Our super talented author Candice Gartzke’s book, RainShadow, gets a raving review by Kristine Zimmerman for Readers’ Favorite. Kristine praised the author and her story. She said, “Candice Gartzke has crafted a modern fairytale, perfect for sharing with kids who believe that magic exists”. According to Kristine, the story has an old folktale feel to it, even though it was written just recently. It is a fairytale illustrated in beautiful watercolor drawings. You can read the complete review below!   RainShadow is the story of a king and a queen and their daughter, Rain. She is a jungle princess whose happiness makes the jungle receives abundant rain while her sadness makes it all dried up. Since birth, Rain is protected by a group of panthers, one of which named Shadow is her close friend. Shadow can change his form. When in dark, he can adapt himself into a human shape but in the light, he has to remain a panther. One night, Shadow decides to go out of the forest to get a gift for Rain. But he gets trapped by a human. In the morning, Rain has an instinct that some is not right. Shadow’s disappearance makes her sad, which ultimately dries up the jungle. She sets out to look for Shadow and undertakes an adventurous search to find Shadow.   The author Candice Gartzke has always dreamed of writing children’s storybooks. She believes the storybooks have the power to change a person’s thinking which can further change the world. She wants to promote goodness through her storybooks and wants people to believe in fairytales.     Review By Kristine Zimmerman for Readers’ Favorite   "Rainshadow has the feel of an old folktale although it was just recently written by Candice Gartzke. The story begins in the rainforest where a king and a queen have a beautiful baby girl named Rain. Rain grows up protected by panthers, one of which is Shadow. Shadow can change forms from human to panther, except when he is in the light, then he is stuck as a panther. One night, Shadow decides to leave the rainforest to get a diamond ring to give to Rain. Unfortunately, he gets tricked by a man named Trapper and is trapped in his panther form. In the morning, Rain realizes something is wrong, and with a little help from a magical spiderweb finds Shadow and frees him. Of course, they live happily ever after.   Rainshadow has all the elements of an interesting fairytale with shapeshifting, a villain, magic, and a happy ending. Candice Gartzke has illustrated the story with muted colors that add a vintage look to the book. Fairytales are wonderful for a kid’s imagination. Shadow’s ability to change from human to panther form is intriguing, as is the spiderweb portal, which allows Rain to jump to where Shadow is being held captive. Another fascinating element is Rain’s ability to control the weather with her emotions. Rainshadow will stretch kids’ imaginations and take them away to a magical world where the unexpected can and does happen. Candice Gartzke has crafted a modern fairytale, perfect for sharing with kids who believe that magic exists."