Cover Reveal: Lucid by P.T. Michelle

Remember that time I completely gushed about Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle? Okay, so I really gushed about Ethan, but Ethan isn't possible without the rest of the book (which was pretty awesome too). I have been waiting not-so-patiently to hear about the release of the next book in the series ever since.

Today, I'm proud to announce that Lucid, the second book in the series, will be released in Spring 2012 (exact date to-be-determined)!

Aaaaaand, the cover is being released today! Just take a look at the gorgeousness that awaits:

If you still haven't read Brightest Kind of Darkness, I suggest you do so in time for Lucid's release. You're not going to want to miss this.

Cover Copies

I absolutely love looking at book covers. I could sit in a book store all day looking at each and every one. There is such a range between strikingly beautiful images to stock random body parts (you know the ones I'm talking about). The cover can tell you so much from the genre to the tone. It can make me want to pick up a book or make me hesitate. The point is, there is lots of variety.

Which is why it's funny when I see covers that appear so similar.

Now, I'm not talking about the stock body part books. We've all seen the photographed girls with their heads chopped off or random legs dangling on the cover. I'm talking about the other ones. The ones that would appear very original if not paired up against each other.

Let's take a look, shall we?

Both As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott and Fury by Elizabeth Miles are Fall 2011 releases. To be fair, they aren't completely similar. However, the coloring, combined with the hair turning into fire is pretty distinctive. And they both share it. For Tod's sake, the authors even share the same first name.

Fateful by Claudia Gray and Hurricane by Jenna-Lynne Duncan are being released within about a month of each other. In each we have a girl with her back to us, long hair falling down her back, looking out at the water. It seems to be about the same time of night with similar coloring in each cover.

This pairing really gets me. Just look at the body positioning. Sure, they aren't in the exact same pose and their hair is blowing in different directions, but come on. The door on the Hourglass cover is in the same place as the wall of water on the Imaginary Girls cover. They were even released on the exact same day! (June 14, 2011) Craziness.

Anyone else seen similar cover pairings lately?

Don't Judge Me

We've all heard the old adage, Don't judge a book by its cover. I'd love to say I adhere to it one hundred percent. I really, really do.

But I don't.

I want to. I want to say, The cover is not a reflection of the author's work, so I won't even pay attention. 

But I don't.

Because the truth is, a cover has the power to pull me in or push me away. Let's take an example, shall we?

Beautiful, beautiful cover. I came across this while searching for something else on Amazon. I read the description. Meh. I wasn't really interested in fallen angels, but, oh man, the cover had me coming back a few days later. Maybe if I just read the prologue, I'll be into it. *read prologue through Amazon* Meh. I pretty much hate prologues anyway and this one didn't grab me. Again, I let it be. A week later I walked into a bookstore to buy something else. Holy crap this cover is even more beautiful in person! I rushed over to it willing to give it another chance. I read the first few pages of the first chapter. I wasn't hooked, but it was interesting. And I had to own this cover.

So I bought it.

That's right ladies and gentleman, the awesomeness of the cover led me back to the book again and again until I bought it. And you know what? I liked the book. A lot.

But, if it had a crappy cover, would I have given it as many chances? I'd like to say yes, but I'm not really sure.


Let's take another example:

Holy goodness this cover creeps me out. After reading the book, it's completely fitting, but absolutely creepy. I'm not always a fan of creepy.

Anyway, several twitter followers recommended this book to me. Highly recommended. One look at this cover and I thought, Really? You want me to read that? I set it aside in my mind for a few days. Then I looked at the recommendations again. *sigh* I read the description. Interesting. But the cover was still creepy. I put it on my library holds, still not sure if I'd read it. *book arrives* Cover is still. Freaking. Creepy. I put it at the bottom of my library TBR pile, thinking I'd get to it if I got to it.

Finally, finally, I read it. OMG it is amazing! One of the best books I've read. EVER! But, you know what? If I hadn't received so many awesome recommendations about this book, I never would've picked it up off the shelf. And the cover isn't even a bad cover. It's just not my choice.


So, book covers can definitely sway me. They aren't the be-all and end-all, but they carry some weight. And I know I'm not alone in this.

How important are book covers for you? Have you ever picked up a book or boycotted one solely on the cover?