I have a strong lingering fondness for Garth Nix based on the Sabriel series, and I grabbed this standalone fairy tale-influenced book on CD for a car long ride. The story is about Princess Anya, a responsible younger sibling to her spoiled older sister and heir apparent, Morven. These two have an evil Step-step-father, Duke Rikard, a powerful sorcerer who consistently turns Morven's suitors into frogs. Anya sets out on a quest to gather the ingredients for an anti-transmogrifying lip-palm, to aid in kissing frogs back into princes in the absence of true love. With her goes Ardent, one of the royal talking dogs. Soon they have collected more followers: a young thief who has been turned into a newt, and a young otter who has been turned into a girl. As they gather allies, they also gather enemies. In the end Anya's quest isn't just for the lives of a few, but for the safety of her entire kingdom. It's a sweet story, but it has some pacing issues that bothered me more in the audio than they might have in print. (Things like conversations oddly placed in the middle of action scenes). However, if you know a 6 to 12 year old who wanted a princess-saves-the-day tale, they would probably love this.