Covetable Covers (1): Bad Hair Day... or not

I'm speechless (or nearly) just from looking at this cover. I sincerely hope that this cover isn't misleading. It makes me want to read this book, to have it in my hands pronto. And I want Gemma to look just like the cover model. She's so beautiful.

What really captivates my attention is her hair. Its stark contrast against the green. Her hair doesn't lay on the grass so that it looks like blood seeping in. Instead it looks like wildfire, in its purest form. The shade of red is so bright, shining an orangy color in the light that to me it looks like long, rippling strands of fire spread out on the grass. I want to touch her hair. And strangely, the grass doesn't clash with it. The color is as vivid as the model's hair, but I don't get an eyesore from looking it at it. Rather I'm mesmerized by the girl's hair. Curious as to why she's lying there with her eyes closed. Is she supposed to be dead? Sleeping? Thinking and resting? Though, judging by her relaxed expression, she looks far from pensive.

The grass makes me want to grab a handful. That's the whole thing about this cover - it makes you want to touch everything in it, see if it's real, if it's not a glowing ethereal illusion. But, at the same time nothing that intense could be fake. It looks real, otherwise why else would I want to feel it so bad?

The pink hue of her t-shirt is also pretty bright, but still no color clash. It suggests that its warm in that place. I want to go there. And with her hair fanned out like that, the grass just beneath her, the vivid tones striking out, she looks like the embodiment of summer. Burning, colorful, and volatile. I can't help but think, just by taking in the cover alone, that this girl is magical. She must be. She has to be somebody important - not just to the book, but the actual story. Which brings me to the next set of questions: Who is she? What can she do? Do boys fall at her feet? Is she awkward, shy, quiet? Is her personality as vibrant, as unusual as her hair color? I'm intrigued. I want that book in my hands.

The font and title continue to feed my overwhelming curiosity. Sleight. What is the word's connection to the story? And it's written in an odd font. Slightly creepy, to me. Can I take that to mean something sinister is lurking in the pages of the story? And then there's the Book One of the AVRA-K. Since I know that this is about 3000-year-old text called AVRAKEDAVRA I can infer the that this book will be about magic. Dangerous magic - the best kind. Therefore, I'm amazed. Stunned. I am enticed. Trembling with anticipation. Need. I need to read this book.

Her mom is dead.
Ghosts follow her around.
Her best friend is an elephant.
And she’s about to meet the biggest game changer of all: a boy. With a secret.

When circus-dwelling Gemma Flannery learns she will be attending public school for the first time in her seventeen years, little does she know that fitting in with her 12th-grade classmates will be the least of her concerns. A pro at hiding her knack for seeing the dead (“shades”), Gemma is grieving the recent suicide of her mentally ill mother, a process eased by the introduction of her first real love interest, the charming and painfully handsome Henry Dmitri, who is harboring his own collection of dangerous secrets. Together, they will be presented with a frightening challenge: to assume their roles as heirs to a 3000-year-old magical text, the AVRAKEDAVRA, a book the über-rich, sleight-of-being master Lucian Dmitri would do anything to get his hands on. . . Continue reading at Goodreads»»

Similar Effects:

(Click the covers to see them enlarged.)

The hair has a similar effect here. Only it serves to make the book look dreary and scary. But it still gets my attention. The tiles in the background look tired, dank, and dirty. The color of germs. Of mold. And the fact that she's in a tub doesn't do anything to slow my heart rate. But, it's the hair that really makes the difference. I right away get the impression of Samara, from the Ring. I'm also nervous and frightened because, with her hair hanging limply, darkly to the side like that, the girl appears to be dead. And, worse, at first glance I could almost swear that her face is facing me, that she's looking at me through the curtain of her hair. *gulps* I am definitely spooked. Read the summary»»

Same thing here; the hair is the focal point. Yes, it's odd that room is tilted and that the girl is standing on the wall as though it were the floor. And with her skirt looking as if it's being thrust forward, I can't but think that there's some force pushing at this girl on the cover. But the hair stands out, looks the weirdest. First, it's bright, pale yellow and short-looking and so the color automatically catches the eye. But, what's even stranger is that it looks like electricity when it crackles. It also curtains her face so that the girl, like with Envy, is a mystery. Who is this girl and why is she walking on the wall? Read the summary»»

Though the colors are lucid, the hair, again, is the center of attention. It looks lifelike. And with the girl in the captured in the middle of throwing her hair back, it looks... energetic, full of life. It's so long and full, consumes more than half of the cover. And the way each piece of hair is frozen in that instant, curling madly about, makes me want to reach out and touch it. Much like with Sleight's cover girl. Read the summary»»

Next week, I think I'll be giving insight on my feelings for covers like Bleeding Violet and The Dark Divine. Maybe. I had fun writing up the post. How about you? Did you have fun reading? Smack me, good-naturedly, with your thoughts!