The first five or six books in the Xanth series (this was the third) were cute and enjoyable, albeit silly at times and VERY punny. This one sets up some stories for later books in the series, introduces some major characters, and features an odd form of time travel. It also features a tragic love story ~~with a happy ending~~; credit to Piers Anthony for managing that.

But don't get too attached. As is frequently the case, the series ended up turning creepy. I still reread and enjoy the earlier books in the series, but after Ogre, Ogre the creepiness factor increases with pretty much every book.