Book Title: Dorothy Must Die
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: Harper Collins
Number of pages: 452
Genre: fantasy, retellings, young adult, magic, fairytale
Release Date: March 31st, 2015
Favorite Quotes: **Stay tuned for my next post because there were way too many favorite quotes to choose from**
Goodreads Synopsis:
The New York Times bestselling first book in a dark new series that reimagines the Oz saga, from debut author Danielle Paige.
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 a road of yellow brick—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. And—Dorothy must die.
My review:
5/5 stars
This book initially takes place in Kansas, with the protagonist Amy Gumm, who believes there isn’t really anything extraordinary about her life and where she comes from. One day, Amy is whisked away in her trailer by a tornado and dropped off in the land of Oz. Amy comes to find out that the story of Dorothy and her ruby red slippers was actually true. However, the story of Dorothy never ended with Dorothy going back home to Kansas, instead, she comes back to Oz and takes control over the land and it’s magic. She does so with the help of Glinda the good witch, the Lion, the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow. This realization completely throws Amy for a loop because she never could have imagined Dorothy ruling over the land in such a way.
Throughout this book, Amy learns that not everything is what it seems. That sometimes, those who appear to be Good may be Wicked and vice versa. She ends up questioning so much in her life and what she learns while in Oz. Amy meets a group of witches and Ozians who are all a part of the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked who are attempting to overthrow Dorothy and her followers. Amy must come to terms with who she is and where she comes from in order to help the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
There are so many themes throughout this book that all coincide with one another, and Paige does such an exquisite job with this. She seamlessly writes Dorothy as though she is a tyrannical leader and the lion, scarecrow and the tin woodsman are her loyal followers. I would say there is definitely an underlying political theme to this book, which I thought was really unique based on who the characters are. I liked that Paige wrote the main character as being unsure of who she is in order to overthrow the ruler rather than someone who is initially a “go-getter” personality. No matter the age, I think a lot of people can relate to Amy and what she is going through to a situation in one’s everyday life.
I had a hard time writing this review because I really wanted to give this book justice without giving away too many specific details. One last thing though, I was so engrossed in this book that when I reached the end of a page, I thought I was moving onto the next chapter, but it turned out it was the acknowledgments page!!! With that said, I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, The Wicked Will Rise.
Don’t forget to stay tuned for my favorite quotes in my next post (since there were so many).
Happy Reading!! And don’t forget to check out “Dorothy Must Die” by Danielle Paige.
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