A fun and amazing tale
341710
The story is well told and very deep without being too philosophical. Fun to read, I felt that the main character could have actually existed.

It did seem to drag on in some segments but after thinking about it, perhaps that was the point.
2943193
This tale,that covers so many years, was a delight from the very first page.  It is a story of great joy and deep sadness. All the characters are engaging.  It is a convoluted tale that has many surprises in store for the reader.  I enjoyed it immensely.
4132327
If you like fairy tales, and you have a sense of humour, then I've no doubt you will love this book just as much as I did.

Once I started reading this, I just couldn't put it down. It's got the whole shebang: romance, humour, adventure, magic, witches both good and bad, fickle faeries, awesome dragons, and even a bat with agoraphobia.

This is an imaginative retake on the old Frog Prince story. By a strange twist of magic, when the Princess goes to kiss the frog--POOF!--she is also turned into a frog. From then on, the Frog Prince and Princess have to fight to survive in a less than frog-friendly world, and try to regain their former human selves.

The characters in this are adorable. Princess Emma is hardly your steroetypical princess. She's clumsy and awkward and headstrong, far more at home in the swamp than she was in her castle. Prince Eadric, the frog she kisses, is also far from being a typical prince. He has a healthy sense of witty sarcasm, and an even healthier appetite for food. He's also spent so long asking princesses to kiss him that he's become a little set in his ways, and never gives up asking Emma for a smooch. But he's got a good heart to match those amorous wiles, and courage to spare.

This is a fast paced book that is so good, you'll be sad when it's over.

I can't wait to read the sequels...
4454620
This is  a captivating tale that has a ring of truth to it. It is well worth the adventure .
4940266
The Queen of Mariskantania is missing, and it is up to the hero, Sir Nathan to smite all the evil in the land and rescue
her. In this colorful adventure we travel with Sir Nathan across the land, past beautiful puffy Jubb Jubb trees, through
the Swamp Forest of Misery, past Mount Thunder and all the way to Flying Hills of Blort. This perilous journey is
wrought with danger as our hero must outsmart pixies, evil wizards, the mini Prestidigitator (who really thinks he's ten
feet tall) and baby giants. Through everything the Hero manages to overcome his challenges and in the end makes a
number of new friends.

This book is an enchanting tale of adventure and fun. I smiled the entire time I was reading it to the point that my
cheeks hurt. Author Mark Simon Smith has created an entertaining world for children and adults alike. There was a
number of laugh-out-loud moments and even a few places where I found myself holding my breath to find out what was
going to happen to our hero. In addition to the great descriptions and clever adventures that Sir Nathan experienced, I
think that readers have an opportunity to learn about overcoming obstacles, using your head to solve problems and
making new friends in the process -- lessons we can all use no matter our age or experience.

(This book was provided to Compulsion Reads for review by the author.)
3438260
This is a great adventure story in the line of the best magical and delightful tales (The Phantom Tollbooth, the Lemony Snicket stories, etc.). Kids would love it, but it's one of those stories that reveals more with time...the story will grow with re-reading!

Especial loves:

*tips'o'the hat to mythmakers like Tolkein, Lewis Carroll, Jonathan Swift, G.K. Chesterton, and more.

* I love an adventure story (a pretty simple and clear storyline: hero goes on a quest, at bottom line) that is not simplisticly told. The story is delightful in its telling as well as for it's own merits.

*vocabulary! I don't teach anymore, but as a teacher I would have loved the prospect of vocabulary lists from the story: *meddlesome* *haberdasher* and *pandemonium*. Wordplay is also rampant with "the Just Deserts" and other literary hijinks.

*Characters that are both familiar to fiction in this genre and unique to this story. The characters feel true to the world in which they are set.

*Narration. It isn't fashionable to like narration, but as with Kate DiCamillo's 'A Tale of Despereaux', here it works admirably and the Narrator adds a sense of fun and harks to the adventure-legend sensibility.

*Illustrations. The author was able to illustrate the small chapter heading sketches, and I love the slight illumination this gives to the tale.
43090
A fabulous tale that keeps your imagination reeling! Leaves you wanting more time with these interesting characters. It has been a while since I read something so purely refreshing and imaginative.
3390795
A wonderful tale that keeps readers engaged.  With themes of adventure and mystery, but also an outstanding portrayal of interesting characters and relationships that will be relatable to every reader.  All ages will love this novella!
3520112
This story is an absolutely amazing journey of imagination. The characters, Zarenyia (a quite lovely devil) and Johannes, are complementaries and is very funny to read their dialogues and impressions.
Why four stars? the ending seemed not as perfect as the rest of the story, it felt almost like reading two different stories; more irrelevant I found around there one (or two) misprint and a pair of times I had the feeling that the characters were falling in light anachronisms (but I'm not a deep connoisseur in that age)
With all that said, If you like something of gothic, or mystery, magic, detectives, fantasy, steampunk and a bit of uncanny worlds I warmly recommend this amazing story (and if you don't like them then I am sure you are going to enjoy it the same)
30340
This epic tale has it all  fairies, trolls, dragons and more.
For years the princess of Mertia has been missing, and her sinister uncle Sebastian has been ruling in her place. The land is in turmoil and plagued with a severe drought. Malachi, a young farmer, sets out on a mission to find the princess and help restore order to the kingdom.
Azalea always knew she was different, but had no idea she was the princess  half human half fairy. Together, with the help of a few friends, Azalea and Malachi seek to find answers and defeat the evil that has overtaken their world.
I really enjoyed this book, the characters were interesting and the story had a great flow. It was nice to see Azalea grow into the princess she was meant to be, and I loved Malachi.
Dont miss out on this fun adventure.
This young author shows great promise  I look forward to reading more of her work.
199320
This story is full of fun, adventure, humor, and even a few darker themes like greed and slavery. I don't recommend this for young children but it's a great read for people 13+.
4772764
This story is so well written I loved all of the characters but wanted to know more about all of them.  It is just a wondrous tale that makes you feel good. And it is placed in such an anyday anywhere type of setting.  I will definitely be reading more from this author.
2117547
This is an amazing story that will take you on an adventure you won't forget. The characters pull you in to their lives and adventures. It's a magic adventure and the only disappointment in the book is that it ends too soon. Now we're left to wonder what will happen next? Miss Fry is an amazing, intelligent and talented young woman.
3440782
A delightful read with fast-paced and fantastical events and dialogue that keep readers highly engaged. I highly recommend this beautiful and FUN tale for middle grade readers who want to step into another world and yet, at the same time, have their own elucidated.
2628143
An amazing tale of real life adventure. Those were hardy people doing amazing things. I enjoyed the writing and the story.
987612
A foolishly credulous young knight loves legends of chivalry too much, and is sure he is a hero. Over the course of various humorous adventures told in cynical or gritty style, the story brings the hero's pride down to nothing. Then the story shifts, paying off on the small hints of high fantasy from preceding chapters. The knight's troubles are just beginning, but armed with humility, his faith in chivalry and legends turns out to be fully justified. There will be high adventures and battles and magic. Maybe there'll even be true love!

I finished this book at 4 AM, went to bed, and had to get up again at 9:30 to leave a review. It's an amazing, eccentric book that gathers force as it goes, full of heroes, villains, beauty, wonder, and funny add-ins. Tiny throwaway characters grow into people who change history. The villainous Lord Talon and his revenge, and the evil dragon Sagrendus, both turn out to harbor surprises; and the story has hilarious surprises for them. The author plays with our expectations in a generous way that leaves us happier than we started, and I was both sorry to finish the story and deeply satisfied. He ties his yarn  to knightly tales of romance, pre-modern fantasy, Tolkien, Pratchett, and even Douglas Adams, but without making you feel that he's showing off his library. My only regret is that the cynical first part lasts so long; but after getting to the end, the first part seems much more fun and funny than when I didn't know where things were going.

This is the best and most beautiful fantasy novel I've read this year, and for a few other years in the bargain. Read it.
2861988
I loved this story. It is so full of vivid imagery and interesting observations about traveling in India and the battle to figure it all out. The parade of characters whom the author encounters is endlessly entertaining. They made me feel, and truly believe, that finding oneself is really hard work, but a noble and worthwhile pursuit nonetheless.