Obsessed With Covers #43: The Unbinding of Mary Reade, Ash Princess, Sky In The Deep

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

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

I saw this cover last week and I fell in love. I love sailing ships. I have a thing for them. And any drawing/painting/photograph with a ship in it will catch my eye. What I love most about this cover is that it seems as if the ship is caught in the middle of a storm. Which is kind of fitting for the story itself, at least based on the blurb. I like the colors used for the background, and the fog around the ship. It kind of makes me think that the fate of that ship is hanging on by a thread, that the fog is threatening the ship somewhat more than the storm. There's also a kind of shadow underneath the ship, a weird shape, and I want to know what that is about.

I also like the font used for the title. It kind of looks like it's coming out of the sails, and I love that. I love the cover and I'd love to see it in hardback version.

The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara

 Aside from ships, I have a thing for fiery designs. This cover is simple and yet it holds a world of tiny details in it. The crown looks like a metal/iron crown that was burned down, and I can see some random designs in the smoke/embers around the bottom part of the crown. I see what looks like wings in the middle, some flowers, maybe some feathers... There's a lot happening with that crown. I also like how the crown seems to be crumbling, the ash slowly falling off and disintegrating on the title. Another really cool thing is that the background is really simple.

I want to know what those designs in the crown mean, and if in any way, shape or form they appear in the story itself.

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

This might be my favorite cover that I've seen lately that has a cover model. The model reminds me of Lagertha. I love that we can't really see her, it makes her more dangerous and more badass, which I love! But at the same time I wonder why exactly half of her face is hidden. What is she hiding? I also love the design on the blade of the axe. I love the feel of the entire cover, and I really, really want to see it in real life. I wonder what designs would there be under the dust jacket of a HB version of the book.







Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young


What about you? What are some of the more recent covers you've fell in love with?

Book Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Author: Stephanie Garber
Series: Caraval #1
Audience: +16
Genre: Ya, Fantasy
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: January 31st 2017
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Own Copy
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Welcome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems.

Scarlett and Tella have never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience participates in the show.

Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure.

When the sisters' long-awaited invitations finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show's mastermind organiser, Legend.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is an elaborate performance. But she quickly becomes entangled in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak.

And real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.

I picked this book when I was on a trip to Prague, because there's no better thing to do when you're a bookworm on a trip than buy more books. I tried resisting, but in the end I couldn't do it and I can't possibly tell you how happy I am that I gave in in the end.

Holy crap you guys!

Books that are similar on carnivals, hidden objects/escape-adventure games have been hit-and-miss for me so far, but Caraval really had me hooked from the beginning to the end. I enjoyed reading it and I especially liked how the book was structured. Garber was a genius in my opinion to structure the chapters into days and nights spent during, before and after Caraval. That, for me, increased the sense of urgency the entire book had. Whenever that "Day/Night..." page came, my excitement grew because I could tell that there was real danger in Caraval. And that's the thing I loved most about the book, the danger, the unknown of it all. I feel like the entire book is based on mind-games. And that more than the actual action is even better to me. It's been a while since I read a book that mentally challenging, to be honest. It wasn't just the game itself, but actually trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't, who was lying and who was telling the truth.

Scarlett is a strong character, that is also quite surprising. She's really reserved and cautious, but at the same time she's naive and reckless. She tends to put her trust in the oddest of places, but then the game doesn't just help uncover the darker side people keep locked away, but also their pasts. In a way, that's what happens with Scarlett, and while the scene with her father before them going to Caraval gives you a hint towards what that man is capable of, this game really made me understand Scarlett more. I also liked that she discovered her inner strength through this game.

Tella, although not that present, is also a really important character. In a way, she's exactly what Scarlett discovers in herself, if it makes sense. Tella has the courage and the recklessness to do what needs to be done in order to save herself and her big sister. She just has a lot more darkness in her that she accepts, and I wonder how that will work for her in the next book.

Throughout the game there are several really important characters that Scarlett encounters and I really hope that they are involved in the sequel. They were surprising and not what I fully expected, to be honest.

As I said, this story was a huge mind-game, and a fast-paced game at that. I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took, and the constant not knowing what was happening made me feel like I was an active part of the game. I also wonder how this story would have looked like had it been told from a viewer's POV.

Oh! I almost forgot to add this. Another cool stuff about the book is that we get to see small parts of Scarlett and Tella's childhood through Scarlett's memories, but this is done in a way to kind of explain her actions within the game, which was also a cool thing.

All in all, this was a really good book, one of the best I've read this year and I am desperately waiting for Legendary, book 2, to come out.

Double Cover Reveal: Eternal Mourning and Strength Enduring by Carrie Ann Ryan

We have not just one, but two, covers from Carrie Ann Ryan's Talon Pack series to share with you today - ETERNAL MOURNING and STRENGTH ENDURING! Check out the awesome covers below and preorder your copy now!

 

About ETERNAL MOURNING

Releases February 13, 2018

In the seventh book of the Talon Pack series from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan, a Healer is forced to come to grips with the idea that he can’t save everyone…including the woman he loves.

Walker Brentwood vowed to the moon goddess that he’d protect his Pack and Heal with every last ounce of his power. He’s watched his siblings and cousin battle the worst circumstances to find love and is now afraid that the one woman who could be his might not have much time left. The rules of mating have changed, and Walker will do what he has to in order to protect the bonds that have eluded him for so long.

Aimee Reagan knows there’s something wrong with her. She’s known since the first time she found out shifters were real and magic existed. When the Talon Pack’s enemy sets his sights on her, her battle to survive becomes even harder.

Walker and Aimee must turn to each other when the powers around them change and the paths that had been laid before them are no longer clear. But when their passion threatens a curse far older than anyone dreamed, they’ll only have one chance to save something worth more than a mating bond. Their future.

ETERNAL MOURNING releases February 13th, 2018 - preorder your copy now!

✦Amazon http://amzn.to/2oD5FQY ✦iBooks http://apple.co/2l7HOqV ✦Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/2x0NN37 ✦Kobo http://bit.ly/2l7yV0D ✦Google Play http://bit.ly/2wYrRFw ✦Amazon Paperback http://amzn.to/2rqDjrS

About STRENGTH ENDURING

Releases July 17, 2018

Book 8 in the Talon Pack series...the new war continues in this penultimate novel of the Talon Pack series.

STRENGTH ENDURING releases July 17th, 2018 - preorder your copy now!

✦Amazon http://amzn.to/2t8Y0ZJ ✦iBooks http://apple.co/2tq3fIz ✦Kobo http://bit.ly/2vrX8QD

About Carrie Ann Ryan
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.

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