Wendy Darling's Reviews > Dorothy Must Die

Okay you don't know me because I don't comment on things much, but I'm really glad you are liking this bc I love your reviews and I'm so stoked for this book.

Well hi, Elisa. *waves* You're so sweet!

And yessss, I'm really enjoying this so far. I don't want to get too excited in case things go south, but this is looking great. It's one of those premises where it could go either way, but the author has done a fantastic job of reimagining a skewed Oz. Hopefully it stays amazing.

I look forward to reading your eventual review!

Also, did you happen to read the prequel?

No, I'll read it after this. I always feel that if the character in a prequel is different from the MC in the novel (and antagonist in this case), it's sometimes better to read the main thing first. I've seen some middling reactions to that prequel, so I wonder if I was right to wait in this case--it seems like something that might be better as a companion piece, even if sequentially the events come first. Pure speculation on my part, though!

I'm really intrigued by this book and will definitely check it out now when I can. I find reimaginings generally either really work for me or don't, but I love them when they do work and put an entirely new spin on something I already knew. Hopefully it will come to the UK soon

Ooh..now I can't wait to read this!

Can't wait to read this! Have the prequel on my kindle waiting for me. So glad you liked it!!!

Lucy--same here. I am always interested in retellings, but they rarely work for me either. I hope it gets published in the UK soon, too!

Krishna, Devon--it's really good. I've seen some mixed reactions to the prequel, but I wonder if it's because it's better read after you've read the book? I'm going to read that soon to see!

*flails* I'm stalking this book. I wants :)

As a huge fan of the Oz books, I'm so relieved to see that you like this. I thought that having silver slippers on the cover instead of ruby was probably a good sign.

Shelby--just six weeks or so until it's out!

Sesana--yeah, the silver slippers were the thing that have me hope when I saw them. I was going to point that out in my review, it is indicative of the authors knowledge--and love--of the canon. Lots of great touches that book fans will appreciate, but she truly makes them her own. So well done! I'm quite certain this will satisfy Oz fans.

That's so exciting! It's always disappointing when somebody does a take on something you really really love and doesn't seem to understand or even like the original.

Agreed. That seems to be the case with a lot of retellings I've tried.

*crosses my fingers* It seems like we don't drastically deviate in our opinions, so hopefully I will end up liking this as well ^_^

Out of curiosity, I just checked our ratings compatibility and we're at 75%! Which isn't too bad.

This sounds like a great read! I always look for opportunities to reading retellings coz I like to observe for myself how good authors really are at doing retelling. Based on a small number of success in that area, I assume it is not easy.

Looking forward to your full review, Wendy!

I've been so nervous and excited about reading this, so I'm glad you liked it, Wendy. =)

Nur Ain--yes, retelling is an art in and of itself. I don't usually have much luck with them, but this one was really fantastic! Review will be up early next month.

Matthew--yes, lots of projects on the pipeline. This one's been optioned by the CW for a television show, and I think there's a ton of potential here if they handle it well.

Sam--I didn't expect to like this either, this projects can so easily go either. It's VERY funny, and in a casual way, which is sort of my favorite kind.

Rose--I went in without much expectations (best that way for these things, right?), but I'm so pleased to say that I thought it was really fantastic. I'm pretty sure you'll love it, too.

Skyla--just six more weeks or so!

I love your mini review Wendy! I knew reading this book would be good, but you just make me intrigued even more after what you inquired. I must have it NOW! lol

Oh, good! I figured I would put what I'd want to know from a mini review, so I'm glad to help whet your appetite, Rhiannon. ;)

So glad to hear a positive review, I was so afraid this awesome idea for a book would tank!

I dismissed this one as soon as I saw the title & cover. I thought,"laaaame!"

Glad I saw your review, now I'm interested.
Please please please....Are there any flying monkeys?

I was afraid of that too, Kristin--it so easily could have been horrible. I kept marveling as I read it about how awesome it was, though. :)

Tandie--nope! It's really great, I'm as surprised by it as you are, hah. And let me put it this way...there are monkeys. More than that, I won't say.

Very excited about this one!

Monkeys.....YES!

When you will post a full review? :D

I'm glad, Julie! It's fantastic.

Tandie--you have no idea...

Jessie, I currently have the review scheduled for March 10th! I'll post a summary and link here on GoodReads when it's up. :) I'm really excited to write it. So much good stuff to share.

I've been really excited to read this one for a while, the description is AMAZING, in my opinion. The thing with the yellow brick road on it in your pic, is that a box???

I am so excited to read this book. I love anything to do with Oz.

I won this! I'm really stoked after reading your review :-D

Tandie wrote: "I won this! I'm really stoked after reading your review :-D"

I wanted to win it SO BAD! :( Now I'll have to go out and buy it like all the other regular folk.

Danielle--yes! The ARC came in an awesome box with shredded blue paper inside. It is SO worth buying, though, I promise you.

Tandie, you lucky duck. I'm excited for you, and make sure you tag me if I miss seeing your review!

Just preordered this on amazon. Can't wait to read it!

Hey Jessie--I think my review is going to be pushed to next week, March 17th, just FYI since you were asking! I'm going to swap and post my Rebel Belle thingy on Monday instead because I have some other stuff going on.

Girl on Fire--I'm excited for everyone to read this, too! I thought it was fantastic, and I'm pretty sure Oz fans are going to respond well to it.

Felicia--yay! I'm glad you're going to get your hands on it as soon as it's available. :) Let me know if you enjoy it.

I've followed your reviews for a while but never really commented. I read the prequel and enjoyed it. I'm glad to see you liked this one! I'm a huge Oz fan (both the books and the film) so I have high hopes for this one. Really looking forward to it! The Gingham ribbon on the ARC is such a cute touch!

Aw. Hi Ashley Rose! I'm glad you said hello. :)

It's good to hear you enjoyed the prequel! I've seen a couple of mixed ratings in passing, but I wasn't sure what to think--sometimes these novellas work better if you've already read the book, even if timeline-wise they come first. As a fan, you're probably more familiar with the story and such than most, though. I think I may download and read it before I post my review.

And YES the gingham ribbon was the perfect touch! And the box came in this shiny royal blue bubble envelope as well. It was all perfect.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. I suspect most fans of the stories will.

I'm quite ashamed to admit this, Wendy. But would you think this book would still appeal to me even though I haven't finish yet the Wizard of Oz movie nor the book. I do know the song though. *facepalm*

Absolutely! As I said, it'll be appealing whether you're fans of the book/movie or not. So it's really just whether you like the story and the way it's written, which...I think you will. (And hi!!)

Oh dear! (view spoiler)[The Lion just ate a guard's eyeball. (hide spoiler)]
Aside from the spoiler thing, I'm loving it.

Spoiler tags, Tandie! @_@

I'm glad you're enjoying, though. :)

Sorry, I wasn't thinking about that being a spoiler. Definitly an appetite spoiler! Fixed it :-)

Ooh, I've seen tons of rave reviews for this one. I must admit that I've been sitting on the fence with this one because, well, my beloved Dorothy is being cast as the villain, but then again, I am starting Tiger Lily soon and from what I've heard, Wendy is pretty much maligned, so I reckon I can definitely give this one a try. In any case, the reviews have been too good for me to ignore this one. Looking forward to your review Wendy. :)

Thanks Tandie!

And oh, I just posted my review to the blog, Tammy. I should update the GR space above. I bet you'll like this, though.

http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2014...

I got a preview of this at YallFest and was waiting until closer to release time to read it...looks like I may want to! Enjoyed your review Wendy :)

Wendy Darling wrote: "Out of curiosity, I just checked our ratings compatibility and we're at 75%! Which isn't too bad."

When you or Khahn give a book 4+ stars, it's an automatic read for me! (Unless it's subject is an emotional trigger for me.)

Brandi--cool! I hope you get your hands on it soon, Brandi. I linked to the first 12 chapters of the book on the blog review, too.

Tandie--that's so funny, since Khanh and I seem to disagree about books often. But I suppose if both of us like something, maybe it's a sure thing for you. ;)

So, I've been seeing a lot of good reviews for this one, but I'm hesitant because I'm not really a fan of The Wizard of Oz. Do you think this would appeal to someone who isn't already a fan of Oz in one or more of its other incarnations or is it more fun to see how a favorite world and favorite characters are reimagined?

Hey Elena, I think non-Oz fans can still enjoy this, as long as you are okay with some very classic fairy tale like structure and settings. It feels like a very contemporary story and the narration is modern, but then you have weirdo things like proclamations of A Fate Worse Than Death, if you see what I mean. I linked to the first 12 chapters of the book on the blog, in case you're interested in trying it out. Give it until after she reaches Oz, at least--it's like 30ish pages, I think. Not too long.

Matthew--I know! As if the book itself weren't exciting enough.

Hi Wendy... I really enjoy your reviews, and I would like to be friends on Goodreads with you. I read your policy that you usually do not friend people with under 50 thoughtful reviews. Well, I'm busy reviewing a ton of books right now, but I can't figure out how to create the formal reviews. Instead, I rate the books using the 1-5 stars and then comment my official written review on my own rating page. I just wanted to let you know that until I figure out how to formally review books, my reviews will be on the comments page of my ratings. Thanks for taking the time to read this... I really appreciate it! I hope you can friend me!

This book was great. Im shocked people found it boring. I def recommend that ppl read it. You'll be reading well into the night like i was. Lol