Judge a Book by Its Cover – Cinder

In Judge a Book by Its Cover posts, I compare different covers for the same book, and judge which cover, in my opinion, best fits the book, either because it is the cover I'd be most likely to pick off the shelf or because it fits the style, mood, or plot of the book. I'd love to hear your opinions on these covers.

In this edition of Judge a Book by Its Cover, I decided to judge the different covers for Cinder by Marissa Meyer. The covers are all very different, but I like them all, and they each bring out a different aspect of the story.

As always, click on any cover for a larger image.

Cover No. 1

US/UK

Cover No. 2

France

Cover No. 3

Italy

Cover No. 4

Spain

Cover No. 1: This the the US cover I know and love, and (partially because it is the one I am most familiar with), I'd say it is my favorite of the bunch. I really like the contrast of the red shoe against everything else on the cover, and how the cover designer managed to show the mechanics inside her leg in a way that worked with the roundness of the foot and shoe, one of my favorite aspects. On the ARC cover (shown right, courtesy of Small Review), the emphasis is much more on the mechanical-ness, and the entire effect was not nearly as nice. I really like the font used for Marissa Meyer's name, and the title font works well with the the rest of the cover (although that bit coming down from the C bothers me a bit).

Cover No. 2: This cover screams "Disney's Cinderella" at me, even though the mechanics in her leg are still visible. I think it's the color of the shoe. The main thing I notice is the shoe - which, as this is a Cinderella retelling, may not be a bad thing. I like the light reflecting of the surface of the show, and the shadow under the title. I also like the subtitle "the Lunar Chronicles" (but in French) as it fits well with the rest of the title and it will provide a common line between all of the books in the quartet. I do wish Marissa Meyer's name was in the name font as on the US/UK cover (and as the subtitle), but I can see why the font they chose works better for the cover. Also, in this cover, you can see more of the springs and gears in her leg, since the top is not in shadow like in the US cover. I'm not sure whether I like or dislike that aspect, but I thought it was worth noting.

Cover No. 3: Of all the covers, this is the most fantasy-esque. I like the way that the illustrator chose to show the android elements in her arm but I don't really like her hair, which is the first thing I notice in the cover. This couldn't be Queen Levana, could it? Then I would understand. But for Cinder, this girl isn't it for me. First, though, the things I do like: The repeated circles in her hair, on her necklace, her glove, and her skirt are a nice touch, and I really like the way the title is presented, and especially the tagline, "In the future, stories begin with Once Upon a Time..." If I remember correctly, that was also the tagline for the US edition, but it wasn't on the cover. I also like the coloring for the entire cover, and the way the moon is right behind Cinder in the background. I also love that this is an illustrated cover. Illustrated covers always get bonus points. Yet (as always), there are also a bunch of things I don't really like. First and foremost, the hair. I already mentioned this in the beginning of my thoughts on this cover. Okay, it's futuristic and cool. But it's also medusa-y and odd and so not Cinder. Also, for some reason it really bothers me that she is so skinny. This at least makes some sense, but I really don't like it. Finally, her eyes. I don't know why, but the brown looks very strange for some reason. Maybe this is on purpose, but I don't like it. Despite these complaints, I do like the cover overall.

Cover No. 4: I don't have as much to say about this cover. I really like the idea, and although the picture turned out very well, I don't think it is the best image for the book. I do like that she has one mechanical leg and one non-mechanical leg, and I like the bits of red sprinkled throughout the cover: on her nails, the bow on the dress, Marissa Meyer's name, etc. My favorite part of this cover, however, is that the C in Cinder is a moon. That is so cool, and it works so well with the book. I also like how the cover is so simple, yet there is still so much to look at.

My Favorite: I have to choose the US/UK cover, but I can easily see why someone else might choose another cover. The French cover is a close runner-up, and I really like the Spanish cover although it doesn't fit this particular book as well.

Which is your favorite? Judge this book by its cover!

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