Battle of the Cover: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I think we've established that the majority of us like our cover art. It's the first thing we see when we find a book and let's face it, it matters more than we'd like to admit when picking a book, (sometimes) but when I look at how various book covers differ from country to country or sometimes, edition to edition, I can’t help but compare them. Some covers draw me in while others are easy to overlook, some have amazing artwork while others leave alot to be desired. Alas, I've decided there was only one thing to do. Pit them against each other of course.

So today I thought it would be appropriate to compare the covers of bestselling, book-turned-film The Hunger Games. Bear in mind there were a lot of covers, and I couldn’t compare them all. Let the games begin!

Germany – When I see this cover I don’t instantly think The Hunger Games, but I suppose, assuming we’re looking at Katniss, it does show her stealthy side, which along with her skill using a bow, is her main advantage over most of her opponents. The green theme is a nice change and this is one the few cover without a Mockingjay pin planted on it somewhere which I found interesting.

Denmark - I'd never seen this cover before today and I have to say I really like it. It's sombre, eerie and it tells you a little about the book without you even having to read the blurb. I like how it shows Katniss in action with her bow in hand, before she enters the games because whenever I think of Katniss, I think of her shooting arrows in the arena. Again, no Mockingjay logo.

US – This is the cover I see everywhere online. It’s simple and quite plain which I think is nice. There is a Mockingjay, as expected, and it’s also the only image on the cover that isn’t in monochrome. I like this cover as when I heard of the Hunger Games is was the first cover I saw.

UK – There were actually quite a few covers for the UK that I’ve seen but this is the copy I have, which was a part of a box set where the others had similar covers with a different colour scheme. As for this cover, although it isn’t very telling I feel it maintains some mystery as what happens. Well that was until I read the blurb of course. Behind the HG there is a Mockingjay carrying an arrow which is the image we associate with The Hunger Games.

My Favourite:

I like most of these for different reasons but it will have to be the cover for Denmark. I like how although there isn't a Mockingjay to identify immediately, the girl's bow has the same effect. But that's just me. I'd love to hear what you think so I'm going to let you decide on the poll.

Which do you prefer?

 - Lettora