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So Many Secrets #1
The Promise of Zandra
Holly Mills is a quiet South Jersey town with the appearance of the ordinary. But far below a terrible war is being waged in the vast underlands. Making matters worse, a beautiful princess has been kidnapped and is in the clutches of a dark lord. Death awaits if she is not soon returned to the mysterious Zander Zee. A wise gnome demands the assistance of two unsuspecting Jersey girls in the daring rescue. If they fail, an entire race will perish. The dangerous mission will reveal many secrets as it tests the girls' courage and friendship. C. D. Koehler has been a school administrator for most of his professional career and holds a Doctorate of Philosophy Degree in Educational Leadership from Kent State University as well as four other degrees. He lives with his wife in Northeast Ohio and has two daughters. The Promise of Zandra is his first published work in the fantasy series entitled, So Many Secrets. You can visit his web site at somanysecretsseries.com. Stacy M. Cislo is an art educator and an illustrator. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Ohio University and lives with her husband and two sons in Northeast Ohio.
168 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2011
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5 people want to read
About the author
C.D. Koehler
2 booksC. D. Koehler is an author of the new fantasy series for middle school/young adult readers entitled "So Many Secrets." His first book in the series, "The Promise of Zandra," is now available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook at XulonPress.com, Amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com.
The author has been in the field of education for over thirty years and in educational administration since 1981. Koehler holds a Doctorate of Philosophy Degree in Educational Leadership from Kent State University as well as four other degrees. He lives with his wife in Northeast Ohio and has two daughters.
https://www.facebook.com/CDKoehler
The author has been in the field of education for over thirty years and in educational administration since 1981. Koehler holds a Doctorate of Philosophy Degree in Educational Leadership from Kent State University as well as four other degrees. He lives with his wife in Northeast Ohio and has two daughters.
https://www.facebook.com/CDKoehler
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 4, 2018
So I borrowed this from the library and I thought it would be cool to read since I live in South Jersey and that's where this book takes place. How wrong I was. I didn't finish this book, it's titled as a teen book which I've read plenty of teen and YA books and this book is written like a book for a child rather than a teenager.
May 16, 2011
"The Promise of Zandra," the first book in the So Many Secrets series, tells the story of Piper and Nina, two young girls from New Jersey who travel to the mystical underground Kingdom of Galacia. The goblins and trolls are at war in Galacia and a princess has been abducted, and Piper and Nina have been recruited to rescue her.
Koehler's world building skill and technique is reminiscent of Tolkien. The Kingdom of Galacia is well-thought out and complex, with its own political system and language. For me, this made the book especially captivating, as I felt I was fully immersed in this magical world.
The writing style is very strong with well-constructed sentences and rich vocabulary. The plot of the book will certainly appeal to the age of the target audience (fifth to eighth graders) while the writing style will challenge them to read something a bit more complex than what is usually expected of them. The writing style also gives the book appeal for an adult audience as well.
Piper and Nina are well-developed characters with strong personalities and understandable motivations. Piper is brave and curious while Nina is more cautious, and the two personalities create an intriguing contrast. Readers can relate to one or the other, while also identifying with the struggles and questions that are typical for a 12 year old.
The book starts out a bit slow. Piper has been to Galacia before "The Promise of Zandra" begins, which necessitates quite a bit of backstory. And there are few transitional passages at the beginning that are awkward. However, when Piper and Nina arrive in Galacia and begin their quest to rescue the princess, the clunkiness that is evident at first vanishes, and the author proceeds with strong self-assurance. At this point, the book becomes one of those that you don't want to put down.
"The Promise of Zandra" has echoes of Tolkien, as well as of Narnia, but is wholly its own unique thing. It is a compelling book that I enjoyed immensely, and I eagerly anticipate the release of the next book in the series.
It's difficult to put a rating on this book. Compared to the typical self-published first novel, "The Promise of Zandra" easily deserves 5 Stars. It is vastly better than what I have come to expect from these types of books. When compared to books by masters like Tolkien and Lewis, it only earns 2 Stars, but that's true for almost any fantasy book. Held up against other books in the same genre, though, "The Promise of Zandra" is worthy of 3 Stars, so this is the rating I will go with. It's a strong, solid book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. And I suspect that as the series progresses, the future books could merit 4 Stars.
Koehler's world building skill and technique is reminiscent of Tolkien. The Kingdom of Galacia is well-thought out and complex, with its own political system and language. For me, this made the book especially captivating, as I felt I was fully immersed in this magical world.
The writing style is very strong with well-constructed sentences and rich vocabulary. The plot of the book will certainly appeal to the age of the target audience (fifth to eighth graders) while the writing style will challenge them to read something a bit more complex than what is usually expected of them. The writing style also gives the book appeal for an adult audience as well.
Piper and Nina are well-developed characters with strong personalities and understandable motivations. Piper is brave and curious while Nina is more cautious, and the two personalities create an intriguing contrast. Readers can relate to one or the other, while also identifying with the struggles and questions that are typical for a 12 year old.
The book starts out a bit slow. Piper has been to Galacia before "The Promise of Zandra" begins, which necessitates quite a bit of backstory. And there are few transitional passages at the beginning that are awkward. However, when Piper and Nina arrive in Galacia and begin their quest to rescue the princess, the clunkiness that is evident at first vanishes, and the author proceeds with strong self-assurance. At this point, the book becomes one of those that you don't want to put down.
"The Promise of Zandra" has echoes of Tolkien, as well as of Narnia, but is wholly its own unique thing. It is a compelling book that I enjoyed immensely, and I eagerly anticipate the release of the next book in the series.
It's difficult to put a rating on this book. Compared to the typical self-published first novel, "The Promise of Zandra" easily deserves 5 Stars. It is vastly better than what I have come to expect from these types of books. When compared to books by masters like Tolkien and Lewis, it only earns 2 Stars, but that's true for almost any fantasy book. Held up against other books in the same genre, though, "The Promise of Zandra" is worthy of 3 Stars, so this is the rating I will go with. It's a strong, solid book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. And I suspect that as the series progresses, the future books could merit 4 Stars.
July 21, 2011
This is a young adult book. That being said, I thought the names of characters and places used in the book were difficult to pronounce- I think that would be a distraction for teens . There was also too much dialogue. I think it detracted from the storyline rather than adding to it. I think the book has potential, but it needs some fine-tuning.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews