Recently I sat down and edited my blog photo library and in doing so I came across older photos of books with great covers. I often use books I’ve read recently in these posts, but I’ve realised there are some incredible ones I’ve never mentioned. So today’s best YA covers post is featuring a few older novels that I feel need a shoutout for their pretty covers.
Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare
This one will come as no surprise to anyone who has been reading Young Creative Press for a while. Since its release (literally years ago now), I have mentioned this cover numerous times as one of my all-time favourites because just look at it.
As mentioned in my review of Chain of Gold, which can be found here, the autumnal vibes of this cover are what make it so special for me as it’s my favourite season. Cordelia’s red hair with autumnal leaves running through it is the best part of this cover for me. It makes it so eye-catching that you almost forget that the legendary Cortana is in her hand.
Synopsis: Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.
James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love.
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
This cover is one that definitely speaks for itself when it comes to its beauty. Who would have thought that a book with lungs on its cover would make it into a post about beautiful covers.
As with most covers, the colours are one of the most important parts for me. The colour scheme of this cover has to be one of my favourites of all time. The light pink paired with dark blue makes the intricate details of this cover shine.
Lets be honest flowers can make almost any cover beautiful however here they really offer something special, which is made even more special when you remember what the book is actually about.
Synopsis: Can you love someone you can never touch?
Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.
The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.
Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.
What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
The cover of this is what first drew me into These Violent Delights, although I do get that a lot people aren’t a fan of this style. Personally, I think they are very classy and clean. If that makes sense?
The gold of the dragon works so well with the red of the roses and the shine is done so well that it instantly draws your eye. The design is really great, but it would have been even better if they included white flowers as that’s one of the gang names. It would have been a subtle touch that would have elevated this cover even further.
Synopsis: The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang-a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns-and grudges-aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
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