Frogkisser!

A frogging good fairytale, sure to be a classic!

Review by: The Audiobook ReviewThe cover of this one along with the title intrigued me enough I had to check it out. It looked fun, and I enjoyed the sample so grabbed myself a copy and got stuck in.

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix is a fun tale full of re-imagined versions of your typical fairytale happenings such as princesses stuck with evil step-parents (or in this case, step-step-parents), princes turned to frogs, talking dogs, and even an appearance by Snow White and the Seven Dwarves… though not in the way you might expect.

The action in this humorous tale kicks off quite early, and the pace ticks along nicely for the rest of the story. I thought the plot was well realized with plenty of depth to make the world feel immersive. It sucked me right in and I could see Mr Nix’s world unfolding clearly in my mind.

Princess Anya’s (no, not the Frozen one) life is in immediate danger thanks to evil machinations of her step-step-father who wants to rule the kingdom through wicked sorcery. Her sister and heir to the throne is easily distracted by the songs of a handsome prince, but Anya is made of stronger stuff.

The evil sorcerer, her step-step-father plans to kill her, so Anya is forced to flee the home she knows and loves with only a stalwart talking dog, Ardent, and a frog (transformed prince) for company. This begins her quest where she’ll stumble upon a giant, a good wizard, and various other fairytale creatures along with an ever increasing number of quests all in order to save the her sister and the citizens of the land.

Plenty of good character growth along the way, and full of twists and turns that kept me engrossed to the end.

The narration by the talented Marisa Calin is top notch. The tone of her voice, her accent, style, and cadence made this delightful fairytale come to life. Yes, it's categorised everywhere I look as a children's book, but children of all ages will get a kick out of this. Trust me!