Friday Faceoff – Come, Fairies, take me out of this dull world… #Brainfluffbookblog #FridayFaceofffaecovers

This meme was started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which is we prefer. This meme is being nurtured by Lynn’s Book Blog and this week we are featuring covers with FAE. I’ve selected The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black.

This is the default cover design, produced by Little, Brown Books in January 2015. I like this one – the treatment of the font, with the forest almost growing out and around the lettering is striking, while that blue butterfly really pops. It works especially well in thumbnail and is well balanced, while providing an appropriate mood and atmosphere for the book. This is a strong, successful cover.

Published in February 2015, by Indigo – what a difference a colour makes! The same design as the previous offering, except for the background colour. I think this throws the lettering into even sharper focus and gives a cover a real feel of the dark, enclosed forest. While the previous cover is well designed, I think this one is better – and I so very nearly went for this one…

This German edition, published in April 2017 by cbt has broken away from the default cover to give us a representation of the main teenage protagonists. Along with the mysterious forest that encompasses their story… Initially, I thought this was a bit cheesy – but the sheer attention to detail, with the deep forest, the wolf on one shoulder, the eagle circling above and the girl appearing from a forest thicket on his other shoulder – has made me a lot more appreciative of the overall design. I particularly like the roots at the bottom of the image, with bits of the soil still falling, as if it has just been yanked out of the ground.

Published by Galera Record in March 2017, this Portuguese edition is a bit more generic, with some stylised flowers and butterflies adorning the cover. While it is certainly attractive and eye-catching, I find it bland and ordinary in comparison to the previous covers. My favourite part of this cover is the quirky title and author font, which I really like and immediately elevates this design into something more original.

This Russian edition, published in 2016 by ACT, is my favourite. I find that fae staring straight out at us is mesmerising. The ears and horns superimposed on that beautiful head makes it difficult for me to look away from his unusually coloured eyes. I love the detailing of the rich fabric, even on the highly embroidered lining, along with the brocade background of the forest. I haven’t read this one – but this is the cover that makes me want to track it down and add it to my teetering TBR list. While this is my favourite, which one do you prefer?