Cover Characteristics: Best Book Covers from Books I Read in 2018

 
 

I feel like this is my most anticipated post every year. I mean, I don’t know what you all anticipate, but *I* anticipate it. Book covers are my jam. Little mini works of art! So I love looking back through what I’ve read and finding the most gorgeous ones.

I don’t know if book covers have been getting prettier, or if I’ve just been more drawn to pretty ones since I started blogging, but wow, I read a lot of books with gorgeous covers this year! Aaaaaannnnnddddd here they are!


The Reign of the Departed by Greg KeyesTemper by Nicky DraydenPack by Mike BockovenBeautiful Beast by Kyla D. KnightThe Last Sun by K. D. EdwardsThe Root by Na'amen Gobert TilahunHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. RowlingThe Devil's Revolver by V.S. McGrathHell Divers III: Deliverance by Nicholas Sansbury SmithThe Gorgon Bride by Galen Surlak-RamseyTime's Children by D.B. JacksonAmerican Hippo by Sarah GaileyCadaver & Queen by Alisa KwitneyDjinn City by Saad Z. HossainChaos Cocktail by Various AuthorsThe Nine by Tracy TownsendRebel of the Sands by Alwyn HamiltonTrail of Lightning by Rebecca RoanhorseBang! Bang! BOOM! Ch 1 by Melanie Schoen & Del BorovicThe Midnight Gardener by R. G. Thomas

 

Pin the Collage!
Best Book Covers from Books I Read in 2018 | reading, books, book cover, cover love

 

Is it obvious that I have a type? 😳😜

I’ll show the covers a bit bigger so that you all to be able to see them more clearly and so I can talk about them and include some series. These are in no particular order (except my top 3 favorites at the end).

*If you’re interested in any of these books, the pictures above link to Amazon US (affiliate links, so that you can help support this blog at no additional cost to you!), but the ones below do not.*

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling | reading, books, book cover, cover loveHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. RowlingHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling | reading, books, book cover, cover love

These are the covers I own, and I was admittedly never a big fan. But while rereading them this year, I took the time to really look at them, to pay attention to the artwork, the details, etc., and they grew on me. They all have nice artwork that really includes a lot of detail from the stories, and maybe there is a bit of a nostalgia factor. Also, it’s hard to tell on a computer screen, but in real life, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the most absolutely gorgeous shade of blue I’ve ever seen.

 

The Nine by Tracy Townsend | reading, books, book cover, cover loveThe Fall by Tracy Townsend | reading, books, book cover, cover love

I love the dark, glowing look of these, and the second one really brings to life the creepy beings from the book.

 

Hell Divers III: Deliverance by Nicholas Sansbury Smith | reading, books, book cover, cover loveHell Divers IV: Wolves by Nicholas Sansbury Smith | reading, books, book cover, cover love

I’ve always loved these. They’re fantastic, and they capture the intensity of the story and fit the books perfectly.

 

The Devil's Revolver by V.S. McGrath | reading, books, book cover, cover loveThe Devil's Standoff by V.S. McGrath | reading, books, book cover, cover love

These are also just awesome covers with artwork that’s kind of rough in style, but in a great way! And if you look closely, you can see a person in the gun (alluding to the way the gun is kind of sentient).

 

Beautiful Beast by Kyla D. Knight | reading, books, book cover, cover loveTime's Children by D.B. Jackson | reading, books, book cover, cover loveAmerican Hippo by Sarah Gailey | reading, books, book cover, cover love

These three also have a rough kinda style, and I love it! Beautiful Beast is just gorgeous with its whirlwind of flowers and pink/red colors. (The cover for that one has changed, but this is the one it had when I read it.) Time’s Children looks so fantastical. American Hippo keeps it simple, but it works really well with that text.

 

Bang! Bang! BOOM! Ch 1 by Melanie Schoen & Del Borovic | reading, books, book cover, cover love

This one is technically not a cover, it’s kind of the “cover” for Ch. 1 of the comic, but I couldn’t resist slipping it in because not only is the art amazing, I love the whole feel of it with the pose and the facial expressions and the dynamic between the characters.

 

The Gorgon Bride by Galen Surlak-Ramsey | reading, books, book cover, cover loveChaos Cocktail by Various Authors | reading, books, book cover, cover love

You gotta love supernatural creatures, and the art on both of these is absolutely gorgeous!

 

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton | reading, books, book cover, cover loveCadaver & Queen by Alisa Kwitney | reading, books, book cover, cover loveDjinn City by Saad Z. Hossain | reading, books, book cover, cover love

These are some of the only covers here that don’t have people on them. They’re just as gorgeous though! Cadaver & Queen and Djinn City are also quite minimalistic, but I love them.

 

The Last Sun by K. D. Edwards | reading, books, book cover, cover loveTrail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse | reading, books, book cover, cover love

These two have such realistic artwork that it’s incredible. (At least I think Trail of Lightning is an illustration?)

 

The Midnight Gardener by R. G. Thomas | reading, books, book cover, cover loveThe Root by Na'amen Gobert Tilahun | reading, books, book cover, cover love

The Midnight Gardener is so pretty and kind of magical with beautiful colors. The Root has amazing artwork.

 

My Top 3

The Reign of the Departed by Greg Keyes | reading, books, book cover, cover loveTemper by Nicky Drayden | reading, books, book cover, cover lovePack by Mike Bockoven | reading, books, book cover, cover love

Interestingly enough, not only did I read these three in 2018, they were also released in 2018. And aren’t they gorgeous??? I know I’ve been using that word a lot, but just look at these. Temper has those blue and brown colors, the fractured moon, the intense character, the unique font. Pack has such a cool design with the little town forming a silhouette of a wolf, even using the moon as the wolf’s eye (which is perfect because the book is about werewolves in a small town). And if I had to choose one absolute favorite cover this year, it’d be The Reign of the Departed, illustrated by Micah Epstein (who also illustrated The Last Sun). This was a book that I just had to read when I saw the cover. Sometimes I just completely fall in love with a cover, and this is one of those times. The black, teal, and brown color combo. The amazing, detailed artwork. The unique layout. The interesting wooden man. The whole mysterious vibe. I love it!

 

Check Out the Rest of My 2018 Top Ten Posts!

Best Book Covers from Books I Read in 2018 – Runners Up
Best Book Covers from Books I Read in 2018
Top Ten Characters from Books I Read (and Games I Played) in 2018
Top Ten Books I Read in 2018 (+ Some Non-Bookish Things)

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Which of these is your favorite?
What's your favorite cover from books you've read this year?

Best Book Covers from Books I Read in 2018 | reading, books, book covers, cover love
 
 
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Your Thoughts

 

49 thoughts on “Cover Characteristics: Best Book Covers from Books I Read in 2018

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  1. Jennilyn

    I love this post and I enjoyed looking at the covers while reading your thoughts about them. I also recently appreciated the art of making book cover designs when I watched a TED Talk in Youtube by Chipp Kid, a cover designer. Since then I pay more attention to the details of an art cover. I am not a big fan of faces on the cover tho. I noticed that I am drawn to book covers that has texture. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon is one good example of what I’m talking about. Among the covers above, I like Pack and The Djinn City. There’s enough about the book but there’s also a hint of mystery. Why was the djinn got ni face? Are the wolves good or bad?

    I am glad that you like the Mary Grandpre illustrations if the Harry Potter series like I do. When I go to book store nowadays, there are so many different editions and art covers already but the original art covers are still the best for me.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! Ooh, that sounds interesting, maybe I should check that out! I love faces on covers, but only when they’re Illustrated, because then I know it’s actually what that character is supposed to look like. A good character illustration can really help me connect with the character. I’m not so much a fan of covers with stock photo people though. I know a lot of people don’t like any faces though! And the covers that are pure design can be absolutely gorgeous. Texture is interesting too!

      I feel like the original covers are so underrated. They’re still very pretty!

  2. Sam@wlabb

    Pack, Beautiful Beast, and The Midnight Gardner stand out for me. Pack’s cover is probably the most interesting, because it is sort of abstract, but all the elements are still recognizable.

  3. ShootingStarsMag

    I’ve always really liked the cover for Cadaver & Queen. It’s very striking! And I’m a big fan of the U.S. Harry Potter covers because they do tend to have a lot of detail.

    -Lauren

  4. Greg

    Wow that’s quite the collage! Love it. The Nine is one of my favorites, I just love the colors- so vibrant- and I like that cover of American Hippo too. Even though I wasn’t crazy about the novella the cover is nice.

    Trail of Lightning is amazing and I LOVE The Gorgon Bride cover.

    The Midnight Gardener might be my fave.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I do love the colors and the style of The Nine, it’s just too bad the people are so small that it’s hard to see them! Yeah I have a couple books on this list that I love the cover of but wasn’t that crazy about the book itself LOL. Although I did really like American Hippo.

      Those are all fantastic ones!

  5. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    I never noticed the person in the gun – how cool. I really need to start that series. I think my faves are Trail of Lightening, Temper and Pack. I just got Chaos Cocktail yesterday in a Secret Santa exchange – I’m so excited! And you are right, they are mini works of art!

  6. Olivia Roach

    I really like your choices here and I have to agree in that there are a lot of gorgeous covers here! Also, it’s great that you included reasoning for the books too. Of all the ones you’ve listed here I think that Temper is my absolutely favourite. Something about that cover just DOES it for me <3 Great choices! I think I already said in another one of your posts by Children of Blood and Bone has a really gorgeous cover and I read it this year x

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! The Temper cover really is great, I totally get why you love it. And I agree, if I had read Children of Blood and Bone, it would have been in this post too!

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  8. Lola

    Oh so many pretty covers in this post. Yes you definitely love your artwork covers.

    There was a series I read that had some pretty artwork cover, but changed it to silhouettes to better market it, the covers are still great, but I miss the artwork. I haven’t read as many books with artwork covers this year, although Beneath the Mists by Bonnie L Price is probably one of my favorite covers from this year because of the gorgeous artwork. And Kelly St Clare’s Pirates of Felicity covers as I love the amount of details on those and how well they fit the story. And Carol Van Natta’s covers are awesome too. I probably would find enough to do a whole post, but not sure if I will.

    The Bang bang Boom cover is a great one, the artwork is so well done and I like how it gives you a feel for the characters and their dynamic. I probably should check out that comic.

    The Chaos Cocktail cover is a great one too. And the Midnight Gardener has such a magical feel to it and I love how much it fits the title as it’s midnight and there’s a garden on it. Temper’s cover caught my attention when I spotted it on edelweiss, I didn’t request it, but it sure is a cover that stands out.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I do love my artwork covers LOL.

      I hate when that happens. I see it happen a lot though, and it always makes me sad when covers switch from this totally beautiful custom artwork to a plain, sometimes not very well done, photo editing job. Beneath The Mists does have a gorgeous cover! And I love when cover is really fit with the book and include details from it.

      I mean, I would love if you checked out the comic since I love it so much LOL. I am going to review it soon though, so you can wait and see if it sounds like something you’d like 🙂

      Those are all such great ones!

  9. Stephanie Jane (Literary Flits)

    I pay a lot more attention to cover art detail since I started following your Characteristics posts so thank you for helping me look and see better 🙂
    Of these, Beautiful Beast appeals as a romantic cover and Djinn City is brilliantly eyecatching. I love the sense of movement.
    Merry Christmas 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Oh, yay, I love that you’ve started paying more attention to covers!

      BB is a very romantic one, and I’ve always been drawn to that Djinn City one! Merry Christmas to you too 🙂

  10. Lorna

    Ooh I love the one for The Nine and The Fall and The Trail of Lightening a lot. The Pack is pretty great as well. These are all new to me.