Smugglerific Cover

A Smugglerific Cover: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (& ARC Giveaway)

We are thrilled to present yet another Smugglerific cover reveal! This time, the book is Stormdancer from debut author Jay Kristoff. We cannot wait for the book – a dystopia set in a Japanese-inspired steampunk empire in which technology has decimated the environment, and a girl named Yukiko (who can telepathically communicate with animals) must hunting down the last thunder tiger left alive. How could we refuse something like that?! (Not to mention the blurb from Patrick freakin’ Rothfuss. Now that is an endorsement.)

Without further ado, BEHOLD! The cover of Stormdancer!

THE SMUGGLERIFIC COVER:

THE SUMMARY:

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, land choked with toxic pollution, wildlife ravaged by mass extinctions.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shogun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary beast, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows thunder tigers have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shogun is death.

A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a hidden gift that would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shogun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

Stormdancer is released September 18 in the US through Thomas Dunne books/St Martin’s Press.

For more about Stormdancer check out the book’s official Goodreads Page, or follow Jay on his blog and on twitter.

A Word From Jay Kristoff on The Cover:

Welcome to the cover reveal for my novel STORMDANCER. I know I’m totally biased, but holy frack, I love it. If I could write sonnets, I’d totally be busting one out right now, but thinking about it, I don’t even think I know what a sonnet is. *checks wiki*. yeah, I definitely can’t write one of those.

Three cool factoids about the cover:

Yukiko’s tattoo – The nine-tailed fox running down her arm is named “Kitsune”, and he’s the spirit guardian of the Fox clan. People in Shima pray to him for good luck. Tattoos in Shima say a lot about a person – their clan, their job, their social standing. You are not expected to get your own STORMDANCER tattoo, even if you really like the book. 🙂

The flower background – The flowers behind Yukiko are called “blood lotus”. They play a very important part in the world of STORMDANCER. I won’t tell you what they do, because that would be spoiling things and I’m not that much of a jerk. But I’m really glad they got included.

The little triangle in Yukiko’s pants that shows her bare skin – I dunno why this is there. I think it makes her more aerodynamic?

THE GIVEAWAY:

We have an ARC of Stormdancer up for grabs! The contest is open to all and will run until Saturday May 26 at 11:59pm (EST). To enter, use the widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

Jay is also running a Stormdancer Uber Giveaway on his own blog. For a chance to win another ARC and some other Stormdancer-y goodness, click here for details. Our question for the Uber Giveaway is: When is Stormdancer released in the US? (Hint, the answer is at the top of this post) Good luck!

18 Comments

  • Yeti
    May 18, 2012 at 9:21 am

    This has to be one the best covers EVER!

  • Tina
    May 18, 2012 at 9:28 am

    I adore Stormdancer’s cover! I’ve unintentionally made a habit of reading any books that Jason Chan does the cover art for because I love his work so much.

  • erinf1
    May 18, 2012 at 9:55 am

    That’s a beautiful cover! I’m just now discovering this book! Running over to add it to my upcoming new releases 🙂

  • Gaby Navarro
    May 18, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    This is awesome!! what a beautiful cover I’m sure it’s an amazing book!

  • MarieC
    May 18, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    Wow! Beautiful cover! I think I love this one more than “Girl with the Clockwork Collar”.

  • kara-karina
    May 18, 2012 at 4:31 pm

    Well, how do I choose between US and UK cover now?!! They are both stunners! Stormdancer has been on my wishlist for awhile nw, and I can’t wait to read it!

  • draconismoi
    May 18, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    I need to review more books. So I can get more awesome ARCs like this. Why does my stupid job hold me back all the time?!

  • STORMDANCER US cover reveal « Jay Kristoff – Literary Giant
    May 19, 2012 at 6:29 am

    […] The Book Smugglers […]

  • Jenn (Tynga's Reviews)
    May 19, 2012 at 6:33 am

    This cover is amazing!! So eye-catching.

  • Jasmine L. Albitos
    May 19, 2012 at 7:17 am

    The cover is beautiful. I am already intrigued with the synopsis. My daughter and I are looking forward to reading this book…STORMDANCER!!! Thank you for the giveaway!!! 😀

  • Kristin Clifton
    May 19, 2012 at 9:55 am

    Awesome giveaway!! I forgot giveaways were great ways to find great blogs!! Yours is so awesome ~ I’m so glad I found you guys…

  • Jay Kristoff
    May 20, 2012 at 4:22 am

    Hey all, thanks so much for the cover love! It’s much appreciated 🙂

    If you want another chance to win an ARC, remember there are nine more being given away this week – all the details are on my blog – http://www.jaykristoff.com.

    Good luck!

  • Littlechoo
    May 20, 2012 at 6:07 am

    That cover is beautiful

  • John Leavitt
    May 21, 2012 at 5:21 pm

    Vibrant doesn’t begin to describe this cover.

  • Nikki Egerton
    May 22, 2012 at 6:39 am

    That is one stunning cover! I’d love to put it on my wall, and I have nothing on my walls, so that’s saying something!

  • Evie
    May 22, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    This cover is so beautiful!
    Thanks a lot for the giveaway.

  • Smugglers’ Stash & News | The Book Smugglers
    May 27, 2012 at 6:59 am

    […] A Smugglerific Cover: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (& ARC Giveaway) […]

  • Smugglers’ Ponderings: On Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff | The Book Smugglers
    September 14, 2012 at 9:57 am

    […] In the ensuing months we were one of the many people creating hyper around the book, we participated in its cover reveal and interviewed Jay Kristoff in our September Newsletter. Basically, I was predisposed to like […]

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