Greetings,
So, in my last blog post I talked about a new show that gives a darker interpretation to the story of OZ, but today, I am gonna do something totally different and talk about a BOOK that gives a darker interpretation to the story of OZ. I am so versatile! And very perceptive because I knew that starting that Reading Challenge was going to lead to more book reviews, and here we are. Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about Doroty Must Die.
Dorothy Must Die is a 2014 novel by Danielle Paige that tells the story of a young girl from Kansas who gets swept away to a strange land. No, not that young girl. Well, not yet. The young girl in question this time is Amy Gumm, a teenager living a less than stellar life where she is bullied and has a neglectful mother. But alas, when a tornado hits her trailer, she is taken away to OZ, a place that she is well aware of. See, in her world, The Wizard of Oz, the books, the movie, it all exists, and now Amy is finding out that all the fairy tales were true. But not exactly as she knows them. Turns out, the famous Dorothy went full on Mean Girl...to put it lightly, and took a lot of people with her. This is no spoiler, by the way. It's pretty much the selling point. In short, everything is turned upside down from what we know, and Amy is recruited in a war to defeat Dorothy, hence the title. Whether or not Amy is ready, willing or able to carry out her task is something that she and the readers will have to stay tuned to find out. For a while, because this is the first book in a series of, currently, three books, but I believe a fourth is coming out this year.
The tough thing about doing a re-imagining of a well known and beloved story with well known and beloved characters is to, obviously, bring something new to the table. With a story as old as OZ, that can be a bit difficult, especially since quite a few things have been done with other stories where characters we love become villains and vice versa. So, how did this one do?
Well, whilst the story could be slow at times, I think overall it had some interesting ideas. I liked getting to know a new heroine, who, while having a few flaws, still came across as someone you want to root for. That is quite important in a book like this. And I was very impressed with the imagery. I mean, to be honest, OZ always had a darkness factor to it, but the author really went out all with describing the horrible things that our once lovable protagonists have become involved in. I particular was struck by the passages about the lion. So, warning. There are quite a few scenes of graphic violence in this book. Not gratuitous, in my opinion, but actually, necessary to get the point across. Basically, if you can't make it through Return to Oz, might want to hold off on this. But if you like upping the creepiness of OZ, I say go for it.
While it's not perfect, I found it to be a good read, and it certainly kept me interested. At least, enough to read the next book in the series. And since I know that it's a series, I can forgive the ending coming about quite abruptly. Knowing that more is coming makes it okay that I maybe didn't get exactly what I wanted in this book, rather than if it had been a standalone.
So, if the plot of Dorothy Must Die intrigues you, I don't think you'll be disappointed. It's a unique take on a familiar story, with interesting and mysterious characters that will leave you, much like the protagonist, wondering who you can trust. I hope that it continues to hold my interest throughout the series.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
