I want to preface this by saying that I mean NO disrespect to Sarah and her amazing books.  We're all incredibly excited for this next instalment, to see the progress between Nesta, Cassian and all the other characters.  I know for myself, these books have had a huge impact on my life and I hold these stories close to my heart.  We all know the saying "don't judge a book by it's cover" and there are many readers who don't care about the cover change.  But I would like Bloomsbury to consider these points:

- The Covers Won't Match

A Court of Thorns and Roses was released in 2015.  Since that time, many fans have purchased the original books.  Including some beautiful box sets featuring the original trilogy.  For those of us who take pride in our beautiful bookshelves this cover just doesn't work.  Even the colour scheme is completely different.  Maybe that's the point, if you're want to sell more copies of these books.  But it just feels slightly disrespectful to the readers who have been supporting these books from the beginning.  

- The Covers Misrepresent the Series

When I picked up ACOTAR in 2015, the cover was the first thing that drew me in.  And based off that cover I knew I would be getting a Beauty and the Beast / high fantasy type of story.  I was expecting a fairytale story full of magic, monsters and romance.  While you can never anticipate the kind of story you will find based off the cover, everything from the colour scheme to the font style really worked for me.  However, I don't know what these new covers suggest.  The tattoo art style and colour scheme looks oriental and contemporary.  This completely misrepresents a high fantasy series and doesn't capture the stories Sarah has written at all.

- Nobody Said the Old Covers Couldn't Be Sold to Adults

Look I get it.  When the series were started, they were branded as YA and now that's a problem because their content doesn't reflect that.  But that blame can't be placed on the COVERS.  Plenty of adults such as myself would be drawn to the original ACOTAR covers.  Not because they look childish but because they look beautiful and interesting.  If you're going to rebrand the books as adult, I'm all for it.  But the new covers should actually communicate that they're adult novels, not just change up the pictures.

- The Customer is Always Right

I'm assuming you're read the responses to these covers already.  Instagram comments are a great place to see how consumers are feeling about these books.  The vast majority of sales for these books will come from readers who are already fans of the series.  We've been keenly anticipating this story and feel a close connection to the world and characters.  That's why I don't want this petition to come across as malicious in any way.  I'm not attacking Bloomsbury or Sarah.  I LOVE these books.  These characters have made me laugh and cry, and have been my escape from the world.  But as a consumer, buying power is really all I've got to work with.  I want to support Sarah by purchasing this book.  But I also want to actually enjoy holding that book in my hands and displaying it on my shelves.

- Think of the Possibilities

  Many readers have already suggested creating a dust jacket to match the old covers.  Or releasing a collector's edition.  Or just redesigning the whole series to create something more on brand.  This cover has the potential to be really beautiful.  The idea of "silver flames" is really striking.  I do appreciate that the current cover has probably been a lot of hard work and that a lot of thought would have gone into it.  Same for the rest of the covers.  And I'm definitely still going to read the book when it comes out.  But I really hope that this petition encourages Bloomsbury to think of some alternative options.  

*please note!  I found the fanart on pinterest.  The far right artist is Elithien (@elithienart) on instagram.  I tried to find the other artist but couldn't!  If you know who it is, I can take it down or give credit.  :-)