Meh, cute, but the male romantic lead has zero redeeming qualities. ( )

Princess Emma is the almost-16-year-old only child of her parents and is not interested in marrying the self-centered Prince Jorge to whom her mother is planning to marry her. To avoid him when he arrives, multiple days she goes to her favorite spot - the swamp - and is eventually persuaded to kiss a frog who claims to be an enchanted prince named Eadric. The kiss doesn’t change him back into a prince but her into a frog. He has experience being a frog, so he helps her adjust and escape from predators in the immediate aftermath. Even as a frog, she has her distinctive, unprincess-like laugh.

They have various encounters while seeking a solution to their froghood - including a persistently-pursuing white dog, an unfriendly witch who catches them, a very nice bat, a helpful snake, giants, and other - before reaching her Aunt Grassina for assistance.

Grassina is a nice witch and the protector of the kingdom. Her beloved had disappeared after her mother had transformed him into an animal. They find him, too, but no one knows how to change him back. It is an entertaining adventure. ( )

OMG this was so cute. I loved the Disney movie The Princess and The Frog, so when I saw this I had to give it a go. I enjoyed reading the tale of Princess Emeralda or better known as Emma. Emma who is not your typical princess and who is always clumsy. One day she is told that she is now engaged to a prince that loves himself more than he loves others. Not wishing to marry a vain prince Emma decides run away to her favourite place by the swamp. In the swamp she meets a talking toad. This toad claims to be the lost prince Eadric. He tells her that he has been cursed by an old witch and that he needs a princess to kiss him to return back into a frog. So Emma kisses him and then promptly turns in a frog herself. With the help from a flurry of various animals. Emma and Eadric go on a adventure to find a way to turn them both back into humans.

This story has everything a classic fairy-tale should have, witches, fairies and lots of magic. I adored the writing style and the humour of this adorable tale. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Tales of the Frog Princess series. I borrowed this audiobook through Audible Escapes.

Audiobook Quality (4/5): The audiobook was decently done, no complaints. The narrator was easy to listen to and did character voices well.

Story (3/5): This is a very simple story intended for a younger audience, I did not enjoy it much, it was just too simple for me. It's a typical fairy tale with a bit of a twist. The plot is very basic and it is written at a low reading level and predictable. It's not a bad story, I just didn't find it all that interesting. The premise of the story is that Princess Emma wants to get out of marrying Prince Jorge so she kisses a frog in the swamp who says he’s a prince. Instead Emma herself is turned into a frog and her and the frog (Eadric) now both have to figure out how to be turned human again.

Characters (2/5): The characters were okay I guess. They are very over characterized and very one dimensional. I thought Emma’s humored tolerance of Eadric’s ridiculousness was silly and patronizing. Eadric was a pretty lame character and because of his denseness was unable to form any type of equal partnership with Emma. All the characters in here were childish and somewhat annoying.

Setting (3/5): This whole story is set in a very typical type of fairy tale world. You got your basic castle, spooky forest, etc. Nothing special here.

Writing Style (2/5): The whole story is written in a very simple and straight-forward style. It comes across as an over-characterized fairy tale, yes there is a twist but it was more silly than ironic. I just didn’t enjoy this. Looking back at my reviews I have also read “The Wide-Awake Princess” and felt the same way about that book. I might have enjoyed Baker’s writing style when I was five or six years old, but now I just find it predictable, bland and boring. These are definitely not stories that carry over well to adults.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this is a cute and very simple princess story that is better suited for younger readers than adults. Everything is very simple, very predictable, and pretty darn boring. I didn’t enjoy the characters or the setting, but technically there’s nothing wrong with the story. There just wasn’t much here that appealed to me despite my love of fairy tale retellings. I have come to the solid conclusion that I just don’t enjoy ED Baker’s writing style and will be looking elsewhere for more fairy retellings to read. ( )

Would it surprise you if I told you that I read this just because I felt like it? No? Good. That means you know my reading style well! I love Middle Grade, I love fairy tales, and I can't resist anything that has a princess involved, so this book was something perfect for a quick read.

I loved the fact that Princess Emeralda was a "I can do it myself" kind of girl, and that situations allowed her to do just that. I also very much appreciated the adorable twist that E.D. Baker put on the whole frog prince story, while still staying true to the feeling of the original. This was a sweet, quick read that was a lot of fun to listen to. It was just exciting enough, without being too scary, and actually really well paced. It helps, of course, that Katherine Kellgren narrates this audio book. I adore her voice, and this was no exception.

To the surprise of no one, I didn't really love the prince. He was whiny, mostly self-centered, and rough to like. I suppose it was good that he was though, because his inability to really be front and center during any big moments made Emeralda shine! Still, that meant the romance didn't really work out for me, even though I knew it was the whole point of this fairy tale. I know this is Middle Grade, but I still maintain that a princess has every right to be picky! No one wants a whiny prince. *wink*

Overall, this was a cute read with a lot of fun parts in it. This would be excellent for a bedtime read between parents and their kids! ( )