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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.
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!
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Reviews with images
Very interesting short stories and beautiful art
I've read Laini Taylors work before and while it's hit or miss with me; the books I've liked I have *really* liked so I gave this a shot and I loved the short stories (Hatchling was my favorite) and the illustrations made it even more enjoyable for me.Didn't regret this purchase one bit! Also, it was delivered right on time and in perfect condition so 5/5 on that
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
One of my favourite books from my high school library
Reviewed in Canada on November 7, 2016
MKH
Lainl Taylor paints fantastic worlds with her words
Reviewed in Australia on April 24, 2018