Top Ten Stunning 2021 Book Covers

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's topic is...

Cover Freebie

so I chose to feature stunning book covers for 2021 titles

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Publication date: June 29, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Taj Francis

Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they're fighting for a common purpose—and falling for each other—in Zoe Hana Mikuta's high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series.

We went past praying to deities and started to build them instead...

The shadow of Godolia's tyrannical rule is spreading, aided by their giant mechanized weapons known as Windups. War and oppression are everyday constants for the people of the Badlands, who live under the thumb of their cruel Godolian overlords.

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

Publication date: February 23, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Unknown

A refreshingly timely and relatable debut novel about a young woman whose life plans fall apart when she meets her wife.

With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that.

In New York, she’s able to ignore all the annoying questions about her future plans and falls hard for her creative and beautiful wife, Yuki Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’s been running from all along—the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.

Note: Honey Girl is an Adult contemporary romance, not YA (although it would appeal to fans/readers of YA). I've had the opportunity to read this wholesome sapphic romance and I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend for those who love sapphic BIPOC rep with found family theme.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Publication date: March 2, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Moses Lunham, Rich Deas

Debut author Angeline Boulley crafts a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle

Publication date: February 23, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Unknown

In this riveting, keenly emotional debut fantasy, a teen girl from Houston has her world upended when she learns about her godly ancestry—and with evil sinking its claws into humans and gods alike, she’ll have to master her abilities to save both her worlds.

Rue’s family is her whole life, and East Row, the Houston neighborhood she calls home, is her world. But then the unthinkable happens. Rue’s mom is murdered, and a father she’s never met snatches her away from her sister. Now Rue is far away from everything she knows, trapped in her father’s home, Ghazan, a secret country of gods.

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

Publication date: April 20, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Ashley Straker

Divided by their castes. United by their vengeance.

Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom—and vengeance.

Jazmyne is the queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.

Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain—except the lengths they will go to win this game.

When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles

Publication date: June 8, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Kerri Resnick, Micaela Alcaino (Illustrator)

In Janella Angeles's When Night Breaks, the dramatic last act of the Kingdom of Cards duology, the stage is set, the spectacle awaits… and the show must finally come to an end.

The competition has come to a disastrous end, and Daron Demarco’s fall from grace is now front page news. But little matters to him beyond Kallia, the contestant he fell for who is now lost to this world and in the hands of a dangerous magician. Daron is willing to do whatever it takes to find her. Even if it means embarking on a dark and treacherous journey, risking more than just his life, with no promise of return.

Cazadora by Romina Garber

Publication date: August 17, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Kerri Resnick, Daria Hlazatova

In Cazadora, the follow-up to Lobizona, Romina Garber continues to weave Argentine folklore and real-world issues into a haunting, fantastical, and romantic story that will reunite readers with Manu and her friends as they continue to fight for a better future.

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

Publication date: January 9, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Simon Prades, Elizabeth H. Clark, Erin Fitzsimmons, Ray Shappell

The sequel to the New York Times–bestselling We Hunt the Flame, Zafira and Nasir must conquer the darkness around—and inside of—them.

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.

The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din

Publication date: March 15, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Unknown

She is bound to serve. He is meant to kill. Survival is their prison. Choice is their weapon.

As the sacred slave of a goddess, Roma is of a lower caste that serves patrons to sustain the balance between gods and men. What she wants is her freedom, but deserters are hunted and hanged, and Roma only knows how to survive in her village where women are vessels without a voice. When her younger brother is condemned to the same wretched fate as hers, Roma must choose between silence and rebellion.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Publication date: March 2, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Tara Josu

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

I've read an advanced review copy of The Gilded Ones a few months ago, and it is just absolutely amazing and well-written. The worldbuilding. The characters. The nuanced cultural influences. I absolutely enjoyed it so much. If you liked A Song of Wraiths and Ruin or Raybearer, then this one is for you.

Not only am I 😍 over these gorgeous covers, but I am also excited for these books as well! Shoutout to authors and publishers who credit their cover artists/designers/illustrators on their websites. It made it so much easier to give them their due credit. And shoutout to the amazing and talented artists who created these beautiful book covers. Be sure to check out their portfolios!

♥ What are your favorite book covers ever?

What book covers did you feature in your TTT?

Share in the comments!

Also, if it's not too much to ask, if you know the cover designer/artist
for books I have as "unknown", please drop their names in the comments below!
Thank you! ♥