Saturday, October 21, 2017

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 227: Scepter of Fire, by Vicki L. Weavil



Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!



This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful covers!
It also provides information, 
if available, on their 
very talented creators!



Here's my choice for this week!





Scepter of Fire
(The Mirror of Immortality, Book 2)
Vicki L. Weavil
Trade Paperback, 272 pages
Snowy Wings Publishing, 2nd ecition
May 16, 2017
   Fairy Tale Retellings, Fantasy,Romance,
Young Adult Fiction


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25908420-scepter-of-fire?ac=1&from_search=true






My Thoughts About This Cover

This is the sequel to Crown of Fire, which I featured last week (click HERE), and its design is no less impressive than the design of that other exquisite cover! I do prefer the color scheme in that first cover, but this one has its own fiery beauty.

This book is a continuation of the story in the first one, which is a retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen story, "The Snow Queen". There are some new plot elements, of course, but the story still revolves around the Queen's world.

With this cover, all of the coldness of an ice world has disappeared, and, instead, we have a scene in which a magical portal, surrounded by flames, has appeared in front of a young woman. She seems to hesitate just before she steps into that portal, and heck, I sure don't blame her! I would hesitate, too, if I were that close to flames! However, it looks as if the world on the other side of the portal is a serene one, from the glimpse we get of the bird flying calmly overhead.

There are obvious stylistic similarities between these two covers; we have the same mirror effect, with the frame surrounding the scene. The decorations around the frame are the same ones depicted on the first cover, except that these have a brownish tone. On closer inspection, the frame looks like it's made of old, burnished gold.

In spite of the different color tones, the theme of a lone young woman is also the same, although, in this cover, she's turned completely away from the viewer, whereas on the cover of Crown of Ice, the young woman's profile is partially visible.

The warmth radiated by this cover is almost palpable. The colors are perfect for autumn, too -- orange, brown, gold, with a splash of red near the bottom edge. The young woman's hair is red. Just as the first cover is a winter one, this second cover is definitely an autumn one.

The classic font is just as striking here as it is on the first cover. I especially like how part of the letter "R" extends down in a dramatic "slash" behind the number "2".

Of course, this STUNNING cover is also the work of the BRILLIANT cover artists at "Deranged Doctor Design"! As I mentioned in last week's post, this is a group of cover artists who create covers for self-published authors. I was also unable to find out which one of them was responsible for this second cover, but it's obvious that the same artist who created the first cover also created the one above.  

Be sure to check out the links below for more samples of the work of these AMAZING cover artists! They are already on my list of favorite cover illustrators and designers, of course! And, I will be featuring more of their great covers in future "Shelf Candy Saturday" posts!!



What do you think of 
this week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!








8 comments:

  1. This is another great cover. The use of various shades of orange is so well done. The make such an effective contrast with the black of the woman's dress.

    I also like the idea that the first cover was dominated by snow and ice and this cover is dominated by fire. Carrying over the frame and other elements from the first cover is also a nice touch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Brian!

      Oh, DEFINITELY!! I really wish I knew who the creator of this cover was, but the name of that person is not given on the DDD website. Who knows, maybe this cover was a group effort.

      The various shades of orange are very effective, indeed!

      I agree that the contrast between the two covers, in that they feature different elements and colors, is a great one. The covers are different and similar because of the frame and other aspects, though. This is perfect, because they're part of a series.

      Of course, as you might have guessed, I'm more partial to the first cover, just because of the colors used there. Lol. But this one is absolutely STUNNING, as well!

      These DDD artists are SO BRILLIANT!! I'm so happy I discovered them!

      Thanks for always leaving such GREAT comments on these SCS posts, Brian! Hope you & your wife are having a nice Saturday! <3 :)

      Delete
  2. Oh this cover is so cool! I love the change from all the ice with the first book to all the fire and burning. Really clever! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Steph!

      Yeah, it SURE is!! And I totally agree with you about the change from ice to fire! VERY dynamic, as well as clever!

      Thanks for the nice comment!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

      Delete
  3. This is definitely a WOW cover! Whew. Have to check out the series now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Verushka!

      Yeah!!!! I don't know which one(s) of the DDD artists is (are) responsible for this STUNNING cover, but they SURE have succeeded in selling this series! I want to read it, too!!

      Thanks for the nice comment!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

      Delete
  4. Oooh, I do love this cover and it's new to me! I checked on book one's cover too and wow, so pretty! Definitely makes me want to check out the series!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Sara!

      YAAAAASSSS!!! Both covers -- this one, and the one for the first book, are totally GORGEOUS!! And I want to read the series now, too!!

      Thanks for the nice comment!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

      Delete

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