No. of pages: 268
Rating: 8/10
Series: The Calabiyau Chronicles (Book 1)
Synopsis: When Kandide is crowned queen of the Kingdom Calabiyau after her father's death, she becomes keeper of the Gift, the key to survival for all life. Like her father, she promises to be a great leader of all the Fée, despite her consuming vanity, a fitting characteristic in a land where physical perfection is cherished above all else. But then her wing is crushed in a terrible accident and she is exiled to the Mists, the uncharted territory to which all the flawed Fée are banished. Kandide must not only come to terms with her own horror at what she has become, but must also learn to survive in the dark, hostile land of the Mists. Encounters with dark magic and hideous beasts are just the beginning of her troubles. Within Calabiyau, there is a presence far more deadly that threatens her family and her people. Can Kandide prevail over injustice, wickedness, and greed to save the land she loves?
Review: 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!
