Lips Touch consists of three short stories. As far as I know they do not go along with any of Taylor's other books, but I could be wrong. I hope you enjoy!
Three stories of supernatural love and each revolve around a single kiss. But not just a simple kiss, each one has consequences for both of the kisser's souls.
Goblin Fruit- Kizzy has heard the same story from her Grandmother, of goblin men luring girls with exotic and delicious fruit, tempting them unknowingly to sell their souls. Even after being warned by her Grandmother, can Kizzy see through her wanting and save herself?
Spicy Little Curses- A demon and a woman barter over the souls of people everyday. A girl is cursed to not be able to speak without killing all who hears. She never desires to speak until she falls in love with a man. Does she take the risk without knowing if the curse is true?
Hatchling- Just before Esme's fourteenth birthday her left eye turns blue, while her right stays brown. She knows something must be wrong, but she just doesn't know what. Is her life really hers? Who is this mysterious fanged man?
Each story is magnificent in its own way, and each one is longer then the last. Taylor did a great job of describing things, but sometimes it was overkill. Goblin Fruit had me laughing a number of times, and I wish it were longer in length because of how interesting it is. The ending is annoying in the fact that it is a cliffhanger and a big one at that. Who knew that wanting so badly could get you into hot water? Spicy Little Curses could have easily been a full novel and I would have eaten it up as I did the short story that it is. The back story and the one unfolding because of it is amazing and when it ends you just want more. Hatchling I had high hopes and was disappointed. Though I liked where the story, plot and characters where going, I think a novel would have been best for this short, and I will get into why in a little bit. These three stories where combined by the simple act of a kiss. Three kisses and each did something different from the last. Before each story there are a few illustrations that go along with each story and I absolutely adored them. They are beautiful and leave you guessing as to what is going to happen with each story. Honestly I want to give more detail but with each the more that you giveaway or know the less there is to find out and explore.
As I said before Hatchling would have done better as a novel because there is so much detail needed for why something is happening in the story. If someone where to skip over all the detail and follow with Esme's story there really wouldn't be much to read. I also found it hard to read Hatchling because of this as well. I was able to pretty much get what was going on and what was going to happen down to the last detail. It was also a let down after reading and enjoying the previous two stories. As usual my love-hate relationship with cliff endings came about with Goblin Fruit, Taylor ended in a way that left a lot to the imagination. I love and hate it.
As a whole I really enjoyed the first two stories and was disappointed with the last. I would recommend this book to others, because who knows, someone else might think differently and that is awesome. Younger teens can read this book without parents overly worrying because it is a pretty innocent book compared to others. If I had to choose between getting this book and a book that I really wanted, I would go with the latter one. That doesn't mean I don't want this book, it just means that I could hold off on getting it. If there are any questions or someone wants something explained a little more, feel free to leave a comment and I will respond as quickly as I can. I note this because of how brief I was for everything, but like I said there isn't much I can go over without spoiling everything.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Page Count: 267 (including the graphic at the end) (hardcover)
Price: ???
Next Book: Soulbound by Heather Brewer
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
Monday, April 28, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan
This is the first book in The City trilogy by Darren Shan. This is in the "Adult" section of my library but I see nothing wrong with younger ones reading this. There are two sexual parts, but they do not last longer then a few paragraphs and they are not explicit. Though honestly it would be up to a parent or guardian to actually decide if it is suitable for their child's age. I actually didn't know that Shan had this trilogy out because he is more widely known for his "Teen" books.
Capac Raimi arrives at the City ready to show his stuff and prove that he is worthy of it all. The City isn't what it seems though, there is a strange assassin with snake tattoos on his face, and who moves like liquid. Blind Incan priests that no one sees, friends and people mysteriously disappear and no one remembers them once they do. Then there is The Cardinal, he has eyes and ears everywhere. He is the ruler of the City. Capac has no clue, till it is almost too late, how deeply The Cardinal is rooted into him. Most conflicting is that Capac can't remember anything besides coming to the City. He can't remember anything before stepping off of the train and into the belly of the City.
After reading the little insert about this book I was expecting nothing about gangsters. There is and it was nice to get away from the super supernatural books. I was lost in the beginning, I wasn't sure what was going on or what to think of this book. Not long after that things got ironed out for the most part and I was hooked. I hated not being able to read this book because every other turn had me guessing about what was going to come next. I really loved how Shan named his character. The names of almost every character is not common names. There is a meaning to some of the more exotic names and to explain them the way that I want to, would take a lot of typing and I think I would bore most all of you. Some are of Incan background, and each of the chapter titles are those of the Incan months. It was very easy to picture what was going on with Capac and other characters, Shan detailed everything just right (for me at least). It was very fun to guess what was going on and what was going to happen next. It wasn't easy to predict what was going to happen, which again was a great change of speed from some other books I have reviewed. One thing that loved the most, is that once I thought I had everything figured out, something would happen and I was left guessing again. Guys, I could keeping going with things that I liked about this book, but in order for that to happen I would have to spoil everything. I haven't even scratched the surface.
As for things I didn't like, there wasn't anything major. The one thing that I had a slight problem with is the ending. I love it to a point. It was simple, but the action before it was great. I was expecting a bigger ending, but the one given isn't horrible. It leaves the reader guessing about what is going to be happening in the next book.
Like I said before I could go on and on about things that I loved about the book. In honesty I recommend this book to everyone, it may not be everyone's cup of tea but I am sure that you could find some aspect of the book to like or even love. The ending was the only thing I take issue with but I am willing to overlook it due to the content. I will be reading the second book, so long as my library has it on the shelf. I would love to own this book, and I see myself rereading it. Being a fan of Shan, this book is not what I am used to reading from him but I love it nonetheless. This is an "older" book being published in 1999, but I think it is worthy of now
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Page Count: 278 pages (hardcover).
Price: $19.99
Next Book: Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
Capac Raimi arrives at the City ready to show his stuff and prove that he is worthy of it all. The City isn't what it seems though, there is a strange assassin with snake tattoos on his face, and who moves like liquid. Blind Incan priests that no one sees, friends and people mysteriously disappear and no one remembers them once they do. Then there is The Cardinal, he has eyes and ears everywhere. He is the ruler of the City. Capac has no clue, till it is almost too late, how deeply The Cardinal is rooted into him. Most conflicting is that Capac can't remember anything besides coming to the City. He can't remember anything before stepping off of the train and into the belly of the City.
After reading the little insert about this book I was expecting nothing about gangsters. There is and it was nice to get away from the super supernatural books. I was lost in the beginning, I wasn't sure what was going on or what to think of this book. Not long after that things got ironed out for the most part and I was hooked. I hated not being able to read this book because every other turn had me guessing about what was going to come next. I really loved how Shan named his character. The names of almost every character is not common names. There is a meaning to some of the more exotic names and to explain them the way that I want to, would take a lot of typing and I think I would bore most all of you. Some are of Incan background, and each of the chapter titles are those of the Incan months. It was very easy to picture what was going on with Capac and other characters, Shan detailed everything just right (for me at least). It was very fun to guess what was going on and what was going to happen next. It wasn't easy to predict what was going to happen, which again was a great change of speed from some other books I have reviewed. One thing that loved the most, is that once I thought I had everything figured out, something would happen and I was left guessing again. Guys, I could keeping going with things that I liked about this book, but in order for that to happen I would have to spoil everything. I haven't even scratched the surface.
As for things I didn't like, there wasn't anything major. The one thing that I had a slight problem with is the ending. I love it to a point. It was simple, but the action before it was great. I was expecting a bigger ending, but the one given isn't horrible. It leaves the reader guessing about what is going to be happening in the next book.
Like I said before I could go on and on about things that I loved about the book. In honesty I recommend this book to everyone, it may not be everyone's cup of tea but I am sure that you could find some aspect of the book to like or even love. The ending was the only thing I take issue with but I am willing to overlook it due to the content. I will be reading the second book, so long as my library has it on the shelf. I would love to own this book, and I see myself rereading it. Being a fan of Shan, this book is not what I am used to reading from him but I love it nonetheless. This is an "older" book being published in 1999, but I think it is worthy of now
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Page Count: 278 pages (hardcover).
Price: $19.99
Next Book: Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
Upcoming...
Look for these upcoming book reviews:
The Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan,
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor, and
Soulbound by Heather Brewer,
In that order as well! The Procession of the Dead should be up sometime tomorrow (the 14th of April, 2014), so long as nothing stops me in the process of typing it up.
Thank you for reading!
~Jade
The Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan,
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor, and
Soulbound by Heather Brewer,
In that order as well! The Procession of the Dead should be up sometime tomorrow (the 14th of April, 2014), so long as nothing stops me in the process of typing it up.
Thank you for reading!
~Jade
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