#1 – Covers the not so Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

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Recently I ran across a post from It Starts at Midnight that talked about Topics I Need More Of. One topic was Ugly – Ass Covers. Today I’m going to showcase some Book Covers that I think are Not So Good, Bad, & Ugly at least to me!

We all love covers. We look at them daily. We fantasize. We pet them. They are the first thing we see. The first thing that gets us to even look at a book and maybe pick it up.

So, why on gods green earth would the publishers, authors, and cover designers not make a cover look good? I do get we all have different tastes, but their are just some covers that someone should have said: NO.

For this first edition of The Not So Good, The Bad & The Ugly I’m going to be featuring books off my to-read-list from Goodreads. Just looking at these I can’t understand how they got on my to-read-list. Might have been a giveaway of some kind. 

I Kissed a Dog
(Werewolves of the West #1)
by Carol Van Atta
Published October 20th 2012 by Charles River Press

Why? Everything about this cover is odd. I don’t like the girl on it or the coloring. 

A Pirate’s Curse
(Legends of the Soaring Phoenix #1)
by M.L. Guida
Published July 24th 2013 by Buffalo Mountain Press

Why? To much red, dislike the ship, and the man is a bit distracting. 

The Alpha’s Mate
(The Wolvers #1)

by Jacqueline Rhoades
Published July 30th 2012

Why? It’s just pieced together. A shirtless man, a girl with gun, and plane bold letters.

Darkride
(Darkride Chronicles #1)

by Laura Bradley Rede
Published January 9th 2012

Why? Don’t like the horse or man in the background.

Honor Among Orcs
(Orc Saga #1)

by Amalia Dillin
Published April 1st 2014 by Thorskona Books

Why? To dark and not into the letter type.

 

What Are Your Thoughts?
Do think one or all of these covers need some work?

 

I'm an outdoor sun loving reader living near San Fransisco. I’m a mother, wife, animal & book lover. I'm the owner, reviewer & mind behind Angel’s Guilty Pleasures. My favorite animals are horses & dogs. As for reading I love all things paranormal & urban fantasy & my favorite shifters are dragons.

18 comments on “#1 – Covers the not so Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

  1. I’m not a fan of any of these either. I especially agree with you about the Alpha one—it’s definitely pieced together and it doesn’t flow at all.
    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted…A Spoiler-Filled Discussion of One Dark Throne by Kendare BlakeMy Profile

    • Covers are so important. Thank’s for stopping in Nicole.

  2. Yeah covers are super important to me since I don’t read blurbs. Wouldn’t give any of these a second look/ :/
    herding cats & burning soup recently posted…4 stars– Lady Eleanor’s Seventh Suitor (The Sutherland Sisters #1) by Anna BradleyMy Profile

    • I know. The cover is what gets me to even think about looking at the blurb. So important to have a fabulous cover.

  3. All of these look cheap. I really don’t understand this. Covers sell books, everyone knows it. But there are even big publishers with a creative team behind each cover that make huge mistakes. The cover should somehow reflect the content, and yet it so rarely does.

    • I agree with you Maja. So many covers don’t support the content inside. Even if you aren’t putting your book in print, the cover should still be important. It’s what catches the eye of a reader.

  4. I am such a cover whore that I totally won’t read books with bad covers. I kissed a dog is just terrible. That cover is so busy and difficult to read. Its just awful.
    Alpha’s Mate is just a hodge podge of stuff that doesn’t look well put together. Ugh!
    Samantha recently posted…Sweet Sacrifice by LD Rose: ReviewMy Profile

    • I agree with you on all of it. I was looking through my TBR list on GR and couldn’t understand how these titles got on my list in the first place. The covers OMG need major work. I deiced it had to be some giveaway or something. Though they have been removed from my list while I was working on this post. That’s Samantha for stopping in.

  5. There are so many covers now that I just can’t like, especially covers from indie or self published authors. Sometimes they make my eyes hurt. All the covers you chose here are pretty horrid though.
    Lover Of Romance recently posted…Throwback Thursday (97)My Profile

    • I agree the self-published authors aren’t putting much into their covers. I have a few indie & self-publshied authors that have amazing covers that work, but you see more that don’t and need a major make over. Thank’s for stopping in.

  6. I’m sure it’s just me but I don’t like the cover arts for that Ilona Andrews series with Avon. It’s so corny and from what I’ve read on reviews, it doesn’t represent the stories at all

    • It’s not just you. Even the author talks about how corny the covers are for her Hidden Legacy books… I find them corny too and they don’t represent the story at all. I’m with you on their cover though.

  7. Shared on my socials!

    • Thank you for sharing!

  8. All these covers are bad! I hate to admit it but I’m a book cover whore! If the cover is good I will most likely buy the book.you might think I’ve been let down by my choice, but it doesn’t happen very often.

    • I’m a cover lover too, Kathy. These covers need work and I’m not sure how they got on my TBR list. ^_^

  9. Honestly, I don’t like anyone of these covers. They need major overhall. I have looked at them a couple of times in different order and just can’t stand them to be honest.

    • I agree. They need some work ^_^