Customer Reviews

Kandide and the Secret of the Mists: The Calabiyau Chronicles-book 1

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kandide and the Secret of the Mists is a great book for all ages. The story tells of a young fairy named Kandide who is very spoiled and vain. When Kandide is struck with a horrible accident and is severly injured she is sent to the Mists, a scary and swampy place were beasts roam and no other fairies are to be found. All alone, Kandide stumbles upon a gate and enters the land of the fairies that she had always been disgusted by. Will Kandide ever find her way home? Will she ever take her rightful place as queen? Or will she be stuck in the Mists forever? Read Kandide and the Secret of the Mists to find out.

It has been a century since L. Frank Baum charmed America with the Oz series... Now there is a worthy successor in American publishing--an author that may well break records in the English language now held by the British sensation J. K. Rowling. That writer is Diana S. Zimmerman. Kandide and the Secret of the Mists is that rare work of art that gives us permission to suspend belief and then paints a picture that rings as true as the morning newspaper or your next door neighbor. In this world obsessed with surface beauty, Zimmerman unfolds a story that teaches readers what true, unvarnished beauty really is. This book is a triumph of storytelling. I shall give nothing away... No spoilers. Read the book and be charmed, as I was!!!

If you enjoy literature that delivers chills and thrills, a life assessing message and cannot be scientifically explained, "Kandide and the Secret of the Mists" is a must read.

Kandide is an arrogant, pampered and vain princess in the Land of Calabiyau, her mysterious, magical kingdom, where physical perfection is the only thing that matters. But due to a life altering accident she is forced to re-evaluate her life and her perception of the world around her and rely on people she previously shunned, even feared.

In her travels she will encounter creatures and people intent on destroying her and everyone she holds dear. She finds she has an inner strength and courage to deal with all adversaries.

As you follow Kandide on her magical journey of adventure, danger and discovery, you'll witness her realization that her life has been an illusion, a mask hiding the real person she is inside.

I dare you to own this book and not have it change your thinking and your life. Take the voyage of self-discovery and self-acceptance with Kandide and discover the real YOU. It's an enchanting, magical thrill ride that cannot be missed.

My son was one of the fortunate 21 to be involved in a special project where they had the opportunity to read the manuscript before the book was published. The kids were SO into the book - over a year later, they still talk about it and can't wait for book two (and beyond!). They did story boards, book reports, and all kinds of activities - really diving into the story - and simply loved it.

The school did the project again this year - and the kids were able to read the real book - that was very exciting for them... and I hear they liked it as much - or even more - than last year's class.

What's special about Kandide... in addition to well developed story lines, interesting and charming characters, an amazing land of fantasy and intrigue... is that there is a great message of acceptance that every child (and adult) will benefit from hearing. The world would be a better place if everyone read Kandide!

Read the book - and get your kids to read it - it's fantastic.

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.

My 8yr old daughter read and reviewed this book for a class book report. These are solely her words. "This is Kandide. She stars in the book "Kandide and the Secret of the Mists". This book has adventure, excitement, good and evil. Help Kandide get rid of her selfishness and find her way through the mists. Will Kandide ever find herself and where she is meant to be? And will Kandide ever get to see her father again? This is what I can tell you, the rest you have to find out by reading this amazing, fabulous, and exciting story that has a well planned moral."
My daughter talked about this book so often and then I started hearing about it seemed like everywhere so I decided to read it too. I loved the story, the characters, and the message. I'm hooked, can't wait for the next books to be published !
We were able to meet Ms. Zimmerman at a book signing April 4th. She was so friendly and gracious. We highly recommend this book to all age groups.

Dear Diana,

My name is Zion, we met at your book signing for "Kandide and the Secret of the Mists" at the Never Ending Story Bookstore in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. I finished the book about a week ago and really liked it.

I give the book two thumbs up!

My favorite character was Teren, because he was the only wizard and he is close to my age (in human years). I liked the way he froze Kandide in mid air when they were battling. I also liked Teren because he likes reading, just like I do.

My favorite part of the book was when Kandide rescued the pregnant Griffin from the Garglans because I like animals and mystical creatures and I was glad the Griffin survived and was able to have the baby. It was cool that Kandide was able to name the baby and that she named it Courage ( a great name!). I also liked the idea of loyalty to Kandide in gratitude for her heroic rescue.

The only thing I would add or change about the story was the amount of magic. I would have liked more scenes with magic.

I really liked the illustrations because they were full color (even in a paper back book). They were also very accurate, they looked like what I imagined.

I am looking forward to the next book to see how Lady Aron gets her revenge!

Thank you for writing such a great book, you have a fabulous, amazing imagination.

Thank you for coming to Las Vegas, it was fun to meet a real live author.

Zion
Age 10 (Posted by his mother)
Las Vegas
Fourth Grade

Kandide and the Secret of the Mists is a compelling story for all ages. While weaving an intricate plot, Diana Zimmerman artfully builds each character so brilliantly, that we identify immediately. Diana reminds us that beauty is only skin deep, and the traps we fall into when we judge people on looks, alone, await us. We all face dangers like Kandide and her siblings, and we all need help from our friends--old and new.This is a wonderful, engaging read.

My whole family loves this book. It is made for all ages. I fell in love with Kandide and Leanne. I loved the spunk of Kandide and the caring Leanne provided her friend Kandide. Buy the hardcover book so you can enjoy the beautiful art work of the characters. This book also offers short chapters so you can get a chapter in before bed if you can tear yourself away. I think every child should read this book and it wouldn't hurt if a few bosses read it too.

Kandide and the secret of the Mist is a wonderful novel for intelligent, creative, and loving children. A great plot and story, she only uses the best words and phrases!!!! One of the only books I would recommend!!!!!!!!!!!!