Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1)
by Danielle Paige

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal,  Young Adult
Publication: April 1st 2014 by HarperCollins
Format: ebook
Source: Own
Connect: Twitter | Goodreads

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 the yellow brick road, though—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:

Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.

Steal the Scarecrow's brain.

Take the Lion's courage.

Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

I knew that I have to read Dorothy Must Die the moment I saw the book in some 2014 YA lists. The cover was simple and pretty. And after reading the blurbs, I purchased the book, put aside any other books on my ‘next-to-read’ list, and start to read this one. I need to know what happen to Oz, and how Dorothy will die.

I did not regret my decision. Dorothy Must Die was a really great book. It has almost everything—action, fantasy, magic and a bit of romance. I immediately fell in love with Amy Gumm. She was the other girl from Kansas who had some issues at home and at school. Amy was having an argument with her mother just before the tornado brought her to Oz. Amy took the Yellow Road to the Emerald City and found out that Oz was different than the one she read in her books. Apparently, Dorothy now ruled Oz with an iron fist. How does Oz turn to be like this? Can Amy return home?

I love Danielle Paige’s new version of Oz, even though it may be a bit dark. There were some parts in the middle, which was draggy, especially during Amy’s training with the wicked. The ending was a bit too sudden. I thought that there were too many things happening at once towards the end. Other than that, Dorothy Must Die was a really enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend Dorothy Must Die to fans of Oz and fairy-tale retelling.