Read Lovely Books
Skulls, bones, and skeletons are classic book cover iconography, with symbolism for myriad tones or themes: horror,
Skulls are not tied to any one genre, though of course, they tend to be more popular
In the land of middle grade covers, the skulls tend to be subtle or cartoonish, while young
I’m ranking these covers by prettiness to eerieness, because that’s how I roll
A note: I tried to track down the designers for these gorgeous skull covers, but a few
Nell Barber is an expelled PhD candidate studying poisonous plants
She’s enamored with her mentor, Jane, and soon the two get tangled up in a web
Things get chaotic as they all intersect on the university campus in work and play
Hex is told in a winding, stream-of-consciousness way, which makes this delicate floral arrangement the perfect skull
Maali Almeida is a war photographer, closeted gay man, and gambler, and he just woke up in
As he looks down from above to see his earthly body slowly sinking in a lake, he
The afterlife is crowded, chaotic, and full of bureaucratic red tape
Meren and Tabra are twin princesses, but Tabra is the one who gets the glory
When the Queen dies and Tabra is about to be named Queen, Meren is suspicious and slips
But as she tries to escape, the lies of her life begin to crumble, and somehow, that
Laura is a shipraider with one goal: find the ship that was blasted across the galaxy and
She has to fight off alien monsters that kill with their voice
Gideon is ready to get off this planet and end this life of servitude
But her childhood nemesis, Harrow, Necromancer of the Ninth, has been summoned by the Emperor to the
The competition turns deadly fast as Gideon and Harrow realize each House has their own secrets
She’s a bone witch — a necromancer — and ostracized by her community
The worldbuilding is top-notch as we watch Tea grow into the witch she’s meant to be
Full disclosure that I work for this book’s publisher, but just look at it
Tonight is Winnie’s birthday, and she’s ready to tell her story of being whisked away
He performs a ritual to summon the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free — but
Except the longer they’re together, the more they enjoy each other’s company
Cemetery Boys is a gorgeous, sad, charming story about coming of age and proving your worth
If ranking book covers is your jam, be sure to check out the worst covers of classic