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: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Daughter of the Moon Goddess deserve a magical cover for what sounds like a great retelling of Chinese mythology. And does either the US and UK cover emphasize the beauty of the book? Let’s talk about it.
The US cover is epitome of beauty. I can wax on and on about why, and that’s exactly what I’m gonna do now. The line work of the clouds and the flowers are incredibly detailed. I love the use of the gold foil for the moon and the waves surrounding the woman in the cover. It adds a different texture to how the rest of the art looks.
And can we talk specifically about the detailing in the moon? It’s not simply just a yellow or golden moon—there’s different shapes within the circular moon that form the waves of the clouds and a crescent moon. I also love how ethereal the woman in the art looks, staring up at the moon, even though we only see her back profile. It’s all in the details—the purple flower in her hair, her dress flowing outwards, her grasp on the bow in her hand. I love everything about this cover.
For the UK cover, it’s not memorable. Yes, the pink flowers are gorgeous and all, but is that it? Where’s the depiction of the moon goddess Chang’e? She deserves to be front and centered! I do like the color shading of the title inside the moon. It’s a great effect. That’s about it.
Final Verdict: What cover do I like better? The US cover, hands down!!!
I agree. The U.S cover has a lot more going for it. The U.K cover has a great color palette
I really see that the US cover has more character, but I am a person more into aesthetic, and i feel the UK version gives the perfect vibes of the moon. I would personally want to buy the UK version (just my opinion tho)
Yes, you are so spot on!
I would choose the US version too.
Thank you for this feature, before this I’ve wondered why there are two different cover arts for a new book…