By Laini Taylor
Publication Date: October 1st, 2009 (Arthur A. Levine Books)
Hardcover, 266 pages
Genre: Fantasy; Short Stories; Romance; Paranormal; Supernatural; YA
Source: Library
DESCRIPTION:
Everyone dreams of getting the kiss of a lifetime—but what if that kiss carried some unexpected consequences?
A girl who's always been in the shadows finds herself pursued by the unbelievably attractive new boy at school, who may or may not be the death of her. Another girl grows up mute because of a curse placed on her by a vindictive spirit, and later must decide whether to utter her first words to the boy she loves and risks killing everyone who hears her if the curse is real. And a third girl discovers that the real reason for her transient life with her mother has to do with belonging—literally belonging—to another world entirely, whose queen keeps little girls as pets until they reach childbearing age.
From a writer of unparalleled imagination and emotional insight, three stories about the deliciousness of wanting and waiting for that moment when lips touch.
—from the book's dust jacket
REVIEW:
ME: It was very...ordinary.
YOU: How could you say that, Samantha? How can the great Laini Taylor, who is made out of creativity, be ordinary?!
ME: Let me explain...
Yes, Laini Taylor DOES have a wonderful imagination.
For example, there's an Ambassador to Hell, and a girl with a voice that can literally kill. There are salt shakers full of diamonds and, my personal favorite, demons who can smell color.
BUT the way she tells her stories just doesn't have the support the ideas need.
I don't mean her writing is mundane, because her writing is utterly gorgeous. All of the descriptions and senses and whatnot. Gorgeous. I mean all of the stories are the same, as if she kept the same characters, changed little pieces of their appearances but keep the same personality, and gave them a new conflict to overcome. Each story was like reading the same thing over and over and over again.
For example, the protagonists of each short story were essentially the same in personality. They're described as liking quirky things, and the majority of them have sweet faces, and are demure in nature. If I had to sum up Taylor's main character's personality's in one word, it would be INFP (which is a Myers-Briggs personality type).
(This has nothing to do with the book, but look "INFP" up. Then, if you so chose, take the personality type test. I don't know about you, but I love personality tests. I think it's just interesting to see what general group you're put in.)
While the plots of each story themselves are not really predictable, there is an intense feeling of familiarity, like you've read the story before and know the outcome. And you must definitely have read the story before if you've read any of Taylor's other books (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, perhaps?).
However, I truly enjoyed the romance (what can I say? I'm a big sap-sucker), even if it was nothing new and contained the essence of Taylor's other works. Most of it was sweet, innocent love. True courtship. Young men dancing with young women at garden galas in exotic lands. Fugitive sweet nothings whispered into one another's ear. Dates that consist of exchanging flowers, then walking hand-in-hand to the pond where the lovers feed the ducks.
Lips Touch: Three Times, a collection of three short stories by Laini Taylor, were clones of what an imaginative author usually does in all of her stories. The stories were nothing special, and were ordinary, which was a big surprise coming from an author who's imagination is extraordinary. Lips Touch: Three Times was okay (2 stars), but the ideas get another 0.5 stars.
RATING:
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