Some covers scream “I am mysterious, edgy, and dangerous.” Wreckless Rules doesn’t scream—it coughs. Because all we really get here is smoke. Endless, shapeless, choking smoke. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if someone designed a book cover entirely with Photoshop’s “smoke brush” after bingeing vape ads, here’s your answer.
The title tries to claw its way out from under the haze, but fails spectacularly. “Wreckless” is scrawled in messy white graffiti that looks like it was written with a trembling mouse hand. Then someone thought, “Wait, let’s add RULES in red, diagonally, right on top of it.” Now both words are fighting each other for visibility like two drunks in a nightclub parking lot. Typography hierarchy? Never heard of her.
Above it all, “Porter Publications Presents…” floats at the top in a font so weak it looks like it was added as an afterthought. And down in the corner sits the author’s name, Nina, so tiny and misplaced it feels like she’s embarrassed to admit ownership of this thing. It’s the book cover equivalent of whispering, “Yeah, that’s mine… sorry.”
The real tragedy is the vibe. This cover desperately wants to be rebellious, underground, a little bit dangerous. But instead of pulling off dark, gritty intrigue, it lands squarely in Hot Topic clearance bin chic. You don’t think “gritty thriller,” you think “teen poetry zine stapled together in the back of homeroom.”
And the worst part? The smoke. It doesn’t add atmosphere, it doesn’t hint at story, it doesn’t frame the text. It’s just there. Everywhere. A fog machine left running until the fire alarm goes off.
Wreckless Rules isn’t edgy. It’s just unreadable. And while the smoke may have been meant to create a sense of danger, all it really does is obscure the fact that this cover is one step away from being a vaping awareness poster.