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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I really really love Laini Taylor's writing - lyrical prose and a strange story is my favourite kind of book.
I absolutely loved Laini Taylor's imagination in the [b:Daughter of Smoke & Bone|8490112|Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)|Laini Taylor|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1461353773s/8490112.jpg|13355552] trilogy. After reading Lips Touch, I love her imagination more than ever.
Lips Touch is essentially three short stories of three first kisses - but since this is Laini Taylor, these naturally aren't your traditional first kisses. These kisses involve goblins, curses, mysterious and unknown pasts, monsters and demons. I'm not usually a fan of short stories as I'd much prefer to read a full novel, since I find that short stories can often be too short, for want of a better word. However, each of these stories was perfectly rounded off, and I didn't feel as though any of them were lacking or would have only worked if they'd been a 300+ page novel.
As always with Laini Taylor, the writing style was beautiful and each story was unlike anything I've ever read before. I'd love to read more short stories from her.
Lips Touch is essentially three short stories of three first kisses - but since this is Laini Taylor, these naturally aren't your traditional first kisses. These kisses involve goblins, curses, mysterious and unknown pasts, monsters and demons. I'm not usually a fan of short stories as I'd much prefer to read a full novel, since I find that short stories can often be too short, for want of a better word. However, each of these stories was perfectly rounded off, and I didn't feel as though any of them were lacking or would have only worked if they'd been a 300+ page novel.
As always with Laini Taylor, the writing style was beautiful and each story was unlike anything I've ever read before. I'd love to read more short stories from her.
Am I ever glad that I picked this book up on a whim from the library. The writing for all three stories was flawless; how did I not find you earlier Laini Taylor?!
Goblin Fruit felt like the ages old tale that it was meant to be, even if Kizzy ended up doing what I think is the most stupid thing ever given the information she knows. It's hard to make characters three dimensional with such a short amount of pages but not only is Kizzy fully fleshed out but, we get a full sense of how she sees her life and ultimately why she ended up choosing to have that kiss. Even if I disagree with her wholeheartedly.
Spicy Little Curses was just so entertaining. The aspect of the curse and how it comes about heaps this story in layers of intrigue and complexity, especially when Ana falls in love. Oh how I wanted her to have all the happiness in the world and to find some way to lift the curse so she would be able sing! I suppose how the story ends is a nice compromise; not a complete happy ending but, a nice one.
Hatchling is the longest story in this book and rightfully so with all the twists and turns that are in it! I instantly fell in love with Esme and couldn't stop flipping pages to see if I could figure out what was happening to her. Learning about Mab and what she went through to even have Esme made me cry and the Druj are just immensely interesting. I wouldn't like to meet one but I enjoyed reading about them. I devoured this story because it was so interesting; the love story and various connections because of it were woven together beautifully and the last paragraph kills me.
All the kudos and love for Laini with this book. I'll definitely be looking into her other works really soon.
Goblin Fruit felt like the ages old tale that it was meant to be, even if Kizzy ended up doing what I think is the most stupid thing ever given the information she knows. It's hard to make characters three dimensional with such a short amount of pages but not only is Kizzy fully fleshed out but, we get a full sense of how she sees her life and ultimately why she ended up choosing to have that kiss. Even if I disagree with her wholeheartedly.
Spicy Little Curses was just so entertaining. The aspect of the curse and how it comes about heaps this story in layers of intrigue and complexity, especially when Ana falls in love. Oh how I wanted her to have all the happiness in the world and to find some way to lift the curse so she would be able sing! I suppose how the story ends is a nice compromise; not a complete happy ending but, a nice one.
Hatchling is the longest story in this book and rightfully so with all the twists and turns that are in it! I instantly fell in love with Esme and couldn't stop flipping pages to see if I could figure out what was happening to her. Learning about Mab and what she went through to even have Esme made me cry and the Druj are just immensely interesting. I wouldn't like to meet one but I enjoyed reading about them. I devoured this story because it was so interesting; the love story and various connections because of it were woven together beautifully and the last paragraph kills me.
All the kudos and love for Laini with this book. I'll definitely be looking into her other works really soon.
This is a collection of three novellas with a few common themes: female protagonists, fairy tale creatures and a twist that turns on a kiss.
I read Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke & Bone all the way back in 2012, and I’d forgotten how evocative her writing is. Everything feels lush and dangerous and full of import, even if the stakes seem to be nothing more than a teenage crush.
It is long past time for me to finish the DoS&B trilogy, but this collection was an excellent appetizer.
I read Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke & Bone all the way back in 2012, and I’d forgotten how evocative her writing is. Everything feels lush and dangerous and full of import, even if the stakes seem to be nothing more than a teenage crush.
It is long past time for me to finish the DoS&B trilogy, but this collection was an excellent appetizer.
I gave it a two because I think each of the three stories were way to short and it left me with many unanswered questions but I did like the writing style and the idea I just wish it had been longer since it only took me an hour and a half to read it
So many books end up in the 3.5 grey zone. This is a book of three stories; Laini Taylor is a great writer and I love reading whatever she writes. The first story was forgettable, the second interesting but slight, and the third started out slow and ended up being absolutely wonderful. She's got a real talent for making a book work when the big reveal is all backstory. The last story is a solid four stars; overall, three and a half here.
Shut down everything. Why did I have to read this book before the end of 2013? I feel like I need to completely upset my Top 10 list now. (Which is not going to happen because I am much too lazy, but definitely let me add this book to the list anyway!)
Holy smokes, you guys. I read this in one day. Three sittings, one for each story, not even an hour each (except possibly the last one, since it was considerably longer).
I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I am by this book. Taylor's writing is just so magical. Wonderful. Her prose flows and you grow attached to her characters in no time. She deftly winds the supernatural and paranormal into all three of these short stories beautifully. So much so that it's not too much of a stretch to imagine her worlds being our world.
And oh my those illustrations. They are just so gorgeous. They're little wordless prequels to each story and managed to completely intrigue me each time. I found myself going back after reading each short to look at the illustrations again, now that I fully understood them. What an overall experience. It was such a pleasure.
Overall, I think the second story Spicy Little Curses was my favourite, if only because I adored the mythology and was not expecting that ending. (Seriously! Read it and tell me you saw that coming.) But I am so head over heels for Hatchling as well--and that is definitely because of the worldbuilding. Swoons. Not to say I didn't love Goblin Fruit as well, because I totally did. But it's also definitely only the appetizer into this feast of a book.
I'm must be getting carried away if I'm metaphoring... That should go to show you how delightful this book was. I cannot recommend it enough!
Holy smokes, you guys. I read this in one day. Three sittings, one for each story, not even an hour each (except possibly the last one, since it was considerably longer).
I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I am by this book. Taylor's writing is just so magical. Wonderful. Her prose flows and you grow attached to her characters in no time. She deftly winds the supernatural and paranormal into all three of these short stories beautifully. So much so that it's not too much of a stretch to imagine her worlds being our world.
And oh my those illustrations. They are just so gorgeous. They're little wordless prequels to each story and managed to completely intrigue me each time. I found myself going back after reading each short to look at the illustrations again, now that I fully understood them. What an overall experience. It was such a pleasure.
Overall, I think the second story Spicy Little Curses was my favourite, if only because I adored the mythology and was not expecting that ending. (Seriously! Read it and tell me you saw that coming.) But I am so head over heels for Hatchling as well--and that is definitely because of the worldbuilding. Swoons. Not to say I didn't love Goblin Fruit as well, because I totally did. But it's also definitely only the appetizer into this feast of a book.
I'm must be getting carried away if I'm metaphoring... That should go to show you how delightful this book was. I cannot recommend it enough!
Some of the most gorgeous prose I've had the pleasure to read. I really loved the first two stories particularly. The language in the first was particularly lush. I simultaneously wanted to rush through it driven by Kizzy's emotions, and to slow down and wallow in the words. I kind of wish it were the start of a full novel, although I can certainly live with the somewhat open-ended conclusion. The second story felt the most complete and satisfying to me plot-wise. The third was intriguing as well but seemed to have its strength in the world-building and cosmology and thus felt a bit more distant to me, though I still enjoyed it quite a lot, especially the ending.
All in all a lovely, beautiful, shimmering book.
All in all a lovely, beautiful, shimmering book.
Laini Taylor somehow created three incredible worlds with such a small amount of pages! These three stories are amazing and enchanting and I very much enjoyed every second of them. My favorite was probably the last story. The world in that story was just so fascinating and I loved it!! Read this!!
2.5/5
I LOVED the first story with Kizzy and Jack. They were great. So was the story, and I wish it was a full story.
The other two stories, however, did not impress me. I hated the second one, and the third confused me into not caring.
I LOVED the first story with Kizzy and Jack. They were great. So was the story, and I wish it was a full story.
The other two stories, however, did not impress me. I hated the second one, and the third confused me into not caring.