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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
As usual, Laini Taylor does not disappoint. Wonderful stories and mythologies which aren't Anglo-centric. I especially loved the last short story which really seemed more of a novella and which I really wish would become a full series of novels. Some much good stuff here.
When I started this book I had zero idea what it was about. I knew nothing about it, other than Laini Taylor wrote it, and Laini Taylor is a word-building genius, so I wanted to read it. I hadn't even read the summary, so I didn't know that this was actually a collection of three completely separate stories. I found out afterwards, that they are loosely based in folklore/fairytales/poems and other such things, but as I am not well-read in those things, I never realized it. I'm not usually a fan of short stories, in fact I have yet to get through an Anthology, but once again, Laini blew me away with her ability to craft worlds that I found myself lost in.
The book's stories are named Goblin Fruit, Spicy Little Curses Such as These, and Hatchling. They are all set in different worlds, but have the commonality, as you can tell from the title, of being centered around a kiss.
The first story, Goblin Fruit, was the shortest, and my least favorite of the three, but still delicious. It was about a girl who had learned her whole life about Goblins, knowing never to eat fruit offered to her out of season, but finding herself yearning to be seen so much, that she is tempted anyway. This story was bizarre, and mysterious, and sad, and beautiful. When it ended, it definitely left you wanting.
“Kizzy wanted it all so bad her soul leaned half out of her body hungering after it, and that was what drove the goblins wild, her soul hanging out there like an untucked shirt.”
The second story I enjoyed even more. Spicy Little Curses Such as These was an Indian folklore about a girl who was cursed from birth. If she even uttered a sound, anyone who heard it would be struck dead. She sacrifices speech her entire life, not even testing her voice to see if the curse is real, so that she would never hurt another person. Then she falls in love, and all she wants to do is tell this boy how much she loves him. This story was fascinating, and very much had the feel of a fairytale. I loved how quickly Laini was able to bring me into this world, and capture my imagination. The romance was just so sweet and simple and endearing, but the underlying theme was so dark and sinister. It was really a fantastic mix of tones.
"[...] 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."
The last story, or maybe novella would be a better word, because it was also the longest, was by far my favorite, and the one most reminiscent of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I would buy this book, just for this last story, Hatchling, and that would be good enough. I don't know how on earth Laini can so fully develop a story, and another completely unique world, filling it with characters that you know so completely, but have never heard of before, in such a short time, but she does it exquisitely!! I loved the lore, the mythology, the fae-like quality that this story had. It was dark and twisted and mysterious and surprising. It was unlike anything that I've ever read, and I'm so in awe of gorgeous use of language and world-building, that I don't even know how to describe it.
I highly recommend it to anyone who has a taste for the dark and mysterious worlds of the paranormal!
Book Doppelgangers: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Chime by Frannie Billingsly, Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Andye
Readingteen.net
The book's stories are named Goblin Fruit, Spicy Little Curses Such as These, and Hatchling. They are all set in different worlds, but have the commonality, as you can tell from the title, of being centered around a kiss.
The first story, Goblin Fruit, was the shortest, and my least favorite of the three, but still delicious. It was about a girl who had learned her whole life about Goblins, knowing never to eat fruit offered to her out of season, but finding herself yearning to be seen so much, that she is tempted anyway. This story was bizarre, and mysterious, and sad, and beautiful. When it ended, it definitely left you wanting.
“Kizzy wanted it all so bad her soul leaned half out of her body hungering after it, and that was what drove the goblins wild, her soul hanging out there like an untucked shirt.”
The second story I enjoyed even more. Spicy Little Curses Such as These was an Indian folklore about a girl who was cursed from birth. If she even uttered a sound, anyone who heard it would be struck dead. She sacrifices speech her entire life, not even testing her voice to see if the curse is real, so that she would never hurt another person. Then she falls in love, and all she wants to do is tell this boy how much she loves him. This story was fascinating, and very much had the feel of a fairytale. I loved how quickly Laini was able to bring me into this world, and capture my imagination. The romance was just so sweet and simple and endearing, but the underlying theme was so dark and sinister. It was really a fantastic mix of tones.
"[...] 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."
The last story, or maybe novella would be a better word, because it was also the longest, was by far my favorite, and the one most reminiscent of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I would buy this book, just for this last story, Hatchling, and that would be good enough. I don't know how on earth Laini can so fully develop a story, and another completely unique world, filling it with characters that you know so completely, but have never heard of before, in such a short time, but she does it exquisitely!! I loved the lore, the mythology, the fae-like quality that this story had. It was dark and twisted and mysterious and surprising. It was unlike anything that I've ever read, and I'm so in awe of gorgeous use of language and world-building, that I don't even know how to describe it.
I highly recommend it to anyone who has a taste for the dark and mysterious worlds of the paranormal!
Book Doppelgangers: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Chime by Frannie Billingsly, Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Andye
Readingteen.net
After picking up the little pieces of my brain and putting it back together after the masterpiece that was Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I thought I'd give my brain a little time to get working again before reading anything else by Laini Taylor. Lips Touch is wonderful. Just plain wonderful. It's a collection of three short stories that has kissing, magic, fantasy creatures and that beautiful, beautiful thing that is Laini Taylor's prose and imagination. I love adore and envy Taylor's imagination and her incredible story telling ability. Each short story just gets progressively better and better. You'll think you've had and incredible taste of what's in store after you've finished Goblin Fruit and just when you think it can't get any better then Spicy Little Curses Such As These, Laini Taylor pulls out the big guns and has Hatchling bewitching your mind (I've been re-reading Harry Potter...) and believe me, will have you begging for more!
Goblin Fruit:
In approximately 35 pages, Laini Taylor manages to write an incredible story with developed and complex characters and this to me, is a great feat. Kizzy is interesting, different and intriguing and has always been on the sidelines and has wanted that extra something in her life. This was the shortest of the three, but Kizzy’s story will have you laughing and doing double takes the entire time. It’s not as dark and gritty as the others, but the goblins and their fruit are fascinating, and is aplenty in so few pages.
Spicy Little Curses Such As These:
There was so much meaning in this story. Estella once made great sacrifice to a demon, and due to that, has been forced to make heavy decisions every day of her life whilst living in Hell. In order to save children, the demon says she must make sacrifices. She makes these sacrifices but when she is forced to place a curse on a baby named Anamique, the demon eventually gets more than he bargained for. Due to the curse, Anamique grows up mute, unable to even murmer a sound for the chance that it will kill anybody who hears it. She is teased and lives her life lonely until a soldier named James, finds her diary and falls in love with her. The romance that unfolds is breathtaking, beautiful and heartbreaking. Throughout, many sacrifices are made, but many lessons are learned.
Hatchling:
This was easily my favourite of the three! It BLEW MY MIND. The mythology was brilliant and once again, Laini Taylor has written a more complex and deep plot in 100 pages that many YA authors have tried (and failed) to do in their entire series. I WANT THIS MADE INTO A MOVIE. Or maybe I don't... Ohh, I don't know!! The world of the Druj is shocking and incredible. The Druj Queen keeps human children as pets until they reach child bearing age. This has so many stories rolled into one. Mab was the Queen's pet once, and her treatment was unbearable, it was absolutely horrible. When Mab is forced to have a child (literally, forced), we are told of how she managed to escape with her baby and what becomes of them once she becomes of child bearing age. Esme is incredibly three dimensional, and at first you may just think this is the story of Mab and Esme. But, it's not. This is only the tip of the iceberg and there is so much folklore and incredible world building. The 'villain' and characters who you think are just minor at first, turn out to have incredible stories of their own and Laini explores them so deeply and wonderfully that this will have you absolutely begging for more!
The illustrations are mind blowing. To call them beautiful would do them injustice. At first they don't make sense, but once you've finished, you realise they capture the true essence of each story. Jim Bartolo is so incredibly talented!!
I would include photographs I took in this review, but I'm not very good at inserting images into GR reviews :) so they can be found on my blog's review!!
Goblin Fruit:
In approximately 35 pages, Laini Taylor manages to write an incredible story with developed and complex characters and this to me, is a great feat. Kizzy is interesting, different and intriguing and has always been on the sidelines and has wanted that extra something in her life. This was the shortest of the three, but Kizzy’s story will have you laughing and doing double takes the entire time. It’s not as dark and gritty as the others, but the goblins and their fruit are fascinating, and is aplenty in so few pages.
Spicy Little Curses Such As These:
There was so much meaning in this story. Estella once made great sacrifice to a demon, and due to that, has been forced to make heavy decisions every day of her life whilst living in Hell. In order to save children, the demon says she must make sacrifices. She makes these sacrifices but when she is forced to place a curse on a baby named Anamique, the demon eventually gets more than he bargained for. Due to the curse, Anamique grows up mute, unable to even murmer a sound for the chance that it will kill anybody who hears it. She is teased and lives her life lonely until a soldier named James, finds her diary and falls in love with her. The romance that unfolds is breathtaking, beautiful and heartbreaking. Throughout, many sacrifices are made, but many lessons are learned.
Hatchling:
This was easily my favourite of the three! It BLEW MY MIND. The mythology was brilliant and once again, Laini Taylor has written a more complex and deep plot in 100 pages that many YA authors have tried (and failed) to do in their entire series. I WANT THIS MADE INTO A MOVIE. Or maybe I don't... Ohh, I don't know!! The world of the Druj is shocking and incredible. The Druj Queen keeps human children as pets until they reach child bearing age. This has so many stories rolled into one. Mab was the Queen's pet once, and her treatment was unbearable, it was absolutely horrible. When Mab is forced to have a child (literally, forced), we are told of how she managed to escape with her baby and what becomes of them once she becomes of child bearing age. Esme is incredibly three dimensional, and at first you may just think this is the story of Mab and Esme. But, it's not. This is only the tip of the iceberg and there is so much folklore and incredible world building. The 'villain' and characters who you think are just minor at first, turn out to have incredible stories of their own and Laini explores them so deeply and wonderfully that this will have you absolutely begging for more!
The illustrations are mind blowing. To call them beautiful would do them injustice. At first they don't make sense, but once you've finished, you realise they capture the true essence of each story. Jim Bartolo is so incredibly talented!!
I would include photographs I took in this review, but I'm not very good at inserting images into GR reviews :) so they can be found on my blog's review!!
Well, well, well, here we are again. Laini Taylor really knows how to transport someone to another world and make it feel real. How she manages to do this within short stories, I cannot fathom, but she does so masterfully.
The first story, Goblin Fruit is definitely the most basic of the bunch, but the writing truly elevates it from the generic YA paranormal it could be. Seriously.
Kizzy wanted to be a woman who would dive off the prow of a sailboat into the sea, who would fall back in a tangle of sheets, laughing, and who could dance a tango, lazily stroke a leopard with her bare foot, freeze an enemy's blood with her eyes, make promises she couldn't possibly keep, and then shift the world to keep them. She wanted to write memoirs and autograph them at a tiny bookshop in Rome, with a line of admirers snaking down a pink-lit alley. She wanted to make love on a balcony, ruin someone, trade in esoteric knowledge, watch strangers as coolly as a cat. She wanted to be inscrutable, have a drink named after her, a love song written for her, and a handsome adventurer's small airplane, champagne-christened Kizzy, which would vanish one day in a windstorm in Arabia so that she would have to mount a rescue operation involving camels, and wear an indigo veil against the stinging sand, just like the nomads.
Kizzy wanted.
Now THAT is how you portray a character. What could have been a basic human girl vs. goblin story became a true work of art.
The second story was definitely even better. It follows a woman who's the ambassador to Hell, and a girl who has never spoken in fear of killing all those around her. She'd been cursed as a child, due to a deal the ambassador could not pass up to save the lives of many others, and now she can never speak lest she want to risk the death of those she loves. That is, until she meets James, the man who falls in love with her writing and holds no fear of her voice. And from there, chaos ensues.
The depiction of Hell in this story really reminded me of the Underworld in Disney's Hercules; the imagery was truly stunning. And the ending was so, so strong.
The last story however. Wow. This one nearly left me speechless.
'Is that all souls are for? For when we die?'
'No. They're for living, too.'
This piece, Hatchling is extravagant. It's lush and harrowing and will leave me reeling for the next few days I'm sure. It's about the Druj, a demonlike, immortal people who keep humans as pets and can inhabit them whenever they choose. It follows Esmé and her mother Mab as they fear being hunted by the Druj again, the very people who took so much life from Mab as a child.
This story drew in some of the most fascinating themes I've ever read about. It discusses the true meaning of humanity, life, souls, and what it means to be fleeting, what it means to remember. Mihai strives to regain the feeling of life after becoming immortal, after becoming Druj, and it's through this journey, and how it intersects with that of Mab and Esmé, that everything is revealed.
You practically fall straight into this reality, into the world of Mihai and the Druj, and may find yourself, in a shocking turn of events, empathizing with demons. Demons who make you come to terms with your own humanity.
On top of all of these incredible stories, this book also features beautiful illustrations done by Jim Di Bartolo. A unique aspect about them is that they come before and after the story, and are essential to the reading experience. They can essentially serve as a prologue of sorts, and pieces fall into place as you read more into the story, connecting the dots to the images you have already seen, enhancing the reading experience even further, essentially "reminding" you of memories you forgot you had. This really made the stories feel real; recalling these images mirror that of the character's realizations.
If you have yet to read from Laini Taylor, or are a longtime fan, this truly is a must-read. Her writing is extraordinary, and I haven't read anything like it. I cannot wait to see what she does next.
The first story, Goblin Fruit is definitely the most basic of the bunch, but the writing truly elevates it from the generic YA paranormal it could be. Seriously.
Kizzy wanted to be a woman who would dive off the prow of a sailboat into the sea, who would fall back in a tangle of sheets, laughing, and who could dance a tango, lazily stroke a leopard with her bare foot, freeze an enemy's blood with her eyes, make promises she couldn't possibly keep, and then shift the world to keep them. She wanted to write memoirs and autograph them at a tiny bookshop in Rome, with a line of admirers snaking down a pink-lit alley. She wanted to make love on a balcony, ruin someone, trade in esoteric knowledge, watch strangers as coolly as a cat. She wanted to be inscrutable, have a drink named after her, a love song written for her, and a handsome adventurer's small airplane, champagne-christened Kizzy, which would vanish one day in a windstorm in Arabia so that she would have to mount a rescue operation involving camels, and wear an indigo veil against the stinging sand, just like the nomads.
Kizzy wanted.
Now THAT is how you portray a character. What could have been a basic human girl vs. goblin story became a true work of art.
The second story was definitely even better. It follows a woman who's the ambassador to Hell, and a girl who has never spoken in fear of killing all those around her. She'd been cursed as a child, due to a deal the ambassador could not pass up to save the lives of many others, and now she can never speak lest she want to risk the death of those she loves. That is, until she meets James, the man who falls in love with her writing and holds no fear of her voice. And from there, chaos ensues.
The depiction of Hell in this story really reminded me of the Underworld in Disney's Hercules; the imagery was truly stunning. And the ending was so, so strong.
The last story however. Wow. This one nearly left me speechless.
'Is that all souls are for? For when we die?'
'No. They're for living, too.'
This piece, Hatchling is extravagant. It's lush and harrowing and will leave me reeling for the next few days I'm sure. It's about the Druj, a demonlike, immortal people who keep humans as pets and can inhabit them whenever they choose. It follows Esmé and her mother Mab as they fear being hunted by the Druj again, the very people who took so much life from Mab as a child.
This story drew in some of the most fascinating themes I've ever read about. It discusses the true meaning of humanity, life, souls, and what it means to be fleeting, what it means to remember. Mihai strives to regain the feeling of life after becoming immortal, after becoming Druj, and it's through this journey, and how it intersects with that of Mab and Esmé, that everything is revealed.
You practically fall straight into this reality, into the world of Mihai and the Druj, and may find yourself, in a shocking turn of events, empathizing with demons. Demons who make you come to terms with your own humanity.
On top of all of these incredible stories, this book also features beautiful illustrations done by Jim Di Bartolo. A unique aspect about them is that they come before and after the story, and are essential to the reading experience. They can essentially serve as a prologue of sorts, and pieces fall into place as you read more into the story, connecting the dots to the images you have already seen, enhancing the reading experience even further, essentially "reminding" you of memories you forgot you had. This really made the stories feel real; recalling these images mirror that of the character's realizations.
If you have yet to read from Laini Taylor, or are a longtime fan, this truly is a must-read. Her writing is extraordinary, and I haven't read anything like it. I cannot wait to see what she does next.
What interested me most in this book was how obvious the author was. If they had made me read just one of these stories, even if just a part of of one of them and they they had ask me who I thought the author was, I would have said the author of [b:Daughter of Smoke & Bone|13528340|Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1)|Laini Taylor|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338060846s/13528340.jpg|13355552] and the truth is despite how much I read -and that's a lot!- I'm pretty dense about this. I mean there are perhaps a handful of authors who I could recognize and from all of them I have read more than one book, So I truly salute an author like Laini Taylor for being so unique, both in writing and the plots that I could see her handprint from miles off.
Getting past that, all three stories were wonderful, yet you could easily see that here she wasn't as mature in her writings that she would later become in Daughter of Smoke & Bone. There were glimmers of that magic, There were times when it shone through but it wasn't breathtaking like DOSAB. Still it's super interesting to see her finding herself in her style and voice.
Despite my intentions this review turned to be more about the author than the book, but what I can I say? I love her. I have half a mind to believe that she herself was either raised by the fey or is one of them. She is like magic made flesh and so are her books.
Getting past that, all three stories were wonderful, yet you could easily see that here she wasn't as mature in her writings that she would later become in Daughter of Smoke & Bone. There were glimmers of that magic, There were times when it shone through but it wasn't breathtaking like DOSAB. Still it's super interesting to see her finding herself in her style and voice.
Despite my intentions this review turned to be more about the author than the book, but what I can I say? I love her. I have half a mind to believe that she herself was either raised by the fey or is one of them. She is like magic made flesh and so are her books.
I love Laini Taylor's writing!
Each story was captivating in it's own way
Each story was captivating in it's own way
Goblin Fruit
"We must not look at goblin men,
We must not buy their fruits:
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry thirsty roots?"
Despite the fact that I really liked this story, I found it extremely short. I felt like the poem by Christina Rosetti was longer. And more eventful. But that is my whole criticism, because I was hooked enough to want to keep reading 400 pages more of it.
Spicy Little Curses
This one I loved. I thought it was going for a traditional fairytale curse, you know? The ones tha get lifted by true love or a kiss, or that sort of sanitized disney stuff, but no. Of course this wasn't that. I mean, is Laini Taylor we are talking about. She imagined [b:Daughter of Smoke & Bone|8490112|Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)|Laini Taylor|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338613368s/8490112.jpg|13355552], which wasn't your typical YA. So obviously this short story was different as well. And beatifull. And very imaginative. And satisfying. I wasn't left hungry with this one. It ended when it needed to end, and it did so perfectly.
Hatchling
Of the three shor stories, this was the longest. Also the best, in my opinion. Laini Taylor managed to create such a wonderful universe in so little pages. Such interesting characters and relashionships and magic. I found this story breathtaking, complex, enchanting and absolutely absorbing. I would really love to see this wolrd expanded or these characters further developed. It is honestly, a fantastaic read.
Absolutely incredible! Laini Taylor never fails to impress me this book was so enthralling, the stories built up with sophisticated beauty and unrequited magic. Laini's writing style haunts me yet gives me the sense of drinking mulled wine or peppermint hot chocolate on a winters day whilst reading. The mix of demons, goblins, immortals and humans makes for three absolutely enticing stories that cannot be put down. I read each story in one sitting absolutely inhaling the beauty that was Lips Touch. Highly recommend for lovers of magical realism, fantasy and readers who love highly descriptive and consuming writing!