“This wasn’t the Oz that I had read about or seen in the movie. It was as if someone had drained out some of the Technicolor and introduced some serious darkness.” That’s how Amy describes Oz when she first finds herself there on page twenty-nine, and it’s the perfect quote to describe Danielle Paige’s Dorothy Must Die. A deliciously dark young adult fantasy novel with an eye-catching title, this book not only met my expectations, but surpassed them.Amy Gumm’s life in a Kansas trailer park has never been easy, but her adventures really begin the minute she steps foot in Oz. Well, not steps foot, exactly—Amy’s entrance involves more falling from the sky. That’s right: Dorothy isn’t the only Kansas girl to crash-land in Oz via tornado. After being rescued from certain death by a mysterious (not to mention, gorgeous) boy, Amy sets off along the yellow brick road with only her mother’s pet rat as a companion. She doesn’t quite believe the things she hears about Dorothy, like that she came back to Oz from Kansas, or that she uses magic…Oh, and there’s also the fact that she’s practically an evil dictator. It doesn’t take long, though, for Amy to learn that the rumors are true when she ends up in the court (and, soon after, the dungeons) of Dorothy herself. The story takes an abrupt turn when, just before her scheduled trial, Amy is practically abducted by wicked witches. Wicked, here, is a relative term, as Dorothy’s side is obviously far from good. Some grandmotherly, like Gert, and some, like the local heartthrob Nox, not-so-grandmotherly, the members of the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked teach Amy everything she needs to know to do the job everyone is sure she’s destined for—assassinating Dorothy.This book is set in Dorothy’s Oz, a dystopian version of the setting of The Wizard of Oz. Recognizable features include Munchkin Country, the Emerald City, and the iconic yellow brick road, but there are new features, too. Massive canyons through the middle of Oz, a desert that can’t be crossed, and magic mines unwillingly operated by Munchkins are just some of the changes from the original setting. Oh, and remember Dorothy’s friends, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and Glinda the Good Witch? They’re there too—but not as you remember them. The Oz that Amy is thrown into is a place where pink bubbles are deadly, Munchkins aren’t so friendly, and sugary sweetness is toxic.Amy is the spunky, compassionate, pink-haired main character who has difficulty holding her tongue. She and her alcoholic mother have a tense relationship, and that often causes Amy to feel forgotten, ignored, and worthless. Her peers in Kansas also mock her for living in a trailer park and wearing secondhand clothes, and she has a record of misbehavior at school. When Amy joins the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, however, she changes. Not only does she become stronger, but she finds a purpose, finding a small amount of pleasure in the fact that no one else can accomplish the task presented to her—that, for once in her life, Amy Gumm is special.This book wasn’t just good—it was fantastic! The dynamic and bountiful cast of characters, witty banter, and subtle romantic tension had me hanging onto every word. Plus, Danielle Paige is a wizard (pun intended) at squeezing a huge amount of plot into just 452 pages. Dorothy Must Die is a must-read for anyone that can’t resist a fairytale with a dark twist and is a fan of young adult fantasy literature. The only detail that I was less-than-thrilled about is that the book has no conclusion. The reader is left hanging, because (Spoiler alert!) Dorothy doesn’t die. I, however, am fine with that. The promise of a sequel has me on the edge of my seat!You’d better watch out, Dorothy—Amy will get you, and your little dog, too! Thanks for the rec, Maddie and Chloe. And Jurni if you're not too busy on Wattpad to read this review. You probably are too busy. BUT I'M THANKING YOU ANYWAY SO HA. This book was a lot better then I expected it to be. Also deeper. Is good wicked? Wicked good? Or the other way around? Or not at all? I liked this quote, that I'm probably going to write wrong, from Dorothy Must Die: "You shouldn't do what's Good, or Wicked, but what's right." The whole time in this story, Amy is deliberating...What is good, and what is wicked? Is it even that simple? And what side should she be on? She was angry, she had a bad life...is Amy Good or Wicked? Maybe she's neither. Maybe she's both. I didn't really get bored throughout this whole book at all, which was awesome. It was interesting and suspenseful, although sometimes the lines were a little cheesy, I liked it. I'd recommend it if you want a dysfunctional Oz book but don't want to deal with all the disturbing parts in Wicked (if you know what I mean).
What do You think about Dorothy Must Die (2014)?
I couldn't get through even 100 pages of it...
—Yeenwannaplay
