There is nothing I love more than judging a book by its cover! This is something I did last year and had fun with, so I am bringing it back! I am comparing US and UK covers to see who ultimately comes out on top. I love love to know your answers to each of these, so I will leave a list of all the titles at the bottom of this post so you can copy and paste it into the comments and tell me who you vote for! Also, the US covers are on the left and the UK covers are on the right.
How to Sell a Haunted House is a horror following siblings who are trying to sell their late parents’ home and their mom happened to collect dolls. I love that the US cover screams dollhouse and the light from the door is intriguing. I typically prefer UK covers, but that is rarely true when it comes to thrillers. Their thriller covers often read cheesy to me, which is the case here. I get what they were going with adding the sale tag, but I don’t think it works.
Winner: US
There is no denying that both covers for The Last Tale of the Flower Bride are stunning! I am often drawn to covers with women’s faces covered by flowers. It is a trend that I don’t get tired of; however, I think that the UK edition captures of the tone of the story better. I would say this is Gothic horror, and the muted colours of the flowers give that vibe. The subtle faces throughout are also a nice touch!
Winner: UK
A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon is one of my most anticipated books of 2023! Both of these covers are eye-catching and I have noticed a trend of flower borders on romance covers and I love it. I think that the yellow of the US cover draws my eye more than the teal on the UK one. I also love all of the witchy elements that are incorporated on the US cover!
Winner: US
I thought that the UK would be an easy win for Atalanta because typically the UK covers of Jennifer Saint’s books are far superior! I still prefer the UK cover in this case, but the US one is also effective and I think it is the best of her US covers.
Winner: UK
I think that this is going to be the hardest one! Both covers of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi are beyond gorgeous and very different. The illustration on the US cover is epic and I want that framed. The UK cover is very typical of what I have come to expect. They seem to put a larger focus on font and are fans of including a lot of detail. While I personally want both on my shelves, I think the US one is the most special.
Winner: US
In my opinion, the UK always does Greek myth retellings justice! I do like both of the covers for Clytemenstra, especially the mirror image of the US version, but you just know that the gold on the UK cover is going to be stunning in person.
Winner: UK
I tried not to include sequels, but I couldn’t resist adding The Shadow Cabinet because I loved Her Majesty’s Royal Coven so much and these covers are stunning! I didn’t love the US cover of the first book but I have to say the US cover for the sequel is striking! I love the hot pink font and that moth really draws my eye. That said, the turquoise on the UK cover is so vibrant and pretty and there is so much detail in that illustration.
Winner: UK
I tend to prefer the UK editions of T. Kingfisher’s traditionally published novels, and The House With Good Bones is no exception. I will say that the US cover does work with the quirkiness that I tend to expect with T. Kingfisher’s horror, but the UK cover is just stunning and I am in love with that skull doorknocker.
Winner: UK
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is already out and is a book I desperately want to get my hands on! Both editions are stunning but the illustration on the Us cover is incredible and I love all of the tones in the dragon’s scales. The UK cover is also beautiful and I love all the creatures, but it reads more childlike to me.
Winner: US
These covers are so different and I kind of want them both on my shelves! I have the UK edition of Spice Road from Fairyloot. I have noticed that there are a lot of covers that have depth to them like this UK cover does, but the magic coming from the hands on the US cover draws my eye and almost glows off the page.
Winner: US
The Memory of Animals is one of my most anticipated releases of the year and the US edition is one of my favourite covers of the year! I have no idea what it actually has to do with the story itself but I am in love with it. I like the lime green of the font on the UK cover but it is pretty generic otherwise. I do think it probably fits the story better!
Winner: US
As a Canadian, I had to throw in this twist! This is a case where both the US and the UK have the same cover but VenCo is written by a Canadian and the cover on the left is the Canadian edition. I think this is an easy win for Canada here. I love the details, especially the gate! The other cover is pretty basic, but the finches are adorable I have to admit.
Winner: Canada
I think this is the hardest one for me because I really do adore both of the covers for City of Nightmares. The vibes are so different and I love the glowing city of the UK cover. That is a place I want to visit! There is something haunting about the US cover and it, once again, has the depth that I like on book covers. The skeleton at the bottom is also pretty cool!
Winner: US
Weyward is my current listen and the US cover caught my eye instantly. I love the vintage vibe and all of the little details. It is stunning! I didn’t love the UK cover at first, but it is growing on me. I love how vibrant that plus is!
Winner: US
Final Score: US (8), UK (5), and Canada (1)
*Copy and paste this list into the comments and let me know which cover you prefer for each book*
- How to Sell a Haunted House
- The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
- The Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
- Atalanta
- The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi
- Clytemnestra
- The Shadow Cabinet
- A House With Good Bones
- Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
- Spice Road
- The Memory of Animals
- VenCo
- City of Nightmares
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I generally prefer UK covers, but I’ve been seeing more US ones that I like over the last couple of years
I’ve noticed that trend as well!
I agree with you…apart from on the Amina cover!
Oh I love this post. What a grand idea.
I love these comparisons! I have definitely seen a few UK covers I’ve preferred for some other books – mostly for young adult fantasy books I think. But I definitely agree with you on the ones you chose in this post!
I agree! The UK covers for YA fantasy are often superior!!
This was a really interesting comparison!! I agree with most your choices. I think one of the hardest ones for me was for The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi~~ I keep going back and forth between UK and US!
I am very excited to see the UK Clytemnstra in person, the gold should be stunning! 😍
Such a fun post 💜
That was a hard one for me! I think I might end up with both 🤣
Right? I just know the UK edition of Clytemnstra is going to be stunning!
I tend to prefer the US covers, however there are surprisingly many exceptions on this list! I prefer the UK covers for Atalanta, Clytemnestra, Spice Road, and City of Nightmares.