Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!
On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Yes, yes, I know this is a super old redesign but with EMPIRE OF STORMS coming out SO SOON (omg, it’s really almost time!), I thought it would be fun to revisit this cover redesign. I got into the Throne of Glass series a little later than others. I didn’t pick it up until HEIR OF FIRE was coming out. Long story short, I had tried THRONE OF GLASS and was A) not a big fantasy person yet (how is that even possible) and B) not in the right place for it so I had returned it back to the library after time ran out with the promise to try again. When I tried again a few years later, I couldn’t believe what I had been missing out on! I totally binged the first three books, but that meant that I hadn’t gotten to discuss this cover change since I wasn’t in on it from the beginning! So let’s chat:
OLD COVER: The old cover was kind of cookie-cutter YA. The girl on the front was an average YA-cover girl who looked WAY too sweet to be arrogant and vengeful Celaena Sardothien. This girl looks more like a protected princess who’s pretending to be a warrior but she doesn’t really come off as tough. Also my biggest thing with this cover is… Is it just me or does this cover girl bear a striking resemblance to author Sarah J. Maas? Maybe not so much now that we all “know” Sarah but when I first picked up the book way back in 2012, I totally thought the cover model looked like the author.
NEW COVERS: I wasn’t totally in love with new cover when I first saw it because I wasn’t prepared for an artistic rendering of Celaena since I was used to this more photographic image of a cover model… But obviously these covers are much more appropriate for the books and the characters! (Side note: I love them now. I was more unsure of what to expect when the cover change happened and it took me a second to get used to!) These covers continue the series and each one depicts something that directly correlates to the book, which I always LOVE. Celeaena is always so badass in these covers and the whole vibe really just fits. I think most people are fans of the new covers but I’m curious to see if there are old-cover fans!
Which do I like better? For me, it’s the new cover(s). The overall feel and vibe from this artwork really just fits the book so well and the attitude (and hair color) totally makes a difference. I also just LOVE that there’s a back view of the picture on the back cover (as in, actually seeing this image as if you were looking at it from the back) and the back cover image features Celaena in one of her dresses so we still get a pretty girl in a pretty dress cover but in a totally different way. I think it’s so clever and I love that we get to see the dresses from the back, and warrior Celaena takes precedence on the front covers.
So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!
[bctt tweet=”Which covers for Throne of Glass do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]
1 thought on “Redesign Reactions [7]: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas”
I agree with you all the way. The first cover didn’t capture Celaena at all, but the new covers are just brilliant! I much prefer the artwork on the new covers to the cover model on the first.