Cover to Cover: Poison Study

After finishing Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, I was actually amazed with everything about it. My review will be coming soon, but first, I'm going to do a cover to cover! I have modified some of the categories slightly, and also will be doing five covers.

This cover is beautiful. This is the copy that I own, and I'm really glad I bought this one because it's absolutely gorgeous. The typography is subtle, yet effective, and I really like the way the vines snake through the letters. It is one of those covers that you just love to look at. I wouldn't say the cover is extremely original, but the incorporation of the girl and the vines is very well done. There are a lot of covers with just a girl's face on them in YA books lately, but this one has her at a different angle, and she really is only in the top half of the cover. The story connections are, sadly, lacking. The character, Yelena, is incorporated, as is a quote from Publisher's Weekly which I very much agree with, but the actual vines, and her just kind of laying there with her hair flowing into the vines... well, it doesn't relate. At all.

Originality: 5
Graphics/Photography: 9
Typography: 7
Story Connections: 5
Total: 26/40
Bonus: 1

We are now moving on to another paperback cover. This cover is also quite visually appealing, and quite original as well. Though it does use photography (not quite as original), it still looks unlike any other cover I've seen before. The castle corridor and the sprig of what could be poison below the title also connects well to the story. The main character, Yelena, was also incorporated, and she was wearing red like her uniform in the book, however, it is not described as a robe, nor was it described as so extravagant. I like the band across the centre, however, I think the typography is a bit boring and I don't like how the author's name is almost as big as the title. I also feel like, though I like the band, it kind of takes away from the actual image.

Originality: 6
Graphics/Photography: 8
Typography: 5
Story Connections: 7
Total: 26/40

This is another paperback edition of poison study. To be honest, I find it kind of boring. I also find that it looks a bit like the cover of Wildefire, which takes away from the cover because all I see when I look at it is Wildefire. I also don't like that the author name is bigger than the actual title! I like the font for Maria V. Snyder, but the title is very boring. The only story connection is the poison on the front, because that's really all that's on the cover. There is no quote or anything either. The graphics and photography are boring, and I don't find it to be very visually appealing. This book cover definitely does not stand out, it just fades into the background.


Originality: 2
Graphics/Photography: 4
Typography: 3
Story Connections: 4
Total: 13/40

I love this cover of Poison Study! It's immediately gripping and combines many aspects of the book. FIrst of all, I love the colour scheme. It really sets the tone for the book. I LOVE the font, however I think the author's name could be slightly smaller. The flawless blending of images is really amazing in this copy. We have the castle, which is where most of the book takes place, Yelena, who looked just how imagined her, but you can't see her face, the bottles of poison, and the book which could either mean Reyad's journal or the book of poisons. Every image flows into the next with perfection, and it covers the most important parts of the novel. This blending of images also makes the book cover original and different. 

Originality: 9

Graphics/Photography: 10

Typography: 8

Story Connections: 10

Total: 37/40 

This cover is... interesting. Very... interesting. For some reason, this cover just doesn't grip me! Sure we see Yelena, but we can't really imagine her as well since you can see her face and everything. For some reason, I just don't like the background where she's standing. I guess it has the food she tastes, which connects to the story, but I still don't really see it. It doesn't fit the tone or mood of the book at all, it's a little boring, and I the strip of red at the bottom is just kind of random. The typography is nice, but the colour doesn't look that great to me. I just don't find this cover to suit the book at all, and I don't like the use of orange in the cover. It is somewhat, a little bit, original. And the final scores are...


Originality: 4
Graphics/Photography: 4
Typography: 3
Story Connections: 3
Total: 14/40

In last place is the third cover, who lost marks for it's bland design and similarity to another cover. Pulling into second last by just one point is the fifth cover I showed you, because it's lack of interest and  different tone and mood than the actual book. We have a tie for first and second between the first and second images, but because of personal preference, the first cover earns second for it's visual appeal and beautiful imagery. The second image comes in third due to it's slight lack of originality, but nice story connections. Finally, in first place, is the fourth image! This one really had it all: originality, amazing story connections, beautiful, flawless image flow, great typography, and finally, perfect mood to match the book.

What's your order? Even if you haven't read the book, which one immediately grabs you? Thanks for reading, and don't forget to comment. :)