Dorothy Must Die is the first novel in the series of the same name. It is written by Danielle Paige. There is a prequel novella titled No Place Like Oz that is now available. The second novel is currently untitled and is set to be released in March 2015.
I was not impressed with this book. The only reason I read
it was because it's one of my book club picks this month. Different takes on an
original story hardly ever work out, and this is one of them. The main
character is hardly likable and the other "good" guys don't really
shine so bright either. I found myself skimming past the boring parts, which was
the majority of the book. The title doesn't even become relevant until the very
end. I understand the need to build up to the climax but when the foreplay is shit;
you need to get to the point faster.
Amy Gumm is an ordinary girl that gets swept up in a tornado
and is thrown into Oz. From the moment she steps out of her trailer, she
realizes that Oz isn’t the fairy tale she thinks it is. It’s a magical
wasteland and it’s all because of Dorothy. She came back and now runs Oz like a
tyranny. It’s up to Amy to take her down; she has to kill Dorothy. Now that
little summary sounds really epic and interesting but the book totally fails to
deliver. Amy is a whiny heroine and Dorothy is a cartoonish villain. I was more
intrigued by her loyal posse; the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Lion.
Those were some messed up characters. I feel like that’s the only thing Paige
got right. The dark take on these iconic characters was dynamic. I was hoping
for more of a glimpse of their twisted world but sadly I was stuck reading about
Amy and the wicked witches. They all bored me to tears and I could not have
cared less when the Lion takes one of them out.
I do plan on reading the second book in the series. I’m
sticking around because I think the story will get better with each new book. I
can only hope that I’m right. On the bright side, I don’t have to worry about the
action scenes being dull. Paige definitely knows how to write some ass kicking
fights. There should be more of that to distract me from how annoying Amy is.
2.5 STAR RATING
