Top Ten Tuesday: scariest looking book covers

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.



Hey guys! This week's topic is supposed to be about scary book covers, but to be honest I don't know if any of my picks are downright scary. I think it's closer to creepy or ominous. But whatever, I really like them! They're in no particular order.



Girl of Nightmares, by Kendare Blake
While the cover for the first book is also scary, this one is even more so. Anna is reaching out... to Cas? The reader? To be pulled out of hell? To pull you in? And do you see those fiery demons at the bottom reaching for her leg?

Lost Souls, by Poppy Z. Brite
Now this is definitely not YA. But if you want some early 90s feeling with vampires who are bloody monsters, some voodoo, and intriguing characters and writing, you should go for it! It's very explicit though.



Asylum, by Madeleine Roux
I haven't read it (yet) but it looks and sounds awesomely creepy! The picture looks like an old, worn-off photographs (there are photos in the book) or a tapestry that has been peeled off to reveal another layer. It reminds me a bit of the photographs that Francesca Woodman did inspired by Gilman's Yellow Wallpaper.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds, by Cat Winters
Creepy, ghostly, ghastly, amazing. It's a wonderful story, but there were moments when I seriously felt a bit paranoid and very alone.



Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, by April Genevieve Tucholke
The cliffs, the waves, the pines, the figures. I really like it. It's dark and romantic, but there's a definite sense of impending danger. It suits the story very well.

Blackbirds, by Chuck Wendig
Again, definitely not YA! Lots of cussing, violence, sex. Which is perfectly okay for a horror novel. This cover isn't just awesome graphically - look at it more closely (make it bigger) and you can spot tons of tiny details in there that are from the story. Yes, a lighthouse, motel signs, hands... the more you look, the more you see.



Pretty When She Dies, by Rhiannon Frater
I admit I haven't read it yet, but I own it. What makes it creepy to me is mostly the colors, enhanced by the teeth and smeared lipstick/blood. It's simple but effective because it makes it clear that this is a vampire novel but that the focus won't just be on some sappy romance.

The Drowned Forest, by Kristopher Reisz
This one isn't out yet but the cover and description (girl jumps into pond and never resurfaces... but something else does) make me anticipate goosebumps!



Fiendish & The Replacement, by Brenna Yovanoff
She is blessed by the cover fairy, isn't she? These too aren't openly scary but definitely ominous and haunting. I loved The Replacement (never mind that it tore my heart out) and I hope Fiendish will be among my favorites as well once I've read it :)


This is it! I think there are most definitely scarier covers out there, but I like it if they're still somewhat aesthetic and I wanted it to be mostly books I've actually read. What do you think? And please link me to your post! I want to find some new scary books :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I wish could have had Sequels

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.


This week's topic is about books that were complete stories, but we wish we could have read more about those characters or set in that world.



Holly Black - Curse Workers Trilogy
I miss Cassel. I miss Lila. I just... I really miss that world. It was different from everything else in YA or Urban Fantasy that I've read so far. The ending was great... I just wish I could have seen more.



Melissa Marr - Wicked Lovely series
I love the world, I love the characters. I thought I was over it but then I read the anothology of her fairy stories where there are a couple short ones about side characters and there was that ache again... I need more of Seth and Ash and Niall and Irial *sigh*



Sarah Rees Brennan - Demon's Lexicon trilogy
Same as above. I'd love a short story or novella taking place a couple months after the ending. Just to see where everyone's at.



Brenna Yovanoff - The Replacement
Perfect ending. But again, this book moved me and tore me up inside so much. And I'd just like to have a glimpse at the world and see how things are going. I miss it. I miss the writing and the emotions and what it all evoked in me.



Poppy Z. Bright - Lost Souls
I'd love to read more stories about Steve and Ghost and maybe to get a glimpse at Nothing and what he's up to. And just... more of the writing and the images it created in my head.



Stephen King - The Dark Tower
I will never forget that world and its characters. Never. So when the Wind Through the Keyhole came out I was so excited. I got it many months back but somehow I couldn't bring myself to crack it open yet because I'm also a bit scared. Soon though. Soon I'll be with Roland and Jake and Susannah and Eddie again.



Kai Meyer - Die Fliessende Königin
This is a trilogy I read when I was 13. And re-read a couple times. The world building is fantastic! It's set in a magical Venice at war with the Pharao. There are stone lions coming to life and thieves and magical mirrors... in short, it's magical and amazing. And over. But there's an English translation called The Water Mirror, if you want to check it out. The link above goes to that one.



Katja Brandis - Kampf um Daresh
No translation of this series (I think). I devoured both the original trilogy and the spin-off. I still want more. Amazing world building, great magic, great characters. I simply disappeared into this stories but I've read all there is and now it's over :(


Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre
Have you never wondered what happened with her and Rochester later? No? Tsk.



Laura Resnick - Chronicles of Sirkara
I read the first two books in German and thought the series was never finished. Many years later I found out that there was a third book! It just wasn't ever translated and it's out of print. I bought it used off amazon ^^ So worth it! The world building still haunts me often though and I remember the characters often.


I'm sure a lot of people will point out books to me that I could have included. But to be honest, there are SO many series that it was actually hard to find stuff that was a) a standalone or b) a finished series without a spin-off that I had c) already read all installments of and liked so much that I craved more despite it having a nice ending.
So. have you read any of the books/series I've included above? And what are your books you can't get enough of?

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop: Choose 1 of 15 books

Hey guys :) Welcome to my stop of the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer & The Diary of a Bookworm. There are about 500 blogs participating, so make sure to hop along with the linky at the bottom of this post.

I love Halloween! I don't get to do much because the event isn't really celebrated in Switzerland much, but I love all the pictures of costumes and decorations that show up on my twitter feed around this time from the Americans I'm following.

And of course, I love spooky books and movies. So let's get to the goodies ;)

There will be one winner who can pick one of the following books:









Click the covers to check the books out on goodreads. Those are all books I have either read and loved or heard awesome things about.


Rules:

• Open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you.
• One entry per person / household. 
• Duplicate entries or any other type of cheating results in deletion of all your entries. I will check ALL of them before I pick a winner.
• You have to be at least 13. You have to be 18 to pick one of the following: Drawing Blood, Lost Souls, Halfway to the Grave. Those are NOT YA.
• The winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before I pick someone new.
• The cover/edition of your pick may differ because of regional restrictions. I will order paperbacks if available (Ember will be kindle format, as I cannot order paperbacks from amazon.com and it's unavailable from TBD).
• I am not responsible for what happens to the book after I've ordered it for you.

Now have fun and enjoy the spooky season!




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