Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Hey guys! Today I'm gonna be talking about Dorothy Must Die, the first book in the Dorothy Must Die series by Danielle Paige!!!

Synopsis

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 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

Review

You can tell by the title of the book itself that this is a re-telling of a classic story. We (or most of us) know Dorothy Gale, as the girl from Kansas. I've seen enough Wizard of Oz films to be aware of her bubbly and air-headed personality as well. But what if, after some time, Oz becomes someplace entirely different? Permanent Smiles, wingless winged-monkeys, goth Munchkins, and many other twisted things are entwined within the pages of Dorothy Must Die.

The story's heroine is Amy Gumm, the OTHER girl from Kansas. She has an iron fist (figuratively) and pink hair. She gets caught up in a massive tornado, and that's when she wakes up in a completely different world. Guess which one I'm referring to? Oz.

From then on, she discovers how this Oz foils the Oz from the books and movies. She meets a peculiar troupe of "people", and eventually gets mixed up with the Wicked witches, who turn out to be the Good ones. It's a pretty messed up story, by the way.

Basically, I liked this book because of its high-octane pacing, which is evident even in the earliest chapters. The characterization and world-building are also written nicely, although I could have liked Amy more if I could imagine what she looks like, aside from her pink hair. Also, the love story tidbits between Amy and **** are wonderful. I feel that **** is a really strong person, as well as the other ones (Glamora is a really cool name!!!!).

By the ending chapters, you'll find out Dorothy's true nature. You'd want to gut her (like me). GAH. She's so annoying!!! Don't get me wrong though. I like her as an antagonist. She's fierce, smart, merciless, and angry. Based on intentions, she's the exact opposite of Amy.

Lastly, I'm pretty impressed by the fact that Danielle's world-building is so accurate. Every detail was stick to the original series. Except for Dorothy's turf, of course. Other than that, I think that this book is like the continuation of the classics!

I'd recommend this book to anyone fond of re-tellings, as well as those who aren't afraid to read SOME gore. Honestly, it's a really really nice read!

Rating

I rate this re-telling 3.8/5 grenades!! I got really into it, but I think that there's still room for improvement, such as vivid characterization and organization. Still, it's good!!!! (I'm rounding it up for the picture)

About the author

Danielle 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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