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Dorothy Must Die #1
Dorothy Must Die
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Debut Goodreads Author (2014)I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road—but even that's crumbling.
What happened? Dorothy.
They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road—but even that's crumbling.
What happened? Dorothy.
They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission.
452 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2014
About the author
Danielle Paige
35 books5,536 followersDanielle lives in NY. Before turning to YA, she worked in television & was nominated for several Daytime Emmy's. Dorothy Must Die is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 11,264 reviews
April 4, 2014
Welcome to Oz. Take a look at the Yellow Brick Road. Like it? Good. Now run away, run faaaaaaaaaaar away. Pray for a tornado to take you back to Kansas, because man, Oz is fucked up as shit.
The Summary:
Amy follows the road. Reluctantly. Shit's looking reeeeeeeal familiar. There's Glinda, the Good Witch, only she looks like a Stepford Wife with a plastic grin. And apparently plastic grins are a thing in Oz, as a very angry Munchkin sees fit to tell Amy.
Wait, what?! What the actual FUCK?! No! Amy just got here! She doesn't want this shit! She hasn't even graduated from high schoool. What the fuck is this about saving Oz?!
Sorry. I get a little excited over murder.
Needless to say, there's a lot of work to be done to take Amy from white-trailer-trash to "Teen assassin." There's going to be magical training, combat training, and tea parties. Yes, tea parties. Don't worry, it's all part of the Master Plan. *cackles*
Will Amy be able to help the people of Oz? Will she be tempted to make the same choices that Dorothy did?
I'm not sure if someone has bought the rights to the movie yet, but this is a book that deserves to be visualized. The setting is just beautiful. It is such a dark, twisted version of Oz. There's the beauty and darkness of the land itself, the stunning Emerald City hiding all sorts of horrors. You think you know the Tin Man?
This book is so dark. The characters are so angry, with good reasons. So many have been enslaved, so many have been killed, sacrificed at the whim of Dorothy and her gang. Yes, there are munchkins, but munchkins have family, friends, loved ones who have died, too.
Amy: Amy is the kind of character that I love; she feels realistic. Yes, she does heroic things sometimes, like rescue people she really shouldn't be rescuing, but she acknowledges her stupidity. She is not TSTL, she sometimes has a few mean thoughts, and she gets a little mouthy and talks back when she's nervous. The difference between Amy and other bitchy YA characters is that Amy is never malicious. She's just kind of a jerk sometimes, like me.
Amy also has a tendency to get scared, to run away. And that's just fine with me. She's not perfect.
Amy actually trains for her skills, for her magic. It doesn't come to her naturally. She also doesn't hesitate to kill. Can I get a fuck yeah?
There is romance, but it's light. Amy has a crush, there is a hot guy in the book, but the romance is very light and it didn't bother me. The plot takes priority.
Overall: Highly recommended.
“Oz has changed,” Gert said. “The trees don’t talk. The Pond of Truth tells lies, the Wandering Water stays put. The Land of Naught is on fire. People are starting to get old. People are forgetting how it used to be.”But let's get back to the beginning, what the fuck happened?! How did Oz get to...this?
The Summary:
Tornado or no tornado, I wasn’t Dorothy, and a stupid little storm wasn’t going to change anything for me.Amy Gumm is white trash. She lives in a trailer in Kansas, with a drug-addict mom, no dad, and no future. She's stuck with her mom's pet rat named Star that, with her luck, might turn out to be Peter Pettigrew in the long run (I'm just kidding). Life fucking sucks. So when a tornado warning is announced, Amy doesn't really care. What's the worst it could do? Kill her? Life sucks, remember, so who cares about dying? Until well, shit, the tornado actually happens. Hint: it really sucks to be airborne in a metal trailer.
My stomach dropped and kept dropping. I felt my body getting heavier, my back plastered to the cushions now, and suddenly—with a mix of horror and wonder—I knew that I was airborne.She lands, thankfully intact, but it soon became very clear that she's not in Kansas anymore.
The trailer was flying. I could feel it.
“Welcome to Oz,” the boy said, nodding, like he expected I’d figured that out already. It came out sounding almost apologetic, like, Hate to break the bad news.And yes, Oz is bad news. Cause this ain't your grandmother's Oz. That cute little film with the pretty pretty verdant land of Oz? Nope. This Oz is more post-apocalyptic than fairy-tale.
A vast field of decaying grass stretched into the distance. It was gray and patchy and sickly, with the faintest tinge of blue. On the far side of the pit was a dark, sinister-looking forest, black and deep. The air, the clouds, even the sun, which was shining bright, all had a faded, washed-out quality to them. There was something dead about all of it.After some mysterious parting words, the boy disappears, leaving poor Amy wondering what the actual fuck just happened? So she's alone in a strange land, cute boys appear and disappear out of nowhere. There's a yellow brick road. Should Amy make like Dorothy and follow Der Yellow Brick Road? *angelic choir sings AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH~*
I knew the answer already: what I was going to do next was the same thing I’d been doing my whole life.Fuck, no!! This girl's got some common sense. She doesn't want to go wandering into a nuclear wasteland-Oz. Amy runs away! Bah, unfortunately, there's really nowhere else to go. I mean, think about it, you can either follow the ONE BRIGHT THING in this dilapidated world, or you can go wandering off to fuck-knows-where in the dark scary totally creepy mysterious forest with man-eating corn stalks.
I turned back. Just put one foot in front of the other. Nothing had changed except the color of the road.
Before I could even touch it, a black vine sprung up from the ground and curled around my arm like a whip, squeezing tight. It burned.*snorts* And I thought High Fructose Corn Syrup was bad.
Amy follows the road. Reluctantly. Shit's looking reeeeeeeal familiar. There's Glinda, the Good Witch, only she looks like a Stepford Wife with a plastic grin. And apparently plastic grins are a thing in Oz, as a very angry Munchkin sees fit to tell Amy.
Other than the twitching, [her lips] didn’t move. At all. Even when she talked.Ok, so there really ARE munchkiins! Hooray! Except they're really sad munchkins, and to be fair, you would be too if your fellow Munchkins were being imprisoned and made to work their ass off to generate magic all damn day. And the monkeys, the flying monkeys. Fuck, they're now imprisoned, and some of them have had to take drastic actions.
“What’s with her mouth?” I asked Star under my breath.
I jumped when an actual voice answered in a hoarse whisper from behind me.
“(A) it’s PermaSmile, and (B) are you out of your dumbass mind?”
“Don’t mind those,” he explained, seeing the look of confusion on my face. “That’s just where my wings used to be. Before I cut them off.”So yeah, clearly Oz sucks now. So what happened?!
“They talk about Oz where I’m from. I’ve heard about it my whole life. But this is messed up. What happened here?”Oh, Dorothy. The lovely Dorothy. The crazy as shit Dorothy. You know that saying about power going to people's head? Yeah. That's what happened. Dorothy got more cray-cray over the years, and now she's imprisoning people, making poor munchkins work, enslaving flying monkeys, forcing everyone to wear Perma-Smiles like :DDDDDDDDDDD!!1!!1 every fucking day. And it's up to Amy to save them all.
Indigo’s impassive face twisted into a snarl. “Dorothy happened,” she said.
Wait, what?! What the actual FUCK?! No! Amy just got here! She doesn't want this shit! She hasn't even graduated from high schoool. What the fuck is this about saving Oz?!
"That’s why you’re here. We need you to stop her.”That's right! You tell them, Amy. I'd run away too. Screw this destiny shit. But there's a sect of people, the Order of the Wicked whose plans are to restore Oz to its former glory. Dorothy has stolen Oz's magic, and they want Amy's help to restore it. So what do they want Amy to do?
I sat up straight. I didn’t know the first thing about magic. I didn’t know the first thing about Dorothy. “Me? I just got here. How am I supposed to stop anyone from doing anything?”
“Simple. You’re going to kill her.” She looked right at me and said, “Dorothy must die.”MWAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA YES KILL THAT BITCH.
Sorry. I get a little excited over murder.
Needless to say, there's a lot of work to be done to take Amy from white-trailer-trash to "Teen assassin." There's going to be magical training, combat training, and tea parties. Yes, tea parties. Don't worry, it's all part of the Master Plan. *cackles*
Will Amy be able to help the people of Oz? Will she be tempted to make the same choices that Dorothy did?
“It’s your choice,” he said. “It’s not magic that makes you who you are. It’s the choices that you make. Look at Dorothy.”The Setting: Just fantastic. This is Tim Burton's Oz.
“What about Dorothy?”
“That’s exactly what makes Dorothy evil.”
I'm not sure if someone has bought the rights to the movie yet, but this is a book that deserves to be visualized. The setting is just beautiful. It is such a dark, twisted version of Oz. There's the beauty and darkness of the land itself, the stunning Emerald City hiding all sorts of horrors. You think you know the Tin Man?
His oversize jaw jutted out from the rest of his face in a nasty underbite, revealing a mess of little blades where his teeth should have been.The Scarecrow? The Lion? Not these versions. The Lion and his army of rabid animals (including a giant fucking murderous bunny) will eat you up. Get ready because people will die.
This book is so dark. The characters are so angry, with good reasons. So many have been enslaved, so many have been killed, sacrificed at the whim of Dorothy and her gang. Yes, there are munchkins, but munchkins have family, friends, loved ones who have died, too.
“You asked why they work for her,” she said. “You asked why the Munchkins don’t just tell Glinda to fuck off and take her machine somewhere else.”They cannot stand up against the power of those with magic. Hell, even the trees aren't allowed to be happy.
“Yeah. I was wondering that. Maybe it was stupid of me.”
“It was,” Indigo said, shooting me an annoyed look. “Do you think they have a choice?"
“Did that tree just move?”Dorothy: My one complaint here is that Dorothy looks like a slut. Really, was it necessary to have Dorothy the Evil resemble a street walker? But man, her appearance is deceiving.
“They talk, too, but they’ve taken a vow of silence.”
“Voluntarily?”
“The princess felt that their conversation ruined the apple-eating experience and was therefore a violation of the Happiness Decree.”
Instead of farm-girl cotton it was silk and chiffon. The cut was somewhere between haute couture and French hooker. The bodice nipped, tucked, and lifted. There was cleavage.Don't be fooled by her appearance, Dorothy is twisted. It takes brains and manipulation and power to get as far as she did in the land of Oz. She commands her minions, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, Glinda...etc, and they, in turn, command their own army. Dorothy may be vain, but power gets to people's head, and before you know it, they turn crazy. And yep, that's what happened. I'm not fond of the fact that Dorothy is pictured to be so vain, but underneath all that, there's sheer madness. And I can totally understand why she hates Amy so much.
Lots of cleavage.
Dorothy’s face was burning with aggrieved rage. “I am the only one. There can only be one.”She loves torturing animals, and there was a scene involving a mouse that was truly painful to read. Look up psychopath, that's Dorothy in a nutshell.
My gut twisted. I understood. We had the same story. It was like we were wearing the same dress to the prom. Dorothy thought her landing here was fate—that it made her special. Another girl from Kansas meant that it was just a regular occurrence and that she wasn’t special at all. Or—worse—that I was here to take her place.
Amy: Amy is the kind of character that I love; she feels realistic. Yes, she does heroic things sometimes, like rescue people she really shouldn't be rescuing, but she acknowledges her stupidity. She is not TSTL, she sometimes has a few mean thoughts, and she gets a little mouthy and talks back when she's nervous. The difference between Amy and other bitchy YA characters is that Amy is never malicious. She's just kind of a jerk sometimes, like me.
Amy also has a tendency to get scared, to run away. And that's just fine with me. She's not perfect.
Why did I hesitate? Was I that weak?I understand perfectly. I'm a wimp. I like the normal, the routine, if you hand me a Special Destiny, fuck no, you can take my destiny and you can have it. I just want to read books and be mean.
I told myself that I didn’t want to ruin the Order’s plans—they’d told me to wait—but I knew that wasn’t entirely it. I’d chickened out.
Amy actually trains for her skills, for her magic. It doesn't come to her naturally. She also doesn't hesitate to kill. Can I get a fuck yeah?
I sliced diagonally across his chest and then drew the knife out only to plunge it right back in, drawing an X along his left side with the blade.Final comments: Reader beware that this is the first installment in the series, so expect a lot of world building, a lot of plot development, but not a lot of resolution. This book is a setup for the eventual showdown.
There is romance, but it's light. Amy has a crush, there is a hot guy in the book, but the romance is very light and it didn't bother me. The plot takes priority.
Overall: Highly recommended.
August 13, 2019
"I realized, looking around for the first time, that we weren’t in Dusty Acres anymore."
Disappointment #1: This book was extremely boring for about 80% of the 432 pages. I was tempted to call it slow at first because it certainly felt like it, but I guess stuff was constantly happening - I just didn't care about any of it. Occasionally I would perk up because I read an interesting page and then I would go back to forcing myself to absorb the words properly. It was a lengthy and difficult slog, despite the exciting premise.
Disappointment #2: The quirky Tim Burton-esque Oz didn't work for me. The strong beginning made me wonder if this was actually a contemporary novel with The Wizard of Oz parallels and metaphors woven into it - well, I think that would have been a better book. The story is about Amy Gumm who has grown up in a trailer park with a mother who is slipping further into a drug-induced oblivion. She has been called "trash" her whole life by other kids at school and the teachers never believe her side of the story because they know all too well who her mother is.
Amy is exactly the kind of character I enjoy reading about. The kind who is realistically flawed, complex, well-rounded and interesting. She's had it rough enough that you feel sympathy towards her, but she's no sappy pushover either. I was instantly intrigued - captivated even - by her life, by her relationship with her mother, by the sad loneliness she obviously felt... then she got tornadoed out of Dusty Acres and into Oz and that's when everything went downhill.
"This wasn’t the Oz that I had read about or seen in the movie. It was as if someone had drained out some of the Technicolor and introduced some serious darkness."
I lost all connection with Amy and her story when she landed in Oz and began moving from one group of people I didn't care about to another. In this version of the story, Dorothy returned to Oz from Kansas because she found our world lackluster in comparison. Caught up in a world of magic where she was deemed a hero, Dorothy was soon appointed Princess of Oz and became obsessed with the power awarded to her. Dorothy proves the saying that power corrupts and begins slowly terrorizing the land and people. And it is up to Amy Gumm to stop her. Honestly? I think an interesting character like Amy Gumm is wasted on a quirky fantasy filled with odd laws (reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland) and Permasmile lipstick.
It was almost like it tried so hard to be quirky and weird, that I could see right through the charade. And the reality was dull.
Disappointment #3: Instalove or instaromance or instaangst. Who cares, anyway? People and talking animals are being tortured, the world is in peril, your life is in danger... d'ya think you could control your bloody hormones for a sec? Or at the very least stop getting unreasonably jealous at really inappropriate times. I swear some potentially excellent scenes are ruined by petty jealousies and romantic angst. I want magic and nastiness and darkness and twists! Not young lovin'.
Disappointment #4: Dorothy doesn't even fucking die. It's all lies! You better be prepared for that sequel! Or two. Or three. Maybe it'll never end. I wish you luck if you're continuing on this journey, but it's time for me to bow out. I'm glad it's over.
Disappointment #1: This book was extremely boring for about 80% of the 432 pages. I was tempted to call it slow at first because it certainly felt like it, but I guess stuff was constantly happening - I just didn't care about any of it. Occasionally I would perk up because I read an interesting page and then I would go back to forcing myself to absorb the words properly. It was a lengthy and difficult slog, despite the exciting premise.
Disappointment #2: The quirky Tim Burton-esque Oz didn't work for me. The strong beginning made me wonder if this was actually a contemporary novel with The Wizard of Oz parallels and metaphors woven into it - well, I think that would have been a better book. The story is about Amy Gumm who has grown up in a trailer park with a mother who is slipping further into a drug-induced oblivion. She has been called "trash" her whole life by other kids at school and the teachers never believe her side of the story because they know all too well who her mother is.
Amy is exactly the kind of character I enjoy reading about. The kind who is realistically flawed, complex, well-rounded and interesting. She's had it rough enough that you feel sympathy towards her, but she's no sappy pushover either. I was instantly intrigued - captivated even - by her life, by her relationship with her mother, by the sad loneliness she obviously felt... then she got tornadoed out of Dusty Acres and into Oz and that's when everything went downhill.
"This wasn’t the Oz that I had read about or seen in the movie. It was as if someone had drained out some of the Technicolor and introduced some serious darkness."
I lost all connection with Amy and her story when she landed in Oz and began moving from one group of people I didn't care about to another. In this version of the story, Dorothy returned to Oz from Kansas because she found our world lackluster in comparison. Caught up in a world of magic where she was deemed a hero, Dorothy was soon appointed Princess of Oz and became obsessed with the power awarded to her. Dorothy proves the saying that power corrupts and begins slowly terrorizing the land and people. And it is up to Amy Gumm to stop her. Honestly? I think an interesting character like Amy Gumm is wasted on a quirky fantasy filled with odd laws (reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland) and Permasmile lipstick.
It was almost like it tried so hard to be quirky and weird, that I could see right through the charade. And the reality was dull.
Disappointment #3: Instalove or instaromance or instaangst. Who cares, anyway? People and talking animals are being tortured, the world is in peril, your life is in danger... d'ya think you could control your bloody hormones for a sec? Or at the very least stop getting unreasonably jealous at really inappropriate times. I swear some potentially excellent scenes are ruined by petty jealousies and romantic angst. I want magic and nastiness and darkness and twists! Not young lovin'.
Disappointment #4: Dorothy doesn't even fucking die. It's all lies! You better be prepared for that sequel! Or two. Or three. Maybe it'll never end. I wish you luck if you're continuing on this journey, but it's time for me to bow out. I'm glad it's over.
April 25, 2023
So, Dorothy must die, huh? Well, perhaps. But if this book is any indication, the cause of this cardiopulmonary arrest would be little else but frustrated boredom.
How do you make the flip-one-of-the-most-known-and-beloved-stories-onto-its-head book uninteresting? Good question. Let me give you some pointers:
-- 1) Make the beginning relatively strong, to draw the readers in and to remind them as the story drags along that this story had potential , that it could have had a strong narrative voice and a memorable protagonist. Then deploy the strategies below, catching the excited readers unaware:
-- 2) You can consider padding your book out to make sure your story can eventually fit a trilogy, since trilogies is where the money is. However, instead of coming up with enough material for the trilogy, just stretch the boring segments of the story to achieve the necessary word count. For instance, take up a huge chunk of the book with drawn-out scenes of training that do not lead anywhere, and allow the reader to feel firsthand the monotony of a job of a poorly informed spy by detailing every little bit of the castle cleaning she needs to do while waiting for the plot to leisurely catch up with her. Drawn out does not even begin to describe it. Pacing? We don't need no stinking pacing!
(A) Openly describing your villain looking as a proverbial... Well, let me have the book speak for itself here:
-- 4) Overload your book with modern slang and pop culture references to make it sound modern and edgy. I'm sorry, but a character native to Oz should not be referencing 'History of Oz 101' unless Oz *just happens* to share American educational system.
-- 5) Heavily rely on readers' familiarity with the Oz characters thanks to the books and the film, and therefore put minimal effort into developing most of them for the purposes of your story. Just throw in a sentence or two and expect the readers to fill in the blanks thanks to the pre-developed world someone else created for you. After all, why would you make the extra effort? The lack of overall character development is so much more prominent when comparing them to a few that have actually received proper literary treatment.
-- 6) And in the end, have the entire bloated book read like little but a prequel-sort introduction to all the interesting events that may happen in the next book - as long as you shell out some $$ on it.
--------
Was there anything good about this book? Well, yes. The beginning was reasonably solid. Not all characters felt weak - for instance, I still had a soft spot for Indigo even all the long boring pages later. The creepiness of the setting was frequently well-shown.
--------
2 stars. That's what I think about going on another adventure with Amy Gumm and her crew from this book:
[image error]
How do you make the flip-one-of-the-most-known-and-beloved-stories-onto-its-head book uninteresting? Good question. Let me give you some pointers:
-- 1) Make the beginning relatively strong, to draw the readers in and to remind them as the story drags along that this story had potential , that it could have had a strong narrative voice and a memorable protagonist. Then deploy the strategies below, catching the excited readers unaware:
-- 2) You can consider padding your book out to make sure your story can eventually fit a trilogy, since trilogies is where the money is. However, instead of coming up with enough material for the trilogy, just stretch the boring segments of the story to achieve the necessary word count. For instance, take up a huge chunk of the book with drawn-out scenes of training that do not lead anywhere, and allow the reader to feel firsthand the monotony of a job of a poorly informed spy by detailing every little bit of the castle cleaning she needs to do while waiting for the plot to leisurely catch up with her. Drawn out does not even begin to describe it. Pacing? We don't need no stinking pacing!
--- You win extra points if pages and pages have been spent on the boring scenes full of whiny inner monologue (oh, that unavoidable staple of first-person narration!), but the actually interesting bits are skipped over, and suddenly you realize that the regular girl from Kansas has suddenly become a witchcraft savant without apparently putting more effort into it than a few clumsily constructed fighting scenes that appear to be written by someone who only has a very theoretical idea of fighting.
“You’ve gotten so much better. It’s not just the magic. It’s the rest of it. I don’t even think you know you’re doing it. The way you move; the way you think on your feet. You’ve gotten so good so fast. You’re a natural, you know.”-- 3) While you're at it, why don't you throw in some requisite stereotypes about women? Here are some suggestions:
(A) Openly describing your villain looking as a proverbial... Well, let me have the book speak for itself here:
"Instead of farm-girl cotton it was silk and chiffon. The cut was somewhere between haute couture and French hooker. The bodice nipped, tucked, and lifted. There was cleavage.Because, clearly, provocatively dressing and being evil is closely related. Because good girls clearly would never dare to wear revealing clothes. Because hypersexualized evil is so much worse and easier identifiable than the same evil dressed demurely. The sad thing is that this book, while stooping to slut-shaming, tries to project the opposite:
Lots of cleavage."
“I hate to break it to you, but just because someone has pretty hair and good skin tone and a crown instead of a pointy hat doesn’t mean she’s not the baddest bitch this side of the Emerald City.”(B) Introducing petty jealousy among women, centered at the whatever boy they find attractive. Because, as books tell us, women have to be in constant competition for male attention, regardless of the context and situation. Like this bit, where Amy meets a wounded girl to whom her love interest seems to pay some attention, because priorities, clearly:
"Being abandoned with no explanation didn’t bother me. What bothered me, suddenly, surprisingly, was how much more Nox cared about helping this other girl.”Or the bit where our lovely protagonist's hostility towards another woman is triggered without any cause - except for the 'culprit' being another woman, therefore another potential competitor for the precious boy. This particular side character serves no other purpose in this book other than the jealousy bit:
“Something about the way Melindra flicked open her metal lashes reminded me of Madison back home. Like she already hated me and we hadn’t even met yet.”Good thing the noble love interest has eyes only for our lovely heroine who's better than anyone else:
“Nox returned, handing a knife to Annabel, who thanked him with a flirty smirk. Nox ignored it. Or maybe he just didn’t notice it in the first place.”Because Oz or another magical place, in books like this one it always comes down to nothing but this:
“It was the halls of high school all over again.”
-- 4) Overload your book with modern slang and pop culture references to make it sound modern and edgy. I'm sorry, but a character native to Oz should not be referencing 'History of Oz 101' unless Oz *just happens* to share American educational system.
-- 5) Heavily rely on readers' familiarity with the Oz characters thanks to the books and the film, and therefore put minimal effort into developing most of them for the purposes of your story. Just throw in a sentence or two and expect the readers to fill in the blanks thanks to the pre-developed world someone else created for you. After all, why would you make the extra effort? The lack of overall character development is so much more prominent when comparing them to a few that have actually received proper literary treatment.
-- 6) And in the end, have the entire bloated book read like little but a prequel-sort introduction to all the interesting events that may happen in the next book - as long as you shell out some $$ on it.
--------
Was there anything good about this book? Well, yes. The beginning was reasonably solid. Not all characters felt weak - for instance, I still had a soft spot for Indigo even all the long boring pages later. The creepiness of the setting was frequently well-shown.
--------
2 stars. That's what I think about going on another adventure with Amy Gumm and her crew from this book:
[image error]
April 9, 2014
4.5 stars Well, color me surprised--this was excellent! Such a great reimagining of a skewed Oz, with interesting characters, awesome and imaginative use of magic, lots of humor and gore, and genuine emotion. And it's just plain fun.
Abrupt ending, and a couple of other little quibbles, but it's really exciting to have a debut author burst into the scene with such a confident, smart debut. Easily followed if you aren't so familiar with the original books or films, but also so many layers to appreciate if you are.
Full review on the blog: http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2014...
Plus look at the awesome ARC packaging for this book!
Abrupt ending, and a couple of other little quibbles, but it's really exciting to have a debut author burst into the scene with such a confident, smart debut. Easily followed if you aren't so familiar with the original books or films, but also so many layers to appreciate if you are.
Full review on the blog: http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2014...
Plus look at the awesome ARC packaging for this book!
March 4, 2015
The CW is developing this book and it's time to get excited!!! Not only does this book sound awesome but it's going to (maybe-potentially) be on TV!
And I just really want to see Dorothy die.
Is that too much? ;)
----
UPDATE: 4/1/14
So good!!! Lots of action and twists that I didn't see coming. One of the most brutal and violent YA books I've ever read, which just makes it that much more epic since it's set in Oz. And Danielle Paige knows her L. Frank Baum. I've read probably 10+ books about Oz and I was so impressed how she wove his world into hers, making it unique but still stayed true to the original. Loved how she brought up all the specific countries in Oz. Plus, super cool points for the Patchwork Girl shout out! Definite 5 Star read. Now all that's left is a long wait for the sequel.
Oh, and apparently the CW passed on the script and didn't pick it up for a pilot. Which is beyond stupid! This would have been a fantastic TV show. Excuse me while I mourn what could have been...
And I just really want to see Dorothy die.
Is that too much? ;)
----
UPDATE: 4/1/14
So good!!! Lots of action and twists that I didn't see coming. One of the most brutal and violent YA books I've ever read, which just makes it that much more epic since it's set in Oz. And Danielle Paige knows her L. Frank Baum. I've read probably 10+ books about Oz and I was so impressed how she wove his world into hers, making it unique but still stayed true to the original. Loved how she brought up all the specific countries in Oz. Plus, super cool points for the Patchwork Girl shout out! Definite 5 Star read. Now all that's left is a long wait for the sequel.
Oh, and apparently the CW passed on the script and didn't pick it up for a pilot. Which is beyond stupid! This would have been a fantastic TV show. Excuse me while I mourn what could have been...
July 13, 2014
There's no place like home! Enter to win a Dorothy Must Die prize pack!
April 7, 2014
I think "Dorothy Must Die" was one of the titles I initially thought had the most potential among some of the newer releases in YA for this year. I find the quirk in the title rather humorous and have seen variations of it before (a.k.a. "Hello Kitty Must Die," etc.) But sadly, Danielle Paige's debut really didn't impress me all that much.
It's the very definition of what I call "great premise, lacking execution." But that's not to say that I disliked it collectively. No, it left me quite disappointed because of its respective potential not reaching up to what was actually delivered. The ideas were sound, the delivery was not.
Amy is a sharp girl with pink hair, considered an outcast with a trailer park lifestyle, alongside considerations over a father who abandoned her and a mother she barely recognizes. When her home is swept away by a tornado, Amy lands in Oz. Yet, Oz is not the majestic wonder depicted either in L. Frank Baum's classic story or in the movie with Judy Garland. Dorothy, Glinda the "Good" Witch, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion have all turned evil. Amy not only has to figure out exactly what happened to Oz, but determine her respective loyalties and ultimately accomplish one task: Kill Dorothy.
But for all the promise in the latter notation, maybe this narrative should've been titled "Dorothy Should Die." Or "Dorothy Almost Dies." Because there wasn't any Dorothy slaying going on in this book. More like the precursory details getting to that point. For as often as it kept reiterating that Dorothy *must* die and the build up associated with that, it didn't deliver. But that's not what bothered me the most about this book (though I'll admit the ending felt lackluster and not really an ending at all, just a cruel, incomplete lead-in to a series starter).
The story started off with steam - I followed Amy well enough as she was determined as an outcast thrown into Oz's otherworld, which seemed like an alternate version of Wonderland or Tim Burton's imaging of Halloween Town. Initially, this was cool. I also liked her rapport with Indigo, a cursing munchkin and Ollie, the wingless flying monkey. I even liked that this book didn't skimp on the violent details with some cruel fates delivered at the hands of the familiar character that were once pride and joys of the Oz narrative. So where did it all go wrong?
First issue that bothered me about this book was narrative pacing - it dragged to no end after a respective time. In some cases I was forgiving of the narrative because it seemed like it was trying to set up details about what happened with Oz, but when I realized Amy wasn't accomplishing a whole heck of a lot and that the characters would appear only to disappear for long stretches at a time (i.e. her pet rat Star and the boy entrusted to keep her safe, Pete), I became concerned. I wasn't really sure why so much time was spent on Amy being undercover, training, being in the dark about her Wicked associations and the like. I wanted the action to start picking up its pace and her goals to be more meaningful. It felt like Amy really wasn't doing a whole heck of a lot, despite some spells where we see examples of Dorothy, et. al's cruelty in this reimaging of Oz.
The second issue is related to the first: the more I thought about it, the more I realized this reimage of Oz really didn't have a lot of flesh to it. The environment was threadbare in its drawing, never immersed me completely. The strength to L. Frank Baum's original tales was that it had a strong sense of place in every book, alongside its respective cast of quirky and interesting characters. In this, I could only get a fraction of where this was taking place despite some cool descriptions here and there. That's probably the main thing - it *sounded* cool, but its heart was missing, much like Dorothy's purported turn to darkness. It felt lacking to a fine point.
Even the characters themselves felt only threadbare in their construction - serving a purpose before being tossed aside, sometimes for chapters at at time, with lacking development or threadbare motivations. I couldn't feel for them all that much. I initially felt for Amy because of her respective problems and even something of a snarky voice, but by the time I got to Oz, I just felt like the character motivation was dropped several notches on the building ladder. Amy's voice no longer carried her, she was being carried by the story events itself. It carried a guise where it seemed like Amy was being proactive for what the situation allowed, but only in spurts. I could get her motivations for wanting to help Ollie's sister, and consulting the magic mirror. But I just didn't get all the time spent where she was undercover for so long without so much as an idea of what she would have to do next. Not to mention waiting for other characters to act (though I understood that she was kept in the dark on purpose and some of her tasks were "tests" if you will.) The problem was that I just couldn't care despite being kept in the dark like Amy was.
Her attention to (and jealousy over) Nox annoyed me, but not to the point where the relation completely threw me from the novel. I think that may have been the start to where I started noticing things going downhill for the work, and where the pacing of the tale became problematic. I'll admit that even with Amy's recruitment into Wicked, I was bored from the lack of motivation and depiction. So much of that time could've been tightened up for events. I couldn't even feel for one of the major character deaths around that time because the pacing in that part of the novel crawled so much. The writing really wasn't that strong to me. Throwing in bits of Oz lore alongside major pop culture references didn't really endear me to the novel either. As much as I appreciated references to Wicked, the movie Highlander, Star Wars, and Harry Potter ("Not my daughter, you bitch!" "Not my dog, you bitch!"), it was trying too hard. It was trying *way* too hard to be modern and edgy. It felt false and *that* was what threw me out of the story more than a few times. It all came across as "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" and I wasn't buying what it sold for its commercial measures.
And maybe that was the problem - this feels like a commercial title, not so much taking advantage of the imaginative and interesting pieces that it puts forth. It's an introduction, but it never really carries the ideas home. Probably the only story thread I even felt remotely satisfied by in this tale was the journey to rescue Ollie's sister (and Indigo's respective role, but that was over before it really began). It's cake icing that's pretty and sweet, but you take a bite of it and that's all you're getting. Bring all the action, visual gore, snark, cursing munchkins, brain eating, ax grinding and such you want, but if you get to the heart of this, what does it really contribute? The answer really isn't all that much.
I may end up trying the sequel, but definitely with a lot less expectation and excitement than I had for this one. I can't say I would recommend it personally, though I think some will end up enjoying it for what it offers. You just have to wade through a lot of scenes where it seems like it introduces a lot of build up and cool stuff, but in the end, just puts a finger on the pulse of potential. And that leaves the experience hollow and something that I just couldn't get behind.
Overall: 2/5 stars.
It's the very definition of what I call "great premise, lacking execution." But that's not to say that I disliked it collectively. No, it left me quite disappointed because of its respective potential not reaching up to what was actually delivered. The ideas were sound, the delivery was not.
Amy is a sharp girl with pink hair, considered an outcast with a trailer park lifestyle, alongside considerations over a father who abandoned her and a mother she barely recognizes. When her home is swept away by a tornado, Amy lands in Oz. Yet, Oz is not the majestic wonder depicted either in L. Frank Baum's classic story or in the movie with Judy Garland. Dorothy, Glinda the "Good" Witch, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion have all turned evil. Amy not only has to figure out exactly what happened to Oz, but determine her respective loyalties and ultimately accomplish one task: Kill Dorothy.
But for all the promise in the latter notation, maybe this narrative should've been titled "Dorothy Should Die." Or "Dorothy Almost Dies." Because there wasn't any Dorothy slaying going on in this book. More like the precursory details getting to that point. For as often as it kept reiterating that Dorothy *must* die and the build up associated with that, it didn't deliver. But that's not what bothered me the most about this book (though I'll admit the ending felt lackluster and not really an ending at all, just a cruel, incomplete lead-in to a series starter).
The story started off with steam - I followed Amy well enough as she was determined as an outcast thrown into Oz's otherworld, which seemed like an alternate version of Wonderland or Tim Burton's imaging of Halloween Town. Initially, this was cool. I also liked her rapport with Indigo, a cursing munchkin and Ollie, the wingless flying monkey. I even liked that this book didn't skimp on the violent details with some cruel fates delivered at the hands of the familiar character that were once pride and joys of the Oz narrative. So where did it all go wrong?
First issue that bothered me about this book was narrative pacing - it dragged to no end after a respective time. In some cases I was forgiving of the narrative because it seemed like it was trying to set up details about what happened with Oz, but when I realized Amy wasn't accomplishing a whole heck of a lot and that the characters would appear only to disappear for long stretches at a time (i.e. her pet rat Star and the boy entrusted to keep her safe, Pete), I became concerned. I wasn't really sure why so much time was spent on Amy being undercover, training, being in the dark about her Wicked associations and the like. I wanted the action to start picking up its pace and her goals to be more meaningful. It felt like Amy really wasn't doing a whole heck of a lot, despite some spells where we see examples of Dorothy, et. al's cruelty in this reimaging of Oz.
The second issue is related to the first: the more I thought about it, the more I realized this reimage of Oz really didn't have a lot of flesh to it. The environment was threadbare in its drawing, never immersed me completely. The strength to L. Frank Baum's original tales was that it had a strong sense of place in every book, alongside its respective cast of quirky and interesting characters. In this, I could only get a fraction of where this was taking place despite some cool descriptions here and there. That's probably the main thing - it *sounded* cool, but its heart was missing, much like Dorothy's purported turn to darkness. It felt lacking to a fine point.
Even the characters themselves felt only threadbare in their construction - serving a purpose before being tossed aside, sometimes for chapters at at time, with lacking development or threadbare motivations. I couldn't feel for them all that much. I initially felt for Amy because of her respective problems and even something of a snarky voice, but by the time I got to Oz, I just felt like the character motivation was dropped several notches on the building ladder. Amy's voice no longer carried her, she was being carried by the story events itself. It carried a guise where it seemed like Amy was being proactive for what the situation allowed, but only in spurts. I could get her motivations for wanting to help Ollie's sister, and consulting the magic mirror. But I just didn't get all the time spent where she was undercover for so long without so much as an idea of what she would have to do next. Not to mention waiting for other characters to act (though I understood that she was kept in the dark on purpose and some of her tasks were "tests" if you will.) The problem was that I just couldn't care despite being kept in the dark like Amy was.
Her attention to (and jealousy over) Nox annoyed me, but not to the point where the relation completely threw me from the novel. I think that may have been the start to where I started noticing things going downhill for the work, and where the pacing of the tale became problematic. I'll admit that even with Amy's recruitment into Wicked, I was bored from the lack of motivation and depiction. So much of that time could've been tightened up for events. I couldn't even feel for one of the major character deaths around that time because the pacing in that part of the novel crawled so much. The writing really wasn't that strong to me. Throwing in bits of Oz lore alongside major pop culture references didn't really endear me to the novel either. As much as I appreciated references to Wicked, the movie Highlander, Star Wars, and Harry Potter (
And maybe that was the problem - this feels like a commercial title, not so much taking advantage of the imaginative and interesting pieces that it puts forth. It's an introduction, but it never really carries the ideas home. Probably the only story thread I even felt remotely satisfied by in this tale was the journey to rescue Ollie's sister (and Indigo's respective role, but that was over before it really began). It's cake icing that's pretty and sweet, but you take a bite of it and that's all you're getting. Bring all the action, visual gore, snark, cursing munchkins, brain eating, ax grinding and such you want, but if you get to the heart of this, what does it really contribute? The answer really isn't all that much.
I may end up trying the sequel, but definitely with a lot less expectation and excitement than I had for this one. I can't say I would recommend it personally, though I think some will end up enjoying it for what it offers. You just have to wade through a lot of scenes where it seems like it introduces a lot of build up and cool stuff, but in the end, just puts a finger on the pulse of potential. And that leaves the experience hollow and something that I just couldn't get behind.
Overall: 2/5 stars.
February 21, 2022
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I grew up with the Oz books. As a child, I would revisit them periodically, curling up under the covers with a flashlight to read about Tik-Tok and the Wheelers, or Polychrome and the Nome King, or Mombi and Jack. Even now, I still occasionally read them because they're so fantastically creative and the imaginative world-building continues to hold up, even now. It's one of my favorite fantasy series ever, probably more so than Harry Potter. That's why I was skeptical when I saw that there was a series coming out that was a dark retelling of the Oz books.
DOROTHY MUST DIE is about a girl named Amy, who lives in a trailer park in Kansas. One day, she ends up being stuck in the middle of a tornado and, like Dorothy, finds herself magically transported to a world that clearly isn't Kansas anymore. It isn't quite Oz, either - at least, not the way that the fans know it. Everything is dark and drained of magic, and under Dorothy's corrupt rule it's turned into a Big Dorothy is Watching dystopia with torture, murder, and brain-washing all being totally commonplace. Welcome to Oz, b*tch.
To Paige's credit, the world-building is quite well done. I felt like the horrors really are that - horrific. The Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow? All spectacles of terror that would be right at home in the jump scare-ridden world of Five Nights at Freddy's. I also liked the backstory about how Dorothy became evil. Power does corrupt and when magic is involved, that seems even more likely. Paige also portrays just how seductive power can be, even when it is evil, because in Dorothy's palace, things are beautiful, and it's all too easy to succumb to temptation.
Amy is one of those heroines I think people will love or hate. She's hilariously dated with her pink hair and emo attitude, like she's trapped in 2006 and nobody's told her that Green Day isn't cool anymore. She's also selfish and b*tchy and mean, with all kinds of snarky asides about pretty much anyone she doesn't like. She's not the villain of the story, though (yet?), and even though she's self-preserving she does risk her own life to save others at several points during the story even though cowardice or fear wins out a few times. I'm a fan of flawed protagonists, so this was refreshing; it's nice when women are allowed to be less than perfect in fiction and still be the heroines.
One thing about this book that I hated, hated is the long boring section where Amy trains with some witches to develop her powers and ends up meeting a boy named Nox. There's this weird sexual tension between them that feels awkward, because it's so forced, and I was annoyed to see bad-ass Amy lose sight of the game to obsess over some boy she doesn't even know. Seriously, at some point they pick up a wounded girl and Amy is jealous that he goes to attend her wounds rather than pay attention to her. Like, seriously, girl? Priorities, much? I'm thinking that there's going to be a love triangle between Pete and Amy and Nox, and I'm also thinking I'm not going to like it. Depending on how much focus this relationship takes in later books, it could be a deal-breaker.
This book, though, DOROTHY MUST DIE, isn't bad. As a retelling, it's decent. The writing is good and flows well (although it doesn't seem sure whether it wants to be a formal classically written fantasy novel or a breezy young adult narrative, and fluctuates wildly between the two styles). The author features characters taken not just from the Wizard of Oz, but all of the Oz stories (I'm hoping the Glass Cat will make an appearance; she was my favorite), which was nice. Even bitchy old Amy was a cool drink of water after the stale taste of too-perfect-to-be-true heroines I've been encountering in my usual YA fantasy line-ups, and that's definitely something we need more of.
3.5 stars
December 8, 2018
I like this story better than the original one! I give it 4-4.5 stars
Danielle Paige’s version of Oz is a version where Dorothy went back home, realised she didn’t particularly care for it, came back to Oz, gathered magic, and became the most barbaric ruler in the history of Oz. In this version Dorothy isn’t the only girl who went to Oz there is now another and she has seen that the Dorothy she thought she heard about let the magic get to her head and wants nothing more than to be the sole bearer of the magic residing in Oz. Amy has realised that the words ‘Wicked’ and ‘Good’ no longer mean anything in this fight to save Oz, and she will stop at nothing to kill Dorothy.
“Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good” .
I enjoyed the fact that the line drawn between the people who would have been considered ‘Wicked’ or ‘Good’ is no longer viable and the only person who holds the title of Wicked in this world is ironically the person who was once considered a hero.
I certainly enjoyed the characters and the plot of the story but more than anything I was fascinated by how much this Oz is different from the one we heard of as kids. Dorothy turned the once magical land of Oz into this dark and twisted version where no one but Dorothy is happy. The Munchkins, the flying monkeys, the witches everything has changed and Amy is horrified by how Dorothy constantly abuses her power and tortures those not completely loyal to her cause.
The sweet girl from Kansas turned evil, the magical land of Oz under the tyrannical rule of a selfish ruler. The tinman now with a heart, the scarecrow now with a brain, and the lion now with courage at their most debauched selves. And the one thing we know for sure -
Dorothy Must Die
Danielle Paige’s version of Oz is a version where Dorothy went back home, realised she didn’t particularly care for it, came back to Oz, gathered magic, and became the most barbaric ruler in the history of Oz. In this version Dorothy isn’t the only girl who went to Oz there is now another and she has seen that the Dorothy she thought she heard about let the magic get to her head and wants nothing more than to be the sole bearer of the magic residing in Oz. Amy has realised that the words ‘Wicked’ and ‘Good’ no longer mean anything in this fight to save Oz, and she will stop at nothing to kill Dorothy.
“Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good” .
I enjoyed the fact that the line drawn between the people who would have been considered ‘Wicked’ or ‘Good’ is no longer viable and the only person who holds the title of Wicked in this world is ironically the person who was once considered a hero.
I certainly enjoyed the characters and the plot of the story but more than anything I was fascinated by how much this Oz is different from the one we heard of as kids. Dorothy turned the once magical land of Oz into this dark and twisted version where no one but Dorothy is happy. The Munchkins, the flying monkeys, the witches everything has changed and Amy is horrified by how Dorothy constantly abuses her power and tortures those not completely loyal to her cause.
The sweet girl from Kansas turned evil, the magical land of Oz under the tyrannical rule of a selfish ruler. The tinman now with a heart, the scarecrow now with a brain, and the lion now with courage at their most debauched selves. And the one thing we know for sure -
Dorothy Must Die
September 21, 2016
UNA MANERA ORIGINAL DE REINVENTAR EL MUNDO DE OZ
Dorothy debe morir es una novela para lxs amantes de Oz y los retellings. Una novela que continúa la historia del mundo de Oz tras la victoria de Dorothy y que sabrá ponerle los pelos de punta a lxs lectorxs de este gran clásico. Bien escrita, con unos personajes profundizados, Dorothy debe morir ha sabido hacerme replantear ciertos detalles de la novela a la que hace homenaje y me ha mantenido con ganas de saber más hasta el final.
Como digo, estamos ante un buen retelling o supuesta continuación homenaje a El mago de Oz. Sinceramente, El mago de Oz fue uno de los libros de mi infancia y le tengo muchísimo cariño. Por eso mismo tenía cierto miedo de leer esta novela que, finalmente, me ha sorprendido y ha superado mis expectativas.
Como mínimo tengo que decir que Dorothy debe morir es una novela original, que se sale de lo que se espera del mundo de Oz y que sabe reinventar la historia de este gran clásico. Además, cuenta con una trama bien elaborada, que da pie a tener continuación y que deja con ganas de más con el gran final que tiene.
Los personajes están bien construidos. La protagonista es un personaje redondo, trabajado, que evoluciona, sorprende y emociona. No me esperaba en ningún momento los giros de esta protagonista ni que tampoco se desarrollara ni evolucionase como lo hace.
Más allá de eso, Dorothy debe morir es un libro trepidante, que cuenta con una buena pluma que se desenvuelve con descripciones detalladas, un lenguaje denso en su justa medida y un estilo marcado por su simpleza.
En resumen, Dorothy debe morir es una novela original, bien escrita, con buenos personajes y que, sin duda, gustará a lxs seguidorxs de El mago de Oz. Muy recomendable si os gusta la literatura juvenil fantástica.
Dorothy debe morir es una novela para lxs amantes de Oz y los retellings. Una novela que continúa la historia del mundo de Oz tras la victoria de Dorothy y que sabrá ponerle los pelos de punta a lxs lectorxs de este gran clásico. Bien escrita, con unos personajes profundizados, Dorothy debe morir ha sabido hacerme replantear ciertos detalles de la novela a la que hace homenaje y me ha mantenido con ganas de saber más hasta el final.
Como digo, estamos ante un buen retelling o supuesta continuación homenaje a El mago de Oz. Sinceramente, El mago de Oz fue uno de los libros de mi infancia y le tengo muchísimo cariño. Por eso mismo tenía cierto miedo de leer esta novela que, finalmente, me ha sorprendido y ha superado mis expectativas.
Como mínimo tengo que decir que Dorothy debe morir es una novela original, que se sale de lo que se espera del mundo de Oz y que sabe reinventar la historia de este gran clásico. Además, cuenta con una trama bien elaborada, que da pie a tener continuación y que deja con ganas de más con el gran final que tiene.
Los personajes están bien construidos. La protagonista es un personaje redondo, trabajado, que evoluciona, sorprende y emociona. No me esperaba en ningún momento los giros de esta protagonista ni que tampoco se desarrollara ni evolucionase como lo hace.
Más allá de eso, Dorothy debe morir es un libro trepidante, que cuenta con una buena pluma que se desenvuelve con descripciones detalladas, un lenguaje denso en su justa medida y un estilo marcado por su simpleza.
En resumen, Dorothy debe morir es una novela original, bien escrita, con buenos personajes y que, sin duda, gustará a lxs seguidorxs de El mago de Oz. Muy recomendable si os gusta la literatura juvenil fantástica.
March 20, 2015
4.5 stars
February 10, 2017
3.5 Stars
REMOVE THE TIN WOODMAN'S HEART
STEAL THE SCARECROW'S BRAIN
TAKE THE LION'S COURAGE
AND THEN DOROTHY MUST DIE
Once upon a time, There was a pink-haired girl named Amy Gumm. She lived in a trailer park with her mother. Her father left her and her mother behind to live with a woman named Crystal. When Amy turned 13 years old her mother had a car accident and started taking pills and this was the time her life was changed completely. Her mother wasn't a sweet mother anymore, she did not make breakfast or dinner anymore and she often went to bar, she cared her pet rat and didn't care about Amy. So Amy, she had to take care herself and her mother.
One day, there was a tornado and transported her and her pet rat to Oz.
But Oz was different. Dorothy found a way to come back to Oz and she had a taste of magic. She turned wicked and all of her friends were wicked and Amy's adventure was began.
My Opinion
when we talk about Oz I'm sure you would be thinking like this Oz
But this book is very different from that Oz. This Oz is very dark and corrupted and I liked this book, the story was good and I liked the writing style too.
the first day I read this book I was so excited and the pacing was pretty fast but it all changed when I reached chapter 30. I don't know why but it got slow and it bored me so much. I even thought to DNF it but I ws already on chapter 30 so I had to make myself to finish it *sighs*
the most thing I didn't like about this book apart from the pace was the relationship between the MC and the people around her. is it just me or this book doesn't describe the friendship between Amy and the people around her???
seriously, I felt nothing. when the first time I knew this book was a retelling from The Wizard Of Oz. I was so excited because I thought there would be an amazing friendship between the MC and her friends. while reading it I felt like this book was just focused on the how to kill dorothy and forgot to describe about the friendship. In my opinion the friendship between the MC and the people around her/his is as important as the story.
The Romance
thankfully there's no love triangle in this book. . The romance in this book is so weird. at the beginning of the story they hate each other and all of a sudden they love each other. the romance in this bookwas is confused me, the MC and the love-interest (Nox) don't talk much and all of a sudden he kisses her. it is weird they don't even talk much and then fall in love??? if there were a guy kissed me suddenly, I would definitely punch him. but Amy, I think she looks happy.
Will I continue reading this series?
thank you so much for reading my review guys!!Happy reading and hope you all have a great weekend!!❤❤❤
REMOVE THE TIN WOODMAN'S HEART
STEAL THE SCARECROW'S BRAIN
TAKE THE LION'S COURAGE
AND THEN DOROTHY MUST DIE
Once upon a time, There was a pink-haired girl named Amy Gumm. She lived in a trailer park with her mother. Her father left her and her mother behind to live with a woman named Crystal. When Amy turned 13 years old her mother had a car accident and started taking pills and this was the time her life was changed completely. Her mother wasn't a sweet mother anymore, she did not make breakfast or dinner anymore and she often went to bar, she cared her pet rat and didn't care about Amy. So Amy, she had to take care herself and her mother.
One day, there was a tornado and transported her and her pet rat to Oz.
But Oz was different. Dorothy found a way to come back to Oz and she had a taste of magic. She turned wicked and all of her friends were wicked and Amy's adventure was began.
My Opinion
when we talk about Oz I'm sure you would be thinking like this Oz
But this book is very different from that Oz. This Oz is very dark and corrupted and I liked this book, the story was good and I liked the writing style too.
the first day I read this book I was so excited and the pacing was pretty fast but it all changed when I reached chapter 30. I don't know why but it got slow and it bored me so much. I even thought to DNF it but I ws already on chapter 30 so I had to make myself to finish it *sighs*
the most thing I didn't like about this book apart from the pace was the relationship between the MC and the people around her. is it just me or this book doesn't describe the friendship between Amy and the people around her???
seriously, I felt nothing. when the first time I knew this book was a retelling from The Wizard Of Oz. I was so excited because I thought there would be an amazing friendship between the MC and her friends. while reading it I felt like this book was just focused on the how to kill dorothy and forgot to describe about the friendship. In my opinion the friendship between the MC and the people around her/his is as important as the story.
The Romance
thankfully there's no love triangle in this book. . The romance in this book is so weird. at the beginning of the story they hate each other and all of a sudden they love each other. the romance in this book
Will I continue reading this series?
thank you so much for reading my review guys!!Happy reading and hope you all have a great weekend!!❤❤❤
December 29, 2016
I feel like I just read a first draft of a book: poorly written, a rushed plot, and not thoroughly planned at all. The story and writing are juvenile, which would be fine if the author didn't also attempt to be dark and serious (constant cussing, drug-abusive mother, attempts at blood and gore, etc.). The book tries too hard to be gritty when its main character is the embodiment of an angsty Hot Topic teenager. The rest of the characters are just as one-dimensional as her, which makes any affection that they have for each other unbelievable and ridiculous. Despite the attempted theme of blurring the line between Good and Wicked, the story has no actual nuance in morality, leaving just caricatured depictions of villains with no concrete reason for why they are evil, why they should die, and what justifies killing them. Basically, this is a solid 1 star.
April 6, 2014
Here's an actual review by my blog partner, who was able to force herself to finish this, and not a moment too soon because I've been putting it off all day and I just can't.
Here's what I have to briefly say: at first the writing was so perfect for me that I likened it to none other than Stacia Kane and I was wrong. What made me think of the similarity was that the opening was completely amazing, the relationship Amy has with her mother was heart breaking, and the way Amy was treated at school was going to break my heart. I like it when an author rips my heart out and I was expecting that, but as time went on I discovered I was so far off base that I couldn't even see the field anymore.
INSTA ALL THE THINGS! I mean, really. There can be no confusion here, it's all Nox this, and Nox that, and it's so painfully forced that I never once felt anything beyond annoyance (and I know she mentions their connection at some point, but I didn't write it down and I'm too lazy to find it right now, but it's there). There was a nice little side character thrown in solely for the purpose of making Amy jealous too which was just awesome. Just, nothing worked because it all tried so effing hard, and since the story seems to be a typical YA love drama with a side of plot I'm not longer interested.
Here's what I have to briefly say: at first the writing was so perfect for me that I likened it to none other than Stacia Kane and I was wrong. What made me think of the similarity was that the opening was completely amazing, the relationship Amy has with her mother was heart breaking, and the way Amy was treated at school was going to break my heart. I like it when an author rips my heart out and I was expecting that, but as time went on I discovered I was so far off base that I couldn't even see the field anymore.
INSTA ALL THE THINGS! I mean, really. There can be no confusion here, it's all Nox this, and Nox that, and it's so painfully forced that I never once felt anything beyond annoyance (and I know she mentions their connection at some point, but I didn't write it down and I'm too lazy to find it right now, but it's there). There was a nice little side character thrown in solely for the purpose of making Amy jealous too which was just awesome. Just, nothing worked because it all tried so effing hard, and since the story seems to be a typical YA love drama with a side of plot I'm not longer interested.
October 21, 2020
3.5 stars! ⭐️
Fairy tale retellings almost always intrigue me; I used to love this one to pieces. While Dorothy Must Die was still a fun and entertaining read, it wasn’t all that I’d remembered.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
Alone in her trailer park, Amy Gumm is unable to avoid the tornado passing through her town. She is swept away to Oz, but things aren’t like in they were in the film. Dorothy has developed a taste for magic, and is sucking the land dry of it. The witches have created The Order of the Wicked in secret to plan Dorothy’s murder, and Amy is their secret weapon.
~★~
Dorothy Must Die was my gateway book after a few years of reading nothing. I remember being swept away by the magic and whimsy of this twisted Oz, and having a fiery love for Amy as a protagonist. It’s been several years since then, and reading this series for a second time has opened my eyes to faults I never recognized.
While this was quite an inventive fairy tale retelling, I wasn’t as thrilled with the plot or attached to the characters as I was the first time around. This being a re-read, I obviously anticipated some of the events. Amy is a fantastic protagonist, but her love interest Nox didn’t get as much development as I’d remembered. There was a large cast of characters, and while some weren't as great as I'd hoped, the majority were really fun to follow.
The world building in this series is definitely a positive aspect. I suppose some of it was taken from the Oz we know from the films, though Danielle Paige’s dark and twisted version is awesome. I’m eager to re-read the rest of the series!
REMOVE THE TIN WOODMAN’S HEART,
STEAL THE SCARECROW’S BRAIN,
TAKE THE LIONS COURAGE,
AND THEN- DOROTHY MUST DIE.
Fairy tale retellings almost always intrigue me; I used to love this one to pieces. While Dorothy Must Die was still a fun and entertaining read, it wasn’t all that I’d remembered.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
Alone in her trailer park, Amy Gumm is unable to avoid the tornado passing through her town. She is swept away to Oz, but things aren’t like in they were in the film. Dorothy has developed a taste for magic, and is sucking the land dry of it. The witches have created The Order of the Wicked in secret to plan Dorothy’s murder, and Amy is their secret weapon.
~★~
Dorothy Must Die was my gateway book after a few years of reading nothing. I remember being swept away by the magic and whimsy of this twisted Oz, and having a fiery love for Amy as a protagonist. It’s been several years since then, and reading this series for a second time has opened my eyes to faults I never recognized.
“You shouldn’t trust me. But you shouldn’t trust anyone else here either. Every smile, every kind word--every cookie--it’s all done with one goal. And that’s a dead princess.”
While this was quite an inventive fairy tale retelling, I wasn’t as thrilled with the plot or attached to the characters as I was the first time around. This being a re-read, I obviously anticipated some of the events. Amy is a fantastic protagonist, but her love interest Nox didn’t get as much development as I’d remembered. There was a large cast of characters, and while some weren't as great as I'd hoped, the majority were really fun to follow.
The world building in this series is definitely a positive aspect. I suppose some of it was taken from the Oz we know from the films, though Danielle Paige’s dark and twisted version is awesome. I’m eager to re-read the rest of the series!
March 19, 2017
Realmente un muy buen inicio :) Una imagen muy diferente del Mago de Oz, en la cual no sabes en quién confiar y que hará que odies a Dorothy.
July 12, 2022
I want to start off by saying that when I started this book I what I would think if it. My twisted sense of curiosity is what got the best of me on this one and I am glad it did. Lots of twisted and backwards adventure to be found here!
Amy Gunn is your average girl who has been dealt a bad hand at life. She has no friends (thanks to nasty Ms. Madison), her father left when she was young and her mom is is a druggie. She wants nothing more than to get away from her crappy trailer life. Well she gets her wish; just no how she expected it.
Welcome to Oz. But not how we know it. Yes the happy movies and the book is based on what had taken place but the story didn't end there...Dorothy came back and apparently became power and magic hungry. Glinda is a horrible slave driven, the munchkins are back to living in fear worse than with the witches. The beloved Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion are mutated and twisted into something atrocious! And many other twists await!
Let me give warning: DO NOT get attached to characters. There is a fair share of death in this book. And the first one I read has me very distrustful of bubbles right now and was gross! so unpleasant death at that! You have been warned...
Then we get the fun job of attempting to figure out who to trust. Everyone tells Amy to trust no one. So that sends a firm message that has me wondering through the entire book. Many characters seem to have ulterior motives and secrets. So Amy has to train and learn to fight, control magic all while wondering what is going on and why.
Danielle Paige has done a great job with character creation. Nox, Glamora, and other fantastic new characters are in this book. Amy I felt could have been a bit better. I do like her with her balance of flaws and abilities but her frame of mind and willingness so early on to kill disturbed me.
The ending bit a bit rushed with lots of important facts but it is just sort of hurled at the reader. Which leads to my last small annoyance: the back cover is misleading....By the end of the book she is just barely starting on the actually missions set. When I got this book I was not expecting a long series. Now I wonder how long this can be. I have no problem with a series but I prefer my summaries to cover the book not the whole series arc. There is a lot if filler in this book. While enjoyable, it was not necessary and I feel is deliberately drawing it out (much like drawing a movie into 2 parts-I don't like that either).
Less those few flaws, I really enjoyed this book. A good start to a new adventure. This is for older teens-adults with some graphic scenes and behaviors. The recreated world is fun to re-explore after many years. I will assuredly be continuing the series!
2022-Audiobook time! I must say, I like the narrator. Her sass brought Amy to life. My one complaint is that she sounded a bit too old for a teen. It lacked that youthful undertone. The combination of words and vocal expression really lets you know what she thinks of different characters. Her anger, sorrow and distrust become very apparent. This book puts Oz in a whole new light and will leave any reader wondering whom to trust.
Amy Gunn is your average girl who has been dealt a bad hand at life. She has no friends (thanks to nasty Ms. Madison), her father left when she was young and her mom is is a druggie. She wants nothing more than to get away from her crappy trailer life. Well she gets her wish; just no how she expected it.
Welcome to Oz. But not how we know it. Yes the happy movies and the book is based on what had taken place but the story didn't end there...Dorothy came back and apparently became power and magic hungry. Glinda is a horrible slave driven, the munchkins are back to living in fear worse than with the witches. The beloved Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion are mutated and twisted into something atrocious! And many other twists await!
Let me give warning: DO NOT get attached to characters. There is a fair share of death in this book. And the first one I read has me very distrustful of bubbles right now and was gross! so unpleasant death at that! You have been warned...
Then we get the fun job of attempting to figure out who to trust. Everyone tells Amy to trust no one. So that sends a firm message that has me wondering through the entire book. Many characters seem to have ulterior motives and secrets. So Amy has to train and learn to fight, control magic all while wondering what is going on and why.
Danielle Paige has done a great job with character creation. Nox, Glamora, and other fantastic new characters are in this book. Amy I felt could have been a bit better. I do like her with her balance of flaws and abilities but her frame of mind and willingness so early on to kill disturbed me.
The ending bit a bit rushed with lots of important facts but it is just sort of hurled at the reader. Which leads to my last small annoyance: the back cover is misleading....By the end of the book she is just barely starting on the actually missions set. When I got this book I was not expecting a long series. Now I wonder how long this can be. I have no problem with a series but I prefer my summaries to cover the book not the whole series arc. There is a lot if filler in this book. While enjoyable, it was not necessary and I feel is deliberately drawing it out (much like drawing a movie into 2 parts-I don't like that either).
Less those few flaws, I really enjoyed this book. A good start to a new adventure. This is for older teens-adults with some graphic scenes and behaviors. The recreated world is fun to re-explore after many years. I will assuredly be continuing the series!
2022-Audiobook time! I must say, I like the narrator. Her sass brought Amy to life. My one complaint is that she sounded a bit too old for a teen. It lacked that youthful undertone. The combination of words and vocal expression really lets you know what she thinks of different characters. Her anger, sorrow and distrust become very apparent. This book puts Oz in a whole new light and will leave any reader wondering whom to trust.
October 22, 2021
there are many things i say that i like while, in execution, very rarely liking them. you could say that;s my experience with books in general, but that would cause an emotional crisis i'm not prepared for, so let's narrow that down to retellings.
i love them. in theory. i think they're cool. in theory. some of our greatest stories, modernized or magic-ized or otherwise changed! but usually they end up either being too much or too little. this was way too much.
but it was fun.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago and reflect on the stupidest concepts imaginable
i love them. in theory. i think they're cool. in theory. some of our greatest stories, modernized or magic-ized or otherwise changed! but usually they end up either being too much or too little. this was way too much.
but it was fun.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago and reflect on the stupidest concepts imaginable
August 27, 2022
Think about everything you know about the Wizard of Oz, turn it upside down, right is wrong, up is down, wicked is nice, Dorothy is evil, and the witches are good.
I love the imagination, wit, and brilliance of the plot. It is not your typical retelling of an oldie; it is the same world of Oz, but full of surprises. I enjoyed it; it was a fun read. 3.5 stars.
I love the imagination, wit, and brilliance of the plot. It is not your typical retelling of an oldie; it is the same world of Oz, but full of surprises. I enjoyed it; it was a fun read. 3.5 stars.
April 28, 2017
The rating would have been 2 stars higher if it had been a stand-alone with a proper conclusion instead of a rushed cliff-hanger and a confused protagonist.
I don't feel like writing a proper review. Let's settle on why I did not rate it with 3 stars like I had expected around the first half of the book.
1. The protagonist did not work for me. Like, at all. I get that she had a shitty life, I get that she is full of doubts and fears and repressed emotions, but usually when thrown into a challenging situation one either breaks or changes. Someway neither happened. Instead Amy continued to be her prior indecisive and defensive self and did not act unless pushed.
Which leads me to the next point, the constant pushing. I was annoyed around the second half of the book. In the first half Amy has to get used to Oz, I get it. But the second?
Nope.
Also, the clinging to the past was beyond annoying, Amy kept doing something I hated over and over again until I wanted to strangle her.
All in all, Amy seemed like an awful protagonist to me who was controlled by everyone and everything but not by herself.
2. The pace of the book. After finishing it and looking up how many books are to follow I understood why the author wrote it this way, but understanding was all I did.
Fistly, it was slow. Much too slow. There was no action, there was no tension, instead the book felt like a steady flow to me, no rising and no falling. Which is a bad thing. For over hundred pages nothing happened.
At. All.
There was Amy struggling with Oz and its inhabitants and pages and pages of pointless, meaningless dialogue, but nothing else happened. Yeah, the pace was horrendous.
This usually goes hand in hand with a lack of atmosphere for me. Oz, the dark version of it, was described but not shown. Usually, I put up with it, but in this case I was displeased. I picked this book up hoping to get suck into a dark, gloomy world and found myself in a cheap attempt to copy Neil Gaiman.
Not good.
Can you imagine a small pace with a complete lack of atmosphere? It does not sound very interesting, does it?
3. The dialogues, the world-building and the "plan". Okay, no spoilers here, but the solution of "the problem" was so terrible in my opinion that I nearly laughed.
Plot twists?? Nope, not here.
Surprises?? Sorry to disappoint.
Not only was it stupid, but it was boring and painfully predictable. As was the outcome, really.
And as I have already mentioned, most dialogues were meaningless and served as page-fillers. But that's just my opinion.
Finally, the world-building. Or the lack thereof. Thanks to the dialogues and Amy's never-ending inner struggles and doubts the reader didn't get to see much of Oz, and in the cases Amy bothered with the world she was in she described it in about two sentences before going back to her approximately five thousand problems.
I have never liked the original tale, to be honest. And I did not like this retelling either.
Not recommended.
I don't feel like writing a proper review. Let's settle on why I did not rate it with 3 stars like I had expected around the first half of the book.
1. The protagonist did not work for me. Like, at all. I get that she had a shitty life, I get that she is full of doubts and fears and repressed emotions, but usually when thrown into a challenging situation one either breaks or changes. Someway neither happened. Instead Amy continued to be her prior indecisive and defensive self and did not act unless pushed.
Which leads me to the next point, the constant pushing. I was annoyed around the second half of the book. In the first half Amy has to get used to Oz, I get it. But the second?
Nope.
Also, the clinging to the past was beyond annoying, Amy kept doing something I hated over and over again until I wanted to strangle her.
All in all, Amy seemed like an awful protagonist to me who was controlled by everyone and everything but not by herself.
2. The pace of the book. After finishing it and looking up how many books are to follow I understood why the author wrote it this way, but understanding was all I did.
Fistly, it was slow. Much too slow. There was no action, there was no tension, instead the book felt like a steady flow to me, no rising and no falling. Which is a bad thing. For over hundred pages nothing happened.
At. All.
There was Amy struggling with Oz and its inhabitants and pages and pages of pointless, meaningless dialogue, but nothing else happened. Yeah, the pace was horrendous.
This usually goes hand in hand with a lack of atmosphere for me. Oz, the dark version of it, was described but not shown. Usually, I put up with it, but in this case I was displeased. I picked this book up hoping to get suck into a dark, gloomy world and found myself in a cheap attempt to copy Neil Gaiman.
Not good.
Can you imagine a small pace with a complete lack of atmosphere? It does not sound very interesting, does it?
3. The dialogues, the world-building and the "plan". Okay, no spoilers here, but the solution of "the problem" was so terrible in my opinion that I nearly laughed.
Plot twists?? Nope, not here.
Surprises?? Sorry to disappoint.
Not only was it stupid, but it was boring and painfully predictable. As was the outcome, really.
And as I have already mentioned, most dialogues were meaningless and served as page-fillers. But that's just my opinion.
Finally, the world-building. Or the lack thereof. Thanks to the dialogues and Amy's never-ending inner struggles and doubts the reader didn't get to see much of Oz, and in the cases Amy bothered with the world she was in she described it in about two sentences before going back to her approximately five thousand problems.
I have never liked the original tale, to be honest. And I did not like this retelling either.
Not recommended.
June 8, 2015
I adored this book. Action packed and just totally engaging. HOWEVER I was very bothered when I got to the end and found out that the major plot twist is written on the back of the fricken book. UGH
August 13, 2015
Well, I had wanted to be gone. I’d wanted it for as long as I’d known there was anywhere to go. I wanted other places, other people. Another me. I wanted to leave everything and everyone behind.
But not like this.
We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz….Is he, though? Is he really wonderful? And what about the rest of our beloved WOZ cast? Who’s good, who’s evil….and how do you interpret that little gray area in between? I loved this story and all the mayhem it represented. I loved seeing this new and intriguing twist on what was such a docile and somewhat sugar-coated version of evil in a faraway land, seeing what happens when power goes to your head and no one can stop you. What happens when little miss goody-two-shoes becomes the most violent and unforgiving ruler ever and….did I mention this was violent?
Too bad they don’t have basements in trailer parks, I thought.
And then I thought: Bring it on. There’s no place like anywhere but here.
Omg guys, where do I even start? I’ve had this on my TBR for two years-Two whole years. When I first saw this splendid masterpiece of a cover, I was shocked-Evil Dorothy?? How could this be?!!! But alas, it was a year (or something) from being released and not enough people had read it-hell, I didn’t even have ¼ the friends I do now, so I had no one I could trust that had read it-I didn’t know who Khanh was, Emily May, or Wendy Darling, for that matter-I didn’t know any of the big names on GR. All I knew was that this was a twisted version of a beloved movie/musical/what-have-you, and I wanted to hop on board…but was it any good? I couldn’t be sure.
I didn’t know what was worse: to have your shot and screw it up, or to never have had a shot in the first place.
Years, obviously, passed and I forgot about it. I’d see it pop up here and there, but I’d be knee-deep in a buddy read or a super enticing series and I wouldn’t want to stop-so, again, I’d forget. And forget. And forget some more. But here I was, just scrolling through my feed a couple days ago, wondering what in the world I was going to read to break up my current series at the time (for some reason I’ve loved breaking my series up, lately-it’s been helping to keep me more excited/focused? I dunno lol), and then here it was, this beautiful cover attached to a very enthusiastic update about da boyz in the story…well, fuck me, it was like a light bulb went off over my head, the clouds parted, and the stars aligned…what more of a sign did I need?
The sky just overhead was almost black and the horizon was a washed-out, cloudy white, and I saw it, just like in the movies: a thin, dark funnel was jittering across the landscape and getting bigger. Closer. A low humming sound, like an approaching train, thrummed in my ears and in my chest. The lawn chair shot up into the air again. This time, it didn’t come back down.
What followed, naturally, was your typical Chelsea reaction to a wonderful and addicting book: Excessive smiling, giggling, hiding to find more reading time, general fangirling about my beloved Nox...the works. You know, the usual. There was just something so special about this book, something that caused my heart to ache and my stomach to drop-on more than one occasion. And, almost more appealing than anything, was the writing…It. Was. Perfection. Everything flowed seamlessly word for word and page to page-I was in heaven. And it’s became my favorite thing when a story doesn’t wholly center around the romance-well, not all the time do I want this, but when I pick up a fantasy or dystopian or action story, I adore the small, understated romances-and this was no exception!
Who are you?
What I found here, instead of meaningless filler and forced conversation, was substance, something so often sacrificed these days. No, it’s not a story for everyone-the soul sucking, fear-eating Lion is testament to that. The only perfect animal character was my wonderful little Star, the Rat. Oh yeah, she took the place of Toto and I couldn’t have been happier with this little substitution! She was absolutely adorable and fierce-a completely loyal ally that had my heart melting time and time again. Don’t be fooled, though-this story has a lot of animals….But it was so much more than that. It was a story about a girl who grew up in less than desirable conditions, a girl who starved for attention and was a social outcast at school…only to find her purpose in a place known as Oz. The only problem? There’s already a girl from Kansas who’s had her life changed in Oz…and she isn’t willing to share.
"They talk about Oz where I’m from. I’ve heard about it my whole life. But this is messed up. What happened here?”
Indigo’s impassive face twisted into a snarl. “Dorothy happened,” she said.
The cast in this story was beyond words. Do you even realize how fun it is to be reading about the villains? To see what they are willing to do to defeat the once good Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Dorothy? Oh, and don’t forget about Glinda, the ‘good’ witch! Gone is the brainless Scarecrow, the heartless (but yet full of heart) Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and little Miss I-Took-A-Direct-Flight-From Kansas.
They are unrecognizable in this story and I lapped it up, word by word-Especially when I saw that Dorothy went from girl-next-door to total voluptuous slut (And no, there really was no girl hate or slut shame! It was just a matter of fact when a girl didn’t like Amy or vice versa-no unnecessary bad mouthing-I know a couple girlies who don’t like that…). And speaking of Amy-What a remarkable and alluring character. I was utterly compelled by her determined attitude and willingness to do anything to help people she’d never even met before-all because she wanted to do what was best for a world corrupted by misused power. I loved her and my heart ached for her.
I didn’t know what was Good or Wicked anymore. All I knew was what was right.
And then there’s Nox. Well, and Pete…but Pete wasn’t really a love interest-I just loved him all the same. Anyway-NOX. He really and truly didn’t have a huge part in this story, but when we met him, I was instantly in love with his standoffish, I’m better than you attitude. But, like many things, there was more to the story than meets the eye. He isn’t Amy’s biggest fan, right from the start-as he says, ‘Just because someone fell out of the sky doesn’t make them the one.’ He’s skeptical that Amy can take down Dorothy-and why wouldn’t he be? She’s just a small-town girl who’s never fought anyone. But don’t worry…it’s his job to train her ;). Did I mention I love fighter/soldier boys? Hmmm…
He just stared at me, his gaze intense. I couldn’t look away any more than I could move my arm. Energy crackled between us, and I felt a strange pull to him. Moth to flame. Magnet to magnet. Stupid girl to impossible, slightly mean witch boy. Wizard. Whatever.
It isn’t insta-love, insta-lust, insta-like…it’s more like a resigned acceptance that they have to work together. He doesn’t like her, and she doesn’t care for his attitude. But more and more he begins to see her progress, and she begins to strive for his approval. His begrudging admiration for her begins to blossom into protectiveness and concern, worry for what’s to come and if she’s really ready or not-but not once does he show it, making her think she is only a pawn to them all, including him…but she couldn’t be more wrong about Nox….and oh GAHD did I love seeing her falter in front of him, mistaking his concern for her safety for something entirely different-I am such a sucker for hidden romance, sigh.
Instead of looking down, I looked at Nox as he took in the landscape.
Seeing him like this, away from the caves, away from the cause, I could almost see the boy he could have been. The boy he would have been if Dorothy had never come back. He looked happy. He looked beautiful.
Well, I can’t seem to stop. And I don’t want to…but I will. I was so nervous I wouldn’t like this, but sometimes you are just in the perfect mood for something and it falls right into your lap. And lately, it seems, it’s getting harder and harder to do that-to find a book that just falls right in front of you that suits your mood. But I found it, and I am so so happy that I can start book two next weekend and that the final book is only a few month wait as opposed to a two year wait, like if I’d have read this when I originally wanted to. So, you see, everything happens for a reason. Amy has a new mission, a bigger purpose, more lies, deceit, and trust issues to overcome-who can she really trust in this gray world of wicked-wickeder-wickedest….I can’t wait for the battles, the young love, the misplaced trust and betrayals….but most of all- Dorothy Must Die .
Sometimes only pain can heal.
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September 23, 2016
SOMEONE'S MESSING WITH HIS STORY.
WHAT WOULD MR. BAUM SAY ABOUT IT?
Well, I DON'T CARE. Because I LOVE this book SO MUCH!!! No joking! Even Dorothy will be dumbfounded that I'm against her now.
Yes! That's how great the story is. How the author made me believe that Dorothy was no longer Dorothy I used to know. She's an EVIL now. A magic-hoarding fascist. Even her friends and Glinda had all changed. Screw them!
“Down is up, up is down. Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good. The times are changing. This is what Oz has come to.”
Besides Amy Gumm and Star the rat, I found some new characters here and it made the story even more interesting. The plot twist is amazing. As Amy had been warned many times, I didn't know who to trust except Amy herself and her pet rat, Star. I just love Amy. Even though she could be careless sometimes, that she put other's life in danger, but she is caring and of course she is lovable. Moreover with her condition back at the Dusty Acres before a tornado took her to Oz. She lived in a trailer with her pathetic and unreliable mother and she was bullied at school. What a life she had.
Oh, this is a very funny book, too, just like the Wizard of Oz. I worship books/authors who can give me a lot of lols, especially at times like this (what am i talking about?). Besides, there are moral values in it if you look a little closer when you're reading it.
One thing I didn't quite follow. While Dementor in Harry Potter sucks out happiness of others to live, why would the Lion eats the fear of others and it makes him survive and stronger? Isn't it weird? Well, whatever. It won't stop me from reading the next series. I just hope it's as great.
June 23, 2014
It's pretty obvious why this one was a must-read for me, right? A Wizard of Oz retelling where Dorothy is evil... I had to read it. No questions asked. And then I finished it... and was utterly disappointed. Remember my review of Hexed? I kind of felt that the writing in both books were similar, so if you enjoyed one you'll maybe enjoy the other.
So the story's told from Amy Gumm's perspective. Ah, Amy. The first word that comes to mind when I think of her is shallow. She can't listen to any sort of advice or tips to survive, that girl. She just has to do the exact OPPOSITE of what other people told her to. Oh, and, there was this DYING girl--but she doesn't give a shit. She only cares that the guy she likes is tending to said dying girl.
Character development? Where!? All of the characters felt dry and one-dimensional. If they were developed to the slightest bit, they died and we didn't get more from them.
I did enjoy Dorothy Must Die's concept. It's brilliant, right? I loved picturing the graphic descriptions regarding the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow... Oz is a creepy place and I would not want to live there. Despite the amazing potential the setting and plot had, I think the execution was kind of flat. Although there were the right amount of descriptions, I couldn't get a grasp of how Oz felt like. I didn't get the sense of a magical world with rich characters--rather, I felt like I was reading about a dry desert with a girl who lived alone. Everything just lacked substance for me.
What else--oh, yes. I didn't particularly feel like Dorothy was "evil" at all. She was just like some deranged attention-seeking bitch. And I definitely DO NOT appreciate how her character was portrayed as sort of a slut (a lot of cleavage was mentioned). Nope. Not how I picture an evil Dorothy at all.
"For the Crime of Sass, This Monkey Is Hereby Sentenced to Official Attitude Adjustment. Do Not Tamper. By Royal Order of Princess Dorothy."
Does that sound evil to you? No? Deranged bitch is more like it, right?
Wondering about the romance? HA. Insta-attraction, insta-jealousy--I can't even begin to describe how much this aspect bothered me. This is one of those books that do not need romance to make it interesting, okay? Nox, the love interest, was so boring and predictable. It was obvious that he would be the brooding love interest and that he would eventually like her back--a typical male lead. Nothing special at all.
This book did have those little details that I appreciated, hence my non-DNF rating for the book. For example:
> Characters were realistic and betrayed one another to save themselves. We would probably do that to, if we're being honest.
> Amy didn't magically turn into super-girl during tough situations. She was initially weak and admitted that a life-or-death situation wouldn't suddenly give her super strength.
> There was a good amount of descriptions for me to picture the creepy and disturbing things the people of Oz have become. There was some action and gore as well.
Dorothy Must Die was a waste of potential, if you ask me. So much could have been done with the book, but ultimately it lacked the flair I'm looking for in retellings of my favorite childhood stories.
---
In a nutshell:
Looking for a story to ruin your childhood and turn all you've ever known into something dark? Give this a shot. It's a book you'll either love or hate, though.
October 4, 2020
No iba con muchas expectativas ya que la historia de Oz nunca ha sido de mis favoritas, pero sí me resultó muy atractiva la sinopsis con ese aire oscuro y donde los personajes buenos ahora son los malos y vice versa.
Así, empecé muy bien, conociendo a Amy Gumm, una adolescente de nuestra época con bastantes problemas de socialización, que es objeto de burlas por parte de algunas compañeras de instituto por su situación vulnerable: vive en una caravana junto a su madre, quien ha ido cayendo en una espiral de autodestrucción desde que el padre de Amy las abandonó para formar una nueva familia. Sin embargo, cuando Amy llegó a Oz, me daban ganas de gritarle “Oye chica, ¡asómbrate un poco!”. De verdad, el tornado podría haberla dejado en Disney World y creo que se habría sorprendido más.
En Oz, Amy irá conociendo a diversos personajes que le dejan claro que no es el lugar idílico de la película, por el contrario, hay escenas bastante gore, y Amy se verá forzada a aliarse con los antiguos personajes “malos” para ayudarles a cumplir su objetivo: Dorothy debe morir.
En general fue una lectura con muchos altibajos a la hora de mantener mi interés, cada vez que tenía la esperanza de que despegara, volvía a sumirse en capítulos que, si bien no podría calificar de aburridos, sí eran bastante manidos, poco originales y sin mucho encanto. De todas maneras, pasada la mitad del libro, se puede seguir un argumento bastante más llamativo y, definitivamente, sólo son las últimas 100 páginas las que lograron que me importara el destino de los personajes, tanto así que no descarto leer las demás entregas de la saga. Sólo por eso mis tres estrellas (que si no se habrían quedado en dos).
Respecto del estilo de la autora… ni fu ni fa… lo habitual que se encuentra en las novelas YA; se agradece el sarcasmo de la protagonista, pero no es una narrativa que cautive.
Así, empecé muy bien, conociendo a Amy Gumm, una adolescente de nuestra época con bastantes problemas de socialización, que es objeto de burlas por parte de algunas compañeras de instituto por su situación vulnerable: vive en una caravana junto a su madre, quien ha ido cayendo en una espiral de autodestrucción desde que el padre de Amy las abandonó para formar una nueva familia. Sin embargo, cuando Amy llegó a Oz, me daban ganas de gritarle “Oye chica, ¡asómbrate un poco!”. De verdad, el tornado podría haberla dejado en Disney World y creo que se habría sorprendido más.
En Oz, Amy irá conociendo a diversos personajes que le dejan claro que no es el lugar idílico de la película, por el contrario, hay escenas bastante gore, y Amy se verá forzada a aliarse con los antiguos personajes “malos” para ayudarles a cumplir su objetivo: Dorothy debe morir.
En general fue una lectura con muchos altibajos a la hora de mantener mi interés, cada vez que tenía la esperanza de que despegara, volvía a sumirse en capítulos que, si bien no podría calificar de aburridos, sí eran bastante manidos, poco originales y sin mucho encanto. De todas maneras, pasada la mitad del libro, se puede seguir un argumento bastante más llamativo y, definitivamente, sólo son las últimas 100 páginas las que lograron que me importara el destino de los personajes, tanto así que no descarto leer las demás entregas de la saga. Sólo por eso mis tres estrellas (que si no se habrían quedado en dos).
Respecto del estilo de la autora… ni fu ni fa… lo habitual que se encuentra en las novelas YA; se agradece el sarcasmo de la protagonista, pero no es una narrativa que cautive.
October 20, 2014
EDIT 20/10/2014: Reason for change in rating in comment 9. My original thoughts on this book can be found below:
4.5 stars
I've had my eye on Dorothy Must Die for a while now. Ever since the blurb came out, I've been eagerly anticipating the release because the premise sounds fucking fantastic. A dark retelling of The Wizard of Oz, an evil Dorothy and an assassination mission.
My expectations were sky-high and Dorothy Must Die delivered.
Its world-building is on par with the likes of Splintered, a dark Alice in Wonderland retelling. But where Splintered failed with its over-the-top romance drama, Dorothy Must Die kicks blushing and feelings to the curb and focuses solely on the main point: opening a can of buttwhoop on Dorothy.
Paige spares nothing in showing us just how dark and twisted this Oz is. There are no singing munchkins or serene Good witches. Winged monkeys cut off their own wings to avoid being enslaved. People are melted for not abiding to Dorothy's laws. The Scarecrow liquidates the brains of others to make himself smarter. And when people die, it's not quiet and peaceful with time to whisper a few broken words of encouragement to the heroine.
It's bloody and gruesome. The way wars are supposed to be.
Because this is war. Amy Gumm is just a normal girl living in Kansas, until one day, a tornado plops her in Oz. She's soon recruited by the Order of the Wicked to kill the tyrannical Dorothy and get Oz back to the way it was.
What I love about Amy is that she's tough, but holds the ability to be compassionate at the same time. She grew up in a trailer so she's used to taking shit from people. But she fights back when the time calls for it. She's not stupidly heroic or self-sacrificing for no good reason. She has a mission to do and she's damn well not going to screw it up for the sake of saving one person. She has perspective.
Yet that doesn't mean Amy is not good-hearted. When she first came to Oz, she freed a winged monkey from his punishment because she couldn't stand to see him in pain. She helps others when she can afford to. And when she fucks up, she acknowledges it and learns from her mistakes. Amy is a competent and sympathetic heroine, and I rooted for her even when her actions were morally wrong. You can't always stand from a moral high ground when you're a spy in enemy territory. You do what it takes to stay alive and complete your mission. That's it.
Also, I love the whole Good and Evil segregation. It reminded me of The School for Good and Evil. What makes us Good and what makes us Bad? Is there no in-between? And when does "For the Greater Good" cross over the line?
That's why the whole Dorothy-being-gorgeous thing didn't really bug me. It's a like a facade because like in the School of Good and Evil, 'Good' is always beautiful. Though I do think the makeover Amy gets while at the Wicked headquarters is largely unnecessary and only serves to further the romance.
Speaking of the romance, that's the only complaint I have for this book. It could've been better played out and I never felt any real chemistry between Amy and Nox. It was like the author just stuffed it in because, hey, every YA book needs a romance. Props for good development though. And I'm probably going to be booed for saying this, but I sort of wish there had been more love-dovey time. A balance along the lines of The Iron King would've been perfect. Just maybe not the semi insta-love part.
To wrap things up, Dorothy Must Die is a brilliant debut for Wizard of Oz fans and non-fans alike. If you loved the fantastical world of The Iron King and Splintered, you will definitely enjoy what Oz has to offer.
Be warned that it's part of a series so it might read like of a set up for future installments. But a kickass one all the same.
4.5 stars
I've had my eye on Dorothy Must Die for a while now. Ever since the blurb came out, I've been eagerly anticipating the release because the premise sounds fucking fantastic. A dark retelling of The Wizard of Oz, an evil Dorothy and an assassination mission.
My expectations were sky-high and Dorothy Must Die delivered.
Its world-building is on par with the likes of Splintered, a dark Alice in Wonderland retelling. But where Splintered failed with its over-the-top romance drama, Dorothy Must Die kicks blushing and feelings to the curb and focuses solely on the main point: opening a can of buttwhoop on Dorothy.
Paige spares nothing in showing us just how dark and twisted this Oz is. There are no singing munchkins or serene Good witches. Winged monkeys cut off their own wings to avoid being enslaved. People are melted for not abiding to Dorothy's laws. The Scarecrow liquidates the brains of others to make himself smarter. And when people die, it's not quiet and peaceful with time to whisper a few broken words of encouragement to the heroine.
It's bloody and gruesome. The way wars are supposed to be.
Because this is war. Amy Gumm is just a normal girl living in Kansas, until one day, a tornado plops her in Oz. She's soon recruited by the Order of the Wicked to kill the tyrannical Dorothy and get Oz back to the way it was.
What I love about Amy is that she's tough, but holds the ability to be compassionate at the same time. She grew up in a trailer so she's used to taking shit from people. But she fights back when the time calls for it. She's not stupidly heroic or self-sacrificing for no good reason. She has a mission to do and she's damn well not going to screw it up for the sake of saving one person. She has perspective.
Yet that doesn't mean Amy is not good-hearted. When she first came to Oz, she freed a winged monkey from his punishment because she couldn't stand to see him in pain. She helps others when she can afford to. And when she fucks up, she acknowledges it and learns from her mistakes. Amy is a competent and sympathetic heroine, and I rooted for her even when her actions were morally wrong. You can't always stand from a moral high ground when you're a spy in enemy territory. You do what it takes to stay alive and complete your mission. That's it.
Also, I love the whole Good and Evil segregation. It reminded me of The School for Good and Evil. What makes us Good and what makes us Bad? Is there no in-between? And when does "For the Greater Good" cross over the line?
That's why the whole Dorothy-being-gorgeous thing didn't really bug me. It's a like a facade because like in the School of Good and Evil, 'Good' is always beautiful. Though I do think the makeover Amy gets while at the Wicked headquarters is largely unnecessary and only serves to further the romance.
Speaking of the romance, that's the only complaint I have for this book. It could've been better played out and I never felt any real chemistry between Amy and Nox. It was like the author just stuffed it in because, hey, every YA book needs a romance. Props for good development though. And I'm probably going to be booed for saying this, but I sort of wish there had been more love-dovey time. A balance along the lines of The Iron King would've been perfect. Just maybe not the semi insta-love part.
To wrap things up, Dorothy Must Die is a brilliant debut for Wizard of Oz fans and non-fans alike. If you loved the fantastical world of The Iron King and Splintered, you will definitely enjoy what Oz has to offer.
Be warned that it's part of a series so it might read like of a set up for future installments. But a kickass one all the same.
December 4, 2018
Una vez más la popularidad hace que un libro sea muy atractivo, pero en cuanto le pones un ojo encima descubres la verdad y no siempre es buena.
Eso pasó con la historia de Dorothy de este libro.
Me prometieron cosas que nunca pasaron y eso fue lo más decepcionante.
No se avanza mucho en la trama, los personajes están muy por encima y no hay forma de conocerlos.
La protagonista es insípida y no logra gran cosa en su camino, quizá la explicación a todo se encuentre en su continuación pero como no quise leerla, solo me quedé hasta donde terminó este libro.
Todos conocemos la historia original, y al menos esta versión no funcionó para mi.
Eso pasó con la historia de Dorothy de este libro.
Me prometieron cosas que nunca pasaron y eso fue lo más decepcionante.
No se avanza mucho en la trama, los personajes están muy por encima y no hay forma de conocerlos.
La protagonista es insípida y no logra gran cosa en su camino, quizá la explicación a todo se encuentre en su continuación pero como no quise leerla, solo me quedé hasta donde terminó este libro.
Todos conocemos la historia original, y al menos esta versión no funcionó para mi.
August 10, 2016
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
3.5 Stars
“Those who have sacrificed always have the most to lose”.
Amy Gumm has a pretty crappy life. She lives in a trailer park in BFE, Kansas, is being raised by a mother who is hooked on pills, and spends her days at school being bullied by a pregnant cheerleader. There’s not much to look forward to when she wakes up each morning.
Amy finds herself in a whole new world – literally – when her single-wide is swept up in a tornado
(with less sharks)
and deposits her in the middle of Oz. But this Oz isn’t quite the same as the one Amy grew up hearing about. Dorothy and her gang are definitely a little different
Okay, maybe not that different, but different in the fact that “words like Good and Wicked [have] lost their meaning” and the only thing that matters now is right and wrong. It’s up to Amy to determine who to trust (if anyone) and just how far she will go in order to save the land of Oz. Along the way she’ll cross paths with some familiar characters
and get a helping hand from one or two unexpected allies
Growing up I loved old movies – especially musicals. Excluding two – “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Sound of Music”. Somehow both of these films have become “holiday classics” that I avoid like the plague. I can only assume it’s karma coming back on me for being pure evil. At this point in my life I’d rather stick a fork in my own eyeball than to have to watch Little Miss Goody Two Shoes (ha! I crack myself up) Dorothy traipse her way around Oz ever again. That’s why, when I heard of this anti-Dorothy tale, I COULD. NOT. WAIT. to get my grubby little hands all over it. And boy am I glad I did. Super fun, fast-paced, simply bubbling over with awesome. I really should be nice and give it a full 4 Stars, but I’m letting my inner-wicked-witch-flag-fly and bumping it down for two reasons: (1) I HATE books in a series and this one is so completely open-ended that I’m pretty much forced to read book #2; and (2) at some point authors have to realize that if they create a fabulous world filled with fantastic characters, they don’t need to muddy the waters worrying about who is going to be playing smoochy-face with whom by the end of the series. Just let the characters kick ass and take names.
3.5 Stars
“Those who have sacrificed always have the most to lose”.
Amy Gumm has a pretty crappy life. She lives in a trailer park in BFE, Kansas, is being raised by a mother who is hooked on pills, and spends her days at school being bullied by a pregnant cheerleader. There’s not much to look forward to when she wakes up each morning.
Amy finds herself in a whole new world – literally – when her single-wide is swept up in a tornado
(with less sharks)
and deposits her in the middle of Oz. But this Oz isn’t quite the same as the one Amy grew up hearing about. Dorothy and her gang are definitely a little different
Okay, maybe not that different, but different in the fact that “words like Good and Wicked [have] lost their meaning” and the only thing that matters now is right and wrong. It’s up to Amy to determine who to trust (if anyone) and just how far she will go in order to save the land of Oz. Along the way she’ll cross paths with some familiar characters
and get a helping hand from one or two unexpected allies
Growing up I loved old movies – especially musicals. Excluding two – “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Sound of Music”. Somehow both of these films have become “holiday classics” that I avoid like the plague. I can only assume it’s karma coming back on me for being pure evil. At this point in my life I’d rather stick a fork in my own eyeball than to have to watch Little Miss Goody Two Shoes (ha! I crack myself up) Dorothy traipse her way around Oz ever again. That’s why, when I heard of this anti-Dorothy tale, I COULD. NOT. WAIT. to get my grubby little hands all over it. And boy am I glad I did. Super fun, fast-paced, simply bubbling over with awesome. I really should be nice and give it a full 4 Stars, but I’m letting my inner-wicked-witch-flag-fly and bumping it down for two reasons: (1) I HATE books in a series and this one is so completely open-ended that I’m pretty much forced to read book #2; and (2) at some point authors have to realize that if they create a fabulous world filled with fantastic characters, they don’t need to muddy the waters worrying about who is going to be playing smoochy-face with whom by the end of the series. Just let the characters kick ass and take names.
August 31, 2017
Im rating this book 4.5 stars.
May 23, 2020
I WAS EXCITED TO GO BACK TO OZ, BUT GOT A DIFFERENT OZ THAN I EXPECTED
There were elements of this book that I really liked - the not knowing who was good and who was, the new role Dorothy was cast in and the main character Amy (in some instances at least) - and then there were elements I really didn't like. Was saddened me the most about this book was that it had such great potential, but for some reason I just didn't see it fulfilled. It wasn't a bad book and I think I'll finish the series all the same. It just didn't live up to my expectations.
👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍
Ambiguity: Who were the good guys and who were the bad guys of this story? I love that I can't answer that question. Amy, our heroine, is taken from Kansas by a tornado to Oz and falls right into the middle of a great power struggle with multiple sides, all claiming to be doing what's best for Oz. The fact that neither Amy nor myself could tell who were actually doing the right thing had me interested.
Amy: I'll be completely honest, I don't love Amy. I went back and forth between liking her and being annoyed by her. I liked her when she showed sass and stood up for what she believed was right. I really didn't like her when she mooned over the mysterious Nox, who showed her little to no regard or affection. In the end I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and list her among the things I liked.
Premise: The idea of an Oz turned on its head because Dorothy had gone wicked was very intriguing. I only wish it had been executed a bit better.
👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎
Oz: I remember both reading the books and watching the movie when I was younger and loving the whimsy of Oz, the magic and the characters. In this book I liked that the characters were so altered, but I was much disliked how much extra stuff was stuffed into Oz. It didn't feel like Oz anymore because so much extra had been piled upon it. If only Paige had kept to the tried and true Oz-mythology in stead of starting to invent her own, I would have been so much happier.
That special something: I know this is really mean, because I cannot pinpoint it exactly - but I was missing something extra. That something, that made this one of those books, that I just couldn't put down. In stead, this was one of those books were I found myself skimming large portions of it because I just wanted to be done.
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There were elements of this book that I really liked - the not knowing who was good and who was, the new role Dorothy was cast in and the main character Amy (in some instances at least) - and then there were elements I really didn't like. Was saddened me the most about this book was that it had such great potential, but for some reason I just didn't see it fulfilled. It wasn't a bad book and I think I'll finish the series all the same. It just didn't live up to my expectations.
"Oz - where all your worst nightmares can come true."
- Amy
👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍
Ambiguity: Who were the good guys and who were the bad guys of this story? I love that I can't answer that question. Amy, our heroine, is taken from Kansas by a tornado to Oz and falls right into the middle of a great power struggle with multiple sides, all claiming to be doing what's best for Oz. The fact that neither Amy nor myself could tell who were actually doing the right thing had me interested.
Amy: I'll be completely honest, I don't love Amy. I went back and forth between liking her and being annoyed by her. I liked her when she showed sass and stood up for what she believed was right. I really didn't like her when she mooned over the mysterious Nox, who showed her little to no regard or affection. In the end I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and list her among the things I liked.
Premise: The idea of an Oz turned on its head because Dorothy had gone wicked was very intriguing. I only wish it had been executed a bit better.
👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎
Oz: I remember both reading the books and watching the movie when I was younger and loving the whimsy of Oz, the magic and the characters. In this book I liked that the characters were so altered, but I was much disliked how much extra stuff was stuffed into Oz. It didn't feel like Oz anymore because so much extra had been piled upon it. If only Paige had kept to the tried and true Oz-mythology in stead of starting to invent her own, I would have been so much happier.
That special something: I know this is really mean, because I cannot pinpoint it exactly - but I was missing something extra. That something, that made this one of those books, that I just couldn't put down. In stead, this was one of those books were I found myself skimming large portions of it because I just wanted to be done.
Follow me for more book loving content!
Blog ✨ Facebook ✨ Instagram ✨ Twitter
Blog Post: 12 Kick Ass Female Characters
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