Ah, lush colors, I love you. The greens and yellows, with just a hint of blue and red, remind me of tropical jungles and hidden treasures. The gold font does pop out, though it might do with slightly more contrast.…
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Cover Art Critiques
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, m j mcgriff, mustread, the secret library
Posted in Travel
Posted in Travel
Cover Art Critiques
And we’re back in my favorite genre, historical fantasy. Now, I’m not a huge fan of the author name being bigger than the title. The few times I can see it working is for authors such as Stephen King, where…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, forge of the high mage, ian esslemont, illustration, mustread
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
This is definitely an eye-catching cover, and the judicious addition of dripping blood does an excellent job of informing genre. I love the crumbling marble face, as it adds an immediacy to the image, making it intense and personal to…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, m k Jobb, mustread, seven Faceless Saints
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
Thrillers are not my genre, and many of the covers are very similar. However, the cleverness of this technique caught my eye, a literal erasure of the woman’s face, reflecting the title. The color scheme is solid, with just a…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, jessica Payne, make me disappear
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
Sometimes, a limited color palette is too much of a good thing. I think this cover is a demonstration of that. There isn’t enough contrast to make this amazing image pop at thumbnail size, even though it’s gorgeous, intriguing, and…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, jordan elizabeth, mustread, treasured trouble
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
Even though I’ve seen this font a hundred times lately on book covers, I love it. And I adore the gradient given here, to imitate the glow of the sunset around the castle. The addition of the flock of birds…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, mustread, night of the raven dawn of the dove, rati mehrotra
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
This COULD be too busy, but it really isn’t. The illustration is stylized, simple, and gives some intriguing hints about the story. A pen, a padlock, a key, a knife, a panther, a woman with a gun. Frankly, I’m impressed…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, fantasy, illustration, mustread, mystery, the strange case of the alchemists daughter, theodora goss
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
Sometimes illustrated covers work, sometimes they don’t. This one is so compelling, it makes me want to grab the book, despite the fact that I’m not a huge Young Adult fan. I love the butterfly motif in the imagery, the…
Tagged with: amreading, angeline boulley, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, fantasy, fire keeper's daughter, illustration, mustread, young adult
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
What a lush cover! I love this new fad of iconographic artwork, but I feel this one is a bit too complex. The light element is nice, and it does keep the cover from being too flat, but there is…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, loathsome voyages, mustread
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
Gorgeous artwork, fantastic perspective. I love how the dragon fades away so the figure stands out. That’s a great way to keep from cluttering the cover art. And again, my favorite, a limited color palette. The metallic font with the…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, loathsome voyages, mustread
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
Oh, how I adore this cover. Stylistic artwork that holds lots of hints about the story, the time period, the genre, still while sticking with blue, white, and gold. The font matches the time period as well, and the white…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, loathsome voyages, mustread
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
This cover has strong iconography, limited color scheme, and definitely genre-specific. However, I think there’s too much going on. The center symbol (s) has the phoenix, star, and circle, as well as blue lightning. That’s fine. Add a strong title…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, loathsome voyages, mustread
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
Sometimes simple is indeed better. All this shows is a warrior (by the fact he’s literally bristling with weapons) and some mountains with clouds. Yet, the atmosphere promises a lot more. The strong, simple font might be a bit more…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, loathsome voyages, mustread
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critique
I’ve done several pale/light covers, so it’s time for some darker ones. This one is very dark, very chthulic, with a hint of the ridiculous. The black/green color scheme works fine, though the red scarf seems a bit amorphous, the…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, loathsome voyages, mustread, skullgate
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critique
This cover has an intriguing mix of figurative illustration, graphic effect, and a very strong iconography. The bar on the right reminds me of some of the classic novels from the 1960s, as does the font. The upward slant of…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, hummingbird salamander, illustration, jeff vandermeer, mustread
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critiques
Normally, this would be way too many colors for me. However, this totally works for this cover. The overall night theme and dark blue ties it together, and since this is a fairy tell retelling based on a Chinese story,…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, daughter of the moon goddess, fairy tale, fantasy, illustration, mustread, sue lynn tan
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critique
A Rorschach test blob wouldn’t be my first choice for a cover. However, this one is rather intriguing, and I can see the possibilities. After all, why settle for just one, precise image, when you could effectively have dozens of…
Tagged with: a history of wild places, amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, mustread, shea enrshaw
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critique
This one has a lot going on but it does so without being obtrusive. The limited color scheme and the mix between illustrative and pictorial aspects works. The upside down blood building is a little confusing, but I think it…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, crossing acheron, fantasy, illustration, k r wolfe, mustread
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critique
This is an unusual color scheme for a figured cover, but it works. The cool blue informs something creepy and mysterious, even though it’s bright and easy to see. The Victorian house in the background tells me it might be…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, finding emmaline, illustration, j r byers, mustread
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Cover Art Critique
This is an amazing cover. I adore the illustration, and the subtle puzzle pattern adds questions and intrigue. The color scheme is soft and pleasing, and the unique font, while still perfectly legible, is amazing. I’m a huge fan of…
Tagged with: amreading, art, author, authorlife, book cover, books, bookstagram, booktok, cover art, critique, dark fantasy, fantasy, illustration, mustread, red shoes, satyros phil brucato, urban fantasy
Posted in Art, Writing
Posted in Art, Writing
Historical fantasy, time travel adventure, and urban fantasy 