Cover Critique: Torment by Lauren Kate

Let me preface this post by saying that my design critiques of these covers are in no way, shape or form a reflection on the author, the content or the publisher. I know the authors have very little, if any, control over the design. These are strictly my thoughts stemming from my design experience.

I heart this book cover. Big time. It makes the graphic designer in me very, very happy. I want my hair to look like this. I want this dress. I don't so much want to stand on a frozen lake with Hitchcockian birds circling ominously, but if that's what it takes to wear this dress, I'll take it into consideration.

Both this cover and the cover from her first novel, Fallen, are absolutely stunning. I love the use of a single image, as sometimes covers can get very busy trying to include all the little details from the book into one small space. This instead utilizes a very memorable, very haunting image, that despite it's cool colors, will still pop off the shelf.

And don't even get me started on this font. I adore this font. I adore this font so much I cyber-stalked it and bought it for myself (yes, I'm a dork, but I embrace it to the fullest extent). This font is gorgeous in it's simplicity, much like the image. It has an antique feel to it which suits the storyline, and the little flourishes off the serifs (such as on the "R" and "N") add extra visual interest. The overall look is elegant, eye catching and beautifully done. It very much makes me want to design book covers for a living:)