The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

This series is so good, y'all!  Just the other night I was gushing about it to my mom, and she hasn't even ever shown interest in anything paranormal/fantasy/fairy tale/YA!  I just want to spread the word about this series.  Am I just too late to the game?  Was everyone else gushing about this two years ago and I somehow missed it?  Or is this a sleeper series?  Anyway, The Wicked Will Rise is the second book in this series, so there will be spoilers for the first book in the review below.  To read the review of the first book, Dorothy Must Die, click here.  We also have reviews of the prequel novellas- just check the Review Archive (above) and search for Danielle Paige.

The Wicked Will Rise picks up almost exactly where Dorothy Must Die left off, so we don't miss a moment of the action.  Amy Gunn is still in Oz and Dorothy is still around somehow.  Definitely still wicked.  Amy is going around Oz with some now-wingless flying monkeys and somewhat-brainless Ozma, trying to get back the gifts that the "Wizard" gave to the the Tin Man, the Lion, and the Scarecrow.  Sometimes when reading this series, I've kind of felt like they're building to a giant moral lesson... maybe.  Something about not letting power go to your head or to appreciate what you have or to count your blessings or the Golden Rule or something.  Not only is Dorothy evil, but the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow are all evil too!  Amy has to figure out what parts of those three characters represent their gift, and then remove it.

This book is not for the faint of heart.  She has to figure out what parts of those three characters represent their gift, and then remove it.  And carry it around.

I often get bored with books where the plot is predictable.  When an author spells out at the beginning of the book that the main character is going on a quest to accomplish X, Y, and Z, then walks us through it... I'm done.  But Danielle Paige throws in plenty of twists to the storyline to keep even the most reluctant reader engaged!  Every time I started to feel even the least bit comfortable, another unexpected thing happened.  Ozma provided quite a few of these unexpected moments with random bits of lucidity, and the queen of the flying monkeys definitely provided a humorous distraction for a moment.  I can't say much more without spoilers, so you'll just have to take my word for it:  this book is not formulaic.  Amy doesn't just set out on a pre-planned quest and accomplish it.  There are pitfalls and misdirections and successes all mixed together.

I feel like the character of Amy gets a lot more rounded out in this volume.  I loved loved loved her in the first book, with all of her snark!  I'm a huge fan of sarcasm in real life and in my literature.  In The Wicked Will Rise we lose a little bit of the snark (not completely; don't worry) but we really get to know Amy better.  She's complex!  There were a few moments where I totally didn't agree with a choice she makes, but that's real life.  No one is perfect, especially when under stress, like she is.  She makes some mistakes.  She gives in to temptations.  She develops and shows feelings for other characters (both friendly and romantic).  I can very much appreciate that.  It takes talent to write as much back story and personality into Amy as Paige does in these books.

Now, the ending:  another cliffhanger!!!  Paige certainly wants to make sure we all keep buying her books!  I can't wait to start in on book #3 (an advantage to picking up an older series: I get to binge-read) and find out if the W.I.C.K.E.D. really will rise and reclaim Oz!

 

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fantasy amp; Magic, Fiction, HarperCollins, Library, Review, Wizard of Oz, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

The Wizard Returns by Danielle Paige

The Wizard Returns is the third prequel to Dorothy Must Die.  It can be read as a standalone, no problem, but you can also read reviews of the other books by clicking on the titles:  No Place Like Oz (#0.1), The Witch Must Burn (#0.2), Dorothy Must Die (#1).

These prequels have been so enjoyable that I almost regretted coming to this final one!  I've already got a copy of The Wicked Will Rise from my library so that I can stay in this alternative Oz.  The Wizard Returns was, unfortunately, the weakest of the prequel trilogy.  Not to say that I hated it; it just wasn't as WOW as the first two.  The title is just slightly off- it turns out that the wizard never left Oz!  His balloon crashed, he landed in the field of poppies, and has been asleep for 20+ years.  When he wakes, all of his memories are gone.

This novella traces his journey from the field of poppies to the headquarters of the resistance.  Along the way, he's guided by an Ozian named Pete, who takes him through three "tests" to earn his memory back.  The story wasn't terrible, but it was pretty full of tropes.  I didn't sense a ton of imagination in this one.  Terrible person gets amnesia and needs to redeem himself?  Done before.  Three tests/tasks to earn a big reward?  Done before.  I even saw the grand finale coming, in a way.  (I didn't specifically see fairies, but you know what I mean.)

I also wasn't really "feeling" the wizard, as the young folks say.  ;)  He came across as rather whiny, petulant, and weak.  I understand that life isn't going as he'd planned, but come on!  Pete just explained that he was a terrible guy and that he gets a second chance!  Be grateful, not whiny!  Overall, I'm not entirely certain this particular novella was all that necessary.  :/

Something that made it all much better, though, was the narration!  I listened to the audiobook of The Wizard Returns and the reader was fantastic.  His voice was lively and upbeat; a real joy to listen to.  He also did different voices/accents for each character, without any of them sounding contrived or goofy.  Real talent!  I'd listen to more books read by Luke Daniels.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fantasy amp; Magic, Harper Collins, Library, Retelling, Review, Wizard of Oz, YA, young adult  2 People left their mark

The Witch Must Burn by Danielle Paige

The Witch Must Burn is the second book of the prequel trilogy to Dorothy Must Die.  It's not necessary to have read Dorothy Must Die or No Place Like Oz in order to enjoy this one, but you can read reviews of them by clicking on the titles.

No Place Like Oz, the first prequel in Dorothy Must Die: Stories, was kind of dark.  Dorothy was the quintessential nasty, angsty teen... to the umpteenth degree!  So it was really refreshing to get into The Witch Must Burn, told from Jellia's point of view.

Jellia is a servant, the head ladies' maid, in Dorothy's castle.  Even though she's just a teen herself, she's still old enough to remember what Oz was like under Ozma.  Right from the beginning of the novella, the reader can sense her depression regarding Dorothy's rule.  She misses Ozma, and worries about her.  She despairs that things could ever improve again.  On top of that, she still has to work for the very mercurial and often mean Dorothy, and keep a big secret.  (You know I never give things away in my reviews!  You'll have to read the book to find out more!)

My heart went out to Jellia!  She's trying so hard to please Dorothy and to shield her subordinates from Dorothy's wrath.  She's not a naively blind follower, though- she knows that Dorothy is in the wrong.  She just doesn't know what to do about it.  Yet.  (*wink wink nudge nudge*)

If you've read Dorothy Must Die, you'll know what needs to be done.  Even if you've read it, though, you'll still be surprised at the path that Jellia takes to get there.  I know I was!  It was heartbreaking in places, but always inspiring, what with Jellia's never-say-die attitude.  There were even a few parts that were almost reminiscent of mad scientist horror tales, so it was a perfect October read for me.

The only small quibble I had was with the reader (I listened to the audiobook of The Witch Must Burn)- she just wasn't my taste.  I can't exactly put my finger on anything in particular that was wrong; I think the accent just wasn't my cup of tea.  It wasn't bad enough to distract me from the story or anything, so there's a good chance that other people will love the narrator.

 

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, General, Harper Collins, Library, Retelling, Review, Romance, Wizard of Oz, YA, young adult, Young Adult Fiction  Leave your mark

Second Look: No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige

No Place Like Oz is the first of three prequel novellas to Dorothy Must Die, packaged together in Dorothy Must Die: Stories.  I listened to the package as an audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed them.  You can see Stephanie's review of Dorothy Must Die here, but it's not necessary to have read it first to enjoy No Place Like Oz.  And you can read Jonathan's original review of No Place Like Oz here.

No Place Like Oz opens on Dorothy's sixteenth birthday.  Even in the 1920's, this is a big deal birthday for a young girl.  She's going to have a party that afternoon, but everything starts to go wrong.  First, her Aunt Em disappoints her with a smaller-than-expected birthday cake.  Then she catches her friends gossiping about her and her tales of Oz.  The straw that breaks the camel's back?  Her aunt gives her a mustardy brown, long, spartan dress for her birthday instead of a new, hip dress.  She skulks off to her bedroom and wishes very hard to return to Oz.

This novella fills in the back story that is touched upon very briefly in Dorothy Must Die.  In it, we find out how Dorothy could go from the naive little farm girl in The Wizard of Oz to the monstrous sorceress in Dorothy Must Die.  It's not an overnight process.  It's a series of small decisions that change her personality little by little.  In fact, the whole novella could be read as a cautionary tale, or fable:  be careful what you wish for.

I was impressed with how well fleshed-out Danielle Paige's Dorothy was, especially considering the shorter length of this story.  She's complex:  even while feeling shame and anger over the upcycled dress gift she still recognizes that she should be grateful to Aunt Em.  She feels intense love and protection for her aunt and uncle, even as they exasperate her over and over again.  This is so true!  Who hasn't felt exasperation at a loved one?

I had read Dorothy Must Die before reading No Place Like Oz, so I was pleasantly surprised to feel compelled to listen.  I thought it'd be a somewhat ok fluff of a story; just something to fill out the story a little bit.  Wrong!  It's a very good story in it's own right.  Even with "knowing the ending," I enjoyed every twist and turn in the plot.  It wasn't overly predictable at all, with a few unexpected elements.

The narration was good, too.  I really liked the reader, Andi Arndt.  She did a fantastic job!

Another excellent aspect to this prequel novella?  I'm doing the PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016, and this will count as half of my "a book and it's prequel" item!  :)

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fantasy, Harper Collins, Library, Retelling, Review, Wizard of Oz, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

DOROTHY MUST DIE. Obviously a very catchy title for a Wizard of Oz retelling/sequel and it’s the main reason I purchased this book when it came out a few months back. To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of the famous movie and I've never even read the books. But knowing the general story line, I can honestly say, DOROTHY MUST DIE is definitely not like the classic and we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.

I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. Full of gore, angst, sarcasm, and dramatic scenes, it’s a bold undertaking to continue a story so many people know. This author’s debut is courageous because there’s always the risk of insulting the true fans of the classic story. Personally, I think the continuation of The Wizard of Oz couldn't have come at a better moment because one, retellings seem to be a fad at the moment, and two, the 75^th anniversary of the movie definitely encourages readers to pick up this book about the newly imagined world of Oz.

The world of Oz is completely different now that Dorothy is one of its princesses. Actually nothing is going right for its citizens because while Dorothy believes what’s she’s doing is spreading happiness across Oz, she is in fact literally sucking the magic out of the ground and being cruel to everyone that’s not on her side. Killing and unfair punishment seems to be the norm of her rule and every citizen is trying to avoid the wrath of Dorothy in fear of being found guilty of very stupid crimes like sass or fictitious treason. Amy Gumm is Dorothy’s latest target because, like Dorothy, Amy was swept into Oz from Kansas via a tornado. The only major difference is, instead of a farmhouse, Amy arrived in a trailer, as in a motorized home on blocks. Dorothy, wanting to be the only one that’s “special,” is jealous of Amy and will stop at nothing to see Amy gone. The battle between the two Kansas girls is riveting and I love how the protagonist of the classic becomes the antagonist of this newly imagined story. Dorothy, power hungry and obviously a little mad with magic, must die in order to return Oz to its original glory, and Amy is believed to be the only one that can kill her. Trained by The Revolutionary Order of the Wicked and entrusted with this task, Amy isn't really sure she can actually kill someone...

In a world where Good doesn't really mean doing the right thing and where the Wicked might just mean fighting for the right reasons, everything is turned upside down. Personally I’m really glad so many of the original characters made an appearance but I’m even more ecstatic about the huge amount of new characters. I haven’t read the prequel NO PLACE LIKE OZ yet, and even if I really believe it’s not necessary to do so in order to understand this first full-length novel of the series, it might just explain why Dorothy is the way she is. Jon was a little bit disappointed with the prequel novella and called it "overly ambitious."

I can honestly say I loved DOROTHY MUST DIE. The humour in the book is so similar to mine, the writing is easy to follow and the story itself truly engaging. However I’m a little bit disappointed that I purchased this book on a whim because of this. It’s the only reason I hesitate to recommend the book. Individual boycotting doesn't usually make a huge difference, but if everyone does it, then it can have a huge impact. It’s sad that such a great, new and upcoming author is associated with such a bad name.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:23

 Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fables, Harper Collins, Legends, Magic, Myths, Purchased, Retelling, Review, Wizard of Oz, young adult  4 People left their mark

Novella November: No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige

No Place Like Oz is the ambitious prequel to Dorothy Must Die, which is one of my anticipated books of 2014 by far. I think readers should definitely pick up No Place Like Oz before reading Dorothy Must Die because it's a quick read and it readers a good taste of what Dorothy Must Die will be like. After reading No Place Like Oz, I'm definitely not as excited for Dorothy Must Die as I was when I had initially heard about it on Epic Reads' Tea Time. No Place Like Oz is overly ambitious and it didn't quite fill me with wonder like the 1939 movie and the original novels did.

The Dorothy that Danielle Paige has created in this novella is extremely petulant and she was constantly on my nerves. I understand that's she fed up with regular life and she craves something more, but that doesn't give her the right to act nasty and obnoxious towards Uncle Henry and Auntie Em. Dorothy doesn't want to be a farmgirl, she wants to live in Oz, she wants to live in a world with magic and adventure. I really understand how Dorothy feels, the feeling that you want more than this from life, but Dorothy truly needs to get over herself. There becomes a point where being cranky, throwing tantrums, and thinking you know best for everyone else is enough. I seriously applaud Aunt Em and Uncle Henry because I really don't know how they manage to deal with Dorothy because nothing they do for her is ever enough.

No Place Like Oz is pretty predictable and I wasn't all that eager to find out what happened next. I really wish there was  more cameos from my favorite Ozian characters, I think readers of Baum's original novels will appreciate this e-Novella the most due to the appearance of Ozma, the renowned ruler of Oz.  Besides the appearance of Ozma who I loved in this book, No Place Like Oz isn't all that interesting, it merely sets up Dorothy Must Die. Honestly, if you don't read this novella, you're not missing out on much because barely anything happens throughout the course of this novella.

While I'm not overly enthusiastic about No Place Like Oz, it was entertaining and a nice change of pace from all of the dystopian books I've been reading. No Place Like Oz isn't what one would expect from a Wizard Of Oz "sequel/retelling" , it's way more angsty and unappealing. Hopefully, Dorothy Must Die is stronger in plot and development than No Place Like Oz was.

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Posted by Tynga at 22:54

 Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, fairy tale, Fantasy, Harper Collins, Magic, Novella November, Publisher, Retelling, Witch, young adult  Leave your mark