I don’t really have any sort of special affinity for birds, but I’ve noticed they seem to be on A LOT of book covers. So here we are!
I’ve got birds that are featured prominently, birds in the background, single birds, flocks of birds, detailed birds, silhouetted birds… ok now this just sounds like a sales pitch.
Anyway, here are the covers!
Cover Characteristics is a weekly meme hosted at Sugar & Snark. I went rogue this week, so my topic is:
Books Covers featuring Birds
Pin the Collage!
Murmuration by TJ Klune
Did you know a flock of starlings is called a murmuration? I learned that, thanks to TJ Klune lol. And this is a nice cover.
Between Life and Death Series by Ann Christy
I just really like these, and the colors on the first one especially are so pretty. No post-apocalyptic world has the right to look that beautiful!
Storms of Lazarus by Karen Kincy
Steampunk-y, but not TOO steampunk-y. Also, he looks like an interesting character. I mean, how many people walk around with a crow on their shoulder?
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
It’s such a simple kind of cover, but I love it. The colors work really well, and it definitely portrays the creepy vibe that the blurb suggests.
The Memento Mori Witch Trilogy by C.N. Crawford
These have really nice art. Or Photoshop editing? Either way I like them.
Parrish by Shannen Crane Camp
I don’t even know why I love this one, but I do. Maybe the colors and the way the black on the girl on the bird really stand out? And maybe the gnarled branches that add an ominous vibe?
The Loneliness of Distant Beings by Kate Ling
Simple, but nice.
Bitter Demons by Sarra Cannon
I really like this style of cover.
Fraulein Frankenstein by Stephen Woodworth
This is another that I really know why I like it… it’s just pretty.
My Favorite:
The Ravens by Katie Faith
I struggled to pick a favorite this time as all of these are pretty equally great, but I’m going with this one because it’s artistic, it’s pretty, and it’s also attention-grabbing and striking with the contrast and color splash!
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Ooh birds. These all kinda kick ass actually. Looking at the collage it was The Ravens and The Loneliness of distant Beings that jumped out at me. Homing in on the covers though I like the Ann Christy covers, but I think the third one there is my fave of those. I like the blue w/ the green in the sky, almost like it’s twilight. Storms of Lazarus i like because airship. Bird Box has that look The Witches’ Feast has the wind blown hair and the bird.
Loneliness is good though, like you said simple but nice. I think The Raven is my favorite though, the contrast and the lightning that looks like it’s hitting the bird, sort of. Striking- that cover jumps out.
I think birds can be freaky if done right. I like this topic.
I did end up with a really kickass collage this time, right? Apparently bird covers are good ones lol. I like the first Ann Christy book out of those though. It’s got all the colors in it and looks… I don’t have a word for it. It seriously does make the dystopian background look gorgeous though lol.
Both Loneliness and Raven have nice contrast, but yeah The Raven just jumps out at me the most. Plus it does just look really cool with the lightning and whatever is going on with the bird there.
Oooh, love this! I am obsessed with cover art, but I’ve never really stopped to look at how covers with similar themes compare. I think my favorite cover featuring a bird from this year is Eowyn Ivey’s To the Bright Edge of the World. It’s just gorgeous.
It’s interesting seeing how different covers use different specific things. Oh that is pretty! It has such nice colors and everything 🙂
When you mentioned birds I immediately thought of that Portlandia skit when the say “We put birds on things!” LOL I think Fraulein Frankenstein is my favorite of those all! ~Aleen
I’m sorry I haven’t seen that :-/ But now I want to because it sounds funny lol. I was really tempted to pick Fraulein Frankenstein as my favorite, so I definitely can see why you like it!
Baha! I loved this post girl! I love these types of posts you do were you analyze a certain aspect of a book cover so keep them coming! 🙂 if I had to choose one of my favorites from your lovely list, I’d have to say the very last one as well! It’s super artistic and the bird is gorgeous!♡
Thank you! I like doing them, so I will keep them coming 😛 The last one is super artistic, right? I love the artistic covers that look like they really had a lot of creativity and effort put into them, and it’s so pretty!
Birds sure seem to be popular on covers, I am pretty sure I’ve seen quite some covers with birds on them. Although most of these are new to me. The Between Life and Death covers sure look nice for a post apocalyptic world, I like the different colors use don the covers, so it still feels post apocalyptic, but not as depressing as some other covers.
The Witching Elm cover is really pretty, almost looks like a piece of art instead of a cover, then again I guess covers are a form of art in some way. I think it’s photoshop editing, but not 100%. It’s well done anyway.
That character casually walking with a crow on his shoulder is a nice one too, although somehow I feel like the cover is a bit too empty somehow.
The Ravens cover is one that grabs your attention indeed with the art and the splashes of color. I especially like how it seems some feathers are behind the raven. Great picks!
They really are on A LOT of covers, even if they’re just in the background in the sky. And seriously, that has to be the most gorgeous, surreal post-apoc world ever lol. But it does give a more hopeful vibe.
Yeah, covers are like little works of art. It’s hard to tell sometimes though whether a cover is an edited photo or an original digital (or maybe even traditional) artwork. Sometimes I’m really not sure. There are some seriously amazing artists out there, but there are also photo editors who can make photos look like paintings. So who knows!
That one is kind of empty, but idk, maybe that was the point? Like, to show the barren land? Idk, I haven’t read the book yet.
I love color splash! And yeah, the feathers look so cool. Thanks!
What an interesting choice of cover topic — and a wide range of choices. I didn’t know murmuration was a flock of starlings either — I am pracitcing sayiong the word right now lol I think your fave ais a wonderful choice and yes — very artistic.
There are so many covers with birds, I had a lot to choose from lol. And murmuration is such a fun word, right?