First up is Wither and Fever by Lauren DeStefano.
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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.
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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.
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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?
