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Frogkisser!

Garth Nix (Goodreads Author)

3.78 · Rating details · 3,970 ratings · 1,000 reviews

The last thing she needs is a prince. The first thing she needs is some magic.

Poor Princess Anya. Forced to live with her evil stepmother’s new husband, her evil stepstepfather. Plagued with an unfortunate ability to break curses with a magic-assisted kiss. And forced to go on the run when her stepstepfather decides to make the kingdom entirely his own.

Aided by a loyal ...more

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Hardcover, 372 pages

Published February 28th 2017 by Scholastic

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Average rating 3.78 ·

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Jul 02, 2018 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it

Shelves: princes-and-princesses, coming-of-age, ya-fantasy, humor, middle-grade, fairy-tale, fantasy

3.5 stars for this MG/YA fantasy. Full review first posted on Fantasy Literature:

Anya is an orphaned young princess, about twelve or thirteen years old, and a bookworm (as many of the best princesses in literature seem to be). She and her fifteen year old sister Morven are orphans under the dubious care of their stepmother, a botanist who is enthusiastic about plants but completely uninterested in and uninvolved with the girls, and Duke Rikard, their stepstepfather (which is what you get when ...more

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Oct 27, 2016 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

This reminded me so much of Dealing with Dragons, which I loved. In the author's note, Nix thanks the children's fantasy masters and it's definitely clear he draws on them for inspiration, however, he not only adds his own unique spin but progresses the fantasy genre. The three major wins for me:

1) Not one but TWO dark-skinned women who are awesome and just living their lives being awesome. They're not slaves or former slaves, they're not villains, and they're not foreigners within the fantasy ...more

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Feb 23, 2017 Karen Whittard rated it it was ok

Thank you to Netgalley, Publishers and Garth Nix for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance reader copy of this book.

You can find my review on both Goodreads and Amazon. On goodreads.com/karenwhittard and on Amazon under k.e.whittard from publication date.

I am truely, truely gutted that I didn't like this book. I love nothing more then stories about princesses, talking animals, magical lands and far off places. Yes I am a 100% certified Disney ...more

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Mar 11, 2017 Zyra rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, middle-grade, fairytale-retelling, dnf, retellings

dnf
its a cute book, really really cute book.
but the story is not middle grade, it should have been a picture book.

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Jun 18, 2017 The Captain rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult

Ahoy there me mateys! So I have a wee bit of an obsession with Garth Nix and his wonderful stories. I love him so much that he was the featured author in me first broadside. I have read 25 of his novels. So when I heard he was writing this fairy tale I had to have it. Plus awesome cover.

In his "Acknowledgments" of this novel, Mr. Nix claims inspiration from "the works of Lloyd Alexander, Nicholas Stuart Gray, Diana Wynne Jones, Robin McKinley, and T.H. White." I don't know Nicholas Stuart Gray's Ahoy there me mateys! So I have a wee bit of an obsession with Garth Nix and his wonderful stories. I love him so much that he was the featured author in me first broadside. I have read 25 of his novels. So when I heard he was writing this fairy tale I had to have it. Plus awesome cover.

In his "Acknowledgments" of this novel, Mr. Nix claims inspiration from "the works of Lloyd Alexander, Nicholas Stuart Gray, Diana Wynne Jones, Robin McKinley, and T.H. White." I don't know Nicholas Stuart Gray's work (must remedy) but I can certainly see nods to all of the other authors he listed in the story.

The story centers around Anya who is the youngest princess of the kingdom of Trallonia. One of her sister's suitors is transformed into a frog by their evil sorcerer step-stepfather. In order to stop the tears and hysterics, Anya promises to turn him back into a human. This inadvertently becomes way more complicated than originally planned thus leading Anya off on a Quest!

The subversive nature of the story is what I loved about it. Favorites include the use of the magic carpet, Gerald the Heralds, otters transformed into people, how the army is formed, having step-stepparents, snow white, etc. I very much enjoyed Anya as a character. And the frogs were just delightful.

The only downside to this novel for me was the pacing. It is a very episodic story where the heroine gets a lot of help from people she just happens to meet along the way. Makes more sense after reading the acknowledgements but I would have preferred Anya to show a lot more initiative. Of course Anya doesn't really show initiative in the beginning and is a very reluctant hero who grows into her role. But unlike many of me other Nix reads, this didn't zing.

I am okay with that lack of zing. This was a solid story with a lot of fun ideas and characters. Mr. Nix continues to remain an auto-buy author. And apparently he has a new novel coming out in October this year. Arrrr!!!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp... ...more

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Dec 08, 2016 Elly rated it really liked it

Shelves: fairytales, australian-author

Delightfully reminiscent of Dianna Wynne Jones.

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Feb 28, 2017 Nigel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, netgalley, arc

Briefly - Entertaining read about princesses and frogs that need kissing to transform them back to their old selves. Probably aimed at pre teen/early teen however a fun read at other ages.

In full
This book has all the ingredients for an entertaining modern day fairy story. It written by Garth Nix an author whose fantasy books for adults I am a fan of. There is an evil stepstepfather (not a misspelling) who is the Duke, Royal talking dogs and an apparently well balanced princess who needs to kiss ...more

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Mar 04, 2017 Mary Catelli rated it really liked it

Shelves: fairy-tales-retellings, children-s-book

The adventures of Anya, a second princess, out to disenchant the prince whom her sister Morven had been in love with, until her stepstepfather had not only turned this prince into a frog, but produced another prince to lure Morven's heart away. (Not that that's too difficult.)

And he threatens to send Anya to school at a place so far away that she's in danger merely going there.

Fortunately, the failed sorcerer who is the librarian had a recipe for lip balm that makes other kisses effective. They ...more

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Mar 14, 2018 Erica rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: animals, bffs, orfums, dead-friends-and-family, growing-up, jf, leadership, magic, sisters, travel

This one's a solid 3 for me.
The things I liked, I really liked but, man, did it get heavy handed at times.

Likes:
It's a traditional quest-based fantasy and I still love those. This one features 12-year-old Anya who is menaced by her evil step-stepfather and has to pick up the slack left by her ditzy, always-in-love older sister so winds up on a double quest: unfrog an ensorcelled prince and also save the kingdom. Everyone in the story keeps pointing out that things get done if you just take them one step at a time and do the first things first. This is a super important message because sometimes everything gets overwhelming and learning to prioritize is super helpful in accomplishing questing goals.
I was worried the frog prince would have his spell broken because he and Anya would fall in love during their journey and she'd be able to provide True Love's Kiss but that did not happen. The prince was an oblivious frog and Anya was busy gathering ingredients for lip balm so they didn't really get to know each other at all and that made me ridiculously happy.
There are shout outs to all sorts of popular fantasy stories, fables, and fairy tales, my favorites being the Wallet of Inexhaustible Munchings and Crunchings.

and the witches on the hill.
The characters are fun. There's a girl and a royal dog, a human-turned-newt and an otter-turned-human, wizards, witches, druids, and dwarves (7 of them!) plus the over the top villainous step-stepfather. It's a delightful cast.

Dislikes:
It's soooo preachy, spelling out the meaning of privilege in large bright block letters. Anya often stops to realize she's never had to think about this issue or that because she's always been safely tucked away in the library reading her books plus she's always had plenty of food and clothing and money. Now she's realizing that perhaps she could do something important with her power. This is the weighted blanket of explanations and it's way too smothering in this story.
This is probably supposed to be all Yay, Feminism! but there are moments that work directly against woman power. For instance, the otter who is turned human has a long name, Champion Smoothstone Oyster Breaker, that's just too hard for Anya to say so she shortens it to "Smoothie," a cute, soft little name for a cute, soft, little female otter person. However, Anya manages to remember the longass name of the flying carpet and the other otters she meets later, all of whom get non-cute nicknames, so what the hell? Anya is often problematic as she wrestles with turning ideals into actions.
She's also cruel, hauling the frog prince with her on her quest, housing him in a wicker basket and dribbling water on him from time to time.
The worst offense in this book, though, which has nothing to do with Anya, is (view spoiler)

Overall, it's a fun story and I would have loved it so much when I was nine. However, it does have some serious problems that detract from the bigger picture so 3 stars it is. ...more

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Apr 10, 2017 Mandy rated it really liked it

Shelves: the-bookshelf-of-actual-bookshelves, that-fairytale-stuff

When I first found this book - I literally can't even remember how I did...I think it was on a blog? I'm not sure, but let's go back to the story - When I first found this book, I thought it sounded like an adorable fairytale book that would remind me of one of my favorite princesses, Tiana. And when I read a few of the first pages, it reminded me of one of my favorite cult classics: The Princess Bride. So of course, I had to pick up this Princess Bride meets The Princess and the Frog type book, When I first found this book - I literally can't even remember how I did...I think it was on a blog? I'm not sure, but let's go back to the story - When I first found this book, I thought it sounded like an adorable fairytale book that would remind me of one of my favorite princesses, Tiana. And when I read a few of the first pages, it reminded me of one of my favorite cult classics: The Princess Bride. So of course, I had to pick up this Princess Bride meets The Princess and the Frog type book, and it was just as good as I thought it to be!

Now, I saw there was a bit of conflict on whether this was middle grade or young adult. I believe it is being marketed as young adult, but I truly believe it is something in between. It's not quite YA, but it's not quite middle grade in a true sense. I do believe it leans a bit more toward middle grade, though, and that did not deter from my enjoyment of the book.

I absolutely enjoyed Nix's writing throughout. As I said, it had a witty humor to it, and some things were outlandish were taken seriously - which made for brilliant humor. The first few chapters were the best in the book because the setup of the novel were hilarious. He had a very fairytale-esque writing style to the novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I also loved the whole concept. There were so many humorous parts to it, and it was both celebrating and parodying common fairytale tropes at the same times. The fact that she needed lip balm to save a prince? The evil guy is a step-stepfather? One of the great sorcerers turns into an owl when he gets scared? It was amusing, and I loved all the odd little additions. Don't even get me started with Gerald the Herald. XD

Anya was a fantastic heroine as well. I loved her, and she was such a great role model - especially if this was for a middle grade audience. She didn't really want to go on a grand adventure or have big responsibilities, but she steps up to the plate. It's so easy to relate to, and I loved reading about her adventure.

Her team was adorable and fantastic at the same time. Each one was so unique and brought such an odd and wonderful dynamic to it. There were no swoons to be had, and I was totally fine with that - surprise, surprise, I know.

The only issue is that sometimes I would have a disconnect with it. I really enjoyed it, but sometimes it would have a slower pace or it just dropped out of my interest. I'm not sure what that was, but it didn't leave me with a super big impact by the end - despite my enjoyment of the novel throughout. That is why I have a drop in crown.

Overall, this was an adorable read. It's the perfect mix of middle grade, YA, and fairytale retelling. Nix took The Princess and the Frog fairytale and made it wholly unique. Four crowns, and a visit from Tiana and an Ariel rating! ...more

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Jun 07, 2017 Jeanne rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The book was OK; however this reader is a bit too old for fairy tales. Probably more appropriate for the 'tween market. There were a couple intriguing characters, but I need a bit more suspense than this story had to offer. 4 out of 10.

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Apr 18, 2017 Sophie Crane rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: women-in-h-f, giveaway, fairy-tale

Well, now. Where do I start? I'm a die hard Old Kingdom fan, so when Frogkisser! popped up in the midst of the Old Kingdom revival, I honestly didn't pay it much notice. Who needs a fairytale when we've got Lirael on the go again, right?

Wrong! Frogkisser! is enchanting, and absolutely not a book to be overlooked. As well as being beautifully designed and illustrated, it is a thoroughly attention-grabbing tale. The pace is quick and exciting, the prose fantastical, and the dialogue is just Well, now. Where do I start? I'm a die hard Old Kingdom fan, so when Frogkisser! popped up in the midst of the Old Kingdom revival, I honestly didn't pay it much notice. Who needs a fairytale when we've got Lirael on the go again, right?

Wrong! Frogkisser! is enchanting, and absolutely not a book to be overlooked. As well as being beautifully designed and illustrated, it is a thoroughly attention-grabbing tale. The pace is quick and exciting, the prose fantastical, and the dialogue is just hilarious.

Nix, beloved to me for a miriyad of reasons, but particularly for his creation of real, lovable, relatable female protagonists, didn't disappoint at all with Anya. Sure, she's a little bratty at first, but that only adds to her charm. She grows with her Quest, and even starts thinking and talking about the concept of privilege; a tricky idea for a princess, but it's presented with such realism and simplicity that it becomes not only believable, but quickly accepted by the reader as important.

Ambitious, brave, cranky, clever Anya is supported by a thoroughly loveable cast, largely comprised of animals. Which, as everyone's favourite little white cat can testify, is another niche Nix does extremely well. In fact, whenever I read a new Nix book, I expect a talking animal companion to delight me. Smoothie, the lovely but fierce otter transformed into a human, was my favourite animal pal in Frogkisser!

There is also a special place in my heart for Sir Malorak, because again, we have a no nonsense woman in charge where you might expect man, generally being excellent and solid as a rock, as well as an emotional and gentle person. But also because I, a female creature, have always wanted the title of Sir - Dame be damned! - and once had an unproarously funny and loud conversation with my friend about how I deserved to be knighted and she deserved to be a Viscount - I can't take those biscuits seriously to this day.

Anyway. Frogkisser! is full of delightful little moments, unexpected twists and turns that enrich the tale like a big ol' pot of magical pea and ham soup, cooked with a lightning-struck oak. Some of the moments are rather subtle - it took me forever to realise the inspiration behind the Good Wizard - and others are big, laugh-out loud funny moments. I cried more than once, too - for all the witty repitore, it is a surprisingly emotional read.

Overall, this is a rich read, full of magic, deep emotions, intense wit and humour, and a wonderfully eclectic cast that just keeps giving. With inspiration carefully borrowed from real traditional magic (druidry), as well as older fairly tales concepts (frog kissing), and a shining array of inspiring authors filtering through another brilliant one, it's no wonder this book works on so many levels. It's an unexpected and deeply clever delight. Don't pass it by! ...more

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Apr 24, 2017 Audrey rated it liked it

Shelves: own-hard-copy, 2017-books, fantasy

Ideal for middle-grade readers, this has all the feel of a traditional fairy tale. There's a bad guy who transforms people into frogs and other animals and quirky heroes and a princess sent on a Quest. Half-way through the book, the princess has made barely any progress on her quest, so the ending starting feeling rushed: She's supposed to overthrow the evil overlord, restore a bunch of frogs to human form, and reinstate justice and the rule of law through out the land -- all in the last 25 ...more

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May 19, 2018 Laura (Kyahgirl) rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books, children-s-stories, fantasy

3.5/5

An engaging fantasy featuring intrepid young protagonists, sorcerers, magic wielders, talking animals and such. I think this book can be enjoyed by adults as well as children.
At some points I found it a bit heavy on the ‘lesson’ but it wasn’t obnoxious.

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Feb 08, 2017 Bruce Gargoyle rated it really liked it

Shelves: friendship, review-copy, arc-reviews, myth-and-legend, unusual-occuptions, parenting, bullies, extraordinary-powers, magic, family-dramas

I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.

3.5 stars

Ten Second Synopsis:
Any a, second princess of Trallonia, is perfectly happy hanging out in the castle library with her friend Gottfried and Ardent, one of the Royal Dogs. When her evil sorcerer stepstepfather turns Anya's older sister's true love into a frog, Anya is thrust, reluctantly, into a quest to collect ingredients for a magic lip balm to turn him back again.

Although Nix's work is often touted as YA, it fits just I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.

3.5 stars

Ten Second Synopsis:
Any a, second princess of Trallonia, is perfectly happy hanging out in the castle library with her friend Gottfried and Ardent, one of the Royal Dogs. When her evil sorcerer stepstepfather turns Anya's older sister's true love into a frog, Anya is thrust, reluctantly, into a quest to collect ingredients for a magic lip balm to turn him back again.

Although Nix's work is often touted as YA, it fits just as neatly into the plain old fantasy category, to be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Frogkisser! is no different in this regard, for while it features a reasonably young protagonist, it's packed full of adult characters (temporarily transformed into animals and otherwise) and is reminiscent of the work of Terry Pratchet and Piers Anthony (although much less punny and of much higher quality than the latter).

Anya is the second-eldest princess in her castle which is ruled over by her stepmother and stepstepfather after the death of both her parents...at different times...which explains why she has two stepparents. Her older sister Morven is due to inherit the kingdom of Trallonia and become ruler when she comes of age, but is reasonably vacuous and distracted by handsome princes, and their stepstepfather, the evil Duke, is using his sorcery to keep her that way so that he can take over the kingdom. Anya, being another roadblock for the megalomaniacal Duke, leaves on a quest to transform one of Morven's suitors, Prince Denholm, back from the frog form into which he has been spelled, and thus avoids (by a slim margin) being murdered in her bed.

The story features all the types of characters you'd expect from a comedy-fantasy, with talking royal dogs (my favourites), a thief-turned-into-a-newt, an otter turned into a human-otter-thing, good wizards, retired wizards, dwarves, giants, thieves and witches, among others. The tone is light throughout, even during the suspenseful parts, and doused with dry humour (if it's possible to be doused with dryness, that is). The plot is quite episodic as these stories often are, with Anya having to meet and overcome a variety of quirky stumbling blocks along her road toward the ingredients for frog-transforming lip balm.

The best thing about this book is that Anya, initially, is completely out for number one - in a self-focused, rather than self-centred way - and along the way she must ponder whether or not it is worth it for her to get involved in the bigger issues facing the kingdoms and their citizens. Issues about justice in governance, the rules of succession and the obligations of richer people to poorer people, for instance. Underlying the entertainment factors of fantasy and humour in the story is a subtle exploration of privilege, and the responsibilities (if any) that the more privileged in society have toward those without power and without the means to gain agency in their own lives. Nix has been a bit clever here, popping such a topical issue neatly into a fun and fantastic jaunt through another world.

Tropes about princesses are both reinforced and turned on their head in the story, with Anya's and Morven's paths diverging, but in ways that make sense for the respective characters. I actually understood Morven's vibe to an extent, because we have our own Prince Maggers who turns up on our back deck most days to regale us with delightful tunes.

I enjoyed reading this story because of the familiarity of the humor and fantasy elements and the original, yet slightly expected, characters. I mean, you can't really have a fantasy quest without at least one animal transformed into a human or vice versa, can you? Having said that, Gerald the Herald (all of them) gave me a good chuckle every time he/she/they appeared. Frogkisser! is certainly a change of pace from Nix's Abhorsen series but at the same time another worthy addition to Australian fantasy and YA writing. ...more

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Apr 25, 2018 Furrawn rated it really liked it

I read this book because the Abhorsen series by Garth is one of my favorite series. We named our Afghan hound Mina Harker, but I almost maned her Lirael. The disreputable dog is one of my favorite characters from the literary world.

Frogkisser is very cute. An evil wizard turns his enemies into frogs. The protagonist is a very strong female with a loyal dog by her side. There’s a newt who isn’t actually a newt. A struggle for good to triumph over evil... and the herald angle is hilarious.

I ...more

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Apr 19, 2017 Alicia Huxtable rated it really liked it

Shelves: giveaway-wins

While this book is for ages 13-16 and up, I found it to be quite an amusing read. The language is perfect for the age it is directed at.
A princess goes on a quest with a royal talking dog and some transformed humans, all while her sorcerer stepstepfather is hunting her with his own transformed hunters. Rather amusing with a few laugh out loud moments

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Jan 11, 2018 Andree rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018

This is really charming. It's a great little story about a younger princess who inadvertently winds up on a quest when her evil sorcerer stepstepfather tries to take over her kingdom. There's nothing groundbreaking about it, really, but it's well written, and the world is well developed (kind of wish there were more books in this world). How can you not love a book that features a librarian with a case of frequently going owl?

It's also a nice twist on the whole "Princess kisses frog" trope. ...more

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Aug 27, 2018 Kate Forsyth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s-fantasy

A funny and charming subversion of the well-known ‘Frog Prince’ fairytale, Frogkisser! by Garth Nix tells the story of a bookish princess, an eager but clumsy puppy, and a whole host of young men turned into amphibians.

Princess Anya just wants to be left alone to study sorcery, but unfortunately her step-stepfather wants to take over the kingdom and so transforms any suitor for her big sister’s hand into a frog. Anya reluctantly sets out on a quest to gather the ingredients that will enable her ...more

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Apr 02, 2017 Steph Cuthbert rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2017, loveozya, fantasy, aussie-author, mg

This was such a delightful book. I throughly enjoyed the quest, the subverted fairytale tropes, and the large cast of strong, independent and intelligent female characters. Frogkisser! is well suited to the younger end of the YA audience who are transitioning from MG. Having said that, I still found it thoroughly entertaining.

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Jan 11, 2017 Rebecca rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-fantasy, middle-grade, loveozya, tyac

- #LoveOzYA
- fairytale-esque
- talking dogs (+ other animals)
- slow going
- subverted tropes ...more

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Jan 20, 2018 Jannah (Cloud Child) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-magic, humor-comedy-satire, age-group-middle-grade, rewritten-fairytale

4.5/5

Pretty darn awesome! Finally, after what feels like ages compared to my normal reading time, I got this done and dusted. Read via eBook, TTS of eBook and also audio book (with a particularly squeaky voiced actress which left a little to be desired, so I don't recommend the audiobook).

First of all, this book reminds me of a lot of my favourite middle grade fairytale/fantasy adventures which have heroines dealing with quests or dangerous tricky circumstances, such as Tuesdays at the Castle, 4.5/5

Pretty darn awesome! Finally, after what feels like ages compared to my normal reading time, I got this done and dusted. Read via eBook, TTS of eBook and also audio book (with a particularly squeaky voiced actress which left a little to be desired, so I don't recommend the audiobook).

First of all, this book reminds me of a lot of my favourite middle grade fairytale/fantasy adventures which have heroines dealing with quests or dangerous tricky circumstances, such as Tuesdays at the Castle, Castle Hangnail, Dealing with Dragons, The Wee Free Men, Princess Academy and more.

Truthfully I've never been a fan of Garth Nix, but from reading the blurb and friends' reviews, this was right up my street. And it turned out so, filled with a strong resourceful and persevering (!) heroine and curious sidekicks and quest after quest.

Princess Anya (hopeful sorcerer and avid book reader) of the Kingdom of Trallonia, resides in the castle along with her older sister Morven (rather spoilt and in habit of kicking and screaming when she doesn't gain her way). They are under the rule of their evil step-step-father (its complicated) Duke Rikard who plans to overthrow the kingdom. He is a very powerful sorcerer, and as a rule, the more powerful your sorcery, the less likely you are to have a heart, so this is very bad indeed. Their real parents have died long ago, leaving mainly the trusted royal dogs, who can talk and advise, to guard over them.

The Duke has a nasty habit of transforming people, and when he transforms Morven's latest swain Denholm into a frog, she's pressured to go off to a quest to cure him.
Adent, one of the royal puppies (very enthusiastic and loves food) goes along and soon she collects many other creatures on her journey.

She encounters a league of Responsible Robbers, the Good Wizard, Seven dwarves and more as her quest turns from turning one frog back into a human to saving an entire kingdom.

It felt like a mix of many different fairytales and books, lending from tropes but more for the comic and subtle satire and reinventing old stories in a clever way.

I think what makes this stand out a bit more for me was the fact Anya had such a lot on her shoulders and it didn't get any lighter, and even if she was getting help, she was still had the headache of being in charge.
Though there was a sense of fun and comic turn the underlying responsibility lent it a more grown up feel. At times I did need a break from it as it felt a bit too jam-packed. Overall highly enjoyable. ...more

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May 26, 2018 Magen rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, book-club, fantasy, foreign-born-author, strong-female-protagonist, childrens

Probably more like 2.5 stars. It was fine, but I wasn't ever engaged in the story. It had a strong female, sort of feminist spin, which was nice. My biggest problem with the book is what was the point of the quest? Initially, it starts entirely as a sister promise, which was rather silly in the first place, but when it's apparent there will be an entire quest involved to fulfill the promise, and the sister has entirely moved on, why didn't the princess just be like, oh well, no more quest. As an ...more

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Feb 11, 2017 Nara rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, fantasy, high-fantasy, for-review

Frogkisser was an adorable read that is likely better suited to younger readers. It had quite a fun plot, but at the same time it was relatively simplistic and didn't feel like there was a deeper message to be understood. It turned a lot of tropes around with a humorously dismissive spin, and as stated in the blurb "irreverent" is quite a nice adjective to describe the novel.

I haven't read Garth Nix's other Middle Grade novel, but Frogkisser is quite different from his other novels that I've ...more

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Dec 31, 2018 Oda Renate rated it really liked it

Highly enjoyable read it got a teeny tiny bit well boring ish by the end there, so it gets a 4 and not 5 star rating.
Other than that loved the world, the characters, the humor, the villain was fun.
Also I noticed my copy was signed which was a fun suprise since I bought it from a used bookstore.
Also since I dident like Sabriel I was a bit unsure how I would like this book, but this is an example of an author who has great writing and as this plot and world was wonderful I had, as stated, a great ...more

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Mar 31, 2017 Lauren James added it

A nice and pacy read, with a great protagonist - and no romance! I love Anya - and Nix's best character trope, the loyal talking dog, makes another excellent appearance. This is a low middle grade read - aimed at 9 and over, I would say. I was expecting a little older, so didn't enjoy it as much as I could, but as always Nix is very funny. It's a great romp all round.

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Jun 21, 2017 Nicola added it

I love a good jnr fiction.... and this one didn't disappoint!

On her quest to turn her sister's crush from a frog back into a prince, Princess Anya discovers that her quest is bigger than she thought and her kingdom might just need her help.

A princess on a quest, facing danger, befriending strange beasts, and dabbling in magic. Animals that can talk, evil sorcerers, witches, wizards and princes. This book has it all!

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Oct 26, 2018 Karen Mace rated it liked it · review of another edition

A light and fun read full of all of the best bits from fairytales! The author has had so much fun letting his imagination run riot with this adventure story that you can't help just smile while you're reading it and it's perfect for all ages!

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Aug 04, 2017 The Enchanted Library rated it liked it · review of another edition

2.5/5 ...more

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Apr 26, 2017 TheMadHatter rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children, adult, humor, fantasy, young-adult

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars.

This is the first Garth Nix book I have read and it is in the vibe of Alice in Wonderland and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland meaning it is oh so clever and witty with its play on words and bizarre characters (I love Gerald the Heralds!).

As a taste of the writing....."She supposed that by their very nature, Good Wizards would be required to help questers like herself. Otherwise they'd be Bad Wizards. Unless, of course, the reference was to their skill at ...more

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About Garth Nix

Garth Nix

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Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.

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