am a TSUNDOKU practitioner! Say WHAT?! And what is this "tsundoku"? Ah, so, grasshopper! It is the venerable Japanese art of acquiring books and books and books AND BOOKS, and letting them pile up in one's digs, without reading them. So that's why I can't help but WANT books that look SO tempting, when I STILL haven't read the ones I already have.....
But HEY!!!!! Female gladiators?! How the HECK could I pass these up?!


Check out these tsundoku links!
Wikipedia
BBC News
Open Culture Blog

The previous books in this series! 

Click on the covers 

for the Goodreads pages.

Lesley Livingston is a writer living in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of twelve books to date. Her first novel, Wondrous Strange, was winner of the CLA Young Adult Book of the Year 2010, a White Pine Honour Book, shortlisted for the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Speculative Fiction, and in 2015 was named one of CBC’s “100 YA Books That Make You Proud To Be Canadian”. Darklight, the second book in this series, was a finalist for the Indigo Teen Read Awards. The concluding volume in the trilogy, Tempestuous, was a finalist for the Monica Hughes Award. These books have sold to more than ten countries to date, and Wondrous Strange has been optioned for film/TV by Shaftesbury Films. 
 
In addition to her books for teen readers, Lesley is also co-author of a Middle Grade series with Jonathan Llyr called The Wiggins Weird. The first book, How to Curse in Hieroglyphics, was shortlisted for the CLA Book of the Year for Children Award and was longlisted for the Canadian Booksellers Association’s Young Readers Book of the Year award. It was also chosen as one of the selections for the 2016 First Book Canada All-Star Reading Challenge.

Lesley’s newest novel, a YA historical epic, The Triumphant, which will be published in February 2019 by Penguin Razorbill (US) and HarperCollins (CAN), is the third in her bestselling trilogy, The Valiant, which tells the story of a 17-year-old girl’s journey from fierce Celtic princess to female gladiator and the darling of the Roman Empire.

Website/Goodreads/Facebook
Instagram/Twitter

What do you think of my
choice this week? 
Please leave a comment and
let me know!