Froggy Style
Grade : C+

Every now and then there comes a book that is really hard to review. For me, this time around, I've found that book. While there are a lot of positives about Froggy Style, in the end, it just gets way too tiresome.

Jean-Michel La Grenouille is the Frog Prince. As a child, he was cursed and turned into a frog. When a young girl came by and tried to eat him, his luck began to change. Her attempted gobbling was somehow close enough to a kiss to free him from his curse. Jean-Michel went along his merry way growing up to be a complete womanizer/playboy, even sleeping with his best friend’s wife, until he approached his 30th birthday. At that time, his Fairy Godmother informed him that he had until he turned 30 to find the little girl who freed him from his curse and marry her or he would turn into a frog permanently.

Enter Sleeping Beauty. She is The One. But she isn’t quite willing to let an attempted gobbling determine her whole future. As Jean-Michel dodges hit men out to get him and his bride, deals with the villainous best friend who may be happily married but is not yet forgiving, and tries to get Beauty to marry him, he meets a woman who really revs his engine and who he believes is his fated wife’s sister. With his future already determined, the ten days Jean-Michel has to avoid an eternity of froghood are a nonstop ride worthy more of a Die Hard movie than a fairy tale.

On the one hand, I have got to give this author credit. I wish I had an iota of her cleverness. Every single line of dialogue and event in the book is a play on a fairy tale. Think of it like Shrek with fairy tale creatures existing in a modern world. The creativity and wittiness necessary to pull this off is inspiring and it really was quite funny. At first.

The problem came in when the plays on fairy tales took over the story and rather than a well moving plot, the book became mired in the clichés and became tiresome to read. So while I give the author credit for being able to keep her tricks up so consistently throughout the book, after a while I just couldn’t take it anymore, and wanted more substance and less fluff.

Another problem that I had was the first person POV. With everything coming from the self-absorbed Jean-Michel’s perspective, he got real old, real fast. It also allowed the author to attempt to suspend disbelief overly long and that to me was a little silly. The twist to the story was rather predictable and was only something the author could have gotten away with through first person. However, just because Jean-Michel was clueless doesn't mean that the reader is, and so it is almost insulting. And Lollipop, the biker chick who Jean-Michel falls for, is too abrasive for my tastes. The bottom line is that these are not pleasant people and reading about them, while funny at first, just wasn’t an enjoyable experience in the end.

When an author creates a very elaborate world, you have to give her credit where it is due. Kazimer creates that world. But when that world isn’t one that you want to immerse yourself in, then the ultimate result is not a success. I wish that Kazimer had used that immensely creative mind a little more judiciously. That would have radically changed my opinion of this book.

Reviewed by Louise VanderVliet
Grade : C+
Book Type: Fantasy Romance

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date : February 27, 2013

Publication Date: 2013/03

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Louise VanderVliet

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