Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Cover Story Special Edition: a chat about PASSION

OK, guys. Let's chat. Just know, the following post will be my own personal opinion, so agree with me, disagree with me,... but I'd love to hear what everyone has to say!

If you've been a reader here for awhile, you know how much I love the Fallen series, and how I adored and practically drooled all over the covers for Fallen and, especially, Torment. Well, as most of you probably know, the cover for the third book in the series (there will be four, as far as I know) was released just last week. Take a look:

So? What do you think? I have to admit, this is my least favorite of the three. In my opinion, it's pretty but it just doesn't have the same amazing, romantic, almost tortured-love feel as Fallen and Torment, and with the story going back through the past, 5,000 years of Daniel and Luce falling in love and having it end in tragedy, I can imagine that a "tortured love" is exactly what we're going to get in this one!
Here are a few of my honest to goodness thoughts on this cover:

~I don't really like that you can see her face. It was, strangely, one of the things that I loved about the first two covers. Left Luce a mystery and we each got to build up our own little image of her in our heads! If anything, I wish a reveal of Luce's face would have been left for the final book.

~I loved the gorgeous, muted, kind of monotone color palettes of the first two. I kind of understand the addition of more color in this one, as the story "heats up", but I think I would have liked to see it stay with just the pop of color in the flower. The strange brown clouds in the back? Not a fan.

~Speaking of the flower, as I've seen the lovely Juju point out, it definitely should have been a white peony. It was mention is both book 1 and book 2 that white peonies are Luce's favorite flower. I know, picky, picky. :)

Ok, so now, I'm going to share with you a few of my alternate choices that I would have loved to see on this book. They are all, of course, chosen from the gallery of the wonderful artist who created all the covers, Fernanda Brussi. All of her work is simply amazing!! All images below have been posted with her permission, and each one links back to her gallery so you can get a better look.

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This is the original of the art that was chosen for the cover. I kind of wish they had left it like this: her face more covered, no brown clouds in the back, and just that pop of red in the flower. Perfect! Plus the dress looks more flowy and soft because it was left lighter, the one on the final cover is kind of hard and stiff looking.








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This one is one of my favorites in Fernanda's whole gallery. I love the white dress, and would not have minded at all if they had switched Luce to a white dress...and that little hint of her face, that is about as much as I would have been okay with, LOL.







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THIS would have been my first choice for Passion, hands down. Love how she is looking over her shoulder and back (into the past?:D) Love the whispy strands of foliage and the ravens. And the gorgoeus flowing dress holds its own with the first two book's dresses.









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Just another good choice, I think! :) Kind of fits with the first two.








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This one would have been a fun choice, if you change the girls hair color to black, of course, and maybe kind of darken up the colors overall to flow better with the first two books. I thought with the story jumping back 5,000 years into the past, there has to be castles in the story somewhere, right?? :)






Okay, okay, I know we're not suppose to pay so much attention to covers! But when it comes to this series in particular, I seem to have built up a sort of fangirly obsession with them. Let's just say I'm very "PASSIONate" about it! (ayuck, ayuck...sorry, corny joke!) With all that said, I want to add this: Even though the cover is not my favorite of this series, you can bet I'll still be jumping up and down, first in line at my local book store when this releases!! I adore this series and can't wait for PASSION to release in June!!

11 comments :

  1. Ohh thanks for this awesome post!! I saw this cover around, and honestly I was shocked. I know this sounds harsh but this is how I felt. Fallen and Torment were amazing and Torment even won the goodreads award for the best cover.

    So when I saw this one I was so soo disappointed. I don't like the mix of the colors, I don't like the brown and I don't like seeing her face. Basically everything you said already!

    I ADORE the one in the white dress, I think this would have been a fantastic change for the third book. Not sure about the Butterflys, but I loved the white dress and what it does to the feeling of the picture.

    I truly have to say they picked the wrong one in my opinion. I know red means Passion which is why I guess they went with the addition of red. But there was no need of brown and her face.

    Ok, I need to stop rambling... but just to make it clear. I don't like it while I LOVE the ones you picked!

    Wonderful post!

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  2. I agree. It's my least favorite of the three. The white one would have been nice. To start black and end with white. GREAT post!

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  3. What a great post! I completely agree. The cover is pretty, but it's not my favorite. The third picture you have posted would have been PERFECT! That would have made Passion my favorite cover. :)

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  4. I haven't read this series yet, but a couple of comments on my blog this week have made me want to pick it up! I've always loved the covers for the series, apart from this new one. It doesn't really work for me. I love the picture of the girl in the white dress though - much better!

    The last picture you posted reminds me of the Australian cover for Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - different colours though.

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  5. What an interesting post. Thanks for showing us those photos, I didn't know about them. I completely agree with your favourite choice, it would've made such a gorgeous cover and fitted better to Fallen and Torment. I'm quite disappointed in the Passion cover as well, it just doesn't have this wow-effect about it when you look at it.

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  6. I haven't read the series yet, but I love the first two covers. This third one is such a let down. I can imagine how disappointed people who love the series must be. This cover is ok, but it is no where near as pretty as the first two. I agree with you about her face, but especially about the colors. I hate those brown clouds.

    Now the cover alternatives you posted are much better. The white dress is stunning. I also love #3 and #4 (#3 just a tiny bit more). Either of those match really well with the first two. Number 5 is nice, but isn't that the same girl on the Australian edition of Unearthly?

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  7. Thanks so much to everyone who's commented here! Glad I'm not alone on this one---or just completely crazy! :)

    Leanna & Small Review: #5 is most definitely the same girl and dress as the AU Unearthly cover with the hair recolored orange (which I loved because the orange hair is so significant to the story!).

    I now really hope they use #2 with the white dress for Rapture (Fallen, book 4). It would be pretty cool to have the first three with black dresses and the final book in white! Yeah, not too sure the butterflies would fit, but maybe they can be changed to small black birds or something! :)

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  8. I love the third one! Something seems a little off with the one they chose. :(

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  9. I agree with everything you said. I think they should have went with your first choice in covers, too. It would have made a gorgeous addition to the series.

    To add that weird cloud color now, and to see her face, just don't go with the first two books - which just happen to be my favorite covers on my shelf.

    Verrrry disappointing. =(

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  10. I agree with you about being disappointed. I absolutely LOVED the covers for Fallen and Torment! The gothic feel of the covers and the mystery of not seeing her face was perfect for the story.
    Of the pictures you show, I think the third one would be my choice. If they wanted the flower, one could easily be put in her hand without detracting from the image at all. It might even add to it?
    The white dress cover would be ideal for the final book in the series - like you say, it would be fitting to start with black and end with white.
    I really enjoyed the post - thanks for sharing!
    *on a side note, don't all of these dresses look like they'd be fabulous to wear? (I mean if adults had a place to wear such things)

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  11. Oh I agree with your first choice!!

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