Best Covers of 2020

If you have been following me for a while, you will know how much of a sucker I am for a good cover. I have so many books that are sitting on my shelves right now that were impulse buys purley because of their beautiful covers. I wanted to go through some of the best covers released in 2020 – I haven’t gotten to all of these books on this list, but that doesn’t make me admire the covers any less.

* Disclaimer: The links I have included to purchase the books from are affilate links for the BookShop and I recieve a small commision if you purchase anything through this link *

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

These Violent Delights is a relatively new release and it’s a Romeo and Juliet retelling. Everybody is raving about this one and I think I might have to get it in the new year and give it a go. This cover is so gorgeous! The sword, the dragon, the roses against the dark background is just perfect.

You can purchase These Violent Delights: here

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore

Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.

Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes.

With McLemore’s signature lush prose, Dark and Deepest Red pairs the forbidding magic of a fairy tale with a modern story of passion and betrayal.

I love the colours on this cover combined with the silhouette and the forest within it and the figures too. It is beautiful and probably one of my favourites. Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore also has a beautiful cover and I read that earlier on in the year and absolutely loved it.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse…

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.

Sounding like a broken record, but it’s just so pretty! I really love the light colours with the pink roses, then the black text almost, but not wuite, looking out of place. I haven’t read this one or anything by the author but I want to for the cover alone.

You can purchase Girl, Serpent, Thorn: here

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.

But Cordelia’s new life is blown apart when a shocking series of demon attacks devastate London. These monsters are nothing like those Shadowhunters have fought before—these demons walk in daylight, strike down the unwary with incurable poison, and seem impossible to kill. London is immediately quarantined. Trapped in the city, Cordelia and her friends discover that their own connection to a dark legacy has gifted them with incredible powers—and forced a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.

I always love the covers for The Shadowhunter books, they’re always stunning. So delicate with all of the little details, yet are able to show the strength within what ever character is on the cover – in Chain of Gold’s case it is Cordelia Carstairs.

You can purchase Chain of Gold: here

Kingdom of Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Two sisters.

One brutal murder.

A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…

And an intoxicating romance.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…

Apparently I think covers with snakes on are beautiful. Th ark background and the gold lettering and roses and the snakes. Stunning. I have been wanting to read Kerri Maniscalco’s work for a long time but I have never gotten round to it. I’m probably going to start with this one!

You can purchase Kingdom of Wicked: here

All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott

Kyle and Kimberly have been the perfect couple all through high school, but when Kimberly breaks up with him on the night of their graduation party, Kyle’s entire world upends—literally. Their car crashes and when he awakes, he has a brain injury. Kimberly is dead. And no one in his life could possibly understand.

Until Marley. Marley is suffering from her own loss, a loss she thinks was her fault. And when their paths cross, Kyle sees in her all the unspoken things he’s feeling.

As Kyle and Marley work to heal each other’s wounds, their feelings for each other grow stronger. But Kyle can’t shake the sense that he’s headed for another crashing moment that will blow up his life as soon as he’s started to put it back together.

And he’s right.

Again, it’s just so pretty! Five Feet Apart is one of my favourite book covers on my shelf and I love that this one matches it so well. Even thought they’re not connected by story, but are connected by authors. I love it when you can tell who the authors are by the cover. I don’t know if that makes sense!

You can purchase All This Time: here

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant

In the dark days following a failed French Revolution, in the violent jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, young cat-burglar Eponine (Nina) Thenardier goes head to head with merciless royalty, and the lords of the city’s criminal underworld to save the life of her adopted sister Cosette (Ettie).

Her vow will take her from the city’s dark underbelly, through a dawning revolution, to the very heart of the glittering court of Louis XVII, where she must make an impossible choice between guild, blood, betrayal and war.

This book has been on my TBR for most of the year now. At this rate I am likely to enter 2021 with it still being on the list. It is beautiful though and I am so happy I have a copy of it.

You can purchase The Court of Miracles: here

I feel like one of the best things YA achieves is having incredible covers. The publishers recently have been putting in so much effort into making them so beautiful. I feel like in the last 5 or 6 years, there’s been such a change in the industry where they’ve really been focusing on making these stunning covers. Do you think this is the case too, or am I completely making something up?

What were you favourite covers of 2020?

Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Bookshop Affiliate Link ~ Goodreads