Book Review: Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

Lips Touch: Three Times is a collection of three short stories that each revolve around a kiss.  In each story, a kiss is more than just a meeting of lips.  It could mean giving up your soul to a goblin, allowing a curse to run its course, or the bringing back of memories long forgotten.  Each story is set in a unique fantasy world with memorable characters that long for the wonder and excitement of a first kiss.

Things I Liked:
I really have never been a fan of short stories.  Not entirely sure why that is, but I just don't read them.  However, this book made me love them.  Once again, Taylor has created splendid fantasy worlds.  Seriously, I don't know how she does it, but each story has such a fascinating and dark and intriguing setting that you almost forget about the characters in your enjoyment of it.  Her writing draws you into these places in very few sentences.  I think this is especially vital when writing short stories, since you can't afford to have a lot of description and set up for your story.  She does an excellent job, though, and you get just enough detail to picture the place and to make you long for more stories set in each one.  Oh, and I love Jim Di Bartolo's illustrations - they quite fit the descriptions.  I think my favorite story is "Spicy Little Curses Such as These" with "Hatchling" coming it at second.  If you haven't tasted Taylor's words yet, run and get one of her books.  You will not regret it.

"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." p 13

"They were both small and beautiful with long, long hair as red as persimmons.  They laughed alike and moved alike, and they thought the same thoughts as completely as if a butterfly traveled back and forth between their minds, bearing ideas on its legs like pollen." p 146

Things I Didn't Like:
I have to admit being a bit surprised by the sensuality that is quite common in the stories.  I suppose it wasn't really too unexpected given the YA label, but coming from her Faeries of Dreamdark books, there is definitely an age shift.  

Read-alikes:
It is similar to her Dreamdark series in style, but obviously more mature
I can't think of anyone else who creates worlds quite like her

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
quite a few used, none too strong

mrg-factor: XX
commonly alluded to in each story, nothing graphic

v-factor: ->
some gruesome images

Overall rating: *****

Have you read Laini Taylor's work?  What do you think?

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