Frogkisser!
By: Garth Nix
My Rating: Three out of five stars
Best for: 12 and up

A twisted fairy tale that’s a bit too…weird

Garth Nix and I have a weird relationship. I don’t like Abhorson, but I think I’m the only one. I did like The Left-Handed Book Sellers of London, but…I think I’m the only one. I thought I’d try Frogkisser to see if I could find a tiebreaker, but nope. Looks like most people agreed with me. So now what do I do?

I will say, Frogkisser is a great middle-grade story, and there are simply not enough of those. I suspect my 12-year-old might have enjoyed it a bit more than I did. And that’s a big deal.

But still, there are middle-grade books I loved (Jonathan Stroud? Scott Westerfield? Jonathan Auxiur? Katherine Arden? I’m talking to you!). This wasn’t one of them. I was terrible! In fact, it started off great. I was enjoying the goofy dialogue and circumstances of Princess Anya and her boy-crazy older sister. I even thought the wicked step-step-father was a cool twist. But the schtick stayed…um…schticky? It didn’t take long before the awkward jokes, the weird quest, and the too-good-to-be-true solutions turned grating instead of gratifying.

I’m still happy to recommend it, however. 12-year-olds across the land will probably love it. Parents can read it to their children with confidence.

Just lower your expectations a bit.

Happy reading!