My Top 10 Covers of November 2024
From historical mysteries, to murder mysteries, to the touch of rom-com and fantasy, we got a variety here!
These are book covers to November.
10 months down, two left to go. No matter where you are in the world, life is getting busy as Christmas starts to emerge at the horizon. Still, I hope we all get to wind down and catch up on some reading to relax! Perhaps, for a few minutes, we can hang together and spy on a couple (or 10) covers of books coming out this month.
Grab your scarfs or sunscreen (depending where you are in the world)—we’re kicking off November!
Note: presume that I have not read any of these books unless I’ve indicated as such. Any observations made about the story the covers represent and its quality are only based on the blurbs and the cover.
Also reminder: this is not a ranking of any sort!
#1
Book Cover Designer & Illustrator: Micaela Alcaino (Instagram | Website)
A familiar name, Micaela has also done:
The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow
Nephthys by Rachel Louise Driscoll
Heir by Sabaa Tahir
Having read an e-ARC…oh my god why didn’t I take a closer look at this cover? So many symbolic clues are hidden in this cover (annnddd that’s all I’m gonna say)!
In contrast to the warmer beiges and greens of the first novel, this dives into lush indigoes and maroon. The various motifs found in Egyptian art and culture continue to be used, retaining logical consistency in respect to this instalment and in the overall branding of the duology. There’s something about the way the two colours are mostly concentrated on different ends of the cover, with your eye trailing downwards from red to blue, that’s pleasant to look at.
#2
Book Cover Illustrator: Yan Wenqing (Instagram | Website)
Don’t we just love complementary palettes? The fiery red hair and golden dress paired with a turquoise background really helps to make the character pop. The fact you can clearly see the brush strokes on the cover gives it a personal, human feel. Along with the movement in the character’s hair and leaves, it creates a soft atmosphere. Yet, the subtle vignette adds the slightest touch of mystery while reinforcing the focus on the character.
#3
Book Cover Design Team at: First Second (Instagram | Website)
The bandaged feet, the floor colour and the window light on the floor set the tone and imply the setting automatically. I love how minimal it is, getting us to hone in on the characters right away, creating an intimate setting where they’re alone in a big fancy ballet studio.
#4
Book Cover Designer: Lauren Panepinto (Website)
Oh my, my, my! Panepinto has also made the covers of:
Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood
The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington
The Shadow series by Lila Bowen
Book Cover Illustrator: Micha Epstein (Instagram | Website)
*chef’s kiss* Micha’s beautiful illustrations can be seen on:
Alliance Unbound by C.J. Cherryh and Jane Fancher
The Hourglass Throne by K.D. Edwards
When Jackals Storm the Walls by Bradley P. Beauliau
The textures, the rendering, the teal sari standing out against the burning orange forest—mwah. Now, I don’t know why the cover team decided to have translucent symbols running up the sides of the cover and what purpose it serves but at least it’s not that noticeable. As a (hobbyist) illustrator, there’s much to admire in the way moving fire and hair are rendered to be more fuzzy to imply movement. It’s so clear and good at creating tense anticipation of an epic, magical showdown.
#5
Book Cover Designer: Jarrod Taylor (Website)
Hello??? Other covers he has done:
Go Set a Watchman (2015, Harper) by Harper Lee
The Illicit Happiness of Other People by Manu Joseph
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick
The sisters look as if they are either peeking at you or hiding from you from outside a tent. Either way, it’s a clever design. The deep orange offsets the chill evoked by “drop dead” and the mystery of the peeking sisters, implying a heartwarming or comedic element to the whole dark affair.
#6
Book Cover Designer: Iris Lake (Instagram)
Listen, have I seen similar or identical font work, cool gold-foil aesthetics, and celestial imagery before on covers? 1000%. But does it dissuade me from noticing another book cover with such vibes and saying “ooo, shiny! Gimme!”? No :)
One thing that gives this cover an edge is the abundance of stars splashed all over the cover, capitalising on the magical, divine connotations “stars” have. The eye and compass reinforce notions of discovery and locating the “me” in the story and being guided by this “me” (and love).
Offhandedly, this cover makes me think of rooms painted or projected with hemispheres of the starry night sky on their ceilings.
#7
Book Cover Designer/Illustrator: unknown
It looks so fun and funky! The flow from the ‘R’ to the vine to a lifted page is mesmerising to look at, simulating interactiveness. I’m not an Inkworld reader, so I’m sure the intricacies are lost on me, but the character silhouettes are clear and memorable, leaning into iconic territory.
#8
Book Cover Design Team at: Dutton Books (Instagram)
I like this take on historical novel covers, with the silhouette of plants (or herbs, for story relevancy) being filled in with the mandatory location backdrop! Personally, I’ve never been too much of a fan of this category of covers for historical fiction, but this take keeps things a little bit more interesting.
#9
Book Cover Illustrator: Islenia Mil (Instagram | Website)
While it’s super clear the design planned for the title to take up the amount of space it does, it’s also fun because the title (or 2/3s of it) is translucent (some could say, half empty) while hovering over a dark, mostly empty forest. Clearly, with the imagery of a town in the canopies and mystical-looking glowing wolves, the cover clues us that magic is hidden away in this “Empty Place” and the characters will undergo a journey of discovery. It’s just beautiful!
#10
Book Cover Designer/Illustrator: Unknown
Fountain pen (prestigious, exclusivity) + blood (uh oh, injury, murder, or plain ole’ violence) + a book (because, you know, author/s write books) = an easy-to-grasp cover about the murder of fictional authors. Smart to place the authors’ names on the spine of the book on the cover to save space! Plus, it avoids author-stuffing the top or bottom of the cover which could have made the composition a bit too blocky and static.
What do you guys think of these covers? What are the books you’d put on your top 10 for November 2024?
As always, I try my best to track down any names or explicit acknowledgement of teams that made a cover but sometimes, they’re nowhere to be found or not released at the time of writing. If you know who did a cover that I wasn’t able to credit, let me know!
Until next time!