Review: Lips Touch: Three Times

Title: Lips Touch: Three Times
Author: Laini Taylor
Page Count: 272 pages
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Genre: young adult, fantasy
Copy for review compliments of the public library

50 words or less: This three-story anthology focuses each story on a kiss, and the impact that one kiss can have. AND IT'S ILLUSTRATED!

I've read glowing review after glowing review of this story collection from a wide variety of sources, so when I saw that my public library had a copy I had to check it out for myself. I'm definitely glad that I did- the stories are lush and vivid, the writing is poetic and flowing, and the concepts and imagery are definitely unique. Because there are three stories included here, each one is a little longer, almost novella length, which only adds to the experience.

The collection starts off with a bang with Goblin Fruit. It's a reworked, reimagined expression of this poem, which I immediately had to google after reading about the connection. The story is dark and probably the most "romantic" of the three and poses a lot of interesting question about what would tempt the most jaded of people, what would entice the biggest cynic. The sudden ending was a brilliant move because it makes you imagine how the story ends, and fill in the blanks for yourself.

The second offering, Spicy Little Curses Such as These, was definitely my favorite of the three. With an exotic setting and elements of a classic story (Orpheus), the plot cooked along at a brisk pace and the elements of the curse, the romance, and the need for good and evil to balance out were braided together expertly.

Although the third story, Hatchling, didn't resonate quite as strongly with me, it was still enjoyable. This story borrowed heavily from mythology and tells the story of a young girl and the secret her mother has been hiding from her. It just evolves and blossoms from there.

By far one of the most enjoyable and unique features of this book are the illustrations. Done in black, red and white, they are stunning and narrate the story they precede eloquently without giving too much away. If you're the kind of person who would rather imagine the book without outside information, you can certainly skip the illustrations and the text remains unchanged, but you're definitely missing out.

If you haven't read this book yet, I definitely recommend you give it a try. Fans of dark fairy tales and reworked legends will find a lot to enjoy here.

Overall Grade: A