Lips Touch Three Times

'Lips Touch Three Times:'This is a compilation of three short urban fantasy stories (hence the “Three times” part of the title) written by Laini Taylor.

Each story opens and concludes with a series of illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo, which makes these short stories appear like modern teenage fairytales, which I loved.

As it is the middle of winter at the moment, and it is bitterly cold, these dark (and don’t mind the pun) grim pictures add another dimension to the story and the mindset in which we are to read them.



Goblin Fruit- The first of the tales is about a girl, Kizzy, who’s family believes in the supernatural, including goblins. Goblin’s thrive with humanities “need” and “want,” and Kizzy needs and wants, therefore, making her the next target. Laini Taylor wields incredible use of language, which captivates a reader, as it is words are delicious and aesthetic. One of my favourite passages was when Kizzy “wanted:”
“With a deep, visceral ache, she wished her true form might prove to be a sleek and shining one… something glittering, something startling, something dangerous…”

Spicy little curses such as these- This takes you to the exotic India in the early 1900’s. And the story itself can definitely be classified as a ‘fairytale’ styled fable, where a girl at birth is cursed with a voice that is so beautiful, but to anyone who hears it, will die. It involves a demon, an ambassador of Hell and a romance. It is short, but has the essence of a good bedtime story.

Hatchling- “She loved the life she lived with her mother. It was beautiful. It was, she sometimes thought, a sweet emulation of the fairytales they cherished in their lovely, gold-edged books.” This particular tale is more complicated, more disturbing, and entering  more of a fantasy genre than the urban fantasy, with the focal point surrounding the mythical creatures, the Druj: immortal, able to shift into animals, and the Queen has children as pets. It is a creative legend created by Laini Taylor.

“Like a magpie, I am a scavenger of shiny things: fairy tales, dead languages, weird folk beliefs, fascinating religions, and more.” Laini Taylor

6.5/10