ARC, 452 pages
Release Date: April 1, 2014Published by: HarperTeenDorothy Must Die, #1Source: Around the World ARC ToursFor fans of: Re-tellings, Fantasy, Action, AdventureI 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 blue birds. 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 the yellow brick road, though—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:
Remove the Tin Woodman’s heart.Steal the Scarecrow’s brain.Take the Lion’s courage.Then and only then—Dorothy must die!
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I saw this book was coming out I was a little excited. I love re-tellings and I love The Wizard of Oz. So two of my favorite things together adding to the fact that there is a hint of evil in it makes it even better. This was my most anticipated read of 2014 and I was NOT disappointed.
“‘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.“
pg. 5
My favorite thing about this book was the characters. I loved the re-imagining of them. All of the main characters like Dorothy, The Scarecrow, The Lion, and The TinMan were all creepy and the characters that Amy meets up with are all cool. And when I say creepy, I mean CREEPY. There were some points I couldn’t believe that Paige went there, but the object of the story was to make those lovable creatures that we know and love into something weird and scary,and dude, she succeeded.
“‘If you have to be alone though, wouldn’t you rather be alone with friends?“
pg. 123
I also loved the way the story was told. When I saw that the book was supposed to be made into a series I was a little scared. I read the back and saw that there was a certain way to do things and I was thinking to stretch that out over an entire series would include a lot of fluff. It was an issue I actually had from the prequel No Place Like Oz. But this one actually did not have too much fluff, it just set the stage for the next books in the series. Which is now what I’m scared for. What could possibly go on in those books. But clearly Paige’s imagination is wonderful and amazing and hopefully I won’t have to be afraid.
“‘Good and evil were always changing places with each other.“
pg. 252
I also liked the twists and turns. I had my suspicions with a certain person, but I could never pinpoint it. But in the end when the secret was revealed, I was definitely in shock. Any book that can keep me guessing and still surprise me is a winner in my book.
“‘Those who have sacrificed always have the most to lose.“
pg. 298
And of course, I wanted to save the best for last. The world building in this is phenomenal. It may be a re-imagining of a beautiful fantasy world, but the way she made if differently will stay with me forever. Especially the Scarecrow’s lab. *shudders* Her visions made an imprint on me and I will not think of these characters and their home the same.
“Doing Good had been uglier than I’d expected it to be. And the price… the price now was feeling like I needed to always be looking over my shoulder.“
pg. 365
Everything about the story was amazing. It came to be a lot better than I thought it would be. The characters were great and easy to relate to, the plot was easy to follow with some unexpected twists, and the world building was great as well. The only thing that made me nervous is the setup for the next books. Let’s hope they’re as great as the first.
Overall, I give this
Will you read this? What do you think of the original? Are you a fan of re-tellings? What part are you most looking forward to in this book? Let me know! I love discussions!
Oh awesome review!! This is my most anticipated debut of the year so far! I am head over heels for it and since reading the prequel novella earlier this month, I'm even more excited!! I've already preordered my copy which promises to arrive on release day so I can't wait to get started with it next week! Gotta time my reading right so that I will be ready for it when I come home Tuesday and start it on Wednesday.
Again, great review!!