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Original vs. Sequel

Recently, quite a few sequels have had their covers revealed in the blogosphere - some great and some, well, not so much. This post highlights four original books and their sequels.

First up is Wither and Fever by Lauren DeStefano.


I'm a big fan of Wither's cover. The model is beautiful, and her dress gives such a soft, airy feel to the cover that's perfectly complemented by the darker background and elegant title placement. Subtle details are pointed out by the circles and lines, like the interesting birdcage and her left hand. This is one of my favorite covers of 2011.

But then Fever? Not so much my favorite. The slinky gold dress is cool, but the model looks emo and the colors in general are garish. The green of the title, as well as the circles and lines, clashes with the gold/pink theme, and the extra elements (like the rocking hourse) aren't as intriguing as in the first cover.

Overall: Wither wins, by a long shot. The only positive thing I'd say is that having read the first book, I really want to pick up the second to find out what the heck happened to the protagonist given the dress and her surroundings.

Next is Delirium and Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver.


Although I generally like simple covers, Delirium is a little too simple for me. It's a neat idea to have the face behind the words and the flying birds are great symbolism, but this just isn't something that would really capture my attention.

Pandemonium is a pretty big improvement. What appear to be plants surrounding the model's face are intriguing, and I'm loving the warm, fiery tones, as well as the glowing title. (Plus, I'm a sucker for lower-case titles. I don't know why.) The only complaint I'd make is that it's a half-face model, which isn't really my taste.

Overall: Pandemonium wins, despite the half-face. Delirium's cover has an interesting concept, but it's just not for me.

Now we have Clarity and Perception by Kim Harrington.

Clarity was another one of my favorite covers of 2011. I just adore the simple background and light green-blue hues, and what they did to the model (especially her hair) was very neat. It's pleasing to look at, and the girl's expression does a lot to draw you in.


Unfortunately, I don't perceive Perception (sorry, I couldn't resist) to be the same. It resembles one of those old paperback thrillers, with the girl's face and the title. The rainbow colors in the background are cool though, as is the repeated (but darker) imagery of birds from the first book.

Overall: Clarity, all the way. It's sleek and modern, and Perception... is not.

Finally, we have Across the Universe and A Million Suns by Beth Revis.


Across the Universe's cover is unapologetically science-fiction, and I'm digging the awesome purple, red, and pink nebulae-things at the bottom. The top half isn't quite my favorite, because I always see a sideways hourglass instead of two people kissing, and their forms look kind of alien-like anyway.

Following the sci-fi theme of the first book, A Million Suns is just as cool, except with mainly blues and greens. I'm not a fan of that random big glare on the left, but I much prefer the people here to the ones on the previous cover. They look normal, and the hand-holding is sweet.

Overall: It's pretty close, but A Million Suns wins for not having alien-like sideways hourglasses.

What do you think of these covers? What are your favorites of each pairing?

6 comments:

Steph: Short and Sweet said...

I think Fever's model needs another pose, that's all. And I do like the Pandemonium cover, but if only the series kinda had a theme :( and I love both of the Across the Universe covers and the Clarity series ones. :)

Lea Christine said...

I'm also not a huge fan of the new cover for Fever... I think the model looks like she's on drugs or something!

I'll be honest-- I had to look at the cover of Across the Universe like 50 times before I realized that it was 2 people kissing-- oops! Haha, I thought it was just some weird, pink space nebula thing :)

Thanks for the cover reviews!

Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland

Lucia (iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books) said...

I seem to be the only person who likes the Fever cover! I think it's the dress. So sparkly. :D

And the AtU covers are GORGEOUS. I actually like the original Delirium cover more. I think the Pandemonium girl looks weird. (No offense. :/)

I agree with you on Clarity. The sequel looks like an old paperback style cover. *sigh* Oh well.

barmybex said...

I am so glad I am not the only one that didn't see the faces on Across the Universe. It looked like a sideways hourglass or coloured blob to me for ages.
Only when someone commented with 'Aren't the kissing faces sweet' and I looked at it again, then I picked it up. But i still have to look twice.
I sort of like it, but it's not my fav.
I like her new one much better.
Wither is definitely nicer than Fever
I have a different cover to Delerium which i like better.

Awesome post!

Alexis @ Reflections of a Bookaholic said...

I like it when books in series look similar so that you know they go together without having to read anything. Delirium and Pandemonium don't match so I don't really like either one. I like the A Million Suns cover better than Across the Universe.

Julia @ That Hapa Chick said...

I so agree that the cover of Fever just isn't as good as the Wither cover. Fever looks like a bad horror film or something. I mean what is with the rocking horse?! I also think the Pandemonium cover is absolutely gorgeous. And yeah, that Perception cover? Cheesy. :P I will say that I disagree on the A Million Suns cover. I love it, but I love Across the Universes cover even more. :)

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