Inspired by Pure Imagination Blog and Stacked.
Let’s be honest, nobody follows the age-old cliché that tells us not to judge a book by its covers. If you say you do, I am side-eying you. Book covers are the first thing that attracts any of us readers to a book. Before you pick up a book, the cover can essentially make or break a book. If I don’t like a cover design, I won’t pick it up. Lucky for us, publishing companies publish different cover designs, especially when a paperback book comes out. Sometimes we like it, sometimes we don’t. Let’s discuss these cover changes, shall we?
Today, we look at the cover of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas!
This is a no-brainer. The paperback has the superior cover. Hands down! Just look at it!
SO BADASS.
I just love everything about it — the detail in her outfit (so frickin’ awesome and gorgeous); her hair whipping to the side; her armor, her belts, her weapon holders; the way she’s wielding her swords; and the way she looks like she’s stalking out from a fog, ready to kick ass! AHHHH. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Seriously, she is armed to the T. I don’t know why, but her bare feet makes her even more awesome. That stealth. I would not want to cross her path.
Whereas, the hardcover fails to leave an impression on me. Sure, the dagger attached to her biceps is kind of cool and all, but that’s about it. The way she’s positioned with her head turned towards the reader and her hand tightened into a fist is really awkward. It just look like she’s flexing her muscles. Like what even? Does she want an arm wrestle or something?
The paperback is a major upgrade. You better agree with me or we will have words. ;)
Which cover design do you prefer? Is there anything you would change in the covers?
Paperback is definitely more badass and obviously better. It’s the same cover/concept the UK/Australian copies have always had :D It was one of the few times our covers were better than your hardbacks. And on the backs of them is Celaena in whatever iconic dress she wore in the book… I feel that this would make more sense if you saw a picture…
Anyway, I just like the redesign/original UK ones more because it actually looks like she’s about to go kill someone. The hardcover is just generic YA fantasy with no menace or hint of her deadliness.
(I hope this all makes some kind of sense…)
Definitely the paperback cover! I loved it so much that I considered buying the UK version from the Book Depository before they made the cover switch in the US. So glad they did! Celaena looks so much more badass, and it’s a more visually interesting cover in general. It stands out so much more than the hardcover.
I’m just really not a fan of model shots on book covers in general. I prefer something less mundane and more unique (like the hardcover version). It also makes it look a little less Y and a little more A – which is something I like :D
The paperback redesign is what made me put this book on my TBR! I had written it off as just a run-of-the-mill, nothing special fantasy. I’m so glad they redesigned. The only thing I like about the hardback is the castle, but overall the paperback is SO much more awesome.
Ahh, Cee! I couldn’t agree with you more so I guess we’ll have to sort this out haha ;) I actually really dislike the paperback version. I’ve not actually read the book so I can’t say which one depicts the story better but aesthetic wise, the hardcover is much more striking. I don’t really like models on covers that much but I don’t know, something about her eyes and her stance just WORKS. I also love love the color scheme of the hardcover. The only thing I wish they would have changed is the arm of the girl on the hardcover. I agree with you – it’s so weird! They should have just made it go back and cut it out where the cover ends. It’s a bit weird to see a strip of arm under the title.
The hardback version is just awful. How many YA books have a picture of a girl on the cover?! It’s getting old. She also looks way too innocent and her face expression + the fist don’t go together at all. The paperback is sooooo much better and I hope they’ll get rid of the old cover design soon.
I haven’t read this one just yet, but I’m going to have to agree with you, the paperback cover looks much more badass! Have heard such good things about Throne of Glass, can’t wait to pick this one up!
Lisa
http://www.turningpages94.blogspot.com
I so agree that the paperback stands out more, for the reasons you listed. The hardcover is nice but pretty generic. I still need to actually read the book, though. Whoops.
I like both covers, but I definitely prefer the paperback one! There is something about art on covers that makes me happy :) I love who bad-ass Celaena looks and how much more she resembles the girl in the book! I also like the detail that her back is drawn on the other side of the cover too.
The hardback cover is horrible. Just… horrible. The other one is the same as the UK version but with one difference, and that’s that although the swirly mist/fog is behind her, the rest of the cover is white. There’s no background colour, I really like the coloured backgrounds on these books, but I do think the white stands out on the shelf against other books that are full coloured. The fact they draw her on the backs in a contrasting outfit is a really nice touch, although the one on Heir of Fire is a poor match for the pose on the front.
One of the first things I thought about this cover, even before I picked up the book and read the tagline and blurb was ‘Assassin’. Someone stole/borrowed the pose from the cover art for Assassin’s Creed 2 (http://tinyurl.com/curccjq). There’s no way that picture of Ezio wasn’t at least some inspiration for Celaena on that cover. ;) Another thing I noticed as I was looking at the cover (I study covers too), is that she’s borrowed Legolas’s knives from the LOTR films. I’m VERY familiar with those, as I have a set, and the ones she’s holding are a damn near perfect match, even down to the scroll detail on the blades (http://tinyurl.com/mfzgovo) :).
I love the paperback cover so much more. The girl on the hard cover looks to plain, too human and Celaena is part fae. The cover is what pulled me towards the book. If I would have seen the original covet first I know I never would have picked up the book and what an incredible lose that would have been for me.