Customer Reviews

Lips Touch: Three Times

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This collection of novellas is beautifully written and the accompanying artwork is stunning to say the least. (I call them novellas because they are technically longer than what is traditionally labeled a short story.) The prose is perfectly paced and expertly constructed. It's obvious a great deal of care and thought was put into the crafting of these stories, which is evident in the rich imagery, the lush metaphors and the aesthetically woven sentences. The stories were deliberate, engrossing and brilliantly written. Though some might disagree, I found the endings to be thought provoking and fitting - the haunting resonance I'd expect in the modern day literary short story.

That being said, this collection is not really for young girls and teens, unless they are of a an unusually high maturity for their age. There are three stories contained in this collection that are ordered progressively in length, complexity and morbidity. It is important to note that these stories are very dark and unsettling. This is particularly true for the last story, which depicts a rape. The girl and the boy involved are not in control of their own bodies, making them both victims, and they are conscious while the rape is occurring. It is later told that the rape recurs almost daily until the victimized girl is impregnated. This is a rape despite its unusual nature and young people ought to understand that while reading this story. Despite its inherent tragedies toward humanity, which is central to the plot, the last story is undoubtedly the most interesting of the three in that its premise is wildly creative and it delivers a more meaningful punch to the reader. But, in my opinion, it is geared toward adults, not teenagers.

These days, it seems that stories involving young women in supernatural circumstances are automatically given the Young Adult stamp, even when it doesn't necessarily fit. This collection is a case in point. I understand that young people are probably subjected to worse on TV, but I think parents ought to be forewarned and that adults ought to know that these stories are enjoyable works of fiction and not of the cliched teenage-girl-pop variety. So, adults, enjoy without fear!

I will definitely be checking out more works by this author. I can't say it enough. She really is that good.

Last spring, I fell in love with Laini Taylor's first novel, Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer, and its recently released follow-up, Dreamdark: Silksinger was equally wonderful. I was very excited about Lips Touch for two reasons: 1) I wanted to see what Taylor could do with a slightly different genre aimed at a slightly different age group and 2) I had hopes that a successful YA book would bring new readers to the Dreamdark series.

So, what DID Taylor do with that slightly different genre? She aced it, of course. This woman can write. Period. She is a master storyteller who weaves richly detailed worlds, fully developed characters and carefully crafted plots flawlessly together, creating stories that I'm confident will prove over time to be completely unforgettable. Taylor's writing touches me in ways the writing of other authors - even very gifted authors - has not done for many, many years. [[I'm aware that I sound like a gushing fangirl, but honestly, Taylor's writing is totally gush-worthy, so I'm learning to accept that I AM a fangirl. And, with several grandkids, I really thought I was too old for any title with "girl" in it! Huh.]]

Lips Touch is a trilogy of unrelated stories all of which have to do with a kiss. They are darker and more adult than the Dreamdark books and proved to be just as impossible to put down. The first, Goblin Fruit, is the shortest at only 40 pages, has the most modern feel to it and more amusing moments than the other entries. ("You could have his mouth baby!") The second, Spicy Little Curses Such as These, takes us to hell and back in more ways than one and gives us curses and sacrifice along the way. The last of the three is my favorite, the gorgeously dark Hatchling, an incredibly original tale of love and humanity and souls. It moved me to tears. All three tales have an edge to them and I found the ending of each to be perfect, if not necessarily perfectly happy.

Taylor uses language beautifully, but it all seems to flow without effort. When I'm reading her stories, I never get the feeling that she is trying to hit me over the head with her talent as a wordsmith. Her descriptions, while lush and often lyrical, never cross over into the land of overblown. In my very humble opinion, she is a writer to watch, one that has a brilliant future. I'm thrilled that I've already discovered her and can watch that future unfold.

Do I think Lips Touch will earn Taylor new readers that will, in turn, read her Dreamdark books? I think it will. And I couldn't be happier. They deserve to be widely read.

Finally, I simply have to comment on what a visually beautiful book Lips Touch is. Taylor's husband, Jim Di Bartolo, is a gifted artist whose work is a wonderful addition to his wife's tales. The cover is his, but better yet, he has lavishly illustrated each of the stories within - and with color! (So unusual!) The first two stories have 13 pages of art each, the last 15 pages. I especially appreciate that, because Di Bartolo is Taylor's husband, we can be relatively sure the characters and settings are depicted as she imagines them - something that is not always the case with a book's artwork. The jacket and book design by Christopher Stengel is also lovely. I have something of a love affair with great book covers and design so would enjoy seeing the work here recognized for its excellence.

Highly, highly recommended!

I was so taken by Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor that I immediately read her collection of three stories about young women, each of which involves a kiss: Lips Touch, Three Times .

With Lips Touch, Three Times, Taylor has cemented her place as my new favorite author - she is nothing less than an enchantress of fantasy. Each of the above stories bewitched me with worlds both familiar, as well as unique and never before seen. Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market" clearly influenced the first story, "Goblin Fruit," but Taylor weaves a lush and seductive new tale out of her inspiration that translates to so much more than a retelling.

"There is a certain kind of girl the goblins crave. You could walk across a high school campus and point them out: not her, her. The pert, lovely ones with butterfly tattoos in secret places, sitting on their boyfriends' laps? No, not them. The girls watching the lovely ones sitting on their boyfriends' laps? Yes.

"Them.

"The goblins want girls who dream so hard about being pretty their yearning leaves a palpable trail, a scent goblins can follow like sharks on a soft bloom of blood. The girls with hungry eyes who pray each night to wake up as someone else. Urgent, unkissed, wishful girls.

"Like Kizzy."

You see?

The depth and breadth of Taylor's influences are vast and diverse, from Rossetti to Indian folklore and the culture of British Raj. I read fantasy to escape, and to my joy each story here took me to a completely different place from the others.

Taylor's writing, like goblin fruit, is made of dark, potent magic and so enthralling that once you have a taste, you will desperately want more.

I must mention that as visually stunning Taylor's writing is, the accompanying illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo are equally beautiful. They tell the background of the stories, not the stories themselves so they're distinct narratives on their own.

It looks like the publisher is going with a new cover for the paperback to be released soon - which is a prime example of idiocy. Why the hell would you prefer a generic, banal cover over spectacular artwork????

Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

Lips Touch: Three Times is made up of three short stories. In the first, Kizzy comes from an odd family that believes in all sorts of strange things and she desperately wants to be more than just the plain girl from the strange family. Her want is so strong that it attracts evil to her and it just might be the death of her. In the second, Anamique was cursed with a beautiful voice at birth, but anyone that hears it will die. After finding love with a soldier who knows the real her and that believes her corse is a load of bull, she debates whether or not to take the risk and see if her voice can kill. In the third, Esme and her mother are forced to go on the run when the beings they've been on the run from for much of their lives catch up to them. But is that all there is to it?

This is of little importance and you can skip this whole paragraph if you want to, but I've looking for a copy of this book everywhere for months now. The local big bookstore never had one and I was about to give up and order it online. (Don't ask me why I didn't do that in the first place because I have no clue.) Then I went to a used bookstore with my best friend and finally found a copy. The way I screamed "Jackpot!" and basically spazzed about it was truly a sight. The effort and stressing was worth it. Taylor's stories are amazing.

Di Bartolo's illustrations are beautiful, muted in their coloring except for shades of one specific color. They're unclear at first, but readers will understand them and what's going on in them once they've finished the related story. Each of the stories, as different as they are from one another in subject, all have in common how the explore strong want or desire. Kizzy desperate desire to be extraordinary and more than the average girl from the freaky family (and she is the character I related most to; it's funny how I can relate more to Kizzy in fifty pages that I can to heroines in books upward of three-hundred pages), Anamique's wish to speak to her loved ones and tempt her curse, and... I can't even begin to approach the third story and talk about that. It's complicated.

The writing is beautiful in almost every way it's possible to be. The closest comparison I can make is to a fairy tale, though these stories are a bit more twisted than most fairy tales. I could flip the book open to a random page and find a poetic turn of phrase. Actually, let's do that so you can see what I mean:

"Drinking in his first close sight of her, James already knew her better than any of those others did. He knew from her diary that if she was biting her lip, it meant she was having one of her bad days.

"He had imagined himself, fancifully, to be half in love with the writer of the mysterious diary, but now, seeing her, that vague fancy was swept away by the exhilaration of actually falling in love with her, not by halves, but fully and profoundly. His heartbeat pulsed in his hands with the desire to reach out and touch her ( "Spicy Little Curses Such as These," Lips Touch: Three Times p. 89)."

The stories fly by quickly and before I knew it, the book was over. I won't be forgetting them anytime soon because there was something about all three that made them memorable: "Goblin Fruit" has Kizzy as a character that I greatly connected to, "Spicy Little Curses Such as These" had its mythology and Anamique's strength, and "Hatchling" had its nightmare fuel factor. Not kidding. "Hatchling" was terrifying for so many reasons, especially the Druj and what Mab was forced to go through. You know those stories that are the kind of scary that make you want to wrap up in your childhood/favorite blanket because you hope it will make it less scary? That's what it was for me.

Taylor has a young adult novel called Daughter of Smoke and Bone coming out September 27 and all the pre-publication reviews I've seen for it so far from those who received ARCs (jealousy levels: off the charts) say it's absolutely fantastic (and ARC excerpts promise the same beautiful writing). Lips Touch only made me want the book more because it shows me she has true talent as an author. I beg you to give this book a try.

Congratulations, Laini Taylor! It's official: You are now one of my favorite authors, and all of your books in my reading list will now and forever be placed on my favorite-authors shelf. Please email me for my address, so that you can drop by my house and pick up your award, and so that I can follow you home and stalk you mercilessly. (Just kidding! Please don't call the cops on me. I'm just trying to say that I think you're pretty swell.)

This book is beautifully written. Every word appears to have been carefully chosen to breathe beauty, life, and intensity into every moment. The book contains three separate stories, and there are likely few authors who could accomplish what Ms. Taylor accomplished within these stories. As the book progresses, the stories increase in length and complexity. But none of the stories is particularly complex or action-packed. Despite this, I was engaged during every moment.

The first story, Goblin Fruit, consists almost entirely of a girl meeting a boy, going shopping with the boy, and then having a picnic with the boy. During the story, I heard a voice screaming inside my head at the girl to, "Run away!" It was only at the end of the story, when I was finally released from it, that I realized little had occurred. And then, I became even more amazed by this story that kept me interested despite not much actually happening to the characters.

Spicy Little Curses Such as These was another story in which little actually occurred, and yet my inside-voice continued to scream warnings at the main characters.

While the last of the three, Hatchling, had some action it, it did not have nearly as much action as one might expect, and most of the action occurred in flashbacks. In Hatchling, a mother and her child fight for their lives, while a demon fights for his soul and the soul of his love. Most of the story was filled with flashbacks of how the mother's and the demon's lives progressed before the mother's child was born, and how their lives became intertwined. I know I'm repeating myself, but yes, it was beautiful, and I remained engaged despite the lack of present happenings.

At the end of the book, I am mildly impressed with the stories themselves and overwhelmingly impressed with the author. But since the stories would have been completely different and likely less engaging if written by a different author, it's unfair of me to separate the stories from the author. So let's just say that I am overwhelmingly impressed overall.

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor was an unexpected and pleasant read. This book is broken up into three short stories, which all center around a kiss that changes the course of events for the main protagonist.

Usually this type of genre, which I'd categorize as dark, gothic romance, is not my cup of tea (though it is growing on me!). What drew me to this book was the stunning art created by Laini's husband Jim Di Bartolo. It's breathtakingly gorgeous. What fascinated me about the illustrations is that they portray the back story within the respective short story . In addition to the illustrations, the layout of the book itself is lovely and is artistically appealing. The first letter of each short story is enlarged and bolded in red with a small design around it, just like a medieval transcript. The numbers of the pages are also in red. The background of the afterword is unique with a simplistic, yet lovely design. Since I am a visual person, the artwork added to the experience of reading each story.

Now, onto the stories themselves!

Now some reviewers on GoodReads saw the stories as simplistic and uninteresting, but I thought quite the opposite. I admit that the first story is more simplistic than the other two. In fact, one could say that the stories progressively become more complex. They're short stories, however. This isn't meant to be Tolstoy or Hemingway. It isn't a novel.

I thought that Laini Taylor did a fantastic job with word usage and description to develop the atmosphere of each story as well as plot. I think that the stories themselves are sinfully delectable and I enjoyed each one! The worlds are unique and each heroine stands on her own. I loved how the author took liberties of integrating different religious/mythical beliefs from all parts of the world and history (Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, etc.). These were fun, fast, and highly delightful reads (even though the reads themselves are not light-hearted but rather dark). It is bittersweet that there is only three tales total. It is one of those books that when I finished, I wish there was still one more story to read.

I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to see if Laini Taylor will publish another one!

Gold Star Award Winner!

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.

Reviewed by: Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen

I would say I've read a lot of YA fantasy, but this one felt completely fresh and new. Laini Taylor draws on the myths and legends of various cultures to create three short stories/novellas, putting the borrowed elements together to produce something that's entirely her own. I love the way she describes herself in the author's note: "Like a magpie, I am a scavenger of shiny things: fairy tales, dead languages, weird folk beliefs, fascinating religions, and more." In Lips Touch: Three Times, these elements come together in a thoroughly satisfying way.

In the first story, we encounter goblins who steal the souls of teenaged girls--not the pretty, popular girls, but the girls who want to be pretty and popular, who want so hard that their souls hang out. Girls like Kizzy.

The second story, set in India, deals with a woman who negotiates with a demon in hell. She barters for the souls of children, but has to make some difficult concessions and then face the consequences. I really liked the setting of this one, and the story itself made me cry at one point.

I'm not even sure how to describe the final story without giving away key plot elements, but it was the longest and probably also my favourite. It involves a race of immortal, soulless creatures who live in the cold mountains around Russia and whose queen raises a mortal child as a pet. The story starts with a human viewpoint, but ultimately shifts to the perspective of the Druj, so that we come to see them as more than just the evil enemy.

I've tried to keep my descriptions of the stories as brief as possible, because the gradual unfolding of new and surprising plot elements is one of the things I enjoyed most about the book. This means, though, that I can't in any way do justice to the stories. The main point that I want to stress is the novelty of them: it was nice to have two of the stories based in Eastern lore for a change, and even that was just a springboard for Taylor's creativity. After reading a lot of books about, say, typical faeries, I really enjoyed being immersed in a whole new mythology.

The book itself is also very well put-together, with some very nice illustrations. I had borrowed this one from the library, but I went out today and purchased my own copy. I'll be seeking out other books by this author as well.

Here are three separate stories linked by themes of love (dangerous and strong) and magic (also dangerous and strong) create major turning-points in the lives of the characters (for good and ill), and by a series of enchanting illustrations that are like a mini graphic novel at the beginning of each tale.

"Goblin Fruit" is about temptation and desire. Kizzy is from a bizarre family, so she tries to be as normal as possible at school, but wants so much more. Her family from the old country would know that she is exactly the kind of girl that goblins would seek out in order to steal her soul away. Kizzy would know if she paid attention to her grandmother's story, if she even believed that goblins were possible...

"Spicy Little Curses" is set earlier in the 20thC in a British enclave in India where an Englishwoman is Ambassador to the Hell ruled by Yama and tussles for lives and souls with the demon Vasudev. In return for twenty lives she agrees to curse one: Anamique, the daughter of the British Political Agent. She is forbidden to speak, ever, for her beautiful voice will kill all who hear it. Of course the demon wants death and souls and works hard to make her believe that the curse is nonsense...

"Hatchling" starts with a mother fleeing the cruel, soulless beings who kept her captive, trying to protect Esme, her fourteen year old daughter from a similar fate.

Love and beautiful boys tempt them all. Is it worth the risk? You'll see.

I starting reading this after falling in love with quite a different book ("Beautiful Creatures") so I had a bit of a hard time getting into it, despite the fantastic writing and the quick pacing... and the beautiful tempting boys (what's wrong with that?). But the author is good at weaving spells (and curses), and I eventually fell under it. I particularly like the last story. They are all different, but all very full of strange magic, like a dark Grimm's tale. The whole book, with it's illustrations and design, is a wonderful artifact in itself. Definitely worth a look!

I am familiar with YA literature enough to know how horribly, horribly wrong a collection of short stories about kissing can go (see, for example, The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire). Let me tell you, "Lips Touch" is not that kind of book. This book is simply magical.

Laini Taylor grabs your attention with the first lines:

There is a certain kind of girl the goblins crave. You could walk across a high school campus and point them out: not her, not her, her. The pert, lovely ones with butterfly tattoos in secret places, sitting on their boyfriends' laps? No, not them. The girls watching the lovely ones sitting on their boyfriends' laps? Yes.

Them.

The goblins want girls who dream so hard about being pretty their yearning leaves a palpable trail, a scent goblin can follow like sharks on a soft bloom of blood. The girls with hungry eyes who pray each night to wake up as someone else. Urgent, unkissed, wishful girls.

Like Kizzy.

How can you possibly resist this gorgeous writing? I know I couldn't.

The book consists of 3 stories, or rather, fairy tales based on Irish, Hindu, and Zoroastrian folklore. Each tale is about a kiss, the kind of kiss that changes lives, turns the world upside down, a kiss that can kill or bring you back to life.

The writing is superb, the descriptions are gorgeous and the mythologies Laini creates are unique and enchanting. There is passion and love and tenderness in these stories. I remember shivering and smiling at the end of each one.

The book is also beautifully illustrated. The fairy tales are preceded by short graphic stories which do not reveal the content on the tales themselves, but serve as sort of pre-stories whose details are revealed in the main tales.

My only complaint about "Lips Touch" is that there isn't more, otherwise the fairy tales are irresistible and delicious as the kisses they are about. This book is definitely one of the best I've read this year so far.