It's Hard Being Lawful Good in a Chaotic Neutral World - A Review of Her Nightly Embrace

Her Nightly Embrace by Adi Tantimedh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a reader, I am far more susceptible to a pretty book cover than I sometimes care to admit. I know that I “should not judge a book by its cover”, as the old adage goes, but it is also true that a well-designed cover is going to attract my attention much more quickly than an ugly one. It is, of course, possible to love a book despite its cover: I have an immense fondness for Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga books, even though the covers tend to be rather terrible (others will argue, however, that that is part of their charm). However, it is also true that a good friend of mine whose reading tastes I trust is responsible for getting me into the Vorkosigan Saga in the first place, so it might be said that the covers were offset by the strength of the recommendation.

One of the aversions I have when it comes to cover art is the use of a human face as a dominant element. I suppose it’s because I see it used so frequently on the covers of so many books that it feels disenchantingly quotidian; it doesn’t help that most of them feature the same make and model of Forgettable White Girl/Boy/Couple as every other book on the same shelf. Or perhaps I simply prefer covers that lean more towards an artsy, more graphic and stylised aesthetic. Whatever the case may be, if there is a human face on the cover, I am not likely going to pick it up.

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