Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions. We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Book Wars is a new feature for both of us which we hope to post every Monday, while we get it up and running this is subject to change as we participate in other features or tours we have committed to prior to setting up Book Wars.

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for The Immortal Rules is..... the UK cover!  Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for helping to picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: The Fury (The Fury #1)
Author: Alexander Gordon Smith
Publisher: US - Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 688 Pages (July 23rd, 2013) UK - Faber and Faber Children's Books, 535 Pages (April 5th, 2012)
Add to: Goodreads USA Version | Goodreads UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: From the creator of the Escape from Furnace series, a ferocious epic of supernatural terror, perfect for Stephen King fans

Imagine if one day, without warning, the entire human race turns against you, if every person you know, every person you meet becomes a bloodthirsty, mindless savage . . . That’s the horrifying reality for Cal, Brick, and Daisy. Friends, family, even moms and dads, are out to get them. Their world has the Fury. It will not rest until they are dead.

In Alexander Gordon Smith’s adrenaline-fueled saga, Cal and the others must uncover the truth about what is happening before it destroys them all. But survival comes at a cost. In their search for answers, what they discover will launch them into battle with an enemy of unimaginable power.

About the author: 

Alexander Gordon Smith is the author of the Escape from Furnace series of young adult novels, including Lockdown and Solitary. Born in 1979 in Norwich, England, he always wanted to be a writer. After experimenting in the service and retail trades for a few years, Smith decided to go to University. He studied English and American Literature at the University of East Anglia, and it was here that he first explored his love of publishing. Along with poet Luke Wright, he founded Egg Box Publishing, a groundbreaking magazine and press that promotes talented new authors. He also started writing literally hundreds of articles, short stories and books ranging from Scooby Doo comic strips to world atlases, Midsomer Murders to X-Files. The endless research for these projects led to countless book ideas germinating in his head. His first book, The Inventors, written with his nine-year-old brother Jamie, was published in the U.K. in 2007. He lives in England.

Find  Online: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa This is another rough week for me. Because I love the UK cover, but I think the US cover shows just how dark and creepy a story truly is. But I like the look of the UK cover too... UGH! I think I'm voting for the UK cover this week because while I do love a great scary story, I think this cover is just a bit TOO creepy for me. UK gets my vote this week.

Michelle This is a tough one for me as not only have I not read the book, I don't recall hearing about it before. After reading the synopsis and looking at both covers I think I am going to go for the USA one for today. The UK one doesn't really inspire me to want to pick up the book, yet the USA one is creepy, and to me this would be a challenge to see if the book lived up to the creepiness of the cover.
Its a USA vote for me this week.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of The Fury NOW!

polls & surveys

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions. We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Book Wars is a new feature for both of us which we hope to post every Monday, while we get it up and running this is subject to change as we participate in other features or tours we have committed to prior to setting up Book Wars.

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for Unbreakable by Kami Garcia is.... A TIE! We have a first TIE!  Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

[For this edition of Book Wars we are using the reprint edition of the USA version of the book]

Title: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden Novel, #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: US - Harlequin Teen, 443 Pages, (March 26th 2013 NOTE: First published January 1st 2012), UK - Mira Ink, 485 Pages, (May 4th 2012)
Add to Goodreads: The Immortal Rules USA | The Immortal Rules UK
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for…again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

About the author:

Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon.

Find Julie Online: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa While I like the simplicity of the US cover and the fact that it is in it's own way striking, I think I'll have to choose the UK version for this weeks winner. It gives readers so much more to think about when they first pick it up. It gives readers more of an impact based on the cover alone, which is one of the things that makes readers grab a book or not. So UK wins this round for me. What about YOU? Cast your vote below!

Michelle This is an easy pick for me this week.  Although we have used the reprint edition for the USA version, the old cover is the same as the UK edition, and that is what drew me to the book (also because it's by Julie) While I like the difference in the USA cover making it stand out just a bit more, my vote goes to the UK edition as I think this portrays the story better than the USA one.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of The Immortal Rules NOW!

survey hosting

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions.

We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier! Book Wars is a new feature for both of us which we hope to post every Monday, while we get it up and running this is subject to change as we participate in other features or tours we have committed to prior to setting up Book Wars.

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for Delicate by Steph Campbell is.... the US COVER!!! Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: Witches of East End (The Beauchamp Family #1)/Witches of the East
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: US - Disney-Hyperion, 272 Pages, (June 21st 2011), UK - Sphere, 288 Pages, (June 21st 2011)
Add to Goodreads: Witches of East End | Witches of the East
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

About the author:

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.

Find Melissa Online: Website | Tumblr Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa This is an easy pick for me this week. Without a doubt the US cover. The UK cover seems almost thrown together in just a few minutes. There's really nothing special to the UK cover and while the US one isn't THAT much better, I love the leaves. So, US wins for me this week. How about you? Don't forget to VOTE below!

Michelle This is a tough choice for me.  While I actually own the UK cover, it does nothing for me.  All I see is the model on the front and if the title didn't say 'Witches' I would put it down as a romance book.  The USA one is mysterious and want you to pick up the book to discover more about this cover, and what's inside the book, but again I don't particularly think there is anything special about it. This vote goes down to another shelf apeal, and out of them both I am more likely to pick up the USA version over the UK version.  So it's a USA vote for me.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Witches of the East NOW!

survey service

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions. We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Book Wars is a new feature for both of us which we hope to post every Monday, while we get it up and running this is subject to change as we participate in other features or tours we have committed to prior to setting up Book Wars.

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent is.... the UK Cover!!! Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: Delicate (Grounding Quinn 0.5)

Author: Steph Campbell

Publisher: US - Self Published, 186 Pages, (June 2012), UK - Simon & Schuster UK, 208 Pages, (May 9th 2013)
Add to: Goodreads USA Version | Goodreads UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Sydney Pierce has just met the guy of her dreams…just don’t tell her psycho boyfriend, Trevor.

With a gorgeous boyfriend, a thriving gymnastics career and a stellar academic record, anyone would assume that Sydney has it all. That's precisely what the seventeen-year-old perfectionist wants you to believe, and she works hard to keep up the pretense. Especially now that there are cameras following her for a documentary on Olympic hopefuls.

When Grant, the charming new student, disrupts her carefully crafted routine, the cracks beneath her perfect façade begin to rise to the surface and despite Trevor's objections to their friendship, she can't stay away from him.

As her connection to Grant pulls her closer to him, the once lighthearted relationship with Trevor takes an intense and dark turn, forcing her into a position in which not only her happiness, but her safety is at stake. Can Sydney learn to let go of everything she is clinging to in order to gain everything she has ever wanted, or will she realize her breaking point too late?

About the author:

Steph Campbell grew up in Southern California, but now calls Southwest Louisiana home. She has one husband, four children and a serious nail polish obsession.

She blogs at stephcampbell.blogspot.com Stop by and say hello! facebook.com/authorstephcampbell Twitter: @stephcampbell_

Find Steph Online: Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Steph If I'm honest, I prefer the US version. I think the UK version looks a little young, and doesn't pop as well as the US version. I think seeing just the back of the cover model works so well, because Sydney, the main character was all about shying away from attention.

Lisa Hmmm, this week is such a hard choice for me. I've been thinking about it, looking at these two on and off for a few days and it's so hard to pick which one I like better. However, in all Book Wars there must be one winner so I think I'd have to go with the US cover. The US cover for me looks a bit more polished. If I was going to choose the story by cover alone I'd be sold on both so that's not an issue at all for me. Very hard choice this week, but the US cover just eeks out a win for me this round.

Michelle It's times like this that I really wish we didn't have to pick our favourite cover. I love them both for different reasons. I like how the USA cover makes the girls feel like she is alone and has no one.  But I also like the UK cover, it seems to fit better with the New Adult theme than the USA one in my own opinion.  I really am torn between the covers, so I am going to go with Shelf Appeal. If I saw both of these covers in a shop on a shelf I would be more likely to pick up the UK version over the USA version.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Delicate NOW!

survey service

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loves Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions. We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Book Wars is a new feature for both of us which we hope to post every Monday, while we get it up and running this is subject to change as we participate in other features or tours we have committed to prior to setting up Book Wars.

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for The Winter Witch is.... the UK cover!  Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Right: US - Left: UK

Title: My Soul To Take (Soul Screamers, #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: US - Harlequin Teen, 279 Pages (August 1st, 2009) UK - Mira Ink, 345 Pages (January 1st, 2011)
Add to Goodreads: USA Version | UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

About the author:

A resident of San Antonio, Rachel Vincent has a BA in English and an overactive imagination, and consistently finds the latter to be more practical. She shares her workspace with two black cats (Kaci and Nyx) and her # 1 fan. Rachel is older than she looks-seriously-and younger than she feels, but remains convinced that for every day she spends writing, one more day will be added to her lifespan.

Find  Online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa The US cover has a graceful feel and the UK cover is more edgy and is more of a literal take on the whole "Soul Screamers" series title. I can see people loving both for different reasons and while the US version is just the beginning of for the covers in this series it's set up for a theme for all the future titles which I like. I like how they all pretty much match sitting on my shelves. So I guess I'll have to choose US for this round. While I love the edgy feel of the UK version I just can't get past seeing the whole series and how amazying they look up close and person.

Michelle This is another tough week, we really don't seem to be making this easy on ourselves to pick a cover :). The USA covers were what initially drew me into this series, and while I do love these covers and how they all follow on, getting more amazing as the series continued, I have to pick the UK covers for this one. Like Lisa, she can see how the covers all match when they are together, which I can also do for my own UK covers.  Each one has a different colour and focus image on each one, and I love how they catch your eye. It's a UK vote for me this week.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of My Soul To Take NOW!

panel management

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions. We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier! Book Wars is a new feature for both of us which we hope to post every Monday, while we get it up and running this is subject to change as we participate in other features or tours we have committed to prior to setting up Book Wars.

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick is..... The UK cover!  Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: The Winter Witch
Author: Paula Brackston
Publisher: US -St Martin's Press, 340 Pages, (January 29th 2013), UK - Constable and Robinson, 416 Pages, (September 19th 2013),
Add to: Goodreads USA Version | Goodreads UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Fledgling witch Morgana must defend her love, her home, and her life in this enthralling tale perfect for fans of Discovery of Witches In her small Welsh town, there is no one quite like Morgana. She has never spoken, and her silence as well as the magic she can't quite control make her a mystery. Concerned for her safety, her mother quickly arranges a marriage with Cai Bevan, the widower from the far hills who knows nothing of the rumours that swirl around her. After their wedding, Morgana is heartbroken at leaving, but she soon falls in love with Cai’s farm and the rugged mountains that surround it, while slowly Cai himself begins to win her heart. It’s not long, however, before her strangeness begins to be remarked upon in her new village. A dark force is at work there—a person who will stop at nothing to turn the townspeople against Morgana, even at the expense of those closest to her. Forced to defend her home, her love, and herself from all comers, Morgana must learn to harness her power, or she will lose everything.

About the author: Paula Brackston lives in a wild, mountainous part of Wales. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, and is a Visiting Lecturer for the University of Wales, Newport. Before becoming a writer, Paula tried her hand at various career paths, with mixed success. These included working as a groom on a racing yard, as a travel agent, a secretary, an English teacher, and a goat herd. Everyone involved (particularly the goats) is very relieved that she has now found a job she is actually able to do properly. When not hunched over her keyboard in her tiny office under the stairs, Paula is dragged outside by her children to play Swedish tennis on the vertiginous slopes which surround them. She also enjoys being walked by the dog, hacking through weeds in the vegetable patch, or sitting by the pond with a glass of wine. Most of the inspiration for her writing comes from stomping about on the mountains being serenaded by skylarks and buzzards. In 2007 Paula was short listed in the Creme de la Crime search for new writers. In 2010 her book 'Nutters' (writing as PJ Davy) was short listed for the Mind Book Award, and she was selected by the BBC under their New Welsh Writers scheme.

Find Paula Online: Website | Blog

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Paula I love both the USA and the UK covers for The Winter Witch, but (since I'm being asked to choose!) my favourite has to be the UK version. It has a wonderfully expansive feel to it, with the central figure positioned in the landscape in such a way that she looks both part of it, and yet apart from it. Her stance is dynamic, and powerful, even though her form is slight. There is an enigmatic quality to the whole image, which has to do with the sense of space and the subdued colours, I think. For me, this is the cover that best suggests the story of my main character, and that, surely, is what every writer looks for.

Lisa This is a tough choice this week. WOW! Can I pick them both? Each are beautiful in their own way. I LOVE the colors in the US version yet there are hints of it in the UK copy. And the snow falling in the UK cover and the woman make me feel more like what’s really going on with the main character Morgana. I think that the UK cover is much more fitting for the story and while I love the colors in the US one, it’s a bit hard on the eyes after awhile, so this week the UK cover wins my vote!

Michelle This has to be the hardest choice so far in the books we have picked for Book Wars. I love the cover of the US version, I don't usually like books with dresses/cloaks on them but I do like this one.  However I love how lonely the person on the front of the UK one is.  From reading the synopsis the cover fits it perfectly.  I also love how it has snow falling on it, I'm a sucker for snow. After much deliberation I am going to pick the UK cover for my choice this week. Check out my review - HERE.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of The Winter Witch NOW!

customer survey

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions. We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier! Book Wars is a new feature for both of us which we hope to post every Monday, while we get it up and running this is subject to change as we participate in other features or tours we have committed to prior to setting up Book Wars.

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi is....the US copy! Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Note: The US cover of Ashes has changed, however we agreed that for this event we'd be talking about the books original covers, unless otherwise mentioned.

Title: Ashes
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Publisher: US -Egmont USA, 465 Pages, (September 6th 2011), UK - Quercus UK, 465 Pages, (September 29th 2011)
Add to: Goodreads USA Version | Goodreads UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: It could happen tomorrow . . . An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions. Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP. For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human. Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling post-apocalyptic novel about a world that could become ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

About the author: Among other things, I was an English major in college and so I know that I'm supposed to write things like, "Ilsa J. Bick is ." Except I hate writing about myself in the third person like I'm not in the room. Helloooo, I'm right here . . . So let's just say that I'm a child psychiatrist (yeah, you read that right)as well as a film scholar, surgeon wannabe (meaning I did an internship in surgery and LOVED it and maybe shoulda stuck), former Air Force major—and an award-winning, best-selling author of short stories, e-books, and novels. Believe me, no one is more shocked about this than I . . . unless you talk to my mother.

Find Ilsa Online: Website/Blog | Twitter

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa  Both covers of Ashes have a haunting feel, however the US cover is a bit more creepy. The story is haunting and there are parts of the story that did in fact have my heart pounding with what I could only describe as fear. I think the US cover fits the story more so than the UK and I'm a lover of books that have a creep factor to them. This week it's a vote for the US cover for me. The UK just doesn't carry the same weight as the US version. Check out my review.

Michelle Hands down there is no competition.  What drew me to this book in the first place was the USA cover on netgalley, if the UK version would have been released first I doubt I would have read it. I am a creepy/spooky/scary cover type of person and the USA cover is perfect for me.  I love the creepy face with the lines going horizontally across the cover.  It's another USA vote for me. Want to see what I thought of Ashes?  Check out my review here.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Ashes NOW!

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Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet. Often when a title is released here in the US, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the UK. So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions. We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier! Book Wars is a new feature for both of us which we hope to post every Monday, while we get it up and running this is subject to change as we participate in other features or tours we have committed to prior to setting up Book Wars.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left - US cover. Right - UK cover.

Title: Divergent (Divergent, #1)
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: US - Katherine Tegen Books, 487 Pages (January 1st, 2011), UK - HarperCollins Children's Books, 489 Pages, (February 2nd 2012),[original publication date May 3rd 2011]
Add to: Goodreads USA Version, Goodreads UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

About the author:

Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011) and INSURGENT (May 2012). The third and final book in The Divergent Trilogy, ALLEGIANT, will come out on October 22, 2013. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)

Find Veronica Online:

Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa Gosh, when Michelle and I started talking about this feature I didn't realize how hard this might be. They are both so different yet fit the story both in their own ways. The US cover has the faction symbol and gives an over all feel of of things brewing under the surface of the city. The UK cover give the impression of just how alone the girl is and the birds... of freedom. These are just my impressions of the covers based on what I see and what I know of the story. If you haven't read them, you SHOULD! So, now the hard part. Choosing a cover. I'm going to have to choose the US cover this time. If the UK cover would have been done in different colors it might have given the US version a run for it's money in which is MY favorite version.

So, US for me this round.

Want to know what I thought of the book? Check out my review for: Divergent

Michelle I love both of these covers.  The USA cover has the faction symbol on the front, and in the background a city and you can see how it all links together with the story.  The UK one though has the city in the background but also the ravens, which for those of you who have read the series, if you haven't then you need to, know where this connection comes from and its symbolisation.  It also feels like the person on the cover is alone, which also links in with the story.  If I have to choose my favourite cover I'm going to stick to my roots and pick the UK cover

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Divergent NOW!

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FTC Disclaimer: I have NOT been compensated at all in any way or means for sharing this promotional post.

Book wars is a weekly feature co-hosted by A Life Bound By Books and Much Loved Books. It's a place where readers can discuss the differences that we sometimes see in book covers here in the US vs. the UK. At the bottom of each post readers are encouraged to VOTE for their favorite! For more information please check out the first post.

Week 1, August 19th, 2013 - Divergent By: Veronica Roth
My vote: US Cover | Michelle's vote: UK Cover
Which Cover Won -

Week 2, August 26th, 2013 - Shadow and Bone/The Gathering Dark By: Leigh Bardugo
My vote: UK Cover | Michelle's vote: UK Cover
Which Cover Won -