Book Review: “Dorothy Must Die” by Danielle Paige

Story Time“The Wizard of Oz” has always been a personal favorite of mine, and with the current trend of retelling and re-imagining fairy tales, Dorothy and that special land of Oz are getting a makeover.

“Dorothy Must Die” tells the story of Amy Gunn, a feisty, pink-haired 16 year old from Kansas growing up in a trailer park with her not-so-great-of-an-influence mother.

Our heroine is brought to Oz the same way that Dorothy was in the original story, a tornado, but this version of Oz is not the happy, colorful world we remember. This version is much darker and more sinister and Dorothy has taken control.

Publisher: HarperCollins, April 1, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins, April 1, 2014

Paige spins the original story by painting Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Glinda the Good Witch as crazy, dark, evil characters with an agenda, and the Wicked Witch we all came to fear is seen as a possible good guy.

I enjoyed the book but was a little horrified with how the beloved characters are portrayed. There is romance, action and some surprise twists. The book is a little slow moving at the beginning but once the reader gets into the novel they do not want to put it down.

There is a cliffhanger ending setting the story up to be continued in the sequel, “The Wicked Will Rise,” and it looks as though it will be part of a series, possibly a trilogy.

I would recommend this book to all readers – those who like fairy tales, dark stories, quick reads or just love “The Wizard of Oz,” and are daring enough to see how different interpretations of Oz play out.

Happy reading!


Author’s note: After my original post about the book went live, someone shared this article with me about the publisher of the book. I was not aware of this information, and that James Frey was involved. I enjoyed the book and still recommend it, and will leve it up to the reader to make an informed decision.


 

Brit blog pictureBrittany Frizzell is an avid reader.  She enjoys escaping to faraway places and encountering supernatural beings. She also loves writing and spreading her love of reading to those around her. She hopes to eventually write the next great American novel.


 

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