Cover-Judgers Anonymous - All These Things I've Done

Never judge a book by its cover.


If you've read my blog, you've probably heard me refer to myself as a shameless (SHAMELESS!) cover-judger. I know, I'm seeking help. But I don't think I'm the only one out there who does it.

So I invite you, readers, to share your opinion, and maybe we can find a cure for this problem together...or not.

Let the (shameless! SHAMELESS!) cover-judging begin!

In today's edition of Cover-Judgers Anonymous, it's not only the covers we're taking a look at, but the blurbs.  You see, I've had Gabrielle Zevin's All These Things I've Done sitting on my to-read pile for a LONG time.  Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely planning on reading and reviewing it, but something about it just hasn't managed to grab my attention.

Let's take a look...




In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.


Engrossing and suspenseful, All These Things I've Done is an utterly unique, unputdownable read that blends both the familiar and the fantastic.

It sounds good, but something about it just wasn't holding my attention.

But then I saw this...



Sixteen year-old Anya becomes the head of a mafia family after her parents are both murdered by rival gangs. Although Anya is embrolied in the criminal world, she is determined to keep her brother and sister out of the mafia family, but her father's relatives aren't so keen to let them go. When Anya's violent ex-boyfriend is poisoned with contaminated chocolate – chocolate that is produced illegally by Anya's mafia family – she is arrested for attempted murder and sent to the notorious jail on Manhattan Island.


Eventually she is freed by the new D.A. in town, who believs she has been framed. But this D.A. is the father of Win, a boy at school to whom Anya feels irresistibly drawn, and her freedom comes with conditions. Win's father wants to be mayor, and he can't risk having his ambition jeopardised by rumours spreading that his son is seeing a member of a notorious crime family. Anya knows she risks the safety of her family by seeing Win again, but the feeling between them may be too strong to resist...

And this, my darlings, is what I'm talking about.  For some reason, the UK cover just GRABBED me, and the blurb hooked me a lot more than the US/CDN cover.

So what do you guys think?  Which do you prefer? 

Let me know in the comments!  Don't be shy!  I've turned on anonymous comments for just this reason.

-geekgirl

Comments

  1. The first one grabs my eye more...but I'm also a chocoaholic! :)

    I'm a very shameless cover-judger too. I am much more likely to pick up a book if the cover is interesting to me...and then read the synopsis. Titles grab me too.

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  2. Hmmm - first one says story, second one says character. Maybe it depends on what you relate to more? I think the chocolate heart icon is a great cover decision, though I think it could've been used more dynamically, linked to the theme of a scary underworld somehow. I get the reasoning behind the text on the top cover, and it would definitely stand out as different on the shelf. Although I can't shake a tiny feel of 'looks like an inspiration/ self help title'. The second cover, while it draws you in, seems not to get across the very unusual premise, about chocolate/crime/ underworld, and the premise is one of the reasons I would want to read this book.

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  3. I truly like both covers. The US cover definitely makes more sense with the chocolate. I also really like the fact that Anya is the daughter of a mob boss, that definitely grabs my attention. The UK cover is really great too, with Anya gracing it. The blurb is also really good, focusing more on her and Win. I like the US cover more, along with the blurb. It sounds more mystery to me, focusing on how Anya's ex is poisoned by the chocolate her family is making and that she is arrested for it. The US one sounds more like the drug mystery the book is while the UK sounds like a love story. Both are amazing covers and blurbs are great but I'm sticking with the US copy.

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  4. hehe, I think I've been out-voted! There must be more chocolate addicts in the YA world than I thought!

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