Helpful Score: 1
This book consisted of three stories; each had something pivotal that happened because of a simple (or not so simple) kiss. The stories were very well written, all the characters were engaging and very interesting. Taylor has a beautiful writing style and uses very creative imagery. Overall this was an excellent book and made me want to read more of Taylor's books.
The book is formatted in an interesting way; and in itself the book is a beautiful book. At the beginning of each story a series of beautiful pictures tells the prelude to the story. The pictures are absolutely stunning and really fit the mood of the book. The book is written in a classic fairy tale type way, think dark fairy tales though, not Disney.
I was a bit surprised that this was classified as young adult. The last story especially deals with rape, torture, stealing souls from children, etc. I thought the stories were immensely creative and very engaging, but all of them are very dark and a bit disturbing. I personally don't mind that in a story, but some people might find it uncomfortable. The stories are never dealt with in gory detail, but the imagery is there.
Below I touch on each of the three stories:
Goblin Fruit - About a girl who wants nothing more than to be someone else. She is tempted by a Goblin to eat their fruit and waste away to nothing. Beautiful story.
Spicy Little Curses - The ambassador to Hell and a demon curse an Indian baby so that the baby can kill with her voice. Things work out until the baby grows into a young woman and falls in love and is then tempted to use her voice. Another enchanting story.
Hatchling - This is the strangest and longest story of the bunch. About a girl Esme who is daughter to a woman named Mab. Mab was raised as a pet to an immortal race but escaped to free Esme. Unfortunately Esme is tied to this immortal race in ways Mab could have never guessed. This is a very creative story and the world is well-built; it is definitely an odd story too.
Overall it was an excellent and creative collection of stories. I would have given it 5 stars if the writing had been a bit more polished. At points the written can get a bit choppy, if the writing flowed a bit better these stories would be masterpieces. I will be checking out Taylor's "Faeries of Dreamdark" series in the future.
The book is formatted in an interesting way; and in itself the book is a beautiful book. At the beginning of each story a series of beautiful pictures tells the prelude to the story. The pictures are absolutely stunning and really fit the mood of the book. The book is written in a classic fairy tale type way, think dark fairy tales though, not Disney.
I was a bit surprised that this was classified as young adult. The last story especially deals with rape, torture, stealing souls from children, etc. I thought the stories were immensely creative and very engaging, but all of them are very dark and a bit disturbing. I personally don't mind that in a story, but some people might find it uncomfortable. The stories are never dealt with in gory detail, but the imagery is there.
Below I touch on each of the three stories:
Goblin Fruit - About a girl who wants nothing more than to be someone else. She is tempted by a Goblin to eat their fruit and waste away to nothing. Beautiful story.
Spicy Little Curses - The ambassador to Hell and a demon curse an Indian baby so that the baby can kill with her voice. Things work out until the baby grows into a young woman and falls in love and is then tempted to use her voice. Another enchanting story.
Hatchling - This is the strangest and longest story of the bunch. About a girl Esme who is daughter to a woman named Mab. Mab was raised as a pet to an immortal race but escaped to free Esme. Unfortunately Esme is tied to this immortal race in ways Mab could have never guessed. This is a very creative story and the world is well-built; it is definitely an odd story too.
Overall it was an excellent and creative collection of stories. I would have given it 5 stars if the writing had been a bit more polished. At points the written can get a bit choppy, if the writing flowed a bit better these stories would be masterpieces. I will be checking out Taylor's "Faeries of Dreamdark" series in the future.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is wonderful. Rarely are teen authors able to incorporate such beautiful prose within their stories. Simply wonderful. It reminds me why I love words so much.
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com
Do you remember your first kiss?
Three supernatural tales of first love (or lust) and that first kiss that can change you or overpower you. In "Goblin Fruit" goblins prey on young girls - and not the pretty popular ones - the ones that want to be them. In "Spicy Little Curses" a young woman is cursed with a voice that will kill anyone who is nearby to hear it. Can she risk telling her love the one thing he wants to hear? In "Hatchling" a young girl finds her fate intertwined with demons and secrets kept by her mother.
Dark, dangerous, and delicious! This collection is an amazing work of fiction - and it's addicting. You won't want to put this one down! I don't always enjoy short stories, but this collection blew me away.
Each story is wonderfully written and the characters are well-developed. I was transported to each new world and it's hard for me to pick which one I enjoyed the best - they were all fantastic. The artwork by Jim Di Bartolo is gorgeous - I would love to have prints of these pictures framed. (And the red dress in the first picture for "Spicy Little Curses" - I want that dress!)
Even if you typically shy away from fantasy or paranormal romances, give this one a try. It's compulsively readable and the fantasy elements are weaved in to the stories in such a way that you won't even realize you're reading fantasy. (And I mean that in a good way.) These are stunning stories that will stick with you long after you finish reading.
Laini Taylor is an author to watch for. I will be picking up her DREAMDARK series after reading LIPS TOUCH. I need more of her storytelling.
Do you remember your first kiss?
Three supernatural tales of first love (or lust) and that first kiss that can change you or overpower you. In "Goblin Fruit" goblins prey on young girls - and not the pretty popular ones - the ones that want to be them. In "Spicy Little Curses" a young woman is cursed with a voice that will kill anyone who is nearby to hear it. Can she risk telling her love the one thing he wants to hear? In "Hatchling" a young girl finds her fate intertwined with demons and secrets kept by her mother.
Dark, dangerous, and delicious! This collection is an amazing work of fiction - and it's addicting. You won't want to put this one down! I don't always enjoy short stories, but this collection blew me away.
Each story is wonderfully written and the characters are well-developed. I was transported to each new world and it's hard for me to pick which one I enjoyed the best - they were all fantastic. The artwork by Jim Di Bartolo is gorgeous - I would love to have prints of these pictures framed. (And the red dress in the first picture for "Spicy Little Curses" - I want that dress!)
Even if you typically shy away from fantasy or paranormal romances, give this one a try. It's compulsively readable and the fantasy elements are weaved in to the stories in such a way that you won't even realize you're reading fantasy. (And I mean that in a good way.) These are stunning stories that will stick with you long after you finish reading.
Laini Taylor is an author to watch for. I will be picking up her DREAMDARK series after reading LIPS TOUCH. I need more of her storytelling.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a book made up of 3 stories. I'm not usually into short stories but I decided to try this one after a friend of mine recommended it. I loved Laini's Dreamdark books and hoped I could love this one as well. I did! After I read the first story I was impressed. Then I read the 2nd story and liked it even more and then the third one even more than that. Each tale is beautifully written and has gorgeous artwork by Laini's husband, Jim Di Bartolo. The stories are as follows (without trying to give too much away):
Goblin Fruit - about a girl who wants more than anything to be like other more popular girls. Be wary though, that's the exact type of girl the goblins are looking for to steal her soul
Spicy Little Curses - A demon puts a curse on a beautiful girl babe, the ambassador from hell tries to keep the curse at bay. Once the girl grows up and falls in love anything can happen
Hatchling - Esme lives a wonderful life with her mother. She knows her life is different and her mother is over protective but why? When one of her eyes turns from brown to blue and a man with strange blue eyes and sharp teeth show up, her life starts to unravel.
Goblin Fruit - about a girl who wants more than anything to be like other more popular girls. Be wary though, that's the exact type of girl the goblins are looking for to steal her soul
Spicy Little Curses - A demon puts a curse on a beautiful girl babe, the ambassador from hell tries to keep the curse at bay. Once the girl grows up and falls in love anything can happen
Hatchling - Esme lives a wonderful life with her mother. She knows her life is different and her mother is over protective but why? When one of her eyes turns from brown to blue and a man with strange blue eyes and sharp teeth show up, her life starts to unravel.
It is my experience that there are far more novels in YA literature than short stories, but Laini Taylor makes you wish there were more stories as exotic, rich, and romantic as hers. LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES is an astonishing blend of the magical and the universal, told in elegant prose and accentuated by breathtaking illustrations.
In a genre that one may argue is overpopulated by the supernatural and paranormal, Laini's worlds stand out because of their complexity. On the surface, things are romantically lush: exotic locales, unique predicaments, beautiful dress and decorations. All described in prose that may not be as jaw-dropping and powerful as Francesca Lia Block's, but is still beautiful nonetheless, and perhaps more approachably so. Laini's stories, however, are also deep: they are full of ambiguous gray areas that may cause you to think beyond the stories just being nice to read.
Jim DiBartolo's full-page illustrations are a jaw-dropping addition to this already beautiful, dual-colored book. His drawings precede each each story and tell a story all on their own, and add a sort of mysticism to these already whimsical stories.
Pick up this collection of Laini Taylor's stories if you want to forget about the real world for a few hours and be swept away to enchanted lands full of mystery and magic.
In a genre that one may argue is overpopulated by the supernatural and paranormal, Laini's worlds stand out because of their complexity. On the surface, things are romantically lush: exotic locales, unique predicaments, beautiful dress and decorations. All described in prose that may not be as jaw-dropping and powerful as Francesca Lia Block's, but is still beautiful nonetheless, and perhaps more approachably so. Laini's stories, however, are also deep: they are full of ambiguous gray areas that may cause you to think beyond the stories just being nice to read.
Jim DiBartolo's full-page illustrations are a jaw-dropping addition to this already beautiful, dual-colored book. His drawings precede each each story and tell a story all on their own, and add a sort of mysticism to these already whimsical stories.
Pick up this collection of Laini Taylor's stories if you want to forget about the real world for a few hours and be swept away to enchanted lands full of mystery and magic.
I liked the third story a lot more than the first two stories; it was a well-crafted fantasy. I give the first two stories 3 stars, and the third story 4 stars.
Three tales. Three stories, each as well written and fascinating as the one before it. It's all about kisses. In addition, the artwork is out of this world. Loved it all.
First story: Goblins seeks those who want. Want intensely. So much so that they ignore the dangers of eating food from the goblin's hands. The heroine falls in love with a goblin in disguise as a handsome young man who seeks her soul. Her grandmother and other ghosts warn her constantly. Will she survive the encounter?
Second story: A woman whose voice is cursed to kill all who hear it falls in love. Fortunately, there is a counter force that works to protect her. When she sings to her beloved he dies with all who are in hearing range. The counter force is present to help with a twist.
Third story: Demons who were once human traded their humanity for immortality. There are ramifications that seem unimportant at the time. They give up their souls and they can never procreate. A young woman named Esme is the daughter of a young woman who escaped the clutch of the queen demon. When she becomes a woman something strange happens. One of her brown eyes turns blue. What does this mean? How will this affect her life? Only her mother and a man/demon knows and work to protect her but the dangers are real and constant. What will happen to Esme and her mother?
First story: Goblins seeks those who want. Want intensely. So much so that they ignore the dangers of eating food from the goblin's hands. The heroine falls in love with a goblin in disguise as a handsome young man who seeks her soul. Her grandmother and other ghosts warn her constantly. Will she survive the encounter?
Second story: A woman whose voice is cursed to kill all who hear it falls in love. Fortunately, there is a counter force that works to protect her. When she sings to her beloved he dies with all who are in hearing range. The counter force is present to help with a twist.
Third story: Demons who were once human traded their humanity for immortality. There are ramifications that seem unimportant at the time. They give up their souls and they can never procreate. A young woman named Esme is the daughter of a young woman who escaped the clutch of the queen demon. When she becomes a woman something strange happens. One of her brown eyes turns blue. What does this mean? How will this affect her life? Only her mother and a man/demon knows and work to protect her but the dangers are real and constant. What will happen to Esme and her mother?
