Urban Fantasy Covers

I think a lot of the urban fantasy covers have the same look - a sexy, butt-kicking chick in front of an apocalyptic background. I keep waiting to get sick of these covers. It hasn’t happened yet. I still like them. Some better than others, of course.

As an example, the covers for Chris Marie Green’s (AKA Crystal Green) Vampire Babylon series really work for me. I think it has something to do with the colors and the fact the chick looks approachable, tough but not scary. Here they are:

Like them?

13 Responses to “Urban Fantasy Covers”

  1. Kerry Allen Says:

    Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden books (the last three, anyway) are very like the covers in the post. I generally don’t pay a whole lot of attention to cover art, but I did have a twitch when one shipment of books included half a dozen books with black bustiers on the cover. Zero points for originality!

    Occasionally something will catch my eye, though. I’d get Red by Jordan Summers on the strength of the cover alone. Gor-juss.

  2. Jill Sorenson Says:

    I like Chris’s covers. The heroine kind of reminds me of her (the author). Something about the face is similar. Or maybe I’m just imagining things.

  3. Meljean Says:

    I really like them, too. My new favorite is Jordan Summers’s RED cover — I pretty much gasped out loud when I saw it.

  4. Meljean Says:

    Yeah, what Kerry said! :-D

  5. Karin Says:

    I really like those covers. I agree that it probably has something to do with the colors. The simplicity of the color scheme with the black and white background really makes the heroines pop. Also, as you mentioned, they seem approachable, probably because they are in color in such a colorless landscape.

  6. Debby Creager Says:

    I love these covers. If the cover doesn’t appeal to me I won’t be as interested in buying it.

  7. HelenKay Dimon Says:

    You guys are right. Jordan’s cover is awesome. My reaction was the same as Meljean’s. The coloring is incredible. The way the red stands out is just fabulous. I think I’ll post that one tomorrow…

  8. Fedora Says:

    These are really attractive, HelenKay–a little mysterious, and as you said, tough but not scary.

  9. Liza Says:

    I really like these covers. The heroine looks like she can kick some butt, without looking scary. I’m not big on having scary covers.

  10. Stacy ~ Says:

    I like the covers, I think they are sleek and set the tone for the story. I love the kick-ass heroines, but damn, do they have to be so tiny? LOL. I like Jordan’s cover too, and it’s cool that the heroine is not half-naked.

  11. Scarlet Y Wharton Says:

    I like these covers and the series looks interesting, I haven’t heard if her and I need to check her out before the series is finished.

  12. Matt’s Bookosphere 6/13/08 « Enter the Octopus Says:

    [...] Urban fantasy book covers. [...]

  13. Urban Fantasy Rocks Says:

    I love looking at these covers. I especially love the Patricia Briggs’ book covers for the Mercy Thompson series. Mercy looks sexy but also a little grungy with her tattoos.

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