Covered: Hardcover to Paperback Redesigns (3)

Check out these Hardcover to Paperback Redesigns. Which do you prefer?
Also the images are backwards - as in, the paperback is on the left, the hardcover on the right. Oops!

Paperback                                                         Hardcover

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

First of all, this book is so fantastic. If you haven't read it - get on it! I thought the original cover was great when I first saw it, but there's something compelling about this paperback version. Both are great, but I prefer the paperback!

Paperback                                               Hardcover

 

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

I had to think about this one a bit. I like how bold the typography is on the original hardcover, but I'm really taken with the drop of water and reflection on the paperback. And the new tagline, "you thought your way here" gives me goosebumps. So, paperback, you have my vote!

Paperback                                               Hardcover

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Though I liked this hardcover too, I think the new paperback actually fits the tone of the novel better. It's stark and the girl running (and the fact that's she's wearing pink) feels spot on. Woo, new paperback!

Paperback                                                 Hardcover

Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson

For this one I'm picking the paperback based solely on those trees in the background and the v-shape that the title and cover art form. They form a funnel that just pull me in.

Paperback                                               Hardcover

Buzz Kill by Beth Fantaskey

The new cover of Buzz Kill is more eye-catching in my opinion, though the face that girl is making kind of freaks me out. Not when just looking at the book normally, but, if you tilt your head and look at her, it's just... startling. Still, the paperback would convince me to pick this one up, where the hardcover doesn't.

Paperback                                                Hardcover

Dangerous  by Shannon Hale

There are elements of the paperback that I like, but I did enjoy that the hardcover didn't have a cover model. I was also partial to the James Dashner quote on the hardcover... maybe the paperback has it on the back? I hope so.

Paperback                                              Hardcover

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Definitely the paperback! I'll be honest, I couldn't really get into this book and never finished it, but the paperback makes me wonder if I should reconsider. I am a sucker for plaid.

Paperback                                           Hardcover

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

This is actually the second paperback redesign for Revolution. The image on the paperback, the key and flowers, does make me more interested than the girls on the original. And I like the quote "genuine heart."

Paperback                                                  Hardcover

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

This new paperback is GORGEOUS. I was not a fan of the original hardcover - it looks awkwardly computer generated. But this new design? Love the color, love the castle, love everything!

Paperback                                                 Hardcover

Unstoppable Octobia May by Sharon G. Flake

Usually I'm not a fan of switching from illustrated to photo covers, but I think I might like this new cover for Unstoppable Octobia May better... It feels more current.

Tell me which covers you prefer in the comments!

Giveaway: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

The long awaited sequel to Rachel Hartman's Seraphina has finally arrived! Random House has kindly provided 2 hardcover copies of the novel for The Hiding Spot readers. To score one of these for yourself, all you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below! I've also included some information about the first book, my 2012 review of Seraphina, and other helpful links and information. 

About Seraphina:

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

My Review / Goodreads 

About Shadow Scale:

The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways.

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

Goodreads

WIN IT!

2 winners. Open to US addresses only. Ends 4.8.2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveals - Young Adult - XXI

Young Widows Club by Alexandra Coutts

Goodreads

First came love, then came marriage, and then...

For seventeen-year-old Tam, running off to marry her musician boyfriend is the ideal escape from her claustrophobic high-school life on the island, and the ultimate rebellion against her father and stepmother. But when Tam becomes a widow just weeks later, the shell-shocked teen is forced to find her way forward by going back to the life she thought she’d moved beyond—even as her struggle to deal with her grief is forcing her to reinvent herself and reach out to others in ways she never imagined.

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Goodreads

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers that murdered her love, the Crown Prince Enzo Valenciano.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

Calvin by Martine Leavitt

Goodreads

In this latest novel from National Book Award finalist Martine Leavitt, a schizophrenic teen believes that Bill Watterson can save him from his illness if he creates one more Calvin & Hobbes comic strip.

Seventeen-year-old Calvin has always known his fate is linked to the comic book character from Calvin & Hobbes. He was born on the day the last strip was published; his grandpa left a stuffed tiger named Hobbes in his crib; and he even has a best friend named Susie. As a child Calvin played with the toy Hobbes, controlling his every word and action, until Hobbes was washed to death. But now Calvin is a teenager who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, Hobbes is back—as a delusion—and Calvin can't control him. Calvin decides that if he can convince Bill Watterson to draw one final comic strip, showing a normal teenaged Calvin, he will be cured. Calvin and Susie (and Hobbes) set out on a dangerous trek across frozen Lake Erie to track him down.

Instructions for the End of the World by Jamie Kain

Goodreads

From the author of The Good Sister comes a gripping novel about two sisters who learn that there are things in life—love, loss, and self-discovery—that you simply can't prepare for.

He prepared their family for every natural disaster known to man—except for the one that struck.

When Nicole Reed’s father forces her family to move to a remote area of the Sierra Foothills, one without any modern conveniences, it's too much too handle for her mother, who abandons them in the middle of the night. Heading out to track her down, Nicole’s father leaves her in charge of taking care of the house and her younger sister, Izzy. For a while, Nicole is doing just fine running things on her own. But then the food begins to run out, the pipes crack, and forest fires start slowly inching their way closer every day. Wolf, a handsome boy from the neighboring community, offers to help her when she needs it most, but when she starts to develop feelings for him, feelings she knows she will never be allowed to act on once her father returns, she must make a decision. With her family falling apart, will she choose to continue preparing for tomorrow’s disasters, or will she take a chance and really start living for today?

Instructions for the End of the World is a gripping, young adult novel that explores family, friendship, and love in the midst of the most difficult and dangerous circumstances.

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

Goodreads

A mysterious graffiti artist, an anatomy-obsessed artist, and a night bus that will bring the two together.

Artist Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she's spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Da Vinci’s footsteps, she's ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.

Jack is charming, wildly attractive . . . and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in Beatrix’s own family’s closet tear them apart?

Losers Take All by David Klass

Goodreads

From the author of the backlist favorite You Don't Know Me, a dramedy about the agony of victory and the thrill of defeat.

At Jack Logan’s sports-crazy New Jersey high school, the new rule is that all kids must play on a team. So Jack and a ragtag group of anti-athletic friends decide to get even. They are going to start a rebel JV soccer team whose mission is to avoid victory at any cost, setting out to secretly undermine the jock culture of the school. But as the team’s losing formula becomes increasingly successful at attracting fans and attention, Jack and his teammates are winning in ways they never expected—and don’t know how to handle.

 Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern
Goodreads

A heartrending but ultimately uplifting debut novel about learning to accept life's uncertainties; a perfect fit for the current trend in contemporary realistic novels that confront issues about life, death, and love.

Seventeen-year-old Rose Levenson has a decision to make: Does she want to know how she's going to die? Because when Rose turns eighteen, she can take the test that will tell her if she carries the genetic mutation for Huntington's disease, the degenerative condition that is slowly killing her mother. With a fifty-fifty shot at inheriting her family's genetic curse, Rose is skeptical about pursuing anything that presumes she'll live to be a healthy adult—including going to ballet school and the possibility of falling in love. But when she meets a boy from a similarly flawed genetic pool, and gets an audition for a dance scholarship in California, Rose begins to question her carefully-laid rules.

Which new covers are your favorite?  Let me know in the comments!

Interview with Cori McCarthy, author of Breaking Sky

I'm thrilled to welcome Cori McCarthy to the blog today for an interview! Cori's sophomore novel, Breaking Sky, has just his shelves and is already being lauded as "the next big thing" by Kirkus, which if you know anything about Kirkus, is a pretty big deal. As someone who has met Cori and long appreciated her writing, I can tell you that Breaking Sky deserves the hype! Check out the interview below, as well as the book trailer for Breaking Sky!

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Apart from separate publishing houses, were there any big publishing process differences between your first book, The Color of Rain, and your second, Breaking Sky?

Hmm, that’s a very good question. Both of my books went through vigorous rounds with my agent before they even went on submission to editors, and both of my books changed drastically once a publisher purchased them. I suppose the answer to this question is no, and that’s rather surprising to me… 

Tell me a little bit about your writing process: Do you outline? Start at the beginning? The middle? The end?

I start at the beginning—with a character and an idea. With Breaking Sky, I wanted to write a teenage, Starbuck-styled girl with mega issues. A sincerely unlikeable character. And I wanted to write about fighter jets. As a sidenote, I was desperate to write something that had banter and humor in it because my debut book was very dark and bleak, and yet I also wanted to write about a world that was frighteningly familiar. I did a lot of research, extrapolating a worst-case scenario for the United States over the next few decades, which became my worldbuilding. So, I guess I should say that I started with a huge dream of a novel. It took much outlining, and MUCH rewriting and revision, but I’m really happy with how it finally turned out.

What jobs did you have on your way to becoming a published author? Is there a certain work experience that has shaped your writing or provided inspiration?

All of my life experiences make it into my stories, some more obviously than others. Before I started writing fulltime, I was a reading tutor for kindergarteners and a coordinator of an after school program for at-risk children. While that work turned my attention to writing for children and young adults, I’d say that I’ve gotten even more story inspiration from the crap jobs that I’ve had. I’ve worked at a gas station and liquor store. I was once even a walk-around entertainer at an amusement park (seriously, I was a Zombie during Oktoberfest!).

If you had to pick a favorite word, what would it be and why?

Shiny. Like from Firefly—for crystal stars and great smiles and metal jet skin. I’m naturally a rather pessimistic, downtrodden person, but I’ve been choosing to skew happy and look on the bright side since my rather depressed years as a teenager. So maybe I’m a “recovering pessimist” these days…

My blog is dedicated to my personal hiding spot, books. Who, what, or where can be credited as your personal escape from reality?

Writing stories. As I already indicated, my emotions ran too high during my childhood, and I spent most of the time searching for a place that felt safe. I found that place in my imagination, learning to deal with my anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsive tendencies by creating. When I’m not writing fiction, I write poems and I draw. I also play guitar, and quilt and cook.

What can readers look forward to next?

I’m going out on a limb here! I’m currently writing a contemporary YA story called, You Were Here. It’s a summer misadventure told through five point of view characters who are navigating the converging lines of friendship and history, grief and forgiveness, high school and college, and the hardest of all? Understanding one another. It’s forthcoming from Sourcebooks in the spring of 2016.

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About the Author:

Cori McCarthy studied poetry and screenwriting before falling in love with writing for teens at Vermont College of Fine Arts. From a military family, Cori was born on Guam and lived a little bit of everywhere before she landed in Michigan. Learn more about her books at CoriMcCarthy.com.

Don't miss the Breaking Sky book trailer!

More about Breaking Sky:

Fly to the last drop of fuel. Fight to the last drop of blood.

Showoff. Reckless. Maverick. Chase Harcourt, call sign “Nyx”, isn’t one to play it safe. In the year 2048, America is locked in a cold war – and the country’s best hope is the elite teen fighter pilots of the United Star Academy. Chase is one of only two daredevil pilots chosen to fly an experimental “Streaker” jet. But few know the pain and loneliness of her past. All anyone cares about is that Chase aces the upcoming Streaker trials, proving the prototype jet can knock the enemy out of the sky.

But as the world tilts toward war, Chase cracks open a military secret. There’s a third Streaker, whose young hotshot pilot, Tristan, can match her on the ground and in the clouds. And Chase doesn’t play well with others. But to save her country, she may just have to put her life in the hands of the competition.

  Buy It / Goodreads