Welcome to another eye-watering installment of Horrible Covers, where questionable aesthetic decisions meet the printed word. Today’s subject? A YA mystery cover so aggressively whimsical it could double as a 2023 bullet journal starter kit.
Let’s dive in.
A Deadly Game of Fonts
The title alone is having a full-on identity crisis. We’ve got:
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Script font for the “Henderson” and “Deadly Game” bits (presumably to make things feel youthful and casual),
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Basic sans-serif for “Amanda Wills” (to prove she’s a serious author),
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And comic-adjacent sans-serif for the subtitle and review blurb (which screams, “I don’t know design, but I do own a mouse”).
This is the typographic equivalent of a kid yelling three different things at once while rollerblading across a whiteboard.
That Girl
Ah yes, our heroine—rendered in thick, meandering black line art that seems like it was drawn by someone being electrocuted mid-sketch. Her glasses say “quirky intellect,” her notebook says “investigative journalist,” and her tentacle-like locks say “possessed by an eldritch shampoo demon.”
One can only imagine how much conditioner is sacrificed in the name of solving mysteries.
Color Me Confused
The cover’s one-color background—bright, relentless blue—gives off “infographic about dental hygiene” vibes. It’s trying to be modern and minimalistic, but instead screams “student orientation pamphlet for an alternative learning center that meets in a van.”
The Killer Blurb Placement
You know a cover is in trouble when even the endorsement quote looks like it’s trying to escape. Squished into the corner like an afterthought, the Daily Mail quote is a tragic orphan—desperate for formatting, proper hierarchy, or at least a different shade of bland navy.
Final Thoughts
This isn’t the worst cover to ever grace our digital doorstep, but it’s a case study in what happens when you throw together “relatable” clip art, three different font moods, and a cheery color scheme with the unearned confidence of a Pinterest board.
Is it quirky? Yes.
Is it horrible? Also yes.
Is Flick Henderson okay? We may never know.