Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

In the first touch or “story”, “Goblin Fruit”, we find Kizzy, the seemingly ordinary girl who lives on the outside of town in a weird home full of anvils, stray cats, and a billy goat. Though it’s clear to her friends Evie and Cactus that she’s different, they love her for it. Now if only the new, attractive boy thought so…

“Spicy Little Curses” takes place in British India, where an Englishwoman goes in and out of Hell to bargain with a demon. In her desperate plea to save the life of just one more child, she delivers a deadly curse on Anamique. Will Ana be able to remain mute or will she risk the life of her sweetheart James and everyone else she loves to break free from her cage of silence?

“Hatchling” begins with brown-eyed Esme waking up to discover one of her eyes has turned blue. After frightening her mother Mab more change awaits Esme as they flee their old life and enter a new one of cold creatures that can turn into animals and a dreaded queen that keeps human girls as pets until childbearing age – a world surprisingly not unfamiliar to either Mab or Esme.

Lush, imaginative, beautiful in every way and extremely well-written, it’s not often you come across a book like this. Laini Taylor’s tremendous creativity and writing is awe-inspiring. She has created something truly original in her blending of lore, history, and her own ideas in each of the dark yet hopeful tales of goblins, demons, and Hell. While I read few short stories, it was a pleasure to read and enjoy each one a little more as I went along. “Hatchling” could easily be expanded into a full-length novel which I would hungrily read up.

Speaking of the format that was also something about Lips Touch that I eagerly devoured. Thematically linking the stories made the reading experience more intriguing as I wondered and waited for that hyped first kiss and its potentially devastating effects. As an added bonus the several pages of illustrations prefacing (without spoiling) each story were absolutely gorgeous and give the reader a small taste of what’s to come. Though the cover art doesn’t quite accurately reflect what’s inside this is a book to be owned if only so its physical beauty can be proudly displayed. If all illustrations could be this fitting and lovely they would be a more common and welcome addition to novels. This book is one gorgeous complete package and has pretty much guaranteed that I will be reading more of Taylor’s books.