They say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but we all do it. For many books, our first introduction is the cover, if not just the spine itself. Something about it has to stand out enough for you to pluck it off the shelf and read the summary. But what happens to those books with boring, plain, or, dare I say, hideous covers? While there are many factors that could cause a book to have a bad cover (self-published, low budget, older titles, just bad taste), it stands to reason that at least some of those poor cover choices have to be concealing real gems of literature. Today, I’ve compiled a list of books with terrible covers that I managed to look past and love.
**Please note, this article expresses my personal opinion on these covers. The reality is that someone created these covers and my opinion is not an attack on the artist or the author. As I already mentioned, there are many different choices that go into the creation of a cover and, many times, the author has little to no say. I’ve decided not to include self-published works in this list since not every author is an artist or able to afford one for the sake of cover art. I’ve also decided to only include titles published within the last 20 years. There have been a lot of advancements made in digital art since 2000 and I cannot fault any of the books published before this time for their poorly photoshopped or simplistic covers.
Without further ado, here is my list of 5 books that you should read in spite of their covers.
1. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens. When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….
Published in 2006, this is one of my favorite series. If you enjoy Paranormal Romance, Fae, slow burn, or Urban Fantasy, I think this one is worth the read. Admittedly, these covers have gotten a facelift (or two) for the paperback editions, but the original covers likely stem from the author’s origins in the Romance genre. I have many friends (and my mother) who were able to look beyond the cover and love the series. It is currently 10 books and the final book is due out in January 2021. However, this series is not for everyone even if you enjoy fantasy. There are Alpha males and CW for violence, mental illness, and rape (important: the love interest is not the rapist).
2. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn’t like his job, and the immortal who’s still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.
Published in 2009, Warbreaker is book 1 of it’s own planned trilogy, and one of many of the Cosmere world. Everything Sanderson writes is gold, but his covers leave something to be desired. This one in particular seems lackluster and a bit strange. Nevertheless, this book is one I highly recommend. Although, you may want to pick up one of his completed series instead since this one has no planned release date for book 2.
3. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She’ll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace- and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia. And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly’s Dusté and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison. As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can’t control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren’t so clear.
Published in 2005, Poison Study is another series that has seen many covers, but none of them are great. There are 6 books in total, 9 if you include the spin-off trilogy. Many people adore this series. I only loved book 1. The other 5 took the story in a different, and far more tedious, direction. I didn’t even bother with the spin-offs, but the first book is definitely worth a try, even if that is where you stop.
4. Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson
Lord of the Fading Lands is the first book in the epic romantic adventure that combines sweeping fantasy with breathtaking paranormal romance. USA Today and New York Times bestseller C. L. Wilson dazzles with a magnificent, heart-soaring tale of passion and great destiny—of the tormented Fey King Rain, the woodcutter’s daughter Ellysetta, who would be queen, and their eternal quest for true love in the mystical Fading Lands.
I know I said I was only going to include books from this century, and I WASN’T LYING. Published in 2005, Lord of the Fading Lands looks like something out of 1975. The entire Tairen Soul series is 5 books that have somehow never received a cover update. My mother and I both enjoyed this Fantasy Romance that I first picked up on the recommendation of Sarah J Maas. This is one you might want to pick up on Kindle, just so no one that sees you reading has to be subjected to this cover.
5. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.
Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.
The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…
Published in 2007, Magic Bites is the first book of the Kate Daniels series. There are I think 10 books in the series currently, and I’ve only read 3 of them, but I loved them all and, yes, they all have terrible covers. This specific book has many incarnations, but they are all pretty bad. However, I still recommend this series if you enjoy Urban Fantasy with badass heroines and shifters. It’s perfect for fans of Mercy Thompson or Cat & Bones (actually I believe it’s better than both of those, but it’s similar.)
So, it looks like Fantasy books tend to have some of the worst covers. There were many older books that could be on this list too. I’m looking at you Outlander and Interview with the Vampire! Not to mention several books with covers that are just mediocre like the new ACOTAR covers. What even are those?!
Have you read any of the books listed above? I’d love to know what books you think should be added to this list. What are some books you love with bad covers? Let me know in the comments!
Funny, you mention two series that I find myself avoiding because of the covers! Darkfever and Magic Bites. One of my best friends loves her books a lot…steamier…than I do and she recommended Darkfever. That didn’t help either, sad to say. I’ll have to at least give them a chance. Fun topic!
The good thing about the Fever series is that it is a super slow burn. There’s very little “action” in the first few books, so you could start with the first one and see if you like the plot before you get into any of the steamy parts.
That Sanderson cover is particularly odd.
It makes me think of a high school art assignment, like your first time using photoshop or something.
Unfortunately, my photoshoot attempts still look like this.😆😆