The Friday Face-Off was created by Books by Proxy, where each week bloggers can showcase books with covers centered around a weekly theme. You can visit Lynn’s Books for a list of upcoming themes. Join in the fun each Friday by finding a book whose cover is based on the theme!
This week’s theme: Cold & Crisp – a cover that gives you winter vibes.
This week I’m doing a simple “head to head” – U.S. vs. UK! I chose The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence, which is set in a cold, ice covered world. Now I will confess, this book was a DNF for me. I got about 25% in and honestly I was bored to tears, so it’s been abandoned, unfortunately. BUT I think both covers say “cold & crisp” so let’s take a look:
Here is the lovely U.S. cover, published by Ace Books, which I think is really effective. I honestly don’t mind the title in the center covering the main figure, Yaz, I think it works fine. I love the glimpse of Lawrence’s really interesting world, an underground city covered in ice and snow. And I also love the stars twinkling around the girl, which is one of the cool parts of the worldbuilding.
This is the UK edition, published by Harper Voyager. This is my favorite! I absolutely love the black background and the contrasting figure of Yaz in the center. I love the huge fur coat she’s wearing, because it’s a cold ice world! And again, we have the glimmer of the stars which appear in the underground caves. I adore this cover! Maybe I should give this book another chance, what do you think?
I love them both!!!
Me too Susy:-)
The UK cover is far more… atmospheric (for want of a better word) and I love the detail of the faint light on the girl’s face that seems to come from her raised left hand…
Yes, and I am a fan of contrast, which the UK cover has in spades:-)
I haven’t read it, but both covers make me want to. Happy Friday, Tammy!
I agree, the covers really make you want to know what the story is about.
I love these covers so much! I have a particular fondness for the UK cover though as I have the signed hardback nestled safely on my shelves. And, as Maddalena so eloquently put it, the faint light reflecting off her face is so very atmospheric! 😀
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I think if I had a hardcover of the UK edition I might try reading it again:-)
What a wonderful choice for this week’s subject, Tammy. And yes – I’m with you. The black cover with the etched drawing is just so classy:)).
It is classy! Glad we agree:-)
I think the top one is better at conveying the cold, the bottom one as lovely as it is just says night time to me!
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I think you’re right, even though I like the second one more, the first definitely has more of a “chill” to it.
Both are strong covers. My favorite is the US cover, just something about her pose and the colors that I like. However, I do think the UK cover better conveys crisp & cold, with the hood up and a warmer looking coat.
I do like her pose on the first one, I have to admit.
Too bad it was a DNF book for you, but it happens. I really like both covers. If I need to choose a favorite, though, I’d pick the second one. It’s really gorgeous!
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I’m glad we agree! I just love the second one:-)
Again this week I very nearly went with the same book. But, seriously, I don’t know which cover I would have chosen. Perhaps the UK one like you because it feels so different.
Lynn 😀
It’s a toss up, definitely. I like them both:-)
Did you enjoy the other series this spins off from? I am curious because I know someone else who loved the other series but DNFed this one too!
I didn’t read the other series, and maybe that was my problem, lol.
I still need to read it, lol. But I think I will go with the first cover, I love the “sparkliness” 🙂
I feel bad that I didn’t finish it. I need to try another Mark Lawrence, maybe.
Ooh I love the cold feel of these covers!
I think the artists both did a great job, considering you can’t actually see any ice or snow:-)
I think it’s the font colour of the UK edition that throws me off for some reason. If it had been just white or more gold, it would’ve won my vote too hahah 😀
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Yeah, now that you mention it, it’s an odd shade of yellow…
I’m torn because I like both of these covers for different reasons. 🙂
Me too, both work well for different reasons, like you said:-)
I think both covers are great, but I love how atmospheric the black and white one is so that one gets my vote.
I like both covers, but the UK one takes it for me. I like that there isn’t much to distract you from the figure on it.