I don’t know who needs to hear this (yes, I do. It’s publishers), but not every book cover needs a skull.

They’re everywhere. You open a new romantasy or fantasy hardcover and there it is. Skulls on the dust jacket. Skulls embossed on the naked cover. Skull icons in the chapter headers. Bookmarks with skulls. Edges with skulls. It’s become the entire aesthetic of half the genre.

When I was younger, fantasy meant something different. Elves, hobbits, wizards, magical forests. It was whimsical. It was beautiful. Rainbows and unicorns. Occasionally a scary monster, sure, but even that was part of a world that felt alive and enchanted.

Now it’s blood, knives, skulls, snakes. The whole thing feels darker, heavier, and somehow... hollow. I don’t know when we all agreed that fantasy needed to feel like a black t-shirt with a dagger on it. I’m not saying those books are bad. I know they’re popular. They must be selling, or we wouldn’t keep seeing the same motifs over and over.

But I miss covers that feel like magic instead of death.

I miss soft light and bright color and a sense of wonder.
I miss feeling like a book might transport me instead of trying to intimidate me.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m alone in this. Maybe the skull trend will burn out soon.
Until then, I’ll be over here wishing we could all remember that fantasy can be beautiful too.