Obsessed With Covers #33: 5 to 1, Rebel of the Sands, Mind Games

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

This week's edition of Obsessed With Covers is inspired by Zentangle. I recently discovered the pleasures of Zentangle and of making something out of my random doodles and these covers are way too pretty not to resemble some of the best doodle art I've seen so far.

I've always been fascinated by the art of henna tattoos. They look absolutely gorgeous and I always get curious to know if the designs mean anything, either spiritually or just if they have a hidden meaning for each person that wears them. It's no wonder that the cover of 5 to 1 caught my eye. Just looking at the cover, however, I don't really get a sense of what the connection between the cover art and the title is. I did read the blurb, so that helped me understand that connection a bit more. I also love the different colors used to make the drawings pop.






5 to 1 - Holly Bodger

That's a lion, right? I'm not the only one who sees it, right? Having recently watched Aladdin, it is very easy for me to make the connection between the cover art and the entrance to the Cave of Wonders from the movie. And that is such a cool thing, because it makes me instantly interested in reading the story. I love how the mane was drawn. I love how the rider is so small, making it seem like the viewer shouldn't see him, like he (or is it she?) should've managed to get out of the frame unseen, undetected. I also love the sand dune and the sand lines overlapping most of the photo, almost as much as I love the silhouette of the palace.

Rebel of the Sands - Alwyn Hamilton

I love how simple this cover is, and yet it really makes the title make sense. I really like the placement of the words. It's almost as if the mind games refer to what you see, not what you think. Does that make sense? That's the idea that I get from the cover. I am very curious about this book, based only on the cover. I wish the paperback version were embossed, though. I feel like that would be such a cool thing, for the cover to be embossed. Or maybe the background is matte? All I know is that I can't wait to get out of my book buying ban to get my hands on this pretty :D







Mind Games - Teri Terry