Best Book Covers of 2013

Top 10 of 2013 is hosted by a group of fabulous bloggers and you can find more information here

I don’t know about you, but I think 2013 may just have been the greatest ever year for book covers in YA. Trends have changed and there’s a whole lot of room for being different, striking and innovative – so without further ado, I’m going to let the covers speak for themselves!

Arianne’s List

1.  The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson - I don’t know what it is about this cover, but every time I look at it, I love it even more! It’s got such a luminous, mysterious feel – incredible.

2.  Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys is beautiful inside and out. The cover draws you into the story and the prose keeps you there. 

3.  The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban never fails to stun me. It’s wintry and stark and absolutely wonderful.

4.  The Archived by Victoria Schwab has such a visionary cover. It marries illusion – smoke and mirrors, keys and doors – with the absolute humanity of its narrator. Perfect.

5.  Champion by Marie Lu - I’m probably more than a little biased towards this series, but who can blame me, with amazing covers like these?!

6.  Ink by Amanda Sun has one of the most gorgeous traditionally created covers I’ve seen all year. The use of brush strokes and soft edges just sings to the artist in me!

7.  Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan defines the one feature I look for most in a cover: honesty. It’s brave and fantastically framed in true Levithan style.

8.  White Lines by Jennifer Banash shows how an eye-catching cover can make you want to read a book you may never otherwise pick up. Fabulous.

9.  After Eden by Helen Douglas holds the reader in a kind of rapture – it’s hard to put into words, but the combination of stormy ferocity and neon-bright colour just works so well! 

10.  This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales definitely wins the Typography of the Year Award this time around! It’s so effortlessly cool and yet surprisingly warm, completely true to its story. If you want 2013 summed up in a single image, look no further.

Liza’s List

I haven’t read most of these, but I put this list together based on the covers only. Here it goes:

1.  Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger radiates with both light and airiness, like being in love and feeling like you're floating.

2.  These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner definitely lets you know that it's a sci-fi book.  The contrast of colors, the lightness and the position of the models work so well together.

3.  Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield has one of my favorite colors (pink, if you can't tell from the  blog), front and center. I love the font that looks like a tree and the blurriness too.

4.  The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater is such a beautiful drawing of Ronan, the crows, and the power of magic and dreams. 

5.  Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan has sunlight, an almost visible boy and the pretty teal font. 

6.  Dance Shadows by Yelena Black is the portrait of a puzzle that's unraveling itself.  So beautiful and haunting. 

7.  Crash Into You by Katie McGarry is the prettiest cover of the series, the color red is the background for tender and allegedly bad boy Isaiah and beautiful Rachel.  It just radiates love.

8. Awaken by Meg Cabot is so delicate and feminine, I love the fonts, the flowers and swirls and of course, the couple.

9.  The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black I guess is supposed to be creepy, but instead it's so beautiful.  The hand actually feels cold, don't you think?

10. Crash by Lisa McMann portraits a gorgeous picture of an eye with flames reflected on it.  

What are your favorite covers of 2013?  Leave us your thoughts in the comments!