Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die, #1)

by Danielle Paige

The New York Times bestselling first book in a dark series that reimagines the Oz saga, from debut author Danielle Paige. Start at the beginning and discover your new series to binge!

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.

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.

Reviewed by Kelly on

5 of 5 stars

Share
4½ Stars.
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/08/dorothy-must-die-by-danielle-paige.html
The Wizard of Oz has been one of my childhood favorites, and Dorothy Must Die certainly didn't disappoint. A dark and Wicked retelling, it follows the story of Amy, a girl who calls the Dusty Acres trailer park home and is teased relentlessly throughout the halls of her high school. With no friends and no father, the only person Amy has had to rely on is her mother who is emotionally and physically absent since her father left. Amy needs to escape the small town mentality, but had never imagined that a Tornado warning would leave her stranded in what she always believed was a make believe world of magic and wonder.

Following in the footsteps of Dorothy, Amy is thrown into the land of Oz, but it's now a dreary and dangerous world where Dorothy has enslaved communities and continues to destroy the once picturesque landscape. She too meets characters along the way, from the boy who seems to dissolve before answering any questions, the sassy and foul mouthed Munchkin Indigo and the wingless and intelligent Monkey Ollie, all are incredibly endearing and aide Amy in her quest to reach the Emerald City. Only Amy is sidetracked by Dorothy's attempt to capture her, and her savior comes in the form of The Order of the Wicked.

Danielle Paige is phenomenal, taking a much loved children's fable and morphing it into a dark and incredibly entertaining retelling that blurs the lines between Good and Wicked. I absolutely adored it. It's unique, sassy and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel that can't come soon enough.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 August, 2014: Finished reading
  • 5 August, 2014: Reviewed