Swoon Reads : Beware the Night

•

Illustration for Jessika Fleck's 'Beware the Night', published by Swoon Reads..

Art Direction by Liz Dresner.

—

☾ SYNOPSIS

'On the island of Bellona, life is peaceful—as long as the citizens dutifully worship the Sun, which protects them from all harm. Seventeen-year-old Veda knows that keeping the Sun happy will protect her and her grandfather from the Night, the dangerous people who snatch innocent citizens from their beds under the cover of darkness, never to be seen again. As long as Veda follows the rules, she will be safe.

But when Veda's grandfather is offered up as the next sacrificial offering to keep the Sun's favor, she starts to see that the safety she's been promised comes at a dangerous price. Maybe there is more to fear above than there is below.

With a mysterious young man, Dorian, at her side, Veda has to figure out if the scary bedtime stories she grew up hearing are real—or dangerous lies.'

—

☾ BRIEF

'Beware the Night' is a story rich of symbolism, and we wanted the cover to reflect that. We shortlisted a variety of objects that are crucial to the storyline and incorporated them into the cover illustration.

—

☾ SKETCHES

Swoon Reads' online community was invited to vote for one of the three sketches.

—

☾ COLOR

The winning sketch was then visualised in color. Finding the right color balance was crucial to convey the sense of mystery and adventure in the book.