HOLY, MOTHER COVER! • Favorite 2017 Book Covers

Last year, I opted out of doing my yearly YA Book Cover Choice Awards (aka YABCCAwards) that aims to honor all the wonderful (and not-so wonderful) book covers that were published in the past year) because of the lack of interest and time.

I finally put together my very own favorite covers of 2017. I broke it down to just a few categories (instead of using the Awards’ many categories). These are the 2017 covers that caught my eye.

WHY ARE THESE MY FAVORITES? When I look at them, I go, “god, that’s gorgeous.” They’re memorable to me in their own ways, and they’re creative.

• The Careful Undressing of Love: The colors are very striking. I keep thinking these are real lemons, but they aren’t. I love the way the shapes aren’t flat on the surface. There is dimensions to them.
• We Are Okay: My favorite illustrated cover, hands down! The art is so detailed. The colors are subtle.
• In Other Lands: Simple. Nothing distracts from these mermaids. (And nothing should.) I love that the only pop of color is the sky blue.
• Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index: I love how the photo is out of focus everywhere except the model.
• Foolish Hearts: Texture, texture, texture. I love the threads, the canvas, and the paint. It’s so random, but it works. It’s like a contemporary art piece I can stare at all day.
• Madness: It’s so dark and chaotic. Love that the girl is deterioting into paper cranes. It’s intense.

WHY ARE THESE MY FAVORITES? Okay, 2017 wasn’t a great year for typography—at least for me—hence why there’s only two covers I liked and not a bunch.

• Wicked Like A Wildfire: Tbh, I may like this cover because of how the illustration works beautifully with the title font.
• Duels & Deceptions: Look at it all matching! I like the curls and the meaty middles.

WHY ARE THESE MY FAVORITES? They’re so clever. I’m always impressed by how designers mix different art styles to get these gorgeous covers.

• Words in Deep Blue: Typography is gorgeous. The use of the the books in the cover is fucking A++++ because it really shows that this book is about—well—books.
• The Book Jumper: Paper figurines! Love that the title looks like it’s been cut out of paper, and the figurines are made from the work.
• The Bone Witch: Not much of a mixed media cover, BUT I love the lines over the photograph.
• Moxie: This is actually the UK cover of Moxie, and I love how it looks like it’s part of a zine.
• Eliza and Her Monsters: I love the art cradled in the hands of a real life person who has paint all over their hands. It really does tell you a bit about what to expect from this book.
• The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue: I love the faded cover photo and the illustrations. It looks like somebody drew all over it with their pen.
• Everything Must Go: I love the picture cut-outs.

WHY ARE THESE MY FAVORITES? I am a sucker for illustrated covers, and these are goddamn gorgeous.

• Want: I love how futuristic it looks.
• Here We Are Now: I do love me covers with a bunch of illustrated people.
• Two Roads from Here: I love that you can look at this cover at different sides.
• Geekerella: Very straightforward. Cinderella and her Vegan food truck.
• They Both Die At The End: Shadows are lovely. I love the incorporation of the skull in the sky and the grimp reaper with the scythe as the two boys’ shadow.
• Godsgrave: Very chilling image with the mask and the bloody swords.
• It’s Not Like A Secret: Two girls illustrated.
• The Crying Rocks: Stunning image of a girl with waves and birds incorporated in her hair, the cliffs on her body, the trees and land below.
• The Education of Margot Sanchez: Love that it’s simply an illustration.
• Ronit & Jamil: The coloring and illustration is so soft. It’s also romantic.
• Autoboyography: I’m a sucker for a starry night.
• The Go-Between: Cute patterns with the stars and the palm trees. I love that the GO of the title looks like sunglasses.
• Everything All At Once: Love the watercolor(?) blues and the pop of orange.
• The Gallery of Unfinished Girls: Bright pink flamingo patterns!
• An Enchantment of Ravens: This. is. so. frickin’. stunning. THE DETAILS! Ahhhhh.
• The Library of Fates: It looks like a goddess.

WHY ARE THESE MY FAVORITES? I’m blown away by the colors and how reflective they are.

• A Crown of Wishes: Beautiful green starry night sky and a purple dress against the wind.
• Seven Days of You: I love how the colors look in the rain.
• Jane, Unlimited: I love the silvers and the purples of this holographic cover.
• The Heartbeats of Wing Jones: I love the colors in the water puddle. So prettttty.

WHY ARE THESE MY FAVORITES? I don’t know, they ~speak to me.

• Ones and Zeroes: Very futuristic even though it’s not.
• Dreamland Burning: I love the archival photo of the guy and the modern photo of the girl.
• Release: Upside down, that’s a way to be.
• Gem & Dixie: I love that the picture is taken of the models pointed down toward the ground.
• When Dimple Met Rishi: An Indian-American girl and her go-to drink. Very cute.

WHY ARE THESE MY FAVORITES? No embellishments. They speak for themselves.

• The Hate U Give: A power image of a black girl.
• Things I Should Have Known: This could fit in the typography section, but I loved the cross out bit.
• Grendel’s Guide to Love and War: Love that it’s just a giant head with a girl mowing/cutting the head’s hair.
• Love Letters of Abelard and Lily: It’s simply red hards scribbled over with black ink.

What 2017 book covers are your favorite? Overall? Illustration? Photograph? Etc? You can check the covers out here. What covers do you not agree with in my list?