You’re out of the woods: A Review of Danielle Paige’s Dorothy Must Die

I’m a fan of Oz. From the first time I saw the movie or read some of the books—or even fell in love with Return to Oz for combining a few of the lesser-known books into the mainstream, the story crafted by L. Frank Baum has held a special place in my heart. When I heard about a new series, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pick it up, but after a lot of positive reviews from people I trust, I decided to read Dorothy Must Die.

Amy Gumm lives in Kansas, with her mom and her mom’s rat, Star. Amy is considered a social pariah, in part because of the trailer she lives in—so she dyes her hair pink and then finds herself and Star tumbling about the trailer during a tornado. Waking up in Oz, she is rescued in part by a strange boy and then goes to the Emerald City. However, it is careful to note that this is NOT the Judy Garland Oz. This Oz is dangerous and Dorothy tries to have Amy killed, before Amy makes a quick escape and ends up at the lair the Order—witches readers may recognize as being originally evil. But evil is not a black or white issue, there are MANY gradations of gray in Oz, and you can’t trust anyone fully in Oz. And, when Amy finds herself back in Dorothy’s palace, undercover, she realizes a LOT about whom she can and can’t trust. Can Amy kill Dorothy without killing herself?

I loved this book—I read it in two brief sessions. The characters are well-developed for a Y.A. novel, and I found myself thinking about the different characters and the things I knew about them from reading some of the books in the original series. However, I found it extremely easy to figure out a few of the twists both character- and plot-wise while reading MUCH sooner than others less familiar with the series.

Danielle Paige does a great job with the characters and world built in Oz by L Frank Baum over 100 years ago. But, what sets Paige’s work apart is that she also does her own thing. She creates a story and characters that stand on their own and are STRONG.

I loved this book, and while I will wait until the second book in the series is in paperback (it is currently in hardcover) before picking it up, reading Dorothy Must Die made me want to revisit the original series, as a way of trying to figure out what other characters or regions in Oz may be brought in next.

Pick up your copy of Dorothy Must Die at your favorite retailer today. While it was recently released in trade paperback, it still exists in ebook and hardcover format.