dlberglund's review against another edition
3.0
The stories got less interesting to me as the book progressed. I enjoyed the first--about goblins and ghosts and love and warnings from relatives and longing--quite a bit. The ending was well crafted. The second story was darker, I though. Her writing is so good that even when you think you are predicting the plot, you're not sure whether or not she will actually take you down that road. I got somewhat mired in the third story and didn't enjoy it as much.
aburchard's review against another edition
5.0
Dis book gets all ze kisses! (God Abby, just...don't.) I love this book so much, I could just kiss it! (You just couldn't stop could you?)
planetbeth91's review
5.0
Taylor's liquid silk prose enraptures and consumes. Mythology and folktales for a new era blending the old and the new, bringing that glorious sense of ancient arcane mystery, magic and other that she does so well to vivid high definition life.
I loved it. Hatchling is a story that calls for more and more to come, that there is more to learn of this incredible world. Spicy Little Curses is a delicious battle between a demon and his nemesis and Goblin Fruit is a paean to the isolation and desire and confusion of teenagers with added supernatural threat so insidiously beautiful you can't help but think you'd make Kizzy's choice too.
Jim's illustrations are utterly captivating too. I now require him to do illustrated editions of all his wife's work.
I loved it. Hatchling is a story that calls for more and more to come, that there is more to learn of this incredible world. Spicy Little Curses is a delicious battle between a demon and his nemesis and Goblin Fruit is a paean to the isolation and desire and confusion of teenagers with added supernatural threat so insidiously beautiful you can't help but think you'd make Kizzy's choice too.
Jim's illustrations are utterly captivating too. I now require him to do illustrated editions of all his wife's work.
marcia_arguelles's review
5.0
Laini will forever be my favorite YA Fantasy author. Her stories are always breathtaking. They’re written and delivered in the best of ways, not too hard to get into, super engaging and fun to read! Her imagination is so vast, I wish I could step into her mind!
poachedeggs's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeous illustrations and writing, but bad, bad cover art.
I really enjoyed all three stories.
I really enjoyed all three stories.
dorisxdw's review against another edition
3.0
3,5
This was a quick read and the storys were amazing! My favorite story is the second one, it was like a fairy tale but way too short I would have loved to read more from it.
This was a quick read and the storys were amazing! My favorite story is the second one, it was like a fairy tale but way too short I would have loved to read more from it.
ps_a22's review against another edition
5.0
Once again, Laini Taylor lived up to my expectations. Very unique stories, each one having a distinct feature that the other did not while still following the 'forbidden fruit' theme. I absolutely loved how in the end, there was use of Persian words and that even on of the characters was named in Persian!
rosekk's review against another edition
4.0
Taylor writes so prettily. That alone gets my vote. The stories here have echoes of familiar folklore, but put together in new and interesting ways. The last story in the collection could easily have been spun out into a longer book or series.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Laini Taylor can string words together like pearls, her paragraphs glittering like diamonds on black velvet. She builds landscapes out of the ether and births characters of blood and solidity. When I read her I am a woman possessed -- consumed, enchanted and enthralled. I am a child, gripped by a child's wonder and insatiable hunger for stories. I am in love with this woman and her pink hair and beautiful, crazy mind (where I would live if it were only possible).
What kills me is that some of the most heart-stuttering gorgeous prose I've ever read is to be found hiding behind some truly awful, misleading covers. It's amazing to me that Laini Taylor's fledgling, phenom writing career hasn't been completely sabotaged by the cover art chosen on her behalf.
Take this book for instance: the first cover is ... adequate, yet still terribly misleading of content and themes, while the second is just plain bad. Quite frankly, it stinks -- a Twilight-ish, vampish, Fifty Shades of Lipstick embarrassment.
That's just one example. Then came along the cover for Daughter of Smoke & Bone. Seriously? Try convincing someone that they MUST read this book working only with that confused and stupid cover.
Despite being constantly cover-challenged, Laini Taylor is blazing a permanent mark on the literary trail traveled by unique and intrepid storytellers. In the Author's Note, Ms. Taylor describes herself this way:
Like a magpie, I am a scavenger of shiny things: fairy tales, dead languages, weird folk beliefs, fascinating religions, and more.I, for one, cannot wait to find out about the and more.
timey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0