Words I Write Crazy: Week 27 Reviews: No Place Like Oz, The Witch Must Burn, The Wizard Returns, Heart of Tin, The Straw King, Ruler of Beasts, Order of the Wicked, Dark Side of the Rainbow, The Queen of Oz, Dorothy Must Die

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Week 27 Reviews: No Place Like Oz, The Witch Must Burn, The Wizard Returns, Heart of Tin, The Straw King, Ruler of Beasts, Order of the Wicked, Dark Side of the Rainbow, The Queen of Oz, Dorothy Must Die

From Goodreads:

In this digital original novella, Dorothy travels back to Oz to reunite with old friends, but her story may not have a happy ending. No Place Like Oz is a prequel to the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don't compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she's happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she's just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same.

Perfect for fans of Alex Flinn, Marissa Meyer, and Gregory Maguire, No Place Like Oz is a dark reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Building off of its rich mythology, Danielle Paige creates an edgy, thrilling story for teens that chronicles the rise and fall of one of the literature's most beloved characters. This digital original novella is a prequel that sets the stage for the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

From Goodreads:
There's a new Wicked Witch in Oz—and her name is Dorothy. This digital original novella is the second installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and exciting New York Times bestseller Dorothy Must Die.

Dorothy Gale is back . . . and she's not the sweet little heroine of Oz anymore. She's power-hungry and vicious, and she leaves a trail of destruction beneath her spike-heeled, magical shoes. But behind the scenes, there's someone else pulling the strings. Someone who doesn't want fame or glory—just control.

Glinda of the North brought Dorothy back to Oz for a reason. And in The Witch Must Burn, a young maid is about to discover that a witch who says she's Good might be the most dangerous kind of Wicked.

From Goodreads:
The Wizard left Oz in a hot air balloon—or did he? This digital original novella is the third installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and exciting New York Times bestseller Dorothy Must Die.

Dorothy Gale is back . . . and she's not the sweet little heroine of Oz anymore. She's power-hungry and vicious, and she leaves a trail of destruction beneath her spike-heeled, magical shoes. But she wasn't always in charge. There used to be a different ruler of Oz. Someone who also came from the Other Place, and who stole power for himself. They called him the Wizard.

The story goes that when a young Dorothy revealed the Wizard as a fraud, the man behind the curtain fled Oz in his hot air balloon. But in The Wizard Returns, he wakes in a field of poppies to find out that not only had he never left, but that he has no memory of who—or where—he is. As he undergoes a series of tests to uncover his memories, he finds that the very girl who threw him from the Emerald Palace is in control. And that Oz may be his destiny after all.

From Goodreads:
Everyone knows the Tin Woodman as Dorothy's lovable sidekick, the tin man who longed for a real heart to beat inside his tin chest. This digital original novella is the fourth installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and thrilling New York Times bestsellers Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise, and tells what happened to the Tin Woodman after he got his wish.

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wizard gave the Tin Woodman a heart, and all lived happily ever after—or so the story goes. But in Heart of Tin, the heart wants what the heart wants—and the Tin Woodman's heart pines for Dorothy. The gift that the Wizard once bestowed on him turns twisted with longing. And when Dorothy returns to Oz with her own dark agenda, the Tin Woodman will do whatever it takes to help her rise to power—and to make her his.

From Goodreads:
Once upon a time, the Scarecrow's only wish was to have a brain. This digital original novella is the fifth installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and thrilling New York Times bestsellers Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise and follows the Scarecrow after he finally gets his wish.

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow received the gift of a brain from the Wizard and was appointed the new ruler of Oz. In The Straw King, the Scarecrow's tale takes a crooked turn when his reign is threatened. With faith in his newfound wisdom shaken, the Scarecrow will turn to anyone who can help—even if others have their own interests at heart.

From Goodreads:
When the Cowardly Lion set off for the Emerald City in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with Dorothy and the others, he sought courage above all else. This digital original novella is the sixth installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and thrilling New York Times bestsellers Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise, and is the Lion's story after he got what he's always wanted.

The Lion's wish has finally come true—he is the courageous ruler of the forest and all of its beasts. But the Lion is bored—he misses the days of his adventures with Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, and the Scarecrow. When Glinda the Good Witch shows up unexpectedly and tasks him with a mission back in the Emerald City, he jumps at the chance to do something exciting, even though he knows she's not telling him the entire truth.

From Goodreads:
This digital original novella is the seventh installment in the series' prequel arc, and reveals how some members of the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked came to be.

Dorothy Gale's armies killed Lanadel's entire family, and she's determined to seek revenge. She sets off to find the elusive, secretive group known as the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. They're rumored to be training their own army to defeat Dorothy. But when she finds them, Lanadel soon learns that she's seriously underprepared both in fighting skills, as well as magical abilities, and she has to prove herself in order to join the Order and become one of them.

From Goodreads:
Good is Wicked and Wicked is Good in the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series!

This digital original novella is the eighth installment in the series' prequel arc and reveals how the wonderful world of Oz began to crumble when Dorothy Gale returned—including Rainbow Falls, Oz's paradise hot spot.

Polychrome, Princess of the Rainbow, has a pretty cushy job. She spends her days surfing at Indigo Beach, playing with her pet unicorn, and occasionally checking in on the tourists vacationing at Rainbow Falls, where she is—technically speaking—in charge. When Dorothy arrives, Polly is less than thrilled. She'd much rather flirt with mysterious surfer Bright than play tour guide to a spoiled wannabe princess. But Rainbow Falls won't be paradise by the time Dorothy's done with it. And Polly may have to leave her life of leisure behind, to become the ruler her land needs.

From Goodreads:
Good is Wicked and Wicked is Good in the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series!

This digital original novella is the ninth and final installment in the series' prequel arc. It reveals the mysterious backstory of Ozma—and how she went from fairy princess to the rightful ruler of Oz.

Young Mombi was never the best witch in Oz. She wasn't the most talented, or the most powerful. But when the Wizard knocks on her door holding a baby girl who needs protection, Mombi agrees to take the job. She casts one powerful, surprising spell—hiding the baby where no one would find her. Years later, a boy named Pete goes on a journey to the Emerald City, where he learns the truth about his true identity…and his role in Oz's destiny.

From 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 bluebirds. 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 yellow brick road - 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.

My Review:
I enjoyed reading these stories. The prequel books really set up this world, we really got deep into these characters, and I can't wait to see how the seeds that they planted grow in the full length books in the series. We already saw The Witch Must Burn's seed in Dorothy Must Die, but there's still the rest of them, and I can't wait!

I have one or two complains about the short stories. First, there was an inconsistent detail, and I'm not sure it's going to be a plot point in the future. In No Place Like Oz, the gang gets together a week before the ball. In Heart of Tin, they reunite at the ball. And I don't get this inconsistency.

The second is, the timeline between each book is wonky. The first two work together, the 3rd maybe takes place alongside the 2nd, but the 3rd takes place right after No Place Like Oz, the 4th and 5th take place after Dorothy left, one after another with a year between them. I have no idea when the 7th takes place, the 8th takes place a little after No Place Like Oz, and The Queen of Oz takes place before The Straw King. So it's a lot of bouncing back and forth in the timeline. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all these stories, but placing them all together was a bit of a challenge.

But one thing that I really liked about the short stories, was that almost all of these characters were morally grey, or darker. Not Good and Wicked, as they are in these stories, but morally. They do a lot of not so great things. Some of them are the villains, but really only Jellia and Pete are the only really good characters of the short stories. Well, Polly, too, but not as much as Jellia and Pete.

I really enjoyed getting to know Amy, she's had to care for her mom most of her life, and she's had it rough. And then being brought to this magical world-but it not being what it is in the book and movie, well, yeah, that's a shock. And then having this mission to kill, well, not cool! I really enjoyed her journey! And where it ended, well, I need to see how it continues!

This was a really great start to the series, and I can't wait to read more!

Author: Danielle Paige
Series: Dorothy Must Die #0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, .07, 0.8, 0.9, 1
Read: June 29th, 29th, 29th, 29th, 29th, 29th, 30th, 30th, 30th, July 1st, 2020
Source: Ebook.bike, Bought
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Books, and Dorothy Must Die is a RR Book!
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: November 12th 2013, November 11th 2014, March 3rd 2015, July 28th, 2015, November 10th 2015, February 16th 2016, June 28th 2016, January 31st 2017, March 14th 2017, April 1st 2014

No Place Like Oz: