Feathers are interesting little things, aren’t they? And pretty.
But did you know peacock feathers are considered to be bad luck, especially for performers? I learned that in a book (Girl on a Wire, to be precise), which seems very fitting considering this is a book blog.
There’s also a belief that “feathers appear when angels are near” and that feathers are a message from loved ones who have passed.
There are actually a lot of different beliefs when it comes to all different types of feathers, but those were the only two I knew off the top of my head, so I just thought it’d be fun to share them.
Anyway, feathers turned out to make a fairly good topic for book covers, though a more difficult topic than I thought it would be since I tried to stay away from birds and wings and focus on covers that had individual feathers on them. So here’s what I found!
Cover Characteristics is a weekly meme hosted at Sugar & Snark. This week’s topic is:
Books Covers featuring Feathers
Pin the Collage!
Angels’ Flight by Nalini Singh
This one is just overall pretty and very magical/fantasy-esque with how she’s floating.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
I’ve always liked these covers. I like things that are black and white with just a splash of color, and the font is nice.
Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley
This is just pretty, the colors and the way the feather turns into birds.
The Descended Series by John Patrick Kennedy
Plague of Angels just caught my attention when I first saw it even though I don’t tend to like angel books. They’re nice covers.
Torn by Kate Sparkes
It’s just pretty, the colors and the whole image. Plus there’s a pegasus in the background, so…
A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
I’m not a big fan of the colors on the second version, but that first one is gorgeous.
Steal the Day by Lexi Blake
Ok, I admit there’s nothing particularly special about this cover, and I’ve read this book twice and don’t recall there being anything about feathers, but I’m a little biased considering it’s pretty much my absolute favorite series. (Check out my review for the first book!)
Of Demons and Angels Series by Lisa Gail Green
Another angels and demons book that caught my attention because of the pretty cover. I was so close to choosing these as my favorite because they’re just so pretty, especially the first, and I love how the font looks too.
Sin by Sharron Riddle
This one is simple yet still pretty and eye-catching.
My Favorite:
A Bride of Salt and Stars by Terry Maggert
I LOVE all the covers in this series, but this was the only one with feathers. I mean, this is just gorgeous! And all the covers have some some fierce looking women on them!
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I had a little trouble w/ this one- took me awhile to find covers . I like A Thousand Nights the best, especially the first one. And I like Magonia too. The Angel covers caught my eye too, there’s a lot in those covers and they seem a little dark.
The Angels Flight cover reminds me of NeNe Thomas’ artwork.
Yeah, I had some trouble too. I thought feathers would be so easy! I had a bunch of covers bookmarked in my old computer since it just seemed like a good idea even if it was never an official topic and then the computer broke and I lost them lol. Anyway, yeah I was really happy when I found that A Thousand Nights cover because it’s gorgeous. Finding that one was a happy accident lol.
I’ll definitely go check out that artwork!
I tend to like her older stuff better. Some favorites are Direwood and Queen of Owls, and Hope’s not bad either. Her older stuff seems more mysterious to me…
Those three you mentioned are gorgeous. I also like Dark Skies. It’s kinda funny though, her art reminds me of the fairies I used to draw all the time when I was a little kid, except mine were terrible little kid drawings lol. Hers are like the actual detailed and good version lol.
Magonia is my favourite cover out of all of these! Plague of Angels is a close second for me.
Wren @ http://fortheloveofbooksreviews.blogspot.ca/
That Magonia cover really stands out, and Plague of Angels also just really got my attention!
I didn’t knew any of those superstitions/ beliefs, thanks for sharing. It’s interesting to hear about superstitions or beliefs associated with events or objects etc.I’ve never liked that cover for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, not sure why, but I really don’t like it. I am glad I got the cover edition with the door for this book. I really enjoyed the first book, second book was a bit less good and I still haven’t read the third book yet.
I didn’t notice the Pegasus on the Torn cover until I came to the bigger cover version. It’s a nice cover. Magonia is a pretty cover too with how birds from from the feather and the bright colours of the feather. The feather really is the main focus of that one. The cover for Of Angels and Demons are pretty too and nicely incorporate feathers.
It’s crazy, I started looking up feather beliefs, and there were so many, so I kind of just stopped reading and only included the two that I knew. That’s funny though, I’ve always liked the cover for Smoke and Bone lol. Maybe just because I like the color splash with the black and white. I haven’t read the books though.
Torn really is a nice cover. I actually didn’t have that one when I first scheduled the post but I came back to add it lol. And I just love those Angels and Demons covers, and the feathers look so magical and floaty on those.
I love A Bride of Salt and Stars. The cover is so intriguing! I don’t think I know any other feather superstitions or the like. I knew the one about peacock feathers, and the saying about angels (because I watched A LOT of Touched by an Angel).
Apparently nobody else likes A Bride of Salt and Stars very much since you’re the first person to mention that one lol, but I just love it! I’ve not seen Touched by an Angel, but I came across that saying recently on Pinterest, I think it was 🙂
Great picks!! I love the DOSAB cover and that series is fabulous! I actually like both of the covers for A Thousand Nights, but I hated that book. LOL!
I love the Smoke and Bone cover too, although apparently quite a few people don’t. And I really don’t like the colors on the second Thousand Nights cover, but that first one is gorgeous! Didn’t read the book though lol.
Oh really? I had no idea that people didn’t like the DOSAB cover. I love all the covers for that series. I would say don’t waste your time trying A Thousand Nights, but I saw some people liked it so you never know, you might too!
I didn’t know people didn’t like it either until this week lol. I wasn’t planning on reading A Thousand Nights though, so don’t worry. It just never appealed to me.
Magonia and a Thousand Nights are my favourites. You got so many! Thanks for the nice intro, I knew about the peacock feather as bad luck. I remember when I grew up, a lady in our neighborhood had peacocks and one of them flew into the yard of this nasty old man who killed it. I remember thinking that he is going to have bad luck forever and ever….. Have a look at my Cover Characteristics as well!
Those are such pretty ones! But oh my goodness! He just killed a peacock for no reason?! That sounds terrible. He probably did have bad luck with all those feathers!
It’s been years ago and I haven’t been back there for at least 20 years. But I know his wife left him…..
Yikes. Can’t say I blame her.
What a great collection, Kristen:) My favourite among your feather covers is A Thousand Nights – but my alltime feather cover is the UK version of Daughter of Smoke and Bone – it is just GORGEOUS, with a spray of feathers with starling irridescence fanning across the cover. I practically drooled when I saw it… And it looks beautiful on the print book, too. As for beliefs – I do recall reading once that burning feathers would keep evil spirits away – I’m not surprised, I expect they smell vile! Have a great week.
Thanks! Ooh, I looked up the one you mentioned, and that is pretty! I hadn’t seen the UK version. I only just happened to stumble onto the UK version of A Thousand Nights, but you all do seem to have the better covers most of the time.
Haha, yes, I read something like what you just said in a book in which a character joked the only reason the incense someone was using would keep spirits away was because it smelled so bad they just wouldn’t want to be around it lol. I can’t imagine burning feathers would smell particularly good either! You have a great week too 🙂
Steal the Day is awesome! Never seen that before!
Sorry that this week’s post was a little late!
Thanks for joining in last week 🙂
Sugar & Snark
I like all the red on that one, and it’s such an amazing series!
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