Review - Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Title:   Dorothy Must Die

Author:  Danielle Paige

Teaser:  “Your Mission:  Remove the Tin Woodman’s heart.  Steal the Scarecrow’s brain.  Take the Lion’s courage.  And then – Dorothy Must Die.”

Genre:  YA Fairytale Retelling

Number of pages: 452

Released:  April 1^st, 2014 by HarperCollins

 

 

 

 

Description:

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 bluebirds. 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 yellow brick road - 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.

 

 

 

Positives:

-The world created.  Oh my golly.  The author’s descriptions are so vivid and detailed, that you feel like you are there.  The descriptions are never too little and never too much.  I could picture everything in my head, and was already wishing throughout the book that I hope it was turned into a movie.

-A lot of books have to survive off of a romance in the book.  Even though this one has a bit of romance in it, I never had a problem being excited for what was going to happen next.  The plot and world are the main focus of this book, and I loved that it was.  That, to me, always is a sign of an awesome book.  If I have to cling onto a romance just to want to turn the page, it isn’t quite enough.

-Creeptastic.  A lot of the parts of this new world created by the author is creepy in an oh-so-good way.

 

Negatives:

-Ummm….  Ummmm…..  It’s not romance heavy?  If you really need heavy romance to enjoy a book, that might bother you.

 

Overview:

 

Where do I even start?  This book was stunning.  Amazing.  The last time I felt this wrapped up in a world that was created was in Cinder.  I’m a sucker for retellings, but if you do a retelling… You have to NAIL it.  It’s like being on American Idol and performing an epic, super popular song.  Don’t even try to do it unless you can be spot on.   And Danielle Paige?  She hit every freaking note.

 

One of my favorite parts of this book was the creativity and imagination she put into it.  It would have been easy to just skate by or leave the world mostly as it was, but she truly made it a world that was warped by ‘evil’.  The things that she thought of in the book sort of makes the author an inventor.  Her interpretations of the Tinman, Lion, and Scarecrow were scary and sad.  I felt a drop in my heart when I saw how twisted they had become.  It was like my own view from watching the movie a million times was let down just like it had for Amy, the protagonist.

 

As for the characters?  Great character building, details, and characteristics.  They were all well-developed and I felt a connection with each, even if they weren’t around for long.  I remember the characters, even now that it’s a day after I finish it.  I laugh thinking of funny things they said.  It is almost like I was able to experience and make friends with the characters at the same time Amy was.  My favorite character?  Dorothy, actually.  Her arrogance and twisted nature was glorious.  Such a great villain.

 

As for the plot, it flows perfectly.  Not to slow or too fast.  You get surprised and led through it at a wonderful pace.  And there were lots of parts of the plot where I actually said “I didn’t see that happening!”  I found myself wanting to know more of the world, eager to see what was different.  Almost like I was Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory just entering that room where everything was edible.  I wanted to taste everything.

 

Rating:

 

 

 

 Recommended to:

 

-Everyone, everyone, everyone. 

-Those who love re-tellings.

-Those who love it when they can find a book they get lost in.

 

Not Recommended to:

-Those who don’t like fairytale unrealistic fantastical nature.  If you are a realist, you probably won’t be able to appreciate the magic in this book.