We all know the classic book genres: romance, mystery, thriller, etc. But some of the subgenres that have spawned from these groups are a bit…niche. Something that often comes with a niche book is a bit of a weird cover and I have now spent many hours scouring the internet for the weirdest. Whether it’s a strange editing choice, a horrific font, or an idea that seems too random to be true, these book covers range from interesting to outright bad. So, buckle up and prepare to see my take on the craziest and most interesting book covers from the most niche of book genres.
*These are just my light-hearted opinions, this article is all in good fun and does not intend to direct hate to any of the authors or artists mentioned.*
Cozy Mystery
When I think of the cozy mystery genre, I think Lifetime meets Hallmark. A picturesque setting, not too much gore, a relatable main character (to most suburban moms at least), and some sort of rose-colored crime. I can definitely see the appeal for these books as I enjoy horror with a hint of being able to sleep at night. That being said, this premise has created some very intriguing book covers. Here are some of my favorite finds.
1. Death At The Café by Alison Golden
Allison Gold’s Reverend Annabelle Dixon Books are a great example of why the cozy mystery genre inherently creates some strange book covers. A smiling woman, a pretty pink background, maybe some flowers, and MURDER. I get that these women are happy people, but why do they continue to smile as they are continuously presented with death and murder? I just cannot get past the hand heart directly above the word death. If someone just died at the cafe, why are you ladies posing for a photo?
2. Berry The Dead By Nancy McGovern
Don’t read the title and tell me what you think this book is about. Did you say murder mystery? I would bet not. This is the 13th book featuring this main protagonist. This woman has been through 12 previous murder mysteries and is still smiling like that? Don’t even get me started on this book’s punny title.
Amish Mafia
In my opinion, the Amish book genre is more surprising in its large quantity than in subject matter. But Amish Mafia? Now we’re getting specific.
3. Amish Assassin by Ashley Emma
I’m not sure if this is a hot take or not, but I’m going to come right out and say it. I absolutely hate the man looking off to the distance trend on contemporary book covers. Where is he looking? Is he wearing a hoodie that’s also…a vest? Why are they so disproportionate to the wagon? Who decided that the author’s name should be in neon blue so bright it’s hard to look at? The questions are endless.
4. Amish Under Fire by Ashley Emma
Ok, when I said I didn’t like the looking off into the distance trend I didn’t mean I want the man to stare into my soul. And is the woman behind him supposed to be looking at him? Because it kind of looks like she’s trying to kill me as well. And that horrid neon blue returns…
Medical Romance
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good romance book. But sometimes I must ask…do we need an entire book based on a very specific romance trope? Medical/doctor romance is a subgenre I didn’t know existed and I’m not sure I needed to know existed. But alas, with the genre comes some, well, interesting, covers.
5. Mistletoe Kiss with the Heart Doctor by Marion Lennox
Now this one doesn’t score too high on the weirdness factor, but the questions it evokes still rank it as kind of bad. This is a Christmas medical romance? I sure wouldn’t be able to tell by the cover. If we’re going to delve into the highly niche genre, I want more from the cover than a basic PowerPoint font and an ok photoshop job.
6. Doctor Daddy by Jacqueline Diamond
Now, this is more like it. If ‘it’ means weird and borderline creepy. What exactly does the title mean? Why is the little girl wearing the stethoscope? What is that random neighborhood of upsettingly modern homes? There are like 5 different fonts and 4 clashing colors on this cover and I don’t know where to look first.
Alien Medical Romance
If you thought regular medical romance was weird…meet alien medical romance. I can’t even tell you how I found this genre, but uh, RIP my search history. Naturally, these book covers bring much to discuss.
7. Chosen By The Alien Doctor by Sloane Meyers
You can try to fool me, but succeeding will be very difficult. That is clearly a very regular man edited to be a very harsh shade of blue. His hairstyle alone is saying any-30-something-year-old-man-you’ve-ever-met. Is that supposed to be a floating MRI machine? And yet again, what are you staring at man?!
8. Glitch Of The Heart by Harlyn Moxie
The design of this cover is…ok? But the words alien, military, medical, and romance being on one cover has got to be something out of a random word generator. And the random daisies? Since when were there daisies in space? But then again, since when was there an alien soldier in space? If you’re gonna give me a book that’s this ‘out of this world’ then at least give me a taste of the romance on the cover. Not just the torso of a painfully green mystery man.
Alien Babies
What could possibly follow alien medical romance? Alien pregnancies and babies, of course! This genre has a surprisingly large amount of books.
9. Baby For The Alien Invader by Juno Wells
There is so much to take in here. Besides the very fake-looking green skin of this man, what exactly makes him an alien? The tattoos? The fact he’s standing in a galaxy-themed background that has way too many lens flare-looking designs? I also have to wonder why so many of these alien babies on these covers come out looking like their human, often white, mothers. Do alien genetics work differently or something?
10. A Baby For The Alien Prince by Miranda Martin
What is up with this trend– are women just like throwing children at these alien people? Now this cover specifically has some serious design flaws. The man’s coloring caused him to blend into the background the first few times I looked at it. The weird squiggle designs are not the most pleasant to look at and do not help convey anything about the real setting of the book. And one of my continuous personal pet peeves- why are the people floating?
Faith-Based Spy Novels
Religious spy novels are defined as crime novels with spy characters and a faith-based element. I’m not really sure what differs between a regular spy novel and a religious spy novel, but then again I haven’t read much of either. Either way, there are still plenty of fun covers.
11. Psyber And Clipped Eagles by Pat Reilly
I’m not even going to try and understand the plot of this novel, but it doesn’t matter because I can’t get past this cover. The two men floating in the sky give me the same energy as the dead tribute projections from The Hunger Games. Their facial expressions are like stock image photos of ‘happiness’ and ‘suave’. The rest of the cover being cartoonish and then the two very photographed men can only be read as comical in my book.
12. Once A Spy by Jan Thompson
So this one is apparently a Religious Spy Romance? All I want to know is, yet again, what is this man looking at? We continue with the realistic man with a very fake background trend. If only sunsets could look so vibrant in real life. Those ‘lights’ in the cover’s background kind of look like smudges though.
I hope you found some enjoyment in these book covers. Would you believe there’s more? Click here to read about some giggle-worthy romance book covers!
