Coverlicious: Entwined by Heather Dixon (Beautiful Cover Dresses)

Coverlicious is a semi-regular feature on my blog featuring anything to do with covers from covers I love to covers to lookalike covers! This post is part of a series called Beautiful Cover Dresses.

This post's feature:

Entwined by Heather Dixon

I ADORE this cover! I know I say I love a lot of covers but this ones up there with the very best and it was the cover that first attracted my attention when I saw it last September. Seriously, I would have bought it for the cover alone but thankfully, the story is great too because it's a retelling of the fairytale the Twelve Dancing Princesses. How could anyone resist such a pretty cover?

The ball gown

First off, the ball gown the girl (Azalea) screams 'Princess' with it's flowing white netting layers and the cute oversized bow. Though gorgeous, it looks really hard to walk in let alone dance and it has a slight greyish and tattered look, which could represent the financial struggles of the royal family of the story.

Lost and trapped

To me, the girl looks lost as she explores the palace gardens and the twelve sisters did get lost because the gardens were so big but I think it also represents how lost Azalea is emotionally.  The cover has a sort of eerie element too because it's quite dark and the silver leaves look like they are trapping the girl as they entwine around her. This is really clever because I think it's supposed to represent the silver forest the girls disappear in to dance.

Castle

Castles and palaces always remind people of fairy tales so I'm glad that there's one on here in the background. It looks grand with the tall spire but also magical, which it is in the book.

Original photo

I was browsing on the photo website We Heart It and I came across the photo below, which is clearly the image that has been used for the Entwined cover.

I love the way the elements in the photo are laid out and I wish more of the simplicity had been kept because despite it being beautiful, I do think the cover for Entwined is a touch busy with the swirly cover across the middle and all the silver leaves (which are embossed on the actual cover.)

Better in real life

I got this book as a birthday present and it was the last one I opened as it arrived on the day and it's even better in person. The back cover is also lovely because it features the palace image and even inside, each chapter page is decorated with the silver leaf patter.

What do you think of this cover? Does it make you want to read it? Do you think it's too busy?

Coverlicious: Beauitful Cover Dresses #5 Forgiven by Janet Fox

Coverlicious is a feature here where I post anything to do with covers such as covers I love, look alike covers and cover reveals. This post is part of a Coverlicious series called Beautiful Cover Dresses.

Today's pick

 

Forgiven by Janet Fox (released June 2nd!)

Goodreads description:

Kula Baker never expected to find herself on the streets of San Francisco, alone but for a letter of introduction. Though she has come to the city to save her father from a cruel fate, Kula soon finds herself swept up in a world of art and elegance - a world she hardly dared dream of back in Montana, where she was no more than the daughter of an outlaw. And then there is the handsome David Wong, whose smiling eyes and soft-spoken manner have an uncanny way of breaking through Kula's carefully crafted reserve. Yet when disaster strikes and the wreckage threatens all she holds dear, Kula realizes that only by unlocking her heart can she begin to carve a new future for herself.

Why I think the dress/ cover is beauitful!

Similar dress and
girl running trend
example.

I love this dress because the rich crimson colour really stands out against the muted brown background colours, the cream title and her way dark brown hair. It just looks so airy as it trails behind in the wind and the colour makes me think of forgiveness. The one bright colour also works really well for me because its simple and makes the pretty flounces of the dress more effective. The dress isn't intricately embroidered or patterned but this is what makes it so stunning in its own way.

 Girls running in covers might be quite common (think the Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell) but I think it has a lovely effect on this cover because it's been done really well because of the colour choices and the layout. It makes me curious as to why the girl is running and how this links to the title of Forgiven so it would definitely draw me in straight if I saw it in a bookshop.

The title's creamy colour is so much lighter than the other hues so it also stands out and it's a pretty italic font too. Yay!

The teaser sentence is a nice little addition because it also makes me want to read the book more and because it's placed behind the girl's flowing hair, it looks like its streaming along behind her.

I don't like the version of the cover on the left though with the added quote at the bottom because it makes everything look too busy and not as striking. I'm not sure if it's the finished cover but I hope it's not because I much prefer the one without the quote. Quotes are good but I would prefer it on the back jacket here.

What do you think of this cover?

Want to see more beautiful cover dresses? Visit the previous posts in the series.

#1 #2 #3 #4

Coverlicious: Beauitful Cover Dresses #4 Princess Of The Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Coverlicious is a feature here on my blog where I feature anything and everything to do with covers from covers I love to cover cover lookalikes and cover reveals.

This post is part of a series called Beautiful Cover Dresses, featuring gorgeous dresses on covers that I love! Today's pick is:

Princess Of The Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

I ADORE this book cover- it's just too good to resist! I mean that dress has to be amongst the most gorgeous I've seen on a cover-right? It really is too good to resist if you're a cover lover like me and it looks so pretty on my bookshelf.

That dress is to die for!

I love the design of the dress with the pulled in waist the and the golden flaps opening on to a centre intricately embroidered with moss green floral patterns. It's not brightly coloured and doesn't come across as though it was designed to stand out if worn to a ball but are quite subtle but extremely pretty at the same time. I like the way the photo has been caught in motion as the girl is walking so the dress flaps are flying out and the cream under layers at the bottom are ruffled up so we can see them. It fits in with the fairy tale theme well and looks like a dress that would be easier to dance in then others such as those on the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen covers although I think it would still be a challenge.

Font fit for a Princess

The swirly gold title and author font works really well with it and looks royal even though I think it is used quite commonly. Curly fonts like this one are a favourite feature of mine on covers! I also like the way the title is to the right  and it vertical because as you read it down your attention is drawn to the detail of the dress and it also allows for the dress to be full length.

Mysteriously dark background....

You might wonder why there is such a mysteriously dark and grey background on a fairy tale retelling when fairy tales are usually happy. In this case the charcoal background matches the story perfectly because the Princesses in the book carry a heavy secret and they must go to a dark underground world to dance with the sons of an evil King. I am guessing that the illustration background on this cover is the passage leading to this underground kingdom with cold tiles and carved pillars. This background also helps the dress to stand out because I don't think it would have the same effect on a lighter background.

What are your thoughts on this cover?

Looking for more beautiful cover dresses? Look at previous posts in the series.

#1 #2 #3

Coverlicious: Beauitful Cover Dresses# #3 The Red Queen's Daughter and The Sweet Disorder by Jaqueline Kosolov

Coverlicious is a feature that I post here sporadically featuring everything to do with covers from lookalikes to reveals and covers I love and cover wars.

This post is part of a series called Beautiful Cover Dresses, featuring gorgeous dresses on covers that I love! Today's picks are:

 Goodreads synopsis: Sixteen-year old Miranda has no idea how much her life is going to change upon hearing the news of her father's death. Left with little dowry to offer, Miranda faces a broken engagement, and is sent to live with her father's cousin, the Count John Hardwood, and his wife whose primary goal is to take her to Court and marry her off to the insufferable Lord Seagrave for their own profit.

At Queen Elizabeth's court, Miranda soon learns that a large part of her survival will depend on her knowing who to trust. All the maidens at Court dream of being one of the Queen's ladies in waiting. When Miranda distinguishes herself from the rest with her exquisite sewing and embroidery skills, she gets the attention of the Queen, much to the anger and jealousy of the courtiers, ladies in waiting, and even a trusted "friend."But how will she reunite with Henry Raleigh, the man to whom she was once promised, and has always loved?

On this cover, you get a full view of the dress, which is nice because often parts are cut off on covers and you don't get to admire it as much. Normally, I don't like subdued and dismal blacks and greys on book covers because they don't stand out but it does work quite well in this example because the rich reds and gold colours of the dress are highlighted and accentuated, drawing your attention to the most prominent feature, the girl's face. The adjusted lighting on the top half of her body also helps with this. I think that the colours in the dress really complement each other and it is beautiful without being bedecked with lots of jewels, fancy flounces or heavy jewellery. I also like the way that the girl is wearing a pearl necklace because it softens the look and represents innocence.



Goodreads synopsis: Orphaned as a young girl because of the imprudent marriage of her mother, Queen Katherine Parr, Mary Seymour vows never to fall in love-and under no circumstances will she marry. Lady Strange, her mysterious guardian, offers the young woman an extraordinary alternative to marriage: Mary is to become a white magician who will join Queen Elizabeth's court and ensure the success of the Virgin Queen's reign.

Accompanied by her magical hound, Perseus, Mary sets out to learn the properties of different stones and the art and precision of natural spells. Soon after her sixteenth birthday, she joins Elizabeth's court as a lady-in-waiting. Upon her arrival, Mary realizes that Elizabeth's court is rife with men and women who are vying for power. The most dangerous of all is Edmund Seymour, Mary's disturbingly handsome cousin. From the moment she meets Edmund, Mary has to fight her growing attraction, especially once she discovers that he is a black magician, the dark mirror of her own self. But, despite the threat Edmund poses to Mary, he seems to be the only one who truly understands her. When Edmund becomes involved in a plot against the Queen, Mary finds her beliefs tested in ways she never could have imagined.

This cover has the same sort of theme as The Sweet Disorder with the dark background and girl in the corner but this time we only get to see half of the dress. I've actually had this one sitting on my bookshelf unread for a while now.  Seeing the cover up close, and in fact in the photo as well, the details of the dress are lovely as the different intricate lace patterns are very clear against the soft creamy and peachy hue of the dress. However, I think that this cover could have done with bolder colour to help it stand out more, perhaps with the gold title made brighter and more embossed. The other version of this cover does this well with the red and I like the way the girl is facing ahead rather than looking down demurely because it makes her look definant and strong. However, the drawback is that the dress can't be seen.

 

What do you think of these covers?

 

 

Previous beauitful cover dresses posts you may like:

#1 The Luxe and Rumours by Anna Godbersen

#2 Envy and Splendour by Anna Godbersen

#3 Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

P.S I mentioned this in my Teaser Tuesday post yesterday but incase you missed it, I'm off to Yorkshire for a few days on holiday with my family so I won't have anything posted until Sunday (I don't like scheduling posts very much!) I hope to get lots of reading done whilst I'm away too :)