Inspired by What She Reads, Pure Imagination Blog, and Stacked.
I admit I’m a book cover snob. Who isn’t though?
Book covers are the first thing that attracts readers to a book. A good cover can draw someone is, just as a bad cover can easily draw someone away. It can essentially make or break a book. Holy, Mother Cover! is where I showcase the book covers that stand out (or make me cringe), and discuss cover changes.
(A big special thanks to Georgie at What She Reads for bestowing me this fabulous name and to Charlotte at The Simple Tales for creating the beautiful feature banner you see before you.)
US vs. UK vs. AUS: The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
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Ever since I saw the end papers, I’ve been obsessed with the design in The Dark Days Club. I really do have design lust for that book. It’s gonna probably end up on my bookshelves one of these days, but until then, we can just talk about the covers.
For those who do not know, The Dark Days Club can only be described as a sort of-Buffy and the Vampire Slayer but set during the Regency era (which precedes the Victorian era) and with demons. If you weren’t intrigue before, you better be now!
Let’s break it down.
TYPOGRAPHY: Look at the typography for each cover. I love it, especially since the US and UK cover has similar looking ones and the letters that extend beyond itself. The letters in the US cover seem more embellished with the extensions curling around the title. The UK cover’s lettering looks like a modern version of the US’s. The AUS cover’s typography isn’t the best because the “Dark Days Club” type doesn’t stand out to differentiate from the author’s name and it just doesn’t fit with the type used for “Lady Helen and the.” The typography in the US and UK covers are surely the best.
THE GIRL + THE SCENERY: Anybody else love that the girl in the US cover is wearing all black carrying a parasol in a forest? I know I am. My eyes are drawn to her because the cover is dark in color and she’s standing in the only bright spots. I’m just thinking, “what are you pondering about? What kind of crazy stuff will you be getting yourself into in the forest?”
Not only is the girl in the UK cover, the guy is too. They sure are lookers. (Is it just me or does the guy look kind of like Jamie Dornan?) I am so drawn to the girl’s crossed arm because it says so much about her already. It’s either a defensive shield to block out people she doesn’t trust, or she’s just cold. ;)
In the AUS cover, there’s something unsettling about the way the girl is looking. It’s like she’s telling you, “I’m going through some crazy shit. Don’t mess with.” Ha.
DETAILS: For the US cover, I love that in the background (above the black), there are these pretty patterns that you’d find on a wallpaper (they’re actually the end papers in the book). It’s an added detail that doesn’t make the book look like it’s plain or missing anything or extremely busy. For the UK cover, I love the gold borders that goes around the edges of the book and the gold knife and fan in the corners. For the AUS cover, I love how you can see the details on the dress.
COLORS + VIBE: The colors used give each cover a different vibe. For me, the US cover feels more Gothic because of the darkness; the UK has that fantastical historical yet kind of modern feel to it; and the AUS cover makes me feel like it’s a straight up horror where somebody will be pop out, dripping in blood.
INTERIOR DESIGN: Somebody has to show me what the UK and AUS interior designs look like. I’ve seen the ones for the US cover, and it’s sooo frickin’ gorgeous. It has this gorgeous end papers that I want to line all my books and pottery with. How can you not love that?
Final Verdict: Most likely the US cover because I’ve seen the insides, and I love what I saw.
I love the US cover the most! :) The other two are good, but I’d be more likely to pick it up with the US cover.
Woah, there are such diverse covers! I think that I prefer the US cover though. The AUS one in particular looks a bit odd to me.
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
I’m all about the US cover. The Aus cover reminds me a romance cover. I would not be attracted to that cover. I love the more Gothic feel of the US one. The U.K. cover is okay, but I prefer the US.
I love the US cover the best. :D
I really love the U.S. cover the best, which is funny because I tend to NOT like the U.S. cover the best. I just love that it’s darker overall and that the girl is in the background. The UK cover is pretty cool too though!
I didn’t even think to look up the other covers for The Dark Days Club! But it’s interesting to see them all side by side like this. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the US cover (and I really want to acquire it soon)! <3
I’m in love with the U.S. cover and I had no clue that it had those end papers! It’s so pretty. I must have it (even though I probably shouldn’t because I have way too many unread books already).
As an appreciator of great typography, the US version wins by a long mile for me. Unfortunately, our Australian cover suffers from having a random stock photo of a bored model – but I prefer the Australian title for it because it proudly declares Lady Helen!
ohmygod I love your breakdown of the covers, they’re so incredibly interesting to read about! I love the U.S. cover, it’s so alluring and mysterious, I think they all have that kind of vibe but the U.K. and AUS covers look a little all over the place imo? Like the U.S. cover looks the most aesthetically pleasing because of the fact that it’s just a bit more simplistic (but also elegant) then the other two. I’d definitely buy that one
I absolutely love this feature!!!!! I did notice that there were three different covers for The Dark Days Club (a book I am really looking forward to picking up!) but I never really compared them, so it was really cool to see you break them down and analyze them. I definitely love the US cover the best! It definitely stands out more and even though I haven’t read it yet, I think it captures the idea/tone of the book much better than the others!