Novella Review: Ruler of Beasts (Dorothy Must Die #0.6)

Release Date: February 16, 2016
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 84 pages
Source: Library Audio Book

Danielle Paige delivers a dark and compelling reimagining of a beloved classic, perfect for fans of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Beastly by Alex Flinn, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire.

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.

    

SPOILER WARNING: So I wrote this while very tired, still a little tired, and there are mild/medium level spoilers in this review. I'll try and come back and edit this review later so there are as few spoilers as possible, but I'm kind of going to pass out right now.

Review:

Protagonist: Lion is bored, after the excitement of confronting General Ginger, all Lion wants is something to do and a purpose in his life. Enter the puppet master, Glinda, who asks Lion to watch over Ozma and try and find a long lost necklace capable of helping bring back an old friend. I can't believe I'm saying this since Lion seemed to have the most "red flags" when it came to turning to the dark side, but he's sort of the most sympathetic of Dorothy's friends. I was surprised to find that underneath his rough exterior, is a soft little kitty cat, well sort of. This is still a story of his turn to the dark side, but there's a large part of me that really wanted him to be forced into it, or it really wasn't him we saw in the main series because a large part of me bleeds for this character we see in this book. Lion wants to be good, but since he's not as shrewd and cunning as Scare, or as ambivalent as Tin, his perception of what is truly "Good" is off.

World Building: So, I've said before that the world building for these novellas isn't that big, especially these ones that deal with how Dorothy's friends turned evil, but if I'm not mistaken, and I sincerely hope I'm not, it seems that this story does hold a good amount of world building that will hopefully serve as foreshadowing to what might happen next in the main series. Also, after six prequel novellas, it's interesting to look back and put everything in chronological order to see how some of these carefully laid plans fell into place. I said Glinda's a puppet master and this story shows just how much she is.

Predictability: Going into this book I had so many expectations on how this story would unfold, especially after reading the previous two novellas, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Not only did it sort of break the streak of interesting yet unnecessary novellas, at least presumably, but even after finishing it, I still felt sympathetic towards this character, which the only other time that happened in one of these novellas is in The Witch Must Burn. There are a few twists this book holds as well, some things that are hopefully foreshadowing for the future and some things that show more of how everything ties together.

Ending: I was really surprised and excited by how this story ended. Again, I still felt the Lion is a sympathetic character, and I almost wish we had seen more of how he turned evil, but I liked seeing that there was still a little bit of humanity in him, however much of an oxymoron that is, by the end of this story. The final climaxes, yes there are two, were really interesting and show not only how the Lion has come a good way since the beginning, but also set the stage for more in this world.

Rating:

I was not expecting to give this book five stars, I thought the Lion would be the least sympathetic of the bunch but there's a part of me that wants to just give him a hug, and the story was actually really fun and hopefully foreshadows what the future holds.

Novella Review: Heart of Tin (Dorothy Must Die 0.4)

Release Date: July 28, 2015
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 93 pages
Source: Library Audio Book

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.

Heart of Tin by Danielle Paige is a dark and compelling reimagining of a beloved classic and is perfect for fans of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Beastly by Alex Flinn, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire.

    

Review:

Protagonist: So, the Tin Man, that guy who only wants a heart since, as essentially a robot, he doesn't have one, returns in this novella that details his obsessive love for Dorothy and the beginnings of the army that he has in Dorothy Must Die. Nearly from the start of this novella, I didn't like the Tin Man, or Tin as he's frequently referred to in this novella, and I don't think we're supposed to sympathize with him in any way in this story. I don't know how "old" Tin's supposed to be in this story, but since most depictions of him are of a fully grown man, his romantic feelings for Dorothy are extremely creepy, I mean it would be understandable, though honestly no less creepy if he fell for the sixteen-year-old Dorothy that comes back to Oz, but he talks about being in love with the twelve-year-old who initially left Oz behind. This "love," which is really some serious obsession, is what sends Tin down the path to what he becomes by the beginning of the actual series. While I never felt sympathy for him, it was interesting to see his journey from obsessive but overall harmless, to practically a stalker doing whatever it would take to get even the smallest bit of recognition from Dorothy.

World Building: This novella is DARK, I mean, probably one of the darkest things I've ever read. There's a scene, which I won't spoil, that had my stomach roiling with how gory and intricately detailed it is. I mean, look, the entire series is dark, but a lot of its darkness is hidden "behind the curtain" if you will, and tears one particular curtain away and shows it all in detail. Another thing I liked was seeing not only Tin's fall into darkness first hand, but third-handedly seeing the other companion's descent into darkness that I think will be detailed more in the next two novellas. Another interesting thing we get to see, although not completely first hand, is what happened almost directly after the events of No Place Like Oz, and Dorothy's sudden rise to power.

Predictability: So I debated keeping this section because most of the "twists" in this story would already be known for those who've read the first full installment in this series. However, there were quite a few surprises in this book. Nothing big or game changing, but things that happened that I didn't quite see coming that added to the addictiveness of this tale.

Ending: Okay, so while I definitely think that the ending to this story was a fantastic stopping place, I don't know why but I was expecting something more out of it. I can't put my finger on exactly what, but I don't feel like I got enough closure for this story. The final climax of this tale is frightening and intriguing, and the very end does have that perfect note of finality to it or at least finality to this tale, but there's still just something missing...

Rating:

I really did enjoy this story. It's dark, creepy, and sometimes downright terrifying, but with an ending that just inexplicably wasn't up to snuff, I couldn't justify a 5 star, or even 4.5 star rating. This is still a cpativating and interesting look into this world though and I can't wait to learn the other companions' tales.

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

Release Date: March 31, 2015
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 293 pages
Source: Purchased Book/Library Audio Book

In this dark, high-octane sequel to the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die, Amy Gumm must do everything in her power to kill Dorothy and free Oz.

To make Oz a free land again, Amy Gumm was given a mission: remove the Tin Woodman’s heart, steal the Scarecrow’s brain, take the Lion’s courage, and then Dorothy must die...

But Dorothy still lives. Now the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked has vanished, and mysterious Princess Ozma might be Amy’s only ally. As Amy learns the truth about her mission, she realizes that she’s only just scratched the surface of Oz’s past—and that Kansas, the home she couldn't wait to leave behind, may also be in danger. In a place where the line between good and evil shifts with just a strong gust of wind, who can Amy trust—and who is really Wicked?

    

Review: 

Protagonist: Amy Gumm has failed in her task to kill Dorothy, instead she is flown away by monkeys while the Emerald City falls into ruin and the true ruler of Oz, Ozma, is joining her on her journey. Amy needs to remove the gifts that Dorothy's friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Lion were given by the Wizard before she can kill Dorothy. She already has the Heart of Tin, and soon hopes to reunite with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked and figure out their next move, but there's more to Oz than Amy knows and on this journey, she'll find more than what she's looking for. I really like the character of Amy and in this book, we get a deeper look into who she is than just the other girl from Kansas who has a chip on her shoulder. One of the things I was really drawn to was that she's not a heroine of pure innocence and goodness, in fact, there are a few times when her morality is called into question, but she's doing what she does for the good of Oz. She walks the road of an anti-hero and it's her imperfect morality that is relatable, she's not a perfect person who always does the right thing, she blurs lines to get what needs to get done, done.

Romance: Honestly, I'm contemplating not even having this section, but we'll see how it goes. There isn't all that much romance in this book. I mean, there are some great scenes with Nox and Amy, and you can tell that there are definite feelings there, but Amy's not about to get all goo-goo eyed and distracted from her goal of killing off Dorothy. There are also some great moments with Pete, and for a bit there I actually thought the author would introduce a love triangle, and for a second there I was actually okay if that was the path the author wanted to take with the story. However, it becomes very apparent that what's going on between Pete and Amy is strictly platonic. I was surprised at the lack of romance and was even hoping for a bit more than we got, but the author did a fantastic job showing a character who is feeling romantic feelings but is also on a mission and can't let those feelings get in her way.

World Building: There's actually quite a bit of world building to this story. Since the events at the end of the first installment, magic is coming back to Oz, and with it, the landscape is changing, it's a bit less dystopian and a bit more fantasy, but don't get me wrong it's still dark. The biggest enigma to this world is Ozma, specifically how she is both Pete and Ozma, and who Pete is, is he just another form of Ozma, or is he his own person? That' s a question that will not only be answered but explored quite a bit in this book. I really like the Ozma/Pete dynamic as it adds a bit of a wrinkle into the Oz lore, and shakes things up a bit. There's still so much left of Oz to explore, in this book we arrive, or return depending on if you read the Wizard Returns novella, to the kingdom of the wingless ones and learn more about the winged monkeys and specifically more about their queen, Lulu. We also see Amy making her way through some odd Oz locales and to one place in particular. I don't think it'd be a spoiler to say it, at least not a very big one, but there's something inside holding me back from gushing about it. Then there's the stuff we find out toward the end. I'm not going to give it away, obviously, but it makes me look at Oz in a whole new way.

Predictability: Something I noticed about this book was that even though the author does a fantastic job of weaving the foreshadowing of this book to both tease future twists and mislead the reader, one thing stood out and that was that if I hadn't read the prequel novellas, things wouldn't have made as much sense as they do when I did. Granted, while the second installment was enjoyable, it doesn't really tie into this book but the first and third installments add a level of understanding to this world that without it might have made the ending of this book confusing, or should I say more confusing. On the whole, I was surprised by a great many things, but there were a few twists in this book that I'm hoping will be further explored in either the next installment or another prequel novella.

Ending: The ending of this book is a bit weird. Ironically, I ended up mostly listening to this book so imagine my surprise when I thought that the final climax already commenced and things were ramping up into a cliffhanger, only for there to still be nearly an entire hour left in the book. That's of course where the real final climax begins, more or less. Things heat up towards the end of this book and there are some shocking revelations made and just when things can't get crazy enough, well then they just get confusing. I mean, for the most part, things made sense but the final chapter of this story really leaves you hanging and I can't fully comprehend what happens so hopefully when I get to the next book there'll be some sort of explanation to what I just read/listened to.

Rating:

For the most part, I really loved this installment. The anti-heroine was fantastic and the world building is phenomenal, but the ending was a bit on the intense and confusing side, and if I hadn't read the prequel novellas I wouldn't have had as much of an understanding of this story as I did and probably would have been even more confused.

Novella Review: The Wizard Returns

Release Date: March 3, 2015
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 71 pages
Source: Library eBook

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.

The Wizard Returns by Danielle Paige is a dark and compelling reimagining of a beloved classic and is perfect for fans of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Beastly by Alex Flinn, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire.

    

Review:

Protagonist: If you thought the Wizard of Oz actually left Oz in that hot air balloon of his, you'd be wrong. Shortly after departing the Emerald City the wizard is caught in a great storm and crash lands in a remote part of the Field of Poppies. After being awoken by a boy named Pete, the wizard, now referred to as Hex, doesn't remember who he is. Pete guides him through a series of trials that, if he passes, can lead him home, or perhaps to something greater. Something I've noticed about Danielle Paige is that not only does she have fantastic skill in differentiating the various points of views for this world, but she also provides a variety of types of narrators. In the first novella, we have a "good" character slowly becomes corrupt, in the second we have a "good" character find her strength and resolve to fight back however she can, but in this installment, we have something new. The wizard was not a good man, as far as we know he did not have Oz's best interests at heart, but we don't really meet the wizard, we meet Hex, a man who's lost his memory, but who may just be as selfish and power hungry as the former wizard. I found Hex's growth over the novella very compelling. It was entertaining to see this man, formerly known as the Great and Powerful Oz, be reduced to a man who didn't even know his own name.

World Building: The world building in this story is far different than I expected. After reading the synopsis I'd assumed that we'd see more of the Emerald City and find out what the Wizard's true motives are regarding Dorothy and Glinda. However, most of this adventure the wizard doesn't even know who he is. Instead, we see him going through a few trials to prove his worth, including facing the flying monkeys that he betrayed to the Wicked Witch of the West. In fact, a great deal of this novella deals with the Wingless Ones, flying monkeys who've clipped their wings, and thus the control that humans can have on them. There's a great deal of other world building, all of which I found completely fascinating, it was interesting to see a tale so far removed from Dorothy and Glinda. As for if you could read this story before the first full-length installment? I'd say you can, there isn't any risk of spoiling anything from the main series, although there is one thing that's revealed, something that made me check to see if this came out before the second book because it felt  a bit like a spoiler, but it's just something revealed in this story.

Predictability: So, I'm not quite sure what to write here. I mean there are things that build and get to a climactic point and secrets are revealed and twists in the story happen, but honestly there wasn't a lot of foreshadowing. A lot of this novella felt like I was taken along on an adventure but I had no idea where it led or what would happen. I feel as though a lot of that had to do with the fact that Hex had amnesia and his guide Pete wouldn't tell him anything. This led to me not knowing much and then when a twist would arrive, and let me tell you there are a few really good ones, I would be more blown away than I usually am.

Ending: I feel like it would be a spoiler to talk too much about what happened at the end. In fact, I've written this out a few times to varying results, none of them particularly good. What I will say about this ending is that, even with all the character development we see Hex go through, it isn't until the very end that we have a great understanding of why it is the Wizard returns, and what it is he plans on doing.

Rating:

Is it bad that I have given all of the novellas that I've read in this series five stars so far and the only full-length story four stars? I mean, I enjoyed DMD, but I think the shorter form of these stories makes for a great highly concentrated story that is almost impossible to put down.