Kandide and the Secrets of the Mists

The Calabiyau Chronicles #1

by Diana S. Zimmerman, Maxine Gadd (Illustrator)

What if everything you loved was suddenly taken away...
And everything you feared became your only hope?
Still a teen in human years, Kandide is spoiled, vain, and the personification of perfection. She is also heir to the throne of Calabiyau and keeper of The Gift, the key to survival for all Fae. When a tragic accident leaves her less than perfect, her own mother casts her away to a treacherous world where strange beasts roam the dark, lifeless forest and even stranger Fae rule the land. Kandide must battle hideous creatures, as well as her own internal repulsion for the 'Imperfects' she is now like, if she is to survive. But these are just the beginning of her troubles; within Calabiyau, a presence far more deadly emerges. Joined by her prankster brother, Teren, her tomboy sister, Tara, and a group of misfit Imperfects, the Fae Princess must challenge the darkest of creatures to face an evil worse than any she could have imagined if she is to save the very Fae who sent her away. Calabiyau will forever change, or will it?
Illustrated by Maxine Gadd.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fairies, Childrens, Middle Grade, Teen

290 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Vanishing avocados, Mega-million dollar conferences, haute couture jewels, and mysterious beings are all part of Diana S. Zimmerman’s remarkable life. Like her novels, Diana’s role in the performing arts as well as the business world transcends the ordinary. She has been a performer, entrepreneur, and businesswoman since the age of eight when she invested all of her resources into a small magic trick. With a total capital outlay of 47 cents, Diana parlayed her investment into a spectacular 25-year career as "America's Foremost Lady Magician.”
In addition to performing, she invented magic illusions for Lance Burton and David Copperfield, and remains a highly respected lecturer, writer, and teacher in this field. Diana also sponsors the Junior Magician's Group at Hollywood’s famous Magic Castle. She founded the youth organization in 1974 with the help of legendary actor, Cary Grant.
Her transition into the corporate world saw the creation of CMS Communications, Intl.—a marketing communications agency whose clients include many of the Fortune 500. Today, Diana is CMS’ President and CEO and owns two other companies. Her dazzling road of business achievements is also paved with equally impressive writing credentials. Having had 100’s of articles published in the elite world haute couture jewelry, “Kandide and the Secret of the Mists” is the first of her three fantasy adventure novels. She is also the co-author of a business book titled Tactile Abyss—Why Attention to Details Can Destroy Your Career.
Diana’s collection of faery art, which includes bronzes, clocks, paintings, sculptures, books, and porcelains dating back to the 1700s, is one of the largest in the world. A painting by Australian artist, Maxine Gadd, now in her private collection, inspired the literary legacy of Kandide.

Reviews

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kandide and the Secret of the Mists is the first full-length novel about fairies that I've read, and overall, it was a generally pleasant experience. The main focus of the book is a lovely theme about beauty being more than skin deep. While I agreed wholeheartedly with the message it conveyed, I thought that the author was perhaps a bit heavy-handed and over-simplistic in its delivery. Granted the story is aimed at tweens and younger teens, but I think that kids can be perceptive enough to “get it” without everything being spelled out in black and white. The story itself was quite nice, but mostly predictable, with no real surprises. I must say though that the artwork of Maxine Gadd is absolutely extraordinary, and I found myself going back to look at her beautiful illustrations many times.

The main protagonist of the book, Kandide, was a very difficult character for me to like, therefore it was rather hard to fully immerse myself in what was essentially her story. She begins the novel extremely selfish and vain, never thinking of anyone but herself and completely obsessed with her own beauty. When a tragic accident nearly robs Kandide of her life and leaves her with a broken wing that is damaged beyond repair, she has a pretty characteristic self-pitying response. Since Imperfects, fairies who have a physical disability or abnormality, are not accepted by Fae society as a whole, Kandide's mother sends her away to a place where she can be safe with others like her. Once again, her reaction is one of prejudice and denial that she is anything like the other Imperfects she finds there. Of course, Kandide eventually comes around, but her newfound favorable opinion of the Imperfects was rendered a little to quickly without a lot of forethought or explanation. Even after setting aside her bias, she still on occasion acted egotistically. I was pretty disappointed that Kandide basically blackmailed the Council to bend them to her will instead of using diplomacy, but I guess, in all fairness, her father, one of the most well-respected Fae kings ever, had previously tried to be diplomatic without success. Overall, Kandide was an OK character who had moments of decency, and in the end, I suppose that having her remain true to her innate personality was probably more realistic than having her do a complete 180 degree turn-around, even though I might have wished it.

What I enjoyed most about the story besides the message, were the secondary characters. Except for the evil Lady Aron, they were all nice and helped to offset Kandide's more annoying nature. Her sister Tara is very kind to everyone and loves animals, and her brother Teren is full of humor and mischief. I liked that her parents King Toeyad and Queen Tiyana shared a great love throughout many years of marriage, and they were both a driving force in Kandide's life even after Toeyad passed. I was particularly taken with the Imperfects that Kandide met behind the Veil, especially Selena, Leanne, and Jake. Although Kandide and Jake's romance was pretty much an afterthought with no real substance to it beyond a few innocent looks and touches and a mere admission that they were falling in love, I did end up liking Jake quite a bit. He is the one who really awakened Kandide to the reality of being an Imperfect, and never allowed her to walk all over him with her haughty attitude. Instead he threw out a few snappy comebacks and sarcastic, “Your Majesty” comments to counter her demands. The only real complaint I have about the cast of characters in general is that they could have used a little more depth and dimension. As written each one seemed to have a prescribed role from which they never really deviated. They simply didn't seem to grow or spread their wings and fly (no pun intended) beyond the boundaries of their individual characterizations, and as a consequence, the denouement of the plot was a bit too simplistic for my taste.

Kandide and the Secret of the Mists is the first book in a planned trilogy titled The Calabiyau Chronicles with the next two books being Kandide and the Lady's Revenge and Kandide and the Flame is Fleeting. Although the core story of this book was resolved, there was a bit of a cliff-hanger ending, and I'm not sure when the next book will be published. The scanty information I can find seems to indicate that the second book was due to be released in late 2008 or early 2009, but it still does not appear to be available yet. In spite of some shortcomings, I enjoyed Kandide and the Secret of the Mists enough to read the rest of the trilogy whenever it is released, but the most positive thing about my reading experience is that it has sparked my interest in the myths of the Fae and has encouraged me to seek out other stories about them which I look forward to reading in the future.

[Avid Bookivore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beginning of this story starts out with a flare that captures the attention of the audience. I did have to reread a few sentences to understand what was happening, but, once I found out the authors writing pattern, the story flowed easily. One of the things I loved about this book is in the beginning of each chapter, the author has quotes that are within that particular chapter that sparks the imagination into thinking 'what is going to happen next?!'. I adored each quote which gave me insight about what could possibly look forward to.
The part of the story that I enjoyed the most happens to be the overall moral. It teaches and shows that physical appearance is a shallow pool compared to what a person is on the inside, which matters most. It gives a great lesson for all who reads this book.
There are some parts where the plot lagged, but, for the most part the plot remained steady. The main characters were deeply defined and each had a rich person, which, is what I look for in books. I love a well detailed plot with characters that a person can identify with and the author came through! The secondary characters, however, could have been a bit more detailed. The dialogue was great and encouraging to all readers, young or old and held no serious violence. With a great plot, believable characters, outstanding dialogue and wonderful life lessons, I would recommend this book to all pre-teens and up if you have an sense of adventure and a sweet tooth for fantasy!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantasy story set in the world of Fée, centering around Princess Kandide, as she becomes Queen. Kandide is very beautiful, but she knows it, she's vain, arrogant and selfish, so when she awakens after an accident with a bad injury, she's is banished to the Mists, where Fée who are not perfect are sent. She soon comes crashing down to earth when she releases she's alone in the dark scary woods with no way home, and no one to help her...

This is not my usual kind of book, but I throughly enjoyed it. It's aimed at young adults, so it was very easy to read and follow the story without confusing any of the numerous characters and I feel it holds a very good message for readers about 'perfection'. The characters were written well, with a wide variety of personalities so everyone will find at least one character to like, I must admit I liked most of them, and thought they were all written well. As the story continues over a series this book ends on a cliff hanger, so I'd be very interested to read the sequel to see what happens next!

[Shannon McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when a book has artwork within it. It just makes it that more special. The characters in the book are full of magic, myth and creativity that you just have to like. Of course it does help even more if you are faery lover. This is a story about being different outside and how you can be the same as others on the inside. It is also about having power and using it wisely. I actually have two of these books and I am hoping to meet the author at FaerieCon Oct 10th - 12th and get one of the books signed (and the other I am keeping). I will be having a special give away for it here at Confuzzled Books.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book until about 200 pages in. Then, I just became annoyed with Kandide's obnoxious and self-conceited ways. I can only read so much about someone who knows she is SOOOOO beautiful. THe plot also started to get all mucky towards the end. I'm pretty sure I won't seek out the next two books.

[Malcolm Schmitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've got... mixed feelings about this one. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could, but I can't, and authors gotta stick together so I'll round up.

Positives: it's got some pretty good political fantasy, especially for YA. It's got a really well-handled and surprisingly nuanced depiction of what it's like to suddenly become disabled and deal with rejection from the people around you because of it. Heck, in general it's pretty good with disability, especially for fantasy- this is a fantasy world with healing magic, but there are still disabled people, healing magic can't fix everything, and some characters use prosthetics and other accommodations. I do think it's a little eye-rolly that three of the five or six 'major' disabled characters are disabled because their *wings* are broken, but there are important characters with real-world disabilities, too. The worldbuilding is also pretty great- there's some historical detail, the magic system is interesting, and like I said, this author has pretty clearly thought about how healing magic and disabilities can exist in the same world.

Negatives: The protagonist is a Spoilt Rotten Princess (TM) and has only just started to grow out of that by the end of the book. She is also very pretty and very talented, and while it never quite ventures into Author's Darling territory, she *does* get her way a bit too easily. She is thus frequently irritating, even if I found her relatable and thus kinda sympathetic. The book itself can get *ridiculously* preachy- while I agree with the message the author is trying to get across, I would like her to stop telling me that Disabled People Can Do Things Too and get on with the story. This might be less annoying for a younger reader, but it might be *more* annoying, YMMV.

Also: heterosexual romance of the '90s Don Bluth style where THIS BOY AND GIRL HATE EACH OTHER, THAT MUST MEAN THEY'RE IN LOVE. At least they have better chemistry than many examples of the genre, but this trope irritates me.

It's a solid book, and I liked it enough to want to hunt down the sequel. If you can deal with a Spoilt Self-Centred Princess Protagonist, a bit of a preachy story, and aforementioned het bickermance, I think it's worth looking into.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, but by the end I kind of hated it. Mostly, I hated Kandide and her stupid, selfish, annoying self. I didn't feel any connection with any of the characters, and all of the dialogue felt forced and flat. I felt like the plot could have been good, but the author just shoved it all together and connected it with meaningless chatter. There was way too much coincidence and all of the 'plot twists' could be seen a mile away. And don't get me started on the insta love, because blech...🤮
The only good thing was the illustrations, which were amazing and made me want to love this book in the first place.

[Deborah Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enticing story

It's a good read, not bursting with excitement though, just a steady flow of interesting plot. I will read book 2!

[Connie Jasperson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a grandmother, I often check out books that are suitable to buy for my older grandchildren, books that may not be labeled as young adult. Beautifully illustrated by Maxine Gadd, Kandide and the Secrets of the Mist, by Diana S. Zimmerman is an excellent choice if you or you older child/young adult loves fantasy romance and fairy tales.

But FIRST THE BLURB:

What if everything you love is suddenly gone?

And everything you fear is all you have?

Welcome to Calabiyau. Still a teen in human years, Kandide is the personification of perfection. She is also spoiled beyond belief and vain beyond control. You won’t like her when you first meet her. Nevertheless, she is heir to Calabiyau’s throne and the keeper of the “Gift”—the key to the survival for all Fée.

When a terrible accident leaves her less than perfect, her own mother mercilessly sends her to a treacherous land where strange beasts roam the dark lifeless forest, and even stranger Fée rule its secret kingdom. If she is to survive, Kandide must battle terrifying creatures, as well as her own internal repulsion for the ‘Imperfects’ she is now like. But that is just the beginning of her troubles. Within Calabiyau a presence far more deadly is emerging.

Kandide’s prankster brother, Teren, her tomboy sister, Tara, and a group of misfit Imperfects set off on a perilous journey to save their sister and their land. They must challenge the darkest of forces to face an evil far worse than ever imagined. Calaiyau is forever changed. Or is it? Nevertheless, she is heir to Calabiyau’s throne and the keeper of the “Gift”—the key to the survival for all Fée. When a terrible accident leaves her less than “perfect,” Kandide's own mother mercilessly sends her to a treacherous land where strange beasts roam the dark lifeless forest and even stranger Fée rule its secret kingdom. If she is to survive, Kandide must battle hideous creatures, as well as her own repulsion for the “Imperfects” that she has become. But that is just the beginning of her troubles. Within Calabiyau, a presence far more deadly is emerging. Kandide’s prankster brother, Teren, her tomboy sister, Tara, and a group of misfit Imperfects set off on a perilous journey to save their sister and their land. They must challenge the darkest of forces to face an evil far worse than any imagined. Kandide and her kingdom are forever changed. Or are they?

MY REVIEW:

First, let me assure you that once you work your way past the daunting list of critical praises that make up a good portion of the front of this book, slog through the encyclopedic history of Kandide’s World, and arrive at the map, there is a really good story here midst the ornate descriptions, so stick with it, or skip those parts entirely. The actual story is great and the illustrations will definitely please young readers.

This is a tale that lays bare the falseness of eternally striving to achieve perfect beauty. In true fairytale fashion, this story lays bare the flaw in our own eye. Zimmerman frankly deals with the perception of physical beauty as determining ones worth. Yes, she wraps it up in flowery prose, but she hangs it out there, nonetheless. Vanity, lust for power, the irrational but pervasive fear of people with crippling disabilities, and the callous shunting aside of those less-than-beautiful who live among us forms the core of this tale.

Kandide herself is a little pain in the backside, but don’t quit on her. She is dealt a harsh lesson in compassion, learns to love, and sets out to right some wrongs. I enjoyed this tale enough to overlook the sometimes florid style of writing. It doesn’t ruin the book, and some readers will like that style. I give this book 4 1/2 stars

[Lillian Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago and absolutely loved it, but I had forgotten almost all of what happens. I couldn't find anywhere that sold the second one for years so I was very upset. Then, this year, I found not only the second book, but the third one as well. I was super excited, and, of course, I had to reread Kandide: The Secret of the Mists. I had very high expectations for this book, having already read it, so at first I was slightly disappointed because I remembered it being one of the best books ever. However, by about halfway through, I had been reintroduced to why I loved it so much.

I love the way this story starts, but it's a little bit confusing. It starts with Kandide's father dying and Kandide lost in the woods, a dramatic attention-catcher, but then it plays with time a bit and goes back and tells the story of how Kandide ended up in her situation. I took me abut a chapter and a half to figure out that the story was being told before Kandide was sent to the woods. However, it was not extremely confusing and I love that Diana S. Zimmerman wrote it that way because it gives the book a very dramatic opening.

The one thing that was somewhat annoying about the book was the format. Before each chapter, there is a one or two sentence quote from somewhere in that chapter. They didn't spoil the chapter, unless you really thought about them, but I just think they were unnecessary. It was like she thought she needed to advertise each chapter the way you do on a back cover, with a little excerpt. The book's interesting enough that I just want to read it, without the interest-sparking quotes. They didn't make the book worse really, they just didn't improve it.

There was also a section at the end that I loved where it listed the traits of the main characters, as described by themselves. It was fun to hear their heights, and more fun to hear their favorite book in the series and their favorite quote they'd said. It was cute, unique, and I loved it.

This is still one of my favorite books, after rereading it when I am years older. I would recommend it for everyone, because it's such a fast-paced, quality fantasy story that also explores human nature and issues of equality. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series, and make my best friend read Kandide: The Secret of the Mists.

[Allie Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

kandide's father is dying and has to transfer the gift to her. after he transfers the gift to her she decides to go to the forest with her sister. when a storm starts she gets hit by lightning and passes out. when the healers finally wake her up she realizes that her wing is broken and can't be fixed. when one of the guards pulls down her cape and shows her wing to her subjects they reject her and her mother has to banish her to a place where imperfects go. wal there she has to figure out how to get back to the kingdom so that she can get winter going.

[Michele Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kandide is the most beautiful and the most perfect of the Fee, and after her father dies the most important magical gift of all, the Gift of Frost which changes the seasons, renewing the world, passes to her. But in overconfidence and with an over inflated sense of importance (which both cover the doubts and insecurities mixing beneath the surface) she has an accident, a mistake that leaves her scarred and therefore cast out from the society that days earlier prepared to make her their queen.

Banished from the perfect Fee society Kandide must come to terms with her imperfections and realize that there's still a queen within her.

Truth be told I thought the book took too long to get going and I thought the Perfect equals, well, perfection plot line was heavy handed. But I read this story to my daughter, who is far closer to the target audience (9-12), before bed every night. She was absolutely enchanted.

Kandide's emotional and physical pain made her a real person, and the bits of action kept her clutching the blanket and asking for one more chapter. The cast of fantasy characters from monsters to fairies to griffins, sparked her imagination and added more tools to her own storytelling equipment box.

While there wasn't enough time spent on some of the secondary characters, Egan and Tara specifically, for her to get caught up with them this is the first book in a trilogy, as is promised by the resolution.

There are many pros to Kandide and the Secret of the Mists for both child and parent. Nonviolent solutions are promoted as a means to solving problems. The book is excellent for expanding a young vocabulary. Larger words are used in a way that makes their meaning easy to interpret for children. And even the scary situations are downplayed as much as the emotions are over played which leaves the danger still "safe" and not scary.

Kandide and the Secret of the Mists is accompanied by beautiful illustrations and crafted with the magic in the hearts of children in mind. If your child loves dreams and fantasy this is a fine addition to their early library.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kandide and the Secrets of the Mists, written by Diana S. Zimmerman and published by Noesis Publishing, is a pure fantasy book. With a dash of adventure and mystery. Kandide is a young fairy from the land of the Calabiyau. When the day comes where she is to be crowned queen and her father passes on the “gift” to her at his death bed, something imperfect happens. This book reminds me of basically any book that has fairies in it or defeating evil. This was the first book of the chronicle. This book mostly reminds me of a book I read not to long ago called The Two Princesses of Bamarre. Along with Kandide it has fairies and an unexpected girl defeating an unexpected ending. Calabiyau is a beautiful land filled with perfection. The king of Calabiyau, or Kandide’s father, carries the gift which is the key for the survival of the Feé. When the king is on his death bed, Kandide, being her selfish self, took the last few moments of her father’s life to have the gift bestowed upon her. When a horrible accident happens and her wing is slightly damaged her mother in a furious way sends her to the land of the imperfects because of her selfish ways. Kandide then has to find a way out of this impossible way so that she can save her race forever. This book really got me thinking about how selfish I am and how that can have an affect on me and the people around me. I thought about how lucky I was and how I should keep trying to help others. This book also got me thinking about the unexpected people and what they may be able to do, and how with a little faith in yourself and others you can go a long way. I got really bored in the beginning of the middle because it just seemed like she was walking forever just trying to move forward. I really loved Kandide’s brother. I thought that his wit and magic really added a fun character for the story. The author was really trying to show that the little people or the imperfects should always get a shot, and that no one is actually perfect and that no one lives in the land of perfect. I think that Diana really got that message across to the reader. I liked this book, but I did not love it. It was a little to un-real for me.

[Tristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kandide is the most beautiful of all the fairies, and she knows it. Raised by the king and queen to become the queen herself someday, her education has been largely focused on her strength, high opinion of herself, and ability to get the respect of those around her. While her father believes this has been the correct way to raise his daughter, her mother wonders whatever happened to compassion, courtesy, and humility, for Kandide has none of these traits.

When the king suddenly dies, remaining only long enough to pass the Gift of the Frost on to Kandide, it's assumed that Kandide will take the throne and rule in her father's place. But while on an outing with her sister, Kandide is struck by lightning, which injures her wing. And in the land of the Fee, to be Imperfect is the most horrible thing you can imagine, and you must be sent away.

Kandide's father had tried for years to correct the injustices done to the Imperfect, but the members of the council outvoted him at every turn. Now an Imperfect herself after years of being ultra-perfect, Kandide is an outcast herself and must battle her own inbred prejudice and realize that beauty is not merely an outward appearance but comes from the dignity of the heart.

"Kandide and the Secret of the Mists" is a lavish fairy tale with gorgeous illustrations.I did wish the writing had been just a little bit tighter, but you have to forgive me--I have my editor hat on all the time. The story was intriguing, the descriptions painted a vivid picture, and I think this book will be well-enjoyed by middle-grade to early young adult readers as well as their parents.

To see this review with links and pictures, click here:

http://tristisbooktours.blogspot.com/...

[Thunderfury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! I just couldn't find in my local library, and I screamed my head off. I was like this: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! And believe me, was I frustrated to find out that it wasn't there!

I love any books that contain romance in it, and it did, well, a little.

1 thing I probably didn't like was that Kandide was so vain. I wish they gave us at least a clearer description. But to me, anyone who has platinum- blondish hair is already beautiful.

I think I'll go to the site to find out what they look like. the site? www.kandide.com

Can I scream now? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Now that feels a lot better. But in truth, I think I'll have to buy the other books. However, I really want to read them, so yea.

JIFHDJFUDHFDUFHDSNVNBSOOIAONV9BNIUWHRWSIJMICJFUEHYUE7RE7RYEIR09284U3Q8ONCNVQWPOJOSJFSDFKDJKFNDSJHGIM VYNVNVMHUDFIDCNMFDIFCPMCHUCPS9CO UIDSLJHBUVNCAUISNMOIAMJCSCICFUCYURRY8EURIM NVSCOUDGUSHDHNCM,MCKLO,KKOJU8UFDMU8U874837499284299NUR8EW9R8U422222222222222222HFWWIUFVUIEOJHJANVCYEUIERHIWECMLKSJDDHFURHEJHISOAJSAHFUHGDHUDGHUEDHIRUEHRUIEUHJERUE!!!!

Now that I'm done with the random numbers, you might wonder if I have to actually say anything about this book.

Well, I like how the author introduced everything, but I just have a question?
Was it Kandide that shot the arrow?

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a fairy tale story about a girl named Kandide that is going to become Queen of Calabiyau. Kandide was always raised to be Queen. Before she became Queen Kandide's father had died. After her fathers death just in four days she became Queen. Kandide has a brother named Teren, a sister named Tara, a mother named Tyianna, and had a father named Toeyad. Way before King Toeyad died he gave his daughter, Kandide a gift that has a silver quill. When Kandide and her sister went out Kandide got hit by a lot of branches that bent and broke her wing. Kandide's mother sent her to a place where her daughter don't even know where she is. There is a great boy named Jake who Kandide liked.There was a girl named Leanne that could heal Kandide's wing. Her brother and sister are looking everywhere so they can save their mother from changing the seasons. Teren and his sister Tara went to go fine her. When they found her Kandide was really surprised to see her siblings.Now that Kandide's wing is healed she could do things but she still has pain. Some of my reactions to this book are sad because in the beggining Kandide's father has passed. Another reaction was that Kandide sometimes is really rude like the time when the girl Leanne tried to heal her wing. It did not work so she started to be mean and be rude to the girl. After reading this book I did not find any connections to this story.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of when I was in elementary school and I was really into the Animorphs series. I say this because, while the subject matter, cover/illustrations, and prose style all seem to be aiming for a pre-teen audience, the thematic material is much darker and more mature than one would expect. Of course, this isn't necessarily a bad thing--I read Animorphs *because* it was the most mature thing in the school library--I can see it may cause problems. It's very easy to picture a parent getting this book for a very young girl because it has fairies in it and cute, pretty pictures, without realizing that the story is actually pretty dark and disturbing at times. Judging by the preview, the second book should be even darker!
But, I must admit, as a reader I found it refreshing to have a female protagonist who was arrogant, vain, snobbish, and kind of incompetent. XD Her Mary Sue-ishness was negated by how the other characters would point out that she wasn't all that great (the tension between her and Jake is a highlight of the book) and it was satisfying to see her mature as the book went on. However, my favorite part is still when Lord Aron accepted his deformed son after Lady Aron/Firenza rejected him outright. I'd love to see their relationship grow, and I hope there's more of them in Book II.

[Sam (Hissing Potatoes) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing surface-level nonsense. The writing was weak, the story told mostly by telling vs showing so that it seemed like nothing actually happened. I skimmed the last 2/3 of the book and was still able to follow everything. Kandide was an eyeroll-worthy spoiled, vain, unbelievably beautiful, and flawlessly talented character. I was hoping the whole thing about the Imperfects would be explored respectfully, which I think was the intent, but the execution was awful. The repulsion toward physically disabled characters had no reason other than the Fee valuing physical perfection, which made no sense in the context of what little worldbuilding existed. On that note, drawing a map is not the end of good worldbuilding, but it is in this book. The plot and character motivations were thin and full of holes. Townspeople worshipped and adored Kandide one second, but the second after they accidentally saw her broken wing they jeered, denounced her, and threw fruit at her. During a council vote, one character accidentally burned her Nay chip so her vote counted as Yea because she couldn't get a new chip to vote with. It was a very frustrating read. The best thing about this book were the handful of illustrations.

[Alicia]

What i liked about this book was that its about a kinda selfish girl who's a princess and becomes queen when her father(the king) becomes greatly ill and passes on his powers to her daughter. Suddenly the soon to be queen brakes on of her wings and runs away and her younger sister becomes a part time queen in a way with her mother and also the king dies. As the used to be queen runs way she arrives in a uncharted woods called "the mists" where all people with disabilities live their lives. the girl meets her aunt who was thought dead and is a kind of a ruler and the girl faces the council of all the ruler of the land that includes her sister and her mother.They deiced her fate to either die or keep rolling the kingdom...

[Asha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an awesome book. It showed how the character developed from being a spoiled brat to a leader. With her father dead she was the next in line to rule the country. But when her she and her sister went outside during a storm her wings were broken permanently and a misfit were not allowed. Her mother sent her to the forest where she met a group of misfits who were not allowed back in society. The group contained all types of misfits like a blind woman people to people with broken wings. The main character transformed from being a spoiled brat to a person who was leading the misfits to escape the way society was treating them.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay! This book was so fun and easy to read! I definitely recommend it for anybody who is new to fantasy!! This book has a great world and fun characters! It is written in a simple way that I feel can appeal to middle grade readers and newbies to fantasy. It's quick to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the little bios in the characters!

I definitely recommend this book for schools because of the topics in this book. To a student they may not pick up on the real world application of treating other equally despite their differences. Very good story to build lessons around!

NOW! On to book two!

[Carol Mckitrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a really good book, I would recommend it to anyone who is really into the fantasy genre. I cannot wait to read the other books in the Calabiyau Chronicles. I prefer Selena as my favorite because she seemed to be the wisest and she was inscrutable. I did not happen to like Kandide until the ending when she was less self absorb and cared for all life, like the griffins.

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more like 3.5. I felt that this book was really slow picking up. The ending confused me a bit as I felt that this would've been better as a standalone and didn't need a cliffhanger leading to another book. I felt the characters really took time to develop and even then, it was pretty minimal and no really surprising character developments happened.

[Anjali Kai-Bordley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely judged a book by its cover, but I honestly really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. The characters were great, it was a compelling story about a perfect world that really wasn't so perfect. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fantasy (elves, gnomes, warlocks ...etc) This usually isn't my kind of book but it was a good story nonetheless.

[Steven Maus · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent story filled with deception and conspiracy where the main character is forced to question if her closest friends and family are really on her side. The nervous and fearful attitude of the tale is held back though by slow pacing.

[Rowen H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a good novel with an interesting plot. I enjoyed reading it, but I can't say it was one of the best. The writing was sort of basic, and some of the phrases or senteces were awkward and just didn't flow at all. I might be picking up the sequel, but I won't go out of my way to find it.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and delightful read. It captivates you from the beginning and keeps you going to the end. Lots of colorful characters and interesting developments. Recommend for both children and adults. A creative way to learning some life lessons.

[Nikka Blanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite reads. I never intend to read this one, but once I started it, I just can't stop! I feel like I belong in the story, like I am just who the characters are. Zimmerman show us the real beauty we all have within us.

[mari · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay story with a good message for kids: acceptance, tolerance, and that it is who we are on the inside that makes us beautiful.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A read aloud to my daughter.