The End of Oz by Danielle Paige

Title: The End of Oz (Dorothy Must Die #4)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: HarperCollins 2017

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 309

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:  I love Libraries

My name is Amy Gumm. You might remember me as the other girl from Kansas. When a tornado swept me away to the magical land of Oz, I was given a mission: Dorothy must die. That’s right, everyone’s favorite Wicked-Witch-slayer had let the magic of Oz corrupt her. She turned evil. So I killed her.

But just when we thought it was safe to start rebuilding the damaged land of Oz, we were betrayed. Now I’m following the Road of Yellow Brick as it helps me escape toward the mysterious land of Ev, where the Nome King rules a bleak and angry world. And what I’m about to find is shocking: My original mission may not have been successful.

I thought my job was over, but it’s only just beginning. And it’s up to me to foil Dorothy’s plans for revenge—and finally save the land I’ve come to love.

What an end to the series!  I must admit that I was very worried when Paige re-ntroduced Madison in this volume. I couldn't see how she would fit into the storyline or with the characters. Thankfully Madison had a part to play in Amy's journey. I would have liked a bit more time in Oz proper and with the Order, but it was nice to get some new(ish) characters involved. The ending was a bit stilted, but I think it fits with the overall story. This was such a fun series. I'm going to miss Amy and Oz.

Dorothy Must Die

• #0.1 No Place Like Oz
• #0.2 The Witch Must Burn
• #0.3 The Wizard Returns
• #0.4 Heart of Tin
• #0.5 The Straw King
• #0.6 Ruler of Beasts
• #0.7 Order of the Wicked
• #0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
• #0.9 The Queen of Oz
• #1 Dorothy Must Die
• #2 The Wicked Will Rise
• #3 Yellow Brick War
• #4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile:

Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige

Title: Yellow Brick War (Dorothy Must Die #3)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: HarperCollins 2016

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 270

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; I love Libraries

My name is Amy Gumm. Tornadoes must have a thing about girls from Kansas, because—just like Dorothy—I got swept away on one too. I landed in Oz, where Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good, and the Wicked Witches clued me in to my true calling: Assassin.

The way to stop Dorothy from destroying Oz—and Kansas—is to kill her. And I’m the only one who can do it. But I failed. Others died for my mistakes. Because of me, the portal between the worlds has been opened. And if I don’t find a way to close it? Dorothy will make sure I never get to go home again. Now it’s up to me to: join the Witches, fight for Oz, save Kansas, and stop Dorothy once and for all.

So I would say that I loved the last 75 pages of this book. The last 1/4 was an amazing ride through Oz's magic. We even get to meet Lurline in person! The first 3/4 of the book was a bit slow. The entire section in Kansas was a bit boring and I kept hoping Amy would get back to Oz soon. This review sounds like I didn't like the book at all, but I did. Just wish the first sections would have moved a bit faster. I loved the characters in this one especially The Nome King and Ozma. Plus we get to see the epic battle at the heart of Oz. Loved it! On to the last book in the series...

Dorothy Must Die

• #0.1 No Place Like Oz
• #0.2 The Witch Must Burn
• #0.3 The Wizard Returns
• #0.4 Heart of Tin
• #0.5 The Straw King
• #0.6 Ruler of Beasts
• #0.7 Order of the Wicked
• #0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
• #0.9 The Queen of Oz
• #1 Dorothy Must Die
• #2 The Wicked Will Rise
• #3 Yellow Brick War
• #4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

Title: The Wicked Will Rise (Dorothy Must Die #2)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: HarperCollins 2015

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 309

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; I love Libraries

My mission? Kill Dorothy. Except my job as assassin didn’t work out as planned. Dorothy is still alive. The Order has vanished. And the home I couldn’t wait to leave behind might be in danger.

Somehow, across a twisted and divided land, I have to find the Order, protect the true ruler of Oz, take Dorothy and her henchmen down—and try to figure out what I’m really doing here.

The first book was good, but holy crap the second book was so much better. The twists and turns were great. I loved seeing Amy explore more of Oz and encounter new and old characters. Meeting the Magril was especially interesting. I loved getting the glimpse into the inner workings of Oz. The cliffhanger ending was torturous (but in a good way). My only issue was the seemingly non-event of the Scarecrow's demise. I wanted more of climax to that one... 

Dorothy Must Die

• #0.1 No Place Like Oz
• #0.2 The Witch Must Burn
• #0.3 The Wizard Returns
• #0.4 Heart of Tin
• #0.5 The Straw King
• #0.6 Ruler of Beasts
• #0.7 Order of the Wicked
• #0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
• #0.9 The Queen of Oz
• #1 Dorothy Must Die
• #2 The Wicked Will Rise
• #3 Yellow Brick War
• #4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 3 by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must DieStories Vol. 3 (Dorothy Must Die #0.7-0.9)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: HarperCollins 2017

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 258

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; I love Libraries

Before Amy Gumm lands in Oz in Dorothy Must Die, Dorothy Gale rules a twisted land where the Good have become truly Wicked—and it’s up to the Wicked to stop her reign. Follow your favorite witches from Dorothy Must Die as they form an elusive, secretive group known as the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked and begin training their own army to defeat Dorothy.

Thankfully the prequels ended on a high note. I loved all three of these stories!

"Order of the Wicked" -- We get to see the order operating before Amy arrives. I loved learning more about Melindra and Nox. Plus we get to see what happens to Annabel. Fascinating story.

"Dark Side of the Rainbow" -- I'll admit that when Polychrome appeared in the first book, I couldn't care less. This story changed my opinion. I loved seeing the Rainbow Island, getting more from Ozma, and setting up the mystery of Bright.

"The Queen of Oz" -- How exciting! Mombi and Ozma and Pete and Glamora and Glinda all in one story. I sped through this one because it was just so good. I love that it feels in some of the gaps from the previous stories and we get more from some of the best characters in the series. 

Now I'm ready to jump back into the regular series and find out more about Amy's journey through Oz.

Dorothy Must Die

• #0.1 No Place Like Oz
• #0.2 The Witch Must Burn
• #0.3 The Wizard Returns
• #0.4 Heart of Tin
• #0.5 The Straw King
• #0.6 Ruler of Beasts
• #0.7 Order of the Wicked
• #0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
• #0.9 The Queen of Oz
• #1 Dorothy Must Die
• #2 The Wicked Will Rise
• #3 Yellow Brick War
• #4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 2 by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must DieStories Vol. 2 (Dorothy Must Die #0.4-0.6)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: HarperCollins 2016

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Fairytale Retellings

Follow Dorothy’s iconic companions from the beloved classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as each of their gifts becomes key to the downfall of Oz. After Dorothy Gale wished her way home and long before Amy Gumm found herself in Oz, Dorothy’s friends left the Road of Yellow Brick to go their separate ways. But in a place like Oz, where magic and temptation lurk, the gifts from the Wizard begin to take on a life of their own. The Tin Woodman becomes twisted with longing. The Scarecrow develops a taste for plotting. And doubt consumes the Cowardly Lion.

Another three prequels from the Dorothy Must Die series. This time, we focus on Dorothy's companions: the Tinman, the Scarecrow, and the Lion. 

"Heart of Tin" -- My least favorite of the three stories. I'm really not a fan of Tin at all. His "love" for Dorothy is weird and creepy. Of the three companions, I see him as the weakest. This story filled in some of the gaps, but it wasn't great mostly because of the main character.

"The Straw King" -- Very interesting story. I loved the political maneuvering between Glinda and Scare. Their relationship is one of the more interesting ones in the series. I hope we get even more back and forth between them in the next book.

"Ruler of Beasts" -- I didn't think I would enjoy this series based off of the Lion in Dorothy Must Die, but I loved it. We get to see the Lion's eventual fall, but more importantly, we get to see what happened to Ozma before Dorothy came back. And we get to meet the Nome King which was oh so much fun! Finally, the question of how Dorothy was brought back is answered.

Can't wait to see where this series goes! But first, I need to finish the last three prequel stories.

Dorothy Must Die

• #0.1 No Place Like Oz
• #0.2 The Witch Must Burn
• #0.3 The Wizard Returns
• #0.4 Heart of Tin
• #0.5 The Straw King
• #0.6 Ruler of Beasts
• #0.7 Order of the Wicked
• #0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
• #0.9 The Queen of Oz
• #1 Dorothy Must Die
• #2 The Wicked Will Rise
• #3 Yellow Brick War
• #4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 1 by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must DieStories Vol. 1 (Dorothy Must Die #0.1-0.3)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: Full Fathom Five 2015

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 377

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; New to Me

These three prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series follow the iconic characters from the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz as their lives intertwine to bring about the downfall of Oz. Dorothy begins a journey down a darker path. Glinda the Good Witch may not be so Good. And the Wizard realizes that Oz is his destiny. Kiss the land where troubles melt like lemon drops goodbye. Here there's danger around every corner and magical shoes won't be able to save you.

"No Place Like Oz" -- Oh so good! I loved this story detailing how Dorothy came back to Oz and became the Dorothy we know in Dorothy Must Die. I loved the reappearance of so many characters. And the explanation of the switch from silver slippers to ruby slippers is perfect.

"The Witch Must Burn" -- My least favorite of the three stories. Glinda is such an odd character. Even evil I'm not a fan of her at all. The story felt a bit convoluted and I just couldn't get behind it. 

"The Wizard Returns" -- Much better than Glinda's story. I loved seeing the Wizard change from the Wizard we knew to a man without his memory to something different and a bit unknown. Can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the series.

Dorothy Must Die

• #0.1 No Place Like Oz
• #0.2 The Witch Must Burn
• #0.3 The Wizard Returns
• #0.4 Heart of Tin
• #0.5 The Straw King
• #0.6 Ruler of Beasts
• #0.7 Order of the Wicked
• #0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
• #0.9 The Queen of Oz
• #1 Dorothy Must Die
• #2 The Wicked Will Rise
• #3 Yellow Brick War
• #4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: Full Fathom Five 2014

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 452

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (YA Retellings); Popsguar - Character's Name in Title; Fairytale Retellings (I'm counting Wizard of Oz as a more modern fairytale)

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.

Such a fun retelling of one of my favorite childhood stories. I loved the twists on each character while keeping true to Baum's original story. The Lion is truly terrifying. And we get elements of the rest of the original Oz stories with Ozma, the witches, etc. I sped through this book in only two days. I had to see where it ended, or should I say, where it left me hanging. Of course this is just the first book in the series. Thank goodness I have the rest of the series out from the library just waiting for me to die in.

Dorothy Must Die

• #0.1 No Place Like Oz
• #0.2 The Witch Must Burn
• #0.3 The Wizard Returns
• #0.4 Heart of Tin
• #0.5 The Straw King
• #0.6 Ruler of Beasts
• #0.7 Order of the Wicked
• #0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
• #0.9 The Queen of Oz
• #1 Dorothy Must Die
• #2 The Wicked Will Rise
• #3 Yellow Brick War
• #4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile: