Goodreads Archive Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

DOROTHY MUST DIE

DOROTHY MUST DIE #1

Author: Danielle Paige

Publication Date: 04/01/2014

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

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 blue birds. 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 the yellow brick road, though—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:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

Picture and Summary from Goodreads

REVIEW

I am so, so, so, so, SOOOO disappointed!  This book had so much potential! It should have been pure awesomesauce but sadly fell completely flat.  It was unbelievably boring!!  Don't get me wrong, there was a ton of stuff happening but none of it kept my interest.  Every once in a while something would happen leading me to think the story was turning and would soon become great but it never happened. 

The world of Oz was of course amazing, even in it's twisted evilness. But Paige really couldn't screw Oz up because it isn't an original idea...it was already created, she just built off of it and since her Oz is evil, messing it up is only to be expected.  The writing, in my opinion, was sub par.  It felt really choppy and awkward at times.

As for the people? Well reading the summary you think you are going to get this awesome bad ass chick who is going to come in, kick Dorothy's ass, and save Oz.  What we end up getting is Amy.  Amy sucks.  When Amy gets the chance to join the resistance and save Oz, because as the Wicked put it Amy is the only one who can kill Dorothy, she whines and complains and is all "woe, is me".  I hated Amy. 

"Surely it had redeeming qualities!" you say....hmmm let me think...nope really can't think of anything except maybe the idea behind the book but that was so poorly executed that it doesn't count.

There is one last thing that I want to complain about and it's a ginormous spoiler so don't read past this point if you don't want to know. 

Fair warning!

 The whole point of this book was supposed to be the killing of The Lion, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and FINALLY Dorothy!

I'm talking about this:

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.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

But no.  Amy doesn't even find out that she is supposed to take out the first three until the VERY END OF THE BOOK.  I feel like the summary on the back cover is false advertising.  I mean, Dorothy doesn't EVEN DIE!! I would have been okay with Dorothy not dying, it is a series after all, so I expected it not to end that way.  But the only death that occurred to was not till the end! I tell you now that I will NOT be reading the rest of the books if it's going to be stretched out that way.  I was so pissed when the book ended.