You are in for a special treat today, my friendly flying-monkeys. We’re going to talk about Oz! And Witches! And the evilness of pink! And Dorothy! And basically one of my new favourite retellings! EXCITED? I AM EXCITED.
Also, just a little teeny tiny note: I live in Australia, which is often abbreviated to Oz because Australians are lazy and why say 4 syllables when you can say 1? so basically YES, I live in Oz. My sister even has red Dorothy-ish shoes. Not sure about the broom, but who knows? Anything is possible.
But onwards, shall we?
Dorothy Must Die is a delightfully creeptastic retelling of The Wizard of Oz.
Basically it messes with everything you think you know about Oz. The creeptastic vibe reminded me of the Splintered by AG Howard series. You know the drill: fun happy classic = MAKE IT FREAKY MWHA HA HA.
I won Dorothy Must Die last year, and basically procrastinated reading it FOREVER (because I’m a deluded pineapple) but in the end? It was amazing and perfect and I loved it. It’s an epic retelling. So, so creepy and dark, which is perfect.
Basically the book is about a girl, Amy Gumm, who gets sucked into a tornado and tossed into Oz…after Dorothy.
It’s the “then what happened story” of Oz. Dorothy is a sadistic ruler with an affinity for lollypop pink. The Tinman and Lion and Scarecrow are all FREAKY. They torture people and do experiments and are just general not okay. Glinda is psychotic. The intoxicating amount of pink in Dorothy and Glinda’s decor is terrifying.
I love these twists. LOVE IT.
REASONS AMY GUMM IS FABULOUS:
- She’s sassy.
- She has an unmistakable pull towards the dark side.
- She can do magic and she wants to use it for good even though, well, she’s kinda wicked.
- She likes to help people, even if it involves chopping off their wings.
- She doesn’t sit down and let people trample her. SHE WILL FIGHT.
- Did I mention she starts the book as a dusty trailer-park kid, and ends seriously powerful and scary?! TELL ME THAT’S NOT AWESOME.
So then I got my little paws on the sequel, The Wicked Will Rise.
It was, OBVIOUSLY, downright marvellous. Sequel-blues is a real threat, but nope. This was just as gorgeous and vibrant as book 1. (A little quieter on the action front, but more in depth to the world building.)
There is a LOT of world-exploring here! New characters and new settings. YAAAAY. It’s incredibly imaginative. From having handkerchiefs that turn into tents, to people exploding in showers of glitter, to having beds that sort of cocoon and massage you (wantwantwant). It’s rich and lush and so well written.
But, um, I don’t ever want to go to this version of Oz.
The book waltzes in “grey areas”, which I love, but who is good?! WHO IS WICKED?! “Wicked” basically means “good”…or does it?! WHO IS THE WICKEDER? (That is totally a word, by the way.)
As always I love Amy. Her snark is a little more toned down in this one but a) she’s freaking tired after running around stabbing people, and b) she’s stressed out. I missed the humour, but her internal monologue is snippy and hilarious. And also there’s that little thing of AMY IS GETTING DARKER AND SCARIER. It’s soooo incredible. I love it when characters cross to the dark side. I mean, she’s trying not to cross, but pfft. She totally is.
OTHER CHARACTERS TO BRIEFLY NOTE:
- Mombi: Is a jerk and not very pleasant or present.
- Nox: I still feel “eh” about Nox and Amy’s romance. It feels…unnecessary to me? Like it’s just in there because that’s a prerequisite of YA. It doesn’t add to the story and they’re always awkward. Plus I don’t really know Nox. Uptight isn’t attractive. SO NOPE I DON’T SHIP ‘EM.
- Ozma: She’s a sweetie, and totally bonkers. Although Amy is so dismissive of her at first and only starts to care about Ozma when gets some of her power back. DON’T BE SO MEAN, AMY. Of course Ozma is definitely a wild card and kinda scary.
- Pete: I LOVE PETE. He’s one of my TOP favourite characters of this book!! I love his gangly gawkiness and his sweetie attitude and his mysteriousness and secrets.
Another thing I love about this book is how it’s actually focused on ACTION (!) and ADVENTURE (!) and CREEPY WORLD BUILDING (!!)
Sure there’s a smidge of romance, but it’s NOT the sole focus of the plot. Which is so refreshing. The plot is intense and always moving. And I’m also a huge fan of how most of the important characters are girls. (Fiiiinally.) And they’re not thinking ’bout boys, they’re off killing witches and saving lives and stabbing people. Fun times.
I’M DEFINITELY A HUGE FAN.
It has everything I want in a retelling: uniqueness, world-building, creepy twists, epic character development, action, characters toppling into the dark side, HEART BREAKING CHARACTER DEATHS (!!) and lots of wicked witches. And also all the evil people hate pink, and I kind of hate pink, so this makes me grin kind of wickedly.
Thank you HarperCollins for the review-copy of The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige! It hit shelves March 31st, 2015.
To make Oz a free land again, Amy Gumm was given a mission: remove the Tin Woodman’s heart, steal the Scarecrow’s brain, take the Lion’s courage, and then Dorothy must die….
But Dorothy still lives. Now the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked has vanished, and mysterious Princess Ozma might be Amy’s only ally. As Amy learns the truth about her mission, she realizes that she’s only just scratched the surface of Oz’s past—and that Kansas, the home she couldn’t wait to leave behind, may also be in danger. In a place where the line between good and evil shifts with just a strong gust of wind, who can Amy trust—and who is really Wicked?
Goodreads Dorothy Must Die on Goodreads Bookworld AU Book Depository HarperCollins
how do you feel about classics-turned-into-creepy-YA?? (spoiler: I LOVE IT) have you tried the Dorothy Must Die series? you should. it’s so wonderful. do you think pink is evil? ohhh, and hot question of the day: how do you feel about characters who turn villainous? yay or nay?
Cait @ Paper Fury
…is currently dyyying for the 3rd book of this series. She has so many questions! And she has NO idea how it’s going to end, but bets are on it being tragic. (Yesss please and thank you.) Besides thinking morbid Ozish thoughts, she’s watching Russian historical documentaries because she’s a NERD. Also research.
I read Dorothy Must Die a little while ago and 100 % loved it. I totally agree about the romance, and I really want to read the Wicked Will Rise. Complex good and evil is one of my favourite things in a book and I’m so glad that this delves into it. Twisted places and classics are fabulous, though I like the fairytale retellings a bit more. That said, one of my favourite reworked classic and a five star book for me is Across a Star Swept Sea. I also love all the classic retelling on youtube, because they’re fabulous
ooooohhhh Russia. Now I want to know more! One summer I was bored and wanted to teach myself cyrillic but it didn’t go very well. But Shadow and Bone has made me love russia, and I’ve been there and we did the revolution in History. History is amazing, I”m just saying’.
Shanti recently posted…How To Be Bad
Ohh, I adored the youtube Lizzie Bennet diaries. xD And I'm notoriously bad at shunning classics (particularly Jane Austen) so YAY FOR THAT VLOG SERIES IT CONVERTED ME. I have such immense love for Russian fantasy, basically Shadow & Bone but also Egg & Spoon. Russian fantasy should be done MORE.
I NEED TO READ THIS ONE. Obviously. Why have I not read it yet? It has literally been sitting on my shelf for about a year now and I have not even touched it. I think maybe because I heard some so-so things about it awhile back and wasn’t sure whether I’d read it or something. xD But I don’t know, Cait, I think you’ve convinced me. Because creepy worldbuilding? YES, PLEASE.
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I heard it was horrible when ti first come out. Like literally ALL the reviews were 2-stars and I ran away screaming. >_< HA I WAS SO DELUDED.
Aaaah but this sounds like SUCH A GREAT TWIST and I just want it so much. Characters going to the dark side are totally my thing, and this is just such an amazing subversive premise. The REAL question is, should I buy it and let it linger on my overly long TBR? Decisions, decisions.
Alyssa recently posted…Delivery Fangirl [2]: 5 Reasons for a Black Widow solo
I love it when they go darkside. Especially when it happens subtly and for the “right” reasons (omg, haha ah…nooooooo!!) DECISIONS ARE KILLER. Do you have a local library? I love my library.
This is an awesome review and I happen to be a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz, book and movie 🙂 I also love horror, so what a perfect combination! Can’t wait to read these, thanks for sharing!
AmandaSays
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The combination is just GORGEOUS. I would read any retelling if it was creepily retold like this. XD
RIGHT HOW GOOD IS IT? Well, I can’t speak for The Wicked Will Rise, but I LOVED Dorothy Must Die, which was excellent because I read a whole bunch of negative reviews. Although now I don’t remember half of it. BUT I NEED THE SEQUEL.
Emily @ Loony Literate recently posted…The Girl At Midnight Nail Art
I read soooo many negative reviews too. WHY IS THIS?!! WHERE THEY NOT READING WHAT I WAS READING?! GAH. But I'm really glad I basically read them within a week of each other because it's a Divergent-to-Insurgent sort of merge. 0_0
I’m super excited about The Wicked Will Rise now from your review, it sounds totally incredible and Amy going darker? WOWWW! I absolutely loved Dorothy Must Die when I read it next year. Can’t wait to read this one!
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SEROIUSLY DARKER. IT IS GLORIOUS. Um, wait…am I supposed to be okay with her darkness?!! Pfft. Wicked is good. (WAIT. WRONG FANDOM. XD)
Great review. I’m not usually a fan of retellings, but this one sounds really cool. I’ll have to add it to my TBR list.
Aj @ Read All The Things! recently posted…FF Friday: In Which I Have Money
YAYAYAYA. I hope you like it. ^-^
I was just NOT a fan of Dorothy Will Rise. I may be too attached to the movie version of Oz. I mean, I do like gritty books, but there was so much going on in book 1 and I couldn’t identify with any characters that I just left to book feeling like I missed the bandwagon since so many people liked it. 🙂
Terri M., the Director
Second Run Reviews
Terri M., the Director recently posted…Comment on In the Spotlight: Aaron Bunce, author of Within by bn100
Awk, I hear ya. I hate being a black sheep. BUT. To be honest, I feel like I'm in the minority with loving this book! I've read more negative reviews than positive. 😐
Well heck I guess I need to read it then! I’ll church audible and bookoutlet. I need creepy is in my life.
Tabitha (Not Yet Read) recently posted…Review: Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson
EVERYONE NEEDS CREEPY IN THEIR LIFE.
I WANT THIS SERIES SO BAD. Like really? It’s creepy as? I love it when authors subvert good and bad, and with such a crazy world too. It just seems so creative and wild! I WANT IT. 😀
Mawa Mahima recently posted…This Week of Wordiness: Shouty = Exam-crazed Mahima
Those deliciously misty grey areas. *flails*
A retelling of The Wizard of Oz written in the style (sort of) of A. G. Howard? I’m in. Where do I get this book? I always thought that Dorothy shouldn’t have survived Oz because she was what…six? Eight? And she was so naive…smacking the nose of a lion, cowardly or not, should not stop him in his tracks.
And I didn’t really like the book either, I guess…the closest I got ti enjoying it was this MG series called The Sisters Grimm and one time they ended up having to reenact the story and it was awesome.
Aine recently posted…Live or die? Die to live.
FIND IT ASAP BECAUSE IT'S SO SO GOOD. And yess, it's not AS good as AG Howard's (but what could live up to Morpheus?!!) but it's definitely a satisfying replacement. Although I'm still giddy with excitment that we're getting another Howard book. XD YAY.
Aw it came out on my birthday!!! That’s a sign… I NEED THIS SERIES IN MY LIFE.
The end.
Beth x
It is definitely a sign. It's like Happy Creepily Birthday to Beth. IT'S BASICALLY WRITTEN ALL OVER THE COVER.
I feel bad that I’ve NEVER, EVER read a retelling and now I know I HAVE to! I was going to do a retelling of Alice and wonderland or even Peter Pan, but I wasn’t sure if I would like it. 🙁 I’m glad you liked this one though. 🙂 Also, I’d rather my good characters stay good and couldn’t/wouldn’t take it if they turned villainous. And as a parting note, my room is pink, comforter, sheets, curtains, Hehe sooooo, I actually have to like it.
Keionda@Keionda Hearts Books recently posted…My Review Surrender To Me By: Monica James
really?!! OMG. Never EVER?! Yes, Keionda, you have a retelling-shaped-hole in your life. That is a lot of pink. XD
I can’t WAIT to read this! My fiance sent me a picture of Rise and I immediately added Dorothy Must Die to my TBR. Your review just sealed the deal — I need to go get this NOW! Thanks for sharing!
Liza Barrett recently posted…Sunday Post: April 19
Yesss you totally NEED IT. And I adore the minimalist covers. xD
I’ve had Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in my TBR pile for years. Obviously, I’m not averse to the idea of classics turned creepy! But I won’t be reading these books. As interesting as they sound, reading them would go against my policy of avoiding books associated with Full Fathom Five.
La Coccinelle @ The Ladybug Reads… recently posted…New to the TBR Pile (23)
I saw PaPaZ in the second-hand store the other day but wasn't brave enough to buy it. xD I mean it SOUNDS like something I would like though, hehe. I don't really understand the debacle of Fathom Five and what it actually is and stuff… 🙁 I've googled, but my brain is soup. Meh. >.>
CREEPY THINGS CREEP ME OUT WITH THEIR CREEPINESS; THEY MUST DIE. I do love good villains though. And pink IS evil. Well, some shades are, I like dark pink and neon pink because neon. Also parts of my blog design are pink, so if pink is evil does that mean I am evil? Questions, questions. (The answer is yes of course, BWAHAHA)
I’m not sure about characters turning into villains. I mean I LOVE good villains with understandable motivations, who just happen to be villains in the story of the protagonist or because they’re super insecure, internalize their hatred and have daddy issues (cough Loki cough), because they might not be the villain if the story was told from their POV. Villains don’t usually THINK they’re villainous, do they? I think it makes a story much better if I can see where the villain is coming from and how they became the villain of the story. I think it’s VERY interesting when protagonists start toeing the line and breaking bad for very valid reasons (like Ruby in The Darkest Minds or Flick in How to Lead a Life of Crime) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE when characters are forced to choose between bad, bad and worse to survive or save someone they like (The 100! You must watch The 100!). I mean in the end, I guess I’d like for characters to make good choices, but I’d also be super intrigued by a book that shows how a person turns “bad” and for what reasons, especially if they can maybe redeem themselves later on. If the villain is good, I’m usually more fascinated by them than a goody-goody hero. I also love when a character starts out with questionable motives and tries to redeem himself throughout the story (Iron Man). So um… I guess in conclusion of this little rambly thing in which I try to make sense of my own thoughts: Yes, I do like to read about villains if they’re GOOD villains, and I LOVE when they constantly almost redeem themselves, but never quite manage or work together with the main character for a certain reason (I HOPED THEY’D DO THAT IN THOR 2 AND THEY DID AND IT WAS GLORIOUS). And by I love it I mean it totally destroys me and makes me want to pull out my own hair.
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YOU ARE EVIL. DUDE, YES. YOU ARE. JUST ACCEPT IT AND RISE WITH THE WICKED. The Wickeder? The Wickedest? The Wicker? EH. I'm gonna shut up now.Flick is incredible. I prefer to think of villains as “antagonists” because really that's what it SHOULD be. A story should be about conflicting forces and enough of this, “ooh, maybe I'll just be an evil mass murderer today!” Because THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN. *growls* I like villains to be as fleshed out and interesting as the protagonists.
I read Dorothy Must Die and absolutely loved it, so I am really glad to hear that The Wicked Will Rise is just as fabulous. (It sounds like they’re both much better than Wicked – haha). Definitely need to get my hands on a copy of it. It’s a shame to hear that the romance is a bit unnecessary, but that’s kind of the vibe I got from Dorothy Must Die as well. *shrugs* Thanks for sharing Cait and, as always, fabulous review my twin! ♥
Zoe @ Stories on Stage recently posted…We All Looked Up
Anything is better than Wicked. HAHAH. BUT REALLY. This is what I wanted Wicked to be like. >_<
I am so torn on reading this book. See, I’m not a fan of creepy books, but I’m a huge fan of fairytale retelling and the Wizard of Oz. HUGE FAN. I think what’s really pulling me into this book, though, is the worldbuildling. All the worldbuilding in this book sounds so unique and creative. And no, pink is not evil. It’s my favorite color!
Ana @ Butterflies of the Imagination recently posted…It’s My First Blogoversary! (Not Even a Joke)
It's sooo creative. Every chapter they throw in some clever twist on something and I'm just sitting there like, “Darn you. I cannot hope to be this imaginative in my writing.” .XD
I read DMD but was actually disappointed. The story was really dragging and I didn’t like Paige’s writing. It felt really amateur. but I DID like Amy! Like you said, she’s totally badass and snarky! Love that about her. I actually didn’t consider reading the second book but I think i”m going to give it a chance.
Also, your pictures are so lovely !
Nova @ Out of Time recently posted…Book Review: The Fire Sermon – Francesca Haig
I'm not completely sure you'd like book 2 if book 1 didn't do it for ya. SADNESS. But Amy is incredible. XD
I decided not to read Dorothy Must Die after reading mostly negative reviews and the whole “the real author” debacle, and it had mostly gone off my radar, until now. I kind of think the protagonist sounds neat, especially with all those dot points you made, but the creepiness element of it? NOPE. Not my thing. I don’t like creepy books, they’re too much for me! Glad you enjoyed it, though, and the sequel being good is great, since that awkward middle book thing can be frustrating and, as I might have said, awkward. I love retellings that make you reconsider what you grew up thinking about a world, reconsidering fairytales and heroines and all of it, but this isn’t one of those for me.
X
Romi recently posted…Learn things about me!
I looooove having famous stories get through on their head!
I’m not normally a fan of retellings of Oz, but these covers are GORGEOUS and yes, I think I might have to check them out. Yes indeed.
Emily Seals recently posted…10 Reasons Why Short Hair is Awesome
PLEASE DO. Because the creepiness! The imagination! THE PRETTY COVERS. <– That's still a legit reason to read them, right?!
LOVE LOVE LOVE your photos, Cait! They’re so pretty! 😀
As for the book… I wasn’t a fan of Dorothy Must Die. 🙁 The writing style was not for me, but I did like the general idea of the book. I kinda want to pick up The Wicked Will Rise now that you mentioned that there’s more world-exploring, and that Amy suddenly gets darker… (!)
Lovely reviews, girl!
Aimee @ Deadly Darlings recently posted…Review: Halfway Perfect by Julie Cross & Mark Perini / A Sexy, Slow-burn Romance
ZOMG THANK YOU AIMEE. #dayismade Hehe, I totally understand! I've mostly seen negative reviews for DMD so I figure I'm in a minority for this one, right?!
I loved the first book so I really need to get my hands on book two! I’m glad to see you enjoyed this one too, middle books are always so worrisome. I’m looking forward to all the creeeeeepy. 😀
Wendy Darling recently posted…Crimson Bound: guest post + giveaway
I had these on my TBR until my friend told me she hated them xD Seems like you disagree!
It seems like that kind of series that a person passionately HATES or LOVES. lol NO MIDDLE GROUND?!!
Oh no! I saw heartbreaking deaths and now I’m afraid! I really liked Dorothy Must Die and I’m so excited to get the sequel! But I hope I don’t have my heart broken. I loved this retelling and how delightfully creepy it gets!
Oh pfft, you want your heart broken. YOU DO. Trust me. 😉 It's gooooood. I mean, it's wicked, but that means good so — ergh WHATEVER.
Yes, yes and YES! I read this as soon as it came out, couldn’t even wait for my preordered paperback and had to grab the Kindle edition as well. I love the dark Oz, and yes to Pete! he’s much more ‘interesting’ than Nox, and SHOULD be the love interest except for, you know. The first one I loved, but this one not as much. I still enjoyed it, but it strayed from Oz into a weird Wonderland type feel. Which is awesome if it was an Alice in Wonderland dark retelling. I think I expected a little bit more. I love Amy though, such a sassy little kick ass chick. Her personality just inflates with each book. Brilliant review smushy <3
Kelly recently posted…Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley
Pete is ADORABLE. All the adorable cute fictional boys are so unavailable because YEAH YOU KNOW. *stamps foot* You're right though…it did stray into that wonderland kind of vibe. Although I loved the Oz the Great and Powerful movie and it had the same sort of scenery in the book as in that movie so I DUNNO. I'm happy. xD
I’ve been holding off on this book because it kind of got some mixed reviews at first, but hearing you describe it makes it sound like it would be perfect for me! I especially love those gray areas between good and evil. LOVE that!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted…Things I Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby – 5 Star Review
Grey areas are MY LIFE. And seriously it seems like a love OR hate series with no middle ground, eh!!??
Oooh this sounds awesome! I loved Splintered and it’s creepy world building, so this one sounds like I would like it too. I never thought i would be a fan of creepy world building, but apparently I am – whoops!
Jade @ Bedtime Bookworm recently posted…The Liebster Award Part One
But creepy worldbuilding is GREAT. And I love the creativity of the weirdness…like it had a Wonderland vibe but with more Oz. Which completely doesn't make sense but pfft. Whatever. XD You know what I mean.
YAY! These reviews make me gloriously happy and excited to read this series. I just got sent a copy of the sequel, so I’m planning to binge read both. I REALLY HOPE I LOVE THEM!!!!! I need these to be good or I’m going to be so sad. Once Upon a Time is just making me need all the retellings in my life.
Charnell @ Reviews from a Bookworm recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: All Time Favourite Authors
DO THEM BACK TO BACK. They've got like this Divergent-to-Insurgent sort of feel with the endings and it's incredibly helpful to read them close. XD
Ugh, I really wish I hadn’t started that prequel (that I never finished because I disliked the writing style so much). I have DMD and I have to keep it because it is personalized (plus it is so pretty on my shelf). I am listening to all 22 Oz audiobooks right now… hmm… maybe I should just give DMD a shot and forget about the prequel novella. Comparing it to the Splintered books is was got me. Thanks for the reviews. They were informative and entertaining as usual. 😀
La La in the Library recently posted…TELL ME TUESDAY #39
I'm actually really really intrigued by the novella now because I've heard so so so many people say it's HORRENDOUS. And here I want to read it?! Wut is wrong with you, Cait. BUT STILL. 😉
OOH OOH OOH OOH I really want to read these now. Oh they just sound so awesome! I think I’m in love.
*scampers off to put on my TBR*
And my readerly and writerly heart LOVES characters who turn villainous because then it squeals, “Oh the author was so skilled I didn’t see that coming oh oh oh such talent and twists and ooh I love twists!” But especially if I happened to fall in love with said character FOR his/her goodness, and then they CHANGE, then I will cry and be angry in my normal heart (while my literary heart hops around in mad glee).
I think we booknerds are schizophrenic. A bit.
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I’m not sure tbh. I really loved the front bit and obviously Amy becoming dark and evil was straight up my lane (gurl unleash that darkness and sTAB HER) but the ending was bit on the what is happening/wtf side for me. I loved the crazy plot twist (I mean the Wizard was hinted at in the prequel books but Kansas and Oz was like WOAH) but it feels like Paige just rushed the ending and tried to scotch tape all the loose endings together, resulting in a very… Interesting ending, to say the least.
(Also is it confirmed that a 3rd book is coming up? I need some closure)
I can’t actually remember if I thought the ending was rushed or not. GAH. I’m notorious for forgetting details if it’s been a while since I read it. 😱 😖 But I do agree it wasn’t perfect. But I thoroughly enjoyed myself, so, hehe, that’s what counts for me. And I’m pretty sure there’s a 3rd book confirmed! I should go google!