Some book covers grab you with atmosphere, some with drama, and some with raw emotional tension. And then there are covers like Piper’s Impasse, which grab you with Bigfoot’s dead-eyed stare from the background shrubbery.
Let’s break down the lineup. In the front, we have Piper herself, looking less like a heroine caught in peril and more like a shampoo model accidentally lost in Photoshop’s jungle asset pack. Beside her looms a brooding long-haired man who radiates “discount Fabio” energy, airbrushed so heavily he looks like he’s been generated by an RPG character creator. And behind them, in a cameo no one asked for, is Bigfoot. Not metaphorical Bigfoot. Not cleverly hidden Bigfoot. Just Bigfoot, hanging out in the corner like a cryptid who missed his call time for Finding Sasquatch.
The lighting is where things really unravel. Piper is spotlighted as if she’s filming a makeup tutorial in the forest. Mr. Brooding Fabio seems to have a completely different sun shining exclusively on his jawline. And Bigfoot? He’s lit like he’s in a different state entirely. The result is less “ensemble cast” and more “Photoshop patchwork of stock photos stitched together during a power outage.”
Then we get to the title: Piper’s Impasse. Dramatic, mysterious, evocative. But paired with this imagery, it just makes you wonder: is the impasse choosing between her brooding boyfriend… or the hulking cryptid third wheel lurking in the treeline? If the series is called The Hidden America Series, then congratulations — Bigfoot is no longer hidden. He’s front row, center stage, and frankly stealing the show.
Final Verdict: This isn’t so much a book cover as it is a paranormal soap opera gone wrong: Days of Our Sasquatch.
Note: The author has used a different cover on Good Reads, but the Amazon cover is still present (this one). The Good Reads version is, in this designer’s opinion, even worse than this one.