Cover Reveal: Hunters of the Lost City by Kali Wallace
We’re excited to share the cover reveal of Hunters of the Lost City by Kali Wallace. Perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and Shannon Hale, or anyone who longs for adventure, this page-turning middle-grade fantasy is packed with shocking twists, frightening monsters, and dark magic. (But trust us—it’s not just for middle-grade readers!)
Designed by Quirk’s senior designer, Ryan Hayes, and illustrated by Matt Saunders, just look at how beautiful this cover is!
Ryan Hayes said, “When creating the cover for Hunters of the Lost City, it was all about mood and atmosphere. The wonder and mystery (and a bit of the danger) that exists beyond the walls of Vittoria is so integral to the story and the characters that we focused Matt’s efforts there. The color of the town is a bit more drab while the mountains and sky beyond the walls is much more dreamy, magical, and inviting—almost calling to our characters to venture to them. ”
To celebrate the reveal, we asked author Kali Wallace to answer a couple of questions about the book and the cover.
Quirk Books: Thanks for joining us for a Q&A today, Kali! If you only had one tweet, how would you describe Hunters of the Lost City?
Kali Wallace: Octavia dreams of being a Hunter who protects the last town in existence from magical monsters, but when she meets a stranger who isn’t supposed to exist, she sets out on a journey that will force her to question everything she thought she knew about her home, her history, and her place in the world.
QB: What was your favorite part of writing Hunters of the Lost City?
KW: I enjoyed writing all parts of Hunters, but the most fun was definitely in creating the friendship—and mutual crush!—between Octavia and her new friend Sima. Some of the most fun to be had while writing is forcing characters to get to know each other while also sticking them in endless peril.
QB: The main character, Octavia, lives in the walled city of Vittoria. The city is protected against magical monsters by two important sets of people: Hunters and magical Crafters. Octavia wants to be a Hunter when she grows up. If you lived in Vittoria and could have one job, what would it be?
KW: To be honest, a big part of the reason I made Octavia’s family own a bakery is because being a baker is the job I see myself doing in most fantasy settings. I would not be great at fighting or casting spells or running into danger, but I can definitely make the pies that all those brave people will need to eat when they come back home.
QB: Now, back to this awesome cover! What is your favorite part of the cover? Without giving anything away, are there any clues hidden on the cover?
KW: I love everything about this cover. I think it’s ridiculously beautiful, and it captures the mood and feeling of the story so well. My absolute favorite part is the silhouettes of the monsters on the wall. But I also love that if you look closely at the mountains in the background, you might get a little hint about how the story ventures beyond those walls and monsters!
QB: One last question before we go… What book(s) are you currently reading?
KW: I am between novels right now, but the next one on my stack is Leigh Bardugo’s Crooked Kingdom—I want to finish the duology before I let myself watch the Netflix show! In the meantime, I have recently decided to read more short fiction, so I have been working my way through Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s The Weird, a 1100-page anthology of weird fiction that spans over a century. As of now I’ve only made it as far as Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s “The Hell Screen,” so I have a good thousand pages left to go.
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Preorder Hunters of the Lost City here.
