25+ Magical Book Covers That Will Ignite Your Imagination

Cover design is an art unlike any other. A designer must convey the story’s heart and tone through color schemes, composition, typeface, and imagery — all so that a reader will be compelled to buy the book. The visuals and text need to work in tandem while also fitting within the novel’s genre conventions and current trends.

Every week, I spotlight a different magical book cover in the Magic, Mystery, & Mayhem Facebook group that I run, with a focus on fantasy. This list is the culmination of months’ worth of collecting and curating.

I’m in awe of the imagination and beauty found in these designs. Although I haven’t read all of these books, their enticing covers make me itch to open them and discover what’s hidden in their pages.

1. THE BINDING by Bridget Collins (designed by Micaela Alcaino)

THE BINDING by Bridget Collins

Through colors and shading, illustrations can convey texture in fascinating ways. Cover designer Micaela Alcaino was inspired by her own collection of old, beautiful hardbacks. Gold-foiled leather-bound books are a focal point in the story as well.

The navy and chestnut hues exude an earthy and rich feeling. I’m a sucker for keys on covers, and this one looks like it’s waiting for me to snatch it up. Keys are an important symbol in the story world, wherein bookbinders can lock away a person’s darkest memories into the pages of a book.

2. UP-AND-UNDER series by A. Deborah Baker a.k.a. Seanan McGuire (designed by David Curtis)

OVER THE WOODWARD WALL; ALONG THE SALTWISE SEA; and INTO THE WINDWRACKED WILDS by A. Deborah Baker

I adore how the text curves around the settings referenced in each title. Into the Windwracked Wilds is my favorite of the three because of how it commands my attention as a reader, sucking me into book with the swirl of clouds.

This middle-grade fantasy series centers on two children who stumble into the…