Revealing 7 HOT New 2013 YA Covers! {From Michelle Hodkin, Alethea Kontis, Zoë Marriott, & more!}



Taking a peek at Goodreads, there are so many great 2013 covers cropping up that weren't there before!

Here are SEVEN cover reveals featuring:

*THE RETRIBUTION OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin
*HERO by Alethea Kontis
*THE NIGHT ITSELF by Zoë Marriott
*RAVEN FLIGHT by Juliet Marillier
*THE OATHBREAKER'S SHADOW by Amy McCulloch
*CROSSING THE LINE by Katie McGarry
*THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Kasie West

Which ones are you most excited about?  Are they everything you hoped for?


I feel like I've been waiting forever to see what the final Mara Dyer book will look like!

They've gone from being together with their heads above water, to being separated, to being back together...at the bottom.  

Take a look at the way these three covers come together:


There are so many ways to look at these covers.  They symbolize so much.

This cover makes me excited to pick up RETRIBUTION and see how the series ends!

THE RETRIBUTION OF MARA DYER By Michelle Hodkin
Release Date: Oct. 22, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
 
SUMMARY:

To come later in 2013!  


Oh, the mystery of it all!

For those of you new to the series, how about a synopsis of the first book, THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER, instead?




Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. 

It can. 

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. 

There is. 

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love. 

She’s wrong.




Another one I've been dying to see!

While it doesn't quite match the beautiful perfection (to me) of ENCHANTED:



...this cover is still pretty fierce!

It's Saturday, you guys!  And if you've read ENCHANTED (which, if you haven't, you should.  Here's why!), you'll know why she's wielding that fab sword.

Her dress is so pretty, too.  Ahhh, the dresses on this cover!  I really like the angle of this cover and the way the model is staring straight at us head-on.  She feels like Saturday!!

I also like the way the title treatment is different, yet still matches so well with ENCHANTED.  Gorgeous!  

HERO By Alethea Kontis
Release Date: Oct. 1, 2013
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
SUMMARY:

Rough and tumble Saturday Woodcutter thinks she's the only one of her sisters without any magic—until the day she accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard. 


With her sword in tow, Saturday sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and whisked off to the top of the world. Is Saturday powerful enough to kill the mountain witch who holds her captive and save the world from sure destruction? 

And, as she wonders grumpily, "Did romance have to be part of the adventure?" 

As in ENCHANTED, readers will revel in the fragments of fairy tales that embellish this action-packed story of adventure and, yes, romance.




Zoë just did an in-depth blog post on the Cover Design Process for her brand-new The Name of the Blade series.  It even has early drafts for you to see how it has evolved!

I loved seeing how much input Zoë had, and what went into illustrator Andrew Archer's design process!

I've read and enjoyed every. single. book by Marriott--and reviewed them, too! 


I've imported most of them from the UK, where they release first.  This is the UK design for THE NIGHT ITSELF.  Whether or not the US keeps the design or changes it is yet to be determined.

All I know is that I want this desperately, and have since Zoë started writing it.  It has a Japanese flair!  Plus, Zoë Marriott writes some amazing fantasy.  Ahhhh!!!

THE NIGHT ITSELF By Zoë Marriott
Release Date: July 4, 2013
Publisher: Walker Books
SUMMARY:

A breathtaking new urban fantasy trilogy from the critically acclaimed, award winning author of THE SWAN KINGDOM and SHADOWS ON THE MOON. 


When fifteen year old Mio Yamato furtively sneaks the katana - an ancestral Japanese sword - out of its hiding place in her parent's attic to help liven up her Christmas party costume, she has no idea of the darkness she is about to unleash on modern day London, or the family secrets that she is going to uncover. 

The paralysing paranoia that descends on her before she gets to her friend's party is her first clue. The vivid and terrifying visions that nearly get her killed are a pretty good warning too. 

The giant nine-tailed cat demon that comes after the sword and tries to rip her throat out? Overkill. 

Seconds away from becoming kitty-food, Mio is saved by Shinobu, a mysterious warrior boy. But it's already too late. Mio has ruptured the veil between the mortal realm and the Underworld, and now the gods and monsters of ancient Japan stalk the streets of London, searching for her and the sword. 

With the help of her best friend Jack, a fox spirit named Hikaru - and the devoted protection of the betwitchingly familiar Shinobu - Mio attempts to discover the true nature of the sword and its connection to the Yamato family. Because if she doesn't learn how to control the katana's incredible powers, she's in danger of being overwhelmed by them. And if she can't keep the sword safe from the terrible creatures who want it for their own, she'll lose not only her own life... but the love of a lifetime.



Okay, confession time: I have yet to read SHADOWFELL despite my love of Juliet Marillier.  I just haven't had the time!  Now I'm wondering if I should just wait until CALLER releases and concludes the series in 2014... {What are your thoughts? How are the cliffhangers?)

The two covers feel vastly different in tone to me.  Take, for example, the first book in the series:


I loved the font from the first book, and miss seeing it in the new one.  I love the color and ambiance the sunlight brings to the first book, but also like the somber darkness and rolling black clouds of RAVEN FLIGHT.  I want to know more about the model and why she's sitting there.  It looks like hardships are in store for her!

Actually, this cover feels more "in line" with Marillier's other titles based on mood alone, but I still love something about the liquid sunshine of the first book...!

RAVEN FLIGHT by Juliet Marillier
Release Date: July 9, 2013
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
SUMMARY:

Neryn has finally found the rebel group at Shadowfell, and now her task is to seek out the elusive Guardians, vital to her training as a Caller. These four powerful beings have been increasingly at odds with human kind, and Neryn must prove her worth to them. She desperately needs their help to use her gift without compromising herself or the cause of overthrowing the evil King Keldec. 


Neryn must journey with the tough and steadfast Tali, who looks on Neryn's love for the double agent Flint as a needless vulnerability. And perhaps it is. What Flint learns from the king will change the battlefield entirely-but in whose favor, no one knows.



Before this week, I'd never heard of this one, but the cover caught my eye--mostly that wicked blade!  The heat looks searing, everything is blowing in the wind, dust is flying up in golden particles, and that silhouetted man with the glowing eyes is CREEPY!  Everything about this cover caught my eye.

Immediately after seeing it, I had to know what it was about!  

Plus, it's only two books and not three.  FINALLY!!!

Now, I really want to read this.  I think this cover will affect others this way, too!  

THE OATHBREAKER'S SHADOW by Amy McCulloch
Release Date: June 6, 2013
Publisher: Random House Children's Publishers
SUMMARY:

Fifteen-year-old Raim lives in a world where you tie a knot for every promise that you make. Break that promise and you are scarred for life, and cast out into the desert. 


Raim has worn a simple knot around his wrist for as long as he can remember. No one knows where it came from, and which promise of his it symbolises, but he barely thinks about it at all—not since becoming the most promising young fighter ever to train for the elite Yun guard. But on the most important day of his life, when he binds his life to his best friend (and future king) Khareh, the string bursts into flames and sears a dark mark into his skin. 

Scarred now as an oath-breaker, Raim has two options: run, or be killed. 

A gripping YA action-adventure fantasy, the first part of a planned duology.



I didn't even know another Katie McGarry book was dropping in 2013.  This one is a novella featuring Lila from PUSHING THE LIMITS.

If you didn't read PUSHING THE LIMITS, it was a surprise hit for me and one of my 2012 favorites.  I adore books with issues, especially this one.

I'm looking forward to DARE YOU TO, and now I want to read CROSSING THE LINE as well.  The cover isn't as raw as the other two, with more of a sweet Susane Colassanti feel than a gritty Simone Elkeles tone.  It's sunshine and lightness, made for reading in the Spring/Summer!

And at $1.99 for the story, it's already a steal of a deal.  
I need to go wander off and pre-order this for my nook now!

CROSSING THE LINE by Katie McGarry
Release Date: April 1, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
SUMMARY:

Katie McGarry captivated readers with her “riveting, emotional”* Young Adult debut, PUSHING THE LIMITS. In this gripping novella, she tells the story of Lila and Lincoln, who discover that sometimes it’s worth crossing the line for love… 


Lila McCormick, Echo's best friend from PUSHING THE LIMITS  first met Lincoln Turner when tragedy struck both their lives. But she never expected their surprise encounter would lead to two years of exchanging letters—or that she’d fall for the boy she’s only seen once. Their relationship is a secret, but Lila feels closer to Lincoln than anyone else. Until she finds out that he lied to her about the one thing she depended on him for the most. 

Hurting Lila is the last thing Lincoln wanted. For two years, her letters have been the only thing getting him through the day. Admitting his feelings would cross a line he’s never dared breach before. But Lincoln will do whatever it takes to fix his mistakes, earn Lila’s forgiveness—and finally win a chance to be with the girl he loves.





Another contemporary reveal full of sunshine!

That's right, bookworms--Kasie West is debuting in 2013 with not one, but TWO YA novels!

While the cover for PIVOT POINT pulls me in more with its uniquenss and intrigue:


I find that THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US will fit in well with its respective shelfmates.  It's more modern and realistic than it's more fantasy-based counterpart, and the cover reflects this.

I love the lighting and the way the colors go together, from the sun to his shirt and her dress, followed by the black of her heels and his car.  It's a nice contrast!

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US By Kasie West
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
SUMMARY:

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop. 


So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company. 

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Which of these covers are your favorites?

Comments

  1. I absolutely love the cover of The Retribution of Mara Dyer! I'm actually currently reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer, and it's absolutely amazing so far.
    Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian

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