Monday, November 29, 2010

Cover Review (3) The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme hosted by Tawni at The Book Worms where a beautiful cover is featured each week for all of us to admire. I am going to use my Cover Crazy posts as an opportunity to review a book cover I love or review any cover (even the ones I don't love) from a book I've read. This week's Cover Crazy is for a cover I both love and have read the book: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

I find both covers for this book to be incredibly striking. Both conjure a number of questions, making me want to open the book and find out the answers. From a design standpoint, I applaud the people who designed these covers. I’m terrible in that I almost 100% judge a book by its cover. In this case, the designers created two covers that are both visually pleasing and make me really curious about the story. Already I have positive impressions of the book and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy and start reading. That is exactly what a book cover should do. 

The cover on the left is the US hardcover and the first to be published here. The dominant color that catches my eye is a vivid blue from the butterfly. My first question arises: What is the significance of the butterfly? Butterflies are beautiful, but they are also fragile. Do these qualities reflect something about Jenna Fox? Butterflies also represent metamorphosis, though they are the final stage of that change. If this butterfly somehow represents Jenna, then what change did she go through? Will her final form be as fleeting as a butterfly?

The hand underneath the butterfly further connects these images to Jenna Fox by showing a tangible connection between the butterfly and the person. The hand rests under the butterfly, however, and it is mostly obscured. As I read the story, I discovered the significance of the butterfly encompasses these metaphors, but it also represents something much more integral to the story that I never would have guessed. This something else makes the prominent placement of the butterfly over the hand have so much more meaning. I bet you’re curious now, huh?

The final part of this cover that stood out to me was the tagline: "How far would you go to save someone you love?" On its own, that is a powerful question that demands an answer. But the answer can’t ever be a simple one, can it? How far would you go? I wondered how the characters would be faced with this question and what their answers would be.  Would I agree with them?

The second cover is the US paperback edition, which came out a year after the hardcover edition. This cover offers more of a direction to the story, but it still brings to mind a host of questions.

The tagline here says something very different from the hardcover edition. Here it reads: "She wasn’t supposed to survive the accident. But she did." Now we know there is an accident involved somehow, and apparently a very bad one. The first question that springs to my mind is how did she survive? Did something shady happen? Did something paranormal intervene? I had no clue, but I really wanted to find out. I also wondered about the nature of the accident, because we know something pretty horrific must have happened.

The puzzle pieces underscore the sense of mystery here. I have so many questions just from looking at the cover alone, and here the cover is almost toying with me by saying, “Why yes, this is a mystery for you to figure out!” Gee thanks, but, you know what? I now really, really want to know what’s going on.

The final part of this cover that stood out to me was the color blue. The cover is almost devoid of all color, but that bright blue really pops out. It sits under her skin almost glowing. The pattern looks almost like something I would associate with a computer or a cell under a microscope. What is the significance? Why is it under the puzzle pieces of her face? Does it mean something, or did the cover designer just think it looked cool and paranormal?

The blue color seems extra important when put in context with the bright blue butterfly on the hardcover edition. At this point, I’m thinking the color blue must have some kind of significance here, though the contrast between the organic butterfly and the almost electronic blue under the puzzle pieces make for a strange and intriguing contrast.

So how badly are you dying to know the answers to these questions? You can read my The Adoration of Jenna Fox review, but don't count on me spilling all the beans! You’ll just have to read the book to find out. 

What do you think when you see these covers? Do you like one more than the other?  Do these covers make you want to read the book, or do they turn you off? 

Interested in covers? Be sure to check out another Cover Crazy post by Gina at her blog My Precious.


  1. Originally posted by Gina@MyPrecious

    Its funny you selected The Adoration of Jenna Fox because I was looking at it in your other post, thinking, boy I sure like that cover. Then, to find out you felt the same gave me a little chuckle. You are very good at analyzing cover, you have a stong insightful mind. :-)

  2. Thank you, but great minds think alike! I rarely ever think all of these things when I first see a cover. My thoughts are usually more like "OHWOWTHAT'SPRETTY!!" and then I sit and try to think of something a little more coherent and a little less jumping up and down while clapping.

    I almost picked a different cover, but my mind kept turning back to The Adoration of Jenna Fox and so I figured, why fight it? :)

  3. I really like both covers! Hmm, but I think the second one is a bit more interesting and leaves me wanting more, for my questions to be answered. However, I think the tagline of the first is a bit more intriguing than the tagline of the second.

  4. They are both nice, aren't they?

    I agree, the second cover really does offer more and spark more questions. I think it's a lot more concrete. I feel sort of attached to the first one though because it's pretty and the one I read.

    I also agree with you about the tagline. The second one deals more with the surface plot points, but the first one really hits home with the overarching point of the book. At least, one of the main ones.

  5. I looked at the first cover and thought 'WOW! Must buy this!' Unfortunately I always judge a book by it's cover, although it works for me, there's not many books I can't get into at all. Anyway I looked at the second cover and went 'Oh, that's okay... I guess...'
    Honestly, I wouldn't buy the book based on the second book cover. But because of the first one I'm putting it on my wishlist!

  6. I went ahead and linked to your Cover Crazy in my post too - Great Idea! :-)

  7. I like both of the covers also. It's a great book and each of the covers give a little peak into the book in their own way. This book is not only a good read but there is lots to discuss with it too.

  8. Hi Lisa. You're so right about the covers each giving a different peak into the book. There's a ton to discuss with it, that's for sure. It really made me think. I'll have a review up for it soon.

  9. Great choices, love both covers and both offer something different!
    l always find myself attracted to book covers with simple pictures like the butterfly

  10. Glad you like them. I still can't decide which cover I like more. One day I'm leaning toward the butterfly, but then the next I think I prefer the other. They're both so much more powerful now that I've ready the story.






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