I tried to like this book, I really did. I just couldn't get into the story and I couldn't care about the characters. I yawned each time Du found himself in a new predicament, looked the other way when characters died, and found myself wishing that the bad guys would just get him and get it over with. I don't know if it was just that I couldn't relate at all to Du (the frog/boy hybrid) or if he was just not developed enough to engage the reader. I got annoyed with him rather than sympathetic. I just couldn't like the book, and didn't end up finishing. I can't justify spending my time on something that isn't engaging. (I gave it 300 pages to speak to me, but when it didn't, I put it down.)With that however, Oshins does a brilliant job with the mythology involved. I cheered for the Mayan gods as they went to battle over the fate of the earth. Those guys were menacing, nicely written, and believable. I'm an archaeologist (okay, not practicing, but still!) and MesoAmerica was my specialty. So I know this stuff. I know the legends, the myths, the gods, the culture. And Oshins delivered and kept the spirit of the Mayan culture alive. I appreciated that. I just wish it had been enough to override my intense dislike of the main character!