US vs UK Book Covers

Hey Guys!

Today I wanted to do a post that I have been considering making for about a year now and that is US vs UK Book Covers. I have seen loads of people do these online and I love them. I think it is really fun idea. In case you haven’t seen one of these before, basically I will be comparing both the US version of a book cover against the UK version. I will also tell you which of the 2 I prefer. I am only going to be talking about books that I have read so that I can say which cover matches the story better and goes best with the feel of the book. I live in the UK so obviously I always get the UK editions of books as they are the easiest for me to get but quiet often I want the US edition. But anyway, I have talked for long enough, let’s get to the post.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

The US cover instantly wins this one. I really dislike the UK cover; I do not know why they changed it for us in the UK. I like that they both have the similar idea black, red and white (card suit colours) and the similar theme of roses and thorns, but I just prefer the US version. I think the UK one has too much going on, I don’t like the face and I don’t love the white background either. So US it is.

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

This is another win for the US. I hate the UK cover of this book (in fact I hate the UK covers for both of Nelson’s books). I find them really dull and boring and just not very appealing. I love the colours and the simplicity of the US edition. It feels more arty and in keeping with the themes of the book. given the topics of it I don’t think that the bright yellow cover of the UK edition fits very well.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

This is a tricky one. I love them both but I think that the UK version just wins. These covers are both very, very similar and I do really like them both. I like the simplicity of the UK version, with the black and gold but I also the colours on the US version. I think both fit the story very well. UK just wins as I find it a little bit more aesthetically pleasing then the US one.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Another win for the US. Although I like both covers I drastically prefer the US one. the UK one just feels a bit meh. I don’t think it really does the story justice. I prefer the US version. I love how simple it is but how much a statement it packs. It has elements of the story on it, the J’s, the protest signs. I don’t know, I just think it is a better match to the story and a lot nicer to look at. I’m not a big fan of faces on book covers.

Love And Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

This one is hard. When I first saw the UK cover I hated it but it has grown on me lately but I think I still prefer the US version. I love how simple it is and I love the colours. The UK version is still nice but very different. I personally just find that there is too much going on for my liking. I will say that I love that the ice-cream cones form a heart on the UK version.

Vicious by V E Schwab

I am talking about the new versions of Vicious for this one (since I hated both the US and UK editions of the original cover) and for this one I think the UK just wins. I love both of these, so much, but the UK is just a little bit better. I love that all of Schwab’s books seem to be getting the red, black and white theme to them. I really like that both editions are simple and contain similar themes such as bones and the silhouette of the person on the cover. I also think both designs fit the theme of the book well, I just find the UK version a little bit more appealing, although I do want to get a copy of the US edition.

 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

These two editions are very similar. They both contain the circus tent and have the black, white and red theme, but I think overall I prefer the UK version although I do love the US one. I love that the UK edition has Celia and Marco on the cover, I love that it has the bird and the red scarf and I just think it holds more of the story on its cover.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

These covers are very, very different. they only thing that they have in common is the colour scheme. Black, white and hints of red (I’m sensing a theme with colours lol) and honestly I cannot decide between them. I love them both. The UK cover is simple but also very detailed where are the US cover is more complex. I think that they both work really well with the story and are both very beautiful. I really don’t know which I love more.

A Darker Shade Of Magic by V E Schwab

Oh look, it’s another black, white and red colour scheme, lol. Again, I love both of these covers. They are very similar. Both have the same idea of Kell stepping between the different London’s on them. the US version is slightly more simplified whereas the UK is a bit more complex, but I do love them both. I think that they are both really beautiful and match the story really well.

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green

Again these two covers are very, very different and I really dislike one of them. I hate the US version. with a passion. I just think that it is really ugly. And although I don’t think either of them match the story very well, I much prefer the UK version. I love how simple it is and the colours and at least the UK cover does have something to do with the story.

And there we have it. I think that worked out at about 50/50. I think generally I do tend to prefer the US versions of books; I feel like more effort seems to do into them sometimes. But what about you? UK or US covers? I hope that you have enjoyed todays post and I will see you all again very soon.