1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Original Cover:
My Redo:
Side by Side:
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Up next week: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
(Source image “Procrastination King” http://flic.kr/p/bEV6pH)
About Travis Jonker
I love this book, it is actually one where I think the original cover is one of the best it has had. (Though I have no idea why it looks like they’re surrounded by waves.) I like the idea behind the redo but it feels kind of… fluffy? Too girly even though it is a book by a woman about a girl. And that is not how I picture the crown at all though I can’t remember the actual description. I think at the end you should pick your favorite covers that you created.
I reread the book just recently — the crown is a plain iron band. So, not a good match for the one on the redone cover (though it’s a very nice crown, and a good effort). I agree with Stephanie that the original cover was actually fairly good in this case, though it does look a little dated. Maybe simply reworking the font would help. . . .
While the redone cover might not match the content of the book as well, I find it much more appealing personally. I didn’t read this book for years because of the cover, even though I love Robin McKinley’s books. Every time I read the description somewhere I would think it sounded really good, but then when I went to get it from the shelf I never took it home. I finally read it last year and loved it. I do think the font is the major obstacle. The spine is particularly unappealing and unreadable.