Frogkisser! by Garth Nix (Allen and Unwin) PB RRP
$19.99
ISBN
9781760293512
Reviewed by
Daniela Andrews
True love’s kiss
can break a spell, right? That’s what the fairytales say. But what if true
love’s kiss isn’t available? What if, say, a fickle queen-to-be (whose suitor
has been converted to a frog by her evil step-stepfather) is too disgusted at
the thought of kissing an amphibian?
Enter Princess
Anya … the younger, practical, responsible sister, who really just wants to put
an end to her sister’s wailing and get back to her reading. Anya promises to
find Prince Denholm and reconvert him. She is helped by the palace librarian,
Gotfried, who offers two remedies: a spell for finding the frog, and a
‘Transmogrification Reversal Lip Balm’ that can be applied in the absence of
true love. It should be simple, but of course it isn’t. First, the frog she
catches and kisses isn’t Denholm. Second, she’s out of lip balm.
Award-winning
fantasy author, Garth Nix, slowly builds on Anya’s basic quest to kiss a frog
and turns it into a humorous fairytale adventure of epic proportions. As her
step-stepfather, Duke Rikard, grows stronger in power and attempts to steal the
throne, Anya realises she needs to save her sister. And the kingdom. Other
kingdoms, too. Plus restore the ‘All-Encompassing Bill of Rights and Wrongs’.
Find allies. Build an army. Source obscure ingredients for more lip balm. Kiss
lots of frogs. Oh, and possibly reassess her entire life vision.
Garth Nix has
once again created a brave, admirable heroine, with traits reminiscent of
Lirael and Sabriel. His writing is fresh and playful, with a hint of the
absurd, all the while remaining vivid in description and intensity. I was
delightfully taken aback at the amusing moments sprinkled within moments of
action. (For example, an awestruck Anya
quietly observes a tree spirit … and her royal canine sidekick, Ardent,
explains why dogs like trees. Amidst the Duke’s list of serious crimes is a
charge for ‘improper cackling’, and there’s a Shakespearean-like character –
‘Gerald-the-Herald’ – who randomly enters a scene and obnoxiously shouts out
headlines.)
Frogkisser! targets readers aged 13–16 years and
will be made into an animated musical film by FOX Animation and Blue Sky
Studios (creators of Ice Age). It is
a stand-a-lone novel, but Nix has cleverly left behind some unexplained
mysteries that would allow him to expand the story if he chooses.
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