UK Versus US Covers

Hey everyone,

Today is Thursday, which means another bookish post. Do you ever get a book, and then see the overseas cover and wish you’d bought that version instead? In honour of that feeling, I thought today I could go through some UK and US editions of YA books, talking about each cover design and explaining which one I prefer. The US editions will be on the left, the UK ones on the right.

1. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor                                              

Yeah, definitely think I prefer the U.K. edition of Strange the Dreamer here [I tried to do an acronym and then realized that was a HORRIBLE idea]. The U.K version is just so pretty and the gold and blue combination has to be my favourite look ever on a book. Plus there’s the moth on there, and it just seems to fit the story really nicely. Also, the blue looks like the night sky, which fits with dreaming. I’m not really sure why the U.S. version has the blue/yellow split, but it isn’t working for me.

Verdict: U.K. version please.

2. Everless by Sara Holland

Hmm. Think I’m going to have to go with the U.S. version here. I quite like the simplicity of the UK one, with the nice title and the way the sand in the hourglass looks like blood, which is a major theme of the book, but then there’s something so alluring about the US cover with the fiery kind of look and the sand becoming a kind of stairway. Plus the crown at the top is really clever and I like the more elaborate design.

Verdict: U.S. Cover

3. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

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Although I really like the U.S. edition of The Wicked Deep, I think the UK might have won this one.  The US one is pretty, and I love the trees and the ominous sense of it, and I think it captures the darkness of the book a lot better than the UK version, but it doesn’t really show the water at all, and the book is all about dead sisters coming out of the water, so it’s a pretty big deal for me. Also, the blue foiling on the UK edition really made me fall in love with this book at first glance.

Verdict: UK edition

4. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

I think this is a case of the US stealing it here. The leaves and creepy blue cold kind of colour work nicely on the UK edition, but the US one is simply gorgeous. There’s something very fairy-tale about it, with all the little details around the outside and the hourglass in the middle with the gates at the bottom.

Verdict: U.S. steal it.

5. This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab

The UK steal this one, hands down. I love the title design on the US version, but the UK one just has so much more detail to it and fits much better with the theme. I like how it keeps the sort of red, white and black thing that V.E. Schwab seems to have in all her books [except Our Dark Duet] and it has all the lovely black detail on it. The first time I saw it I didn’t even notice the rose, but I’ve come to really like the black oil sort of thing on the front and I wouldn’t change my edition for the US one.

Verdict: UK have won it.

6. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Okay, this one is a little different. Due to a special marketing strategy, Three Dark Crowns had three different covers in the UK, one for each of the queens. I ended up getting the rose one myself, but I think there’s just something so nice about the UK editions here and the thought that went into these designs. I like the US cover too, and how all three of the crowns are different, but I like how the UK ones give you someone to cheer for going into the book.

Verdict: UK again

7. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Ahh, here’s a one that also isn’t very close for me. The U.S. edition is just gorgeous, and I love the creepy mask and the shadows in the background, as well as the whole sort of Roman fantasy vibe of the marble frieze behind Mia. The UK one has some pretty cool elements to it– I like how the crow is made up of lots of different illustrations, and I spent a lot of time looking through them all when I first bought the book, but the US one is just more appealing to me.

Verdict: US this time.

8. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This one is definitely going to the UK. I don’t hate the US cover, but I’m not a big fan of it either. The title dominates the cover, and there’s not a whole lot else that clues you into the story, besides some houses and the person at the bottom of the book. The UK one seems to highlight the kind of ember quality, and I know from owning a copy that there’s pretty gold foil involved. Plus, we can see the silhouette of two characters there. It doesn’t give away too much, but it’s enough to make me pick this over the US version.

Verdict: U.K. definitely.

9. And I Darken by Kiersten White

The UK are running away with this one too. I don’t really know what is going on with the US one, except maybe it’s meant to show how Lada is not a typical feminine heroine, and she’s quite vicious, but I feel the UK one does that while highlighting the sort of historical fiction element of the book as well. It’s set in Wallachia, which is an old name for Romania, and I feel that the UK one kind of gives us a taste of that.  Also, the girl on the front is very unnerving, but she seems almost confident. I’m normally not the biggest fan of girl on a cover designs, but this one works for me.

Verdict: UK again here.

10. The Graces by Laure Eve

Hmm, I think the US has this last one. I know seashells and things play a part in the book, so I don’t totally hate the UK edition, but there’s not really much to suggest it’s a book about magic and potential witchcraft. The US version has that pretty celestial kind of thing going on. I’m not really sure what the flower is at the bottom, but I love the clouds and the moons and the clairvoyant eye at the top of the cover. It just screams magic and the occult to me.

Verdict: US cover wins.

What did you all think? What are some of your favourite UK or US covers? Please feel free to share and join in the debate in the comment section below.