This week’s topic is hearts! And if you thought I was really crazy enough to base my post on actual, realistic-looking hearts rather than the cutesy heart shape… you would be correct 😉 Ten points to your Hogwarts House. And also ten points to Ravenclaw because this is my blog and I say so.
Anyway, I did use some with cutesy heart shapes, but I also used some with realistic-type hearts because that just seemed like more fun and more fitting for the types of covers that I like. So if you’re super squeamish, this is your warning (although there’s only one cover that looks particularly realistic). The rest of you, enjoy!
Pin the Collage!
Heart of Thorns by Nicolette Andrews
This one looks all magical. I like the floating, glowy heart.
Risen by Cole Gibsen
The colors and the heart-shaped tree and the whole ominous, desolate look make this cover so striking!
Rasputin’s Supernatural Dating Service by David D. Hammons
This cover is just a lot of fun!
The Other Lamb by Katie Young
I actually like the realism of this one. (Is that actually a real heart? An animal heart, maybe?) It’s a very striking, attention-grabbing cover.
Time Weaver: Heart of Cogs by Jacinta Maree
That is a heart in her hands, right? This whole cover is just super interesting and pretty though, including the colors!
Ripper by Becca C Smith
Simple, but pretty, and such a nice shade of purple.
Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
This one is a different style than the others, but no less interesting, and the red really pops.
My Favorite #1:
The Passionate Queen by Jovee Winters
So much red! And all the covers in this series are stunning.
My Favorite #2:
Nefertiti’s Heart by A.W. Exley
This one is so pretty and unique with the steampunk, mechanical look of the heart!
My Favorite #3:
Heartsnare by Steven B. Williams
This is the most minimalistic one of the bunch, and technically it doesn’t have a heart on it (just an outline of one), but I think this cover is great! It’s so striking, and the colors and the crows and the thorniness of the vine things give it a dark feel. And the outline of the heart looks super cool.
![Book Review: Ignite Me (Shatter Me Book 3) by Tahereh Mafi [Audiobook]](https://metaphorsandmoonlight.com/wp-content/uploads/Book-Review-Ignite-Me-Shatter-Me-Book-3-by-Tahereh-Mafi-255x255.jpg)
Ooh Cover Characteristics. Did they ever come back BTW? Last I checked they were still hiatus-ing. Oh well. Good topic! As soon as I saw it I thought of that new YA book Bring Me their Hearts, because it’s been calling to me a bit! But alas it has no heart on the cover, that I can see. Okay on to your picks. My fave is The Passionate Queen- I just love the crystal ball, the dress, and yeah all the red. Amazing cover. Risen is nice, I always like storm clouds and I didn’t notice the tree was heart shaped til I read your thing.
I like Nefertiti’s Heart too with the steampunk or clockwork look. Reminds me of those Colleen Gleason covers for her Stoker/ Holmes books.
Heartsnare is awesome with the upside down birds.
I think they’re still on hiatus, I just keep doing the posts cuz I like them, and this one was sitting in my drafts for a while. This was one the official topics, but I missed the week when they did it. I didn’t even think of that book, tbh lol. I love the crystal ball/snow globe thing on those covers, idk why! Lol how did you not notice that the tree was a heart??? 😛 It looks so cool though!
It’s funny, I don’t love a lot of steampunk books, but they often have beautiful covers!
Well Paper Valentine aside you managed to find creepy covers with hearts! So no “hearts and flowers” here! LOL
Lol yeah a couple are cute, but cute books aren’t really my brand 😉
Love this! I think my favorite is Nefertiti’s Heart, but they are all pretty in their own way.
Thanks! Nefertiti’s Heart is a gorgeous one!
I love the mix of the graphic heart and the anatomical heart. Your #1 fave is beautiful, and I really liked the simplicity and lines of the #3 pick.
Thanks! I completely agree about the #1 and #3 picks!
I like how you went in both directions, realistic and symbolic. It covers a whole range of genres, I think! My favorites are Risen and Paper Valentine – I agree that the red really pops!
It seemed fitting for the types of books I like 🙂 Those are gorgeous ones!
Ohhh the paper heart and steampunk ones are super cute !! Love them covers
I agree!
This is awesome, This Mournable Body: A Novel by Tsitsi Dangarembga has some great artwork featuring realistic hearts.
I just looked up the cover, very cool!
I like the cover to Paper Valentine. It’s dark but cute. It’s also on my TBR list.
Dark but cute is the perfect way to describe that cover!
What a fun prompt!! I LOVE the cover of Nefertiti’s Heart!
It’s so beautiful!
I love your spin on the hearts topic. I never would have even guessed there were that many covers with actual hearts on them, lol.
Thanks! Lol it turns out there are quite a few!
I really like the cover to The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett. Bonus the protagonist draws cadavers lol
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
Oh that is cool with the title as the heart!
We were pretty much expecting cute heart covers, like Heartless by Marissa Meyer (though admittedly, it’s not too innocent when we think about it) but these are all quite dark. We both like the cover for Risen, and Heartsnare looks amazing too. Although it’s minimalistic, like you said, it’s just so striking. These cover are all so cool 🙂
~ Luna & Saturn @ Pendragons
I hadn’t really noticed, but you’re right, even a lot of the ones with normal heart shapes do look kinda dark! Those two are beautiful, and sometimes minimalism just works really well! Thanks, glad you like them too 🙂
This is why I love visiting your blog – I always find books here you just don’t see anywhere else. I’ve added 4 from this post alone to my wishlist. I love the cover of Heart of Thorns and can see me picking that one up soon. I’m glad you didn’t just go with cutesy hearts – I would expect nothing different )
Aww, thanks! People have noted that I managed to find some dark looking books for such a seemingly cute topic lol. You know me well 😉
I’ve always really liked the cover for Paper Valentine and the cover for NEFERTITI’S HEART is pretty awesome. I like the mechanical/steampunk look. Very cool!!
-lauren
They’re both beautiful! Steampunk often has great covers!
I think Paper Valentine is my favourite, though I am intrigued about Risen purely on the strength of that bleak cover 🙂
Risen is a really interesting looking one!
When I saw this post was featuring books with hearts I was kind of expecting like romance and cutesy type covers which didn’t make sense because you read more fantasy type books and I don’t recall any cutesy covers on here so it seemed weird so I am majorly impressed at the interesting covers you’ve managed to find featuring hearts. I do really love that cover for Heartsnare, simple but so interesting to look at. I like it! I do like the super realistic looking one on The Other Lamb just because it’s different!
Random story about hearts I actually once dissected a heart (I think it was a pig’s one) for a biology class and once I got over the weirdness of it it was actually really interesting. I thought I’d be really squeamish about it since I don’t like touching raw meat so imagine touching an actual heart! Turns out I totally wasn’t because I was so interested in it all, an excellent educational moment for me. So yeah, a random story for you there.
Lol you know me 😉 I can always find interesting sci-fi/fantasy covers! (Ok that’s not true, I just avoid topics that I can’t find my kinda covers for lol.) The Heartsnare one is really cool-looking, right? I figured The Other Lamb might actually be a pig heart or something. I think I read somewhere that they’re similar to human hearts? You’re the pig heart expert though 😉 I never dissected any hearts, but I can see how it might be interesting!
BEAUTIFUL Covers you have shared here. I haven’t read any books with hearts on them, but I love the design of these.
Thanks! Glad you like them too!
Great covers! ♥️ You did such a great job picking out this selection of covers. Nefertiti’s Heart and Heartsnare are my two favorites. They are both very different but unique.
Thanks! Those are gorgeous ones!
LOL on the house points. I’m in Gryffindorr 😉
I love the cover for Paper Valentine.
Ten points to Gryffindor! 😛
That one is really pretty!
Concerningly, I knew the Heartsnare one would be your favourite 😉
You just know me 😉
These are all so beautiful and striking in their own way! I love the different interpretations of a heart and that something that’s usually thought of as “cutesy” can be used in darker ways (like on the RISEN cover).
Glad you like them too! And it is really cool to see something that’s normally cutesy used in a different way!
Hearts on the cover of hearts in the title is pretty common! I remember when Nerefiti’s Heart came out because I read a lot of reviews for it and loved the sound of it. Then I proceeded to totally forget about it xD So thanks for reminding me of this one existing xD
It is! But it’s significantly harder when you’re looking for actual hearts, haha. Glad I could be of service 😉
That dating service book looks really funny! And I think Heartsnare is one of my favourite covers too, definitely eye-catching!
It does look like a fun book! Glad you like the Heartsnare cover too!