Pegasus by Robin McKinley
Ok, so I’ll admit it, when I was a young girl I was horse crazy. I mean crazy. It started with My Little Pony, then I added in Barbie’s horses, and then it was just an explosion of every kind of horse figurine I could get my little hands on. Then of course there were the books. If it had a horse on the cover, I probably read it.
I even begged my parents for horseback riding lessons. Do you realize how big horses are? I mean, fine, ok, I’m a small person and I was even smaller then, but horses are big. I think the stable picked the biggest horse they had, too. So I was perched atop this giant of a horse and I was feeling, honestly, a little mixed.
Part of me felt like I was in the cover of Pegasus. I was all, “Woah, I’m a Horse Maiden! Go me!” and waiting for my hair to start flowing in the wind as my loyal and gorgeous steed cantered across the countryside, inspiring music played in the background, and that warm glow spread across everything.
You know how in movies they sometimes show those fantasy sequences where everything is beautiful, bright, and in slow motion with this pretty “awe-inspiring” music playing? That’s what this cover is, and when I sat on a horse for the first time this was what I was imagining.
But the other part of me? Yeah, that was more like, “Um, what do I do here???” Horses were a lot more magical in books.
Flash forward to now and my heart pretty much stopped when I saw this cover. I was immediately transported back into the imaginings of my childhood.
You see that girl on the cover? Yeah, that’s me. Well, ok, not really (I’m not quite as awesome as my boyfriend), but I inserted myself there as soon as I saw that gorgeous black (black!) Pegasus plummeting toward her. This cover is like all of my childhood fantasies come to life.
This cover makes me want to play dress up and pretend I’m a princess. I look at that Pegasus and think, “MINE!” When he lands I’ll braid his mane and tail and we can play make believe forever and ever. This cover makes me feel like a little kid with a limitless imagination and the ability to get lost in my dreams. It makes me want to read the book really badly.
The glowing sun under the title makes the entire cover feel bathed in “fantasy magic light.” Like Rivendell. I mean, look at the light on the clouds and on the grass. Tell me that’s not magical!
I love that the Pegasus is black. Sure white is more traditional, but black is captivating! Is he a good Pegasus or a bad Pegasus? Is he coming to help her or hurt her? I can’t image he’s going to hurt her with all that happy glowing going on, but maybe there’s something a little darker happening in the story.
I also like the balance in this cover. She’s on the bottom, he’s at the top, and the title is written boldly across the middle. It’s all very even. I like that. I also like the swirly font. It kind of reminds me of ribbons, which works with the whole medieval princess thing. Red is the perfect color, too. It really pops without overwhelming the cover.
Is it just me, or does anyone else get a bit of a fish and bird romance vibe? Do you know the story, phrase, whatever it is about a bird and a fish falling in love? The Pegasus (who has a definite masculine feel) is a creature of the sky and the girl is bound to the land and yet they’re still connected despite their differences. I look at the cover and wonder how this connection and opposing worlds vibe will play out in the story.
I wish the book was as good as this cover, but unfortunately I couldn’t finish it. You can read more about that in my Pegasus book review (scroll to the bottom of the linked post). I’m disappointed about the book, but at least I can stare at that cover and make up my own stories in my head.
What do you think about this cover?
Do you like it? Dislike it?
Does it make you want to read the book?
Do you like it? Dislike it?
Does it make you want to read the book?
Tweet
