This one was so obvious when I opened last week’s Publisher’s Weekly that I’m honestly surprised it made the final cut.

Michael Stein’s The Rape of the Muse will be published by Permanent Press on October 1, 2011. It’s an adult fiction title. You can read more about the book here.

It should surprise no one who reads or knows anything about YA lit that that cover is a double to this one:

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey was published last year.

I find it interesting that the placement of the mask wasn’t even changed, nor was the background black color changed. The eye colors were swapped out, but beyond that, it’s the same stock image. I don’t find the font appealing on the Stein book, and I think it’s a little jarring to mix up how the italics are used. That said, I like the fact it is all black and white. There’s definitely an eeriness to it.

For me, though, the Healey cover will always be a winner. I’m still sad it got changed.