Began reading: 10.5.2016
Completed reading: 17.5.2016
Overall rating: 3.9 stars
My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
After a tornado swept through my trailer park, I ended up in Oz.
But it wasn't like the Oz I knew from books and movies. Dorothy had returned, and she was stealing magic from the land. The Wizard was back. Glinda could no longer be called the Good Witch. And the Wicked Witches who were left? They'd joined forces as the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, and they wanted to recruit me.
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.
But in a place where the line between good and evil shifts with a strong gust of wind... who am I supposed to trust? And who is actually Wicked?
Find Dorothy.
Destroy the road of yellow brick.
Save her home.
The Wicked Will Rise.
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige is the second instalment in the Dorothy Must Die series. This novel is a fictional young adult retelling of the classic Wizard of Oz, containing hints of fantasy, adventure and romance. The novel picked up where the first book left off. My love for retellings hasn’t changed, which I suppose made me like this book, but I felt that it wasn’t as good as the previous novel.
I found numerous spelling errors throughout the book, which was a let-down, but overall, the novel was well-written. Paige incorporated literary techniques to add depth to the plot and characters, which was great! There were also some notable quotes that I thought I’d share, including:
She had been both good and wicked and everything in between. She had been both at once, too, until it was hard for her to even tell the difference anymore (p. 15).
You can’t just cover your eyes and pretend like terrible things aren’t happening simply because you can’t see them… (p. 55).
Some people spend their whole lives searching for the one thing that they can do to say, I changed the world. I had found that thing. I might not be able to accomplish it, but I was going to die trying (p. 114).
Faith: everyone knows it’s something you’re supposed to have, but it’s harder to put that into practice when your senses are telling you all hoe is lost (p. 160).
If those things hadn’t happened, would I have grown up into someone happier and easier, with a smile, someone who could just laugh things off? Someone prettier, more popular, someone who didn’t always feel a little uncomfortable in my own skin?
Would I still have had this angry thing always coiled up inside me like a rattlesnake itching to strike? (p. 183).
I began to melt into him. There in his arms, I felt so secure — for the first time in maybe my while life — that if I could have, I would have let myself become part of him. Just so I could feel that safe forever (p. 264).
More quotes from the book can be found here.
Just like Dorothy Must Die, I really liked the plot. I thought that it was interesting when Amy was given the mission to get the Tin Woodman’s heart, Lion’s courage and The Scarecrow’s brain. This mission made the plot more adventurous, which kept me fascinated. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the overall structure of the plot. After reading it, I felt that the plot didn’t really flow — sections just felt as though they had been chopped up and jumbled into a disjointed order. In other words, something would be happening then the scene would change, leaving me confused. For example, Amy stumbles across the Island of Lost Things and then, in a blink of an eye, is stumbling through some kind of portal towards Rainbow Falls. I just found it confusing.
Reading the dialogue between Amy and some of the other characters was entertaining, especially Queen Lulu. Paige incorporated humour to create this sassy monkey, which amused me. For example, Lulu’s teasing of Glinda made me giggle:
‘Glinda was gravely wounded in battle and is thought to have returned to her fortress.’
‘Oh, of course,’ Lulu sniffed. ‘That witch talks a big game, but she couldn’t be a bigger candy-ass if she dropped her pink little undies and sat on a pile of gumdrops’ (p. 52).
To be honest, I think that Queen Lulu’s sassiness was a highlight from the plot. I just didn’t agree with the way she went about wanting to Ozma. Anyway, the plot was entertaining, which played a significant role in keeping me interested in the book.
There were some serious plot twists throughout the novel, which were obviously unexpected. There was betrayal, deaths, sudden unexpected appearances and an interesting ending. I think that the most unexpected twist was the betrayal of a secondary character. I didn’t see it coming and it left me stunned.
Speaking of secondary characters, Paige included some characters from the previous novel that I was hoping would make a bigger appearance later in the series. If you have read Dorothy Must Die, you would know that Polychrome made a minor appearance at Dorothy’s ball. The way she was described in that novel made me curious to see what she would be like up close. I was given that chance in this book, and I’m grateful for it. I really liked her character, as her personality was realistic — resembling a dramatic, romantic yet independent teenage girl. It was a shame that she didn’t last very long — I was starting to like her and she probably would have replaced Glamora as my favourite character.
Now, let’s move on to the negatives. I found the lead up to the conclusion to be confusing. I didn’t understand the whole Inception-esque thing with the palace really weird, and the Wizard controlling Amy and Dorothy was also random. I didn’t understand the point of it at all.
Similarly, I felt that the end was a little rushed. It lacked pace and detail: one minute, they’re with the Wizard, and the next, they’re back in Kansas with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I thought I was missing something. Because of these let-downs, I felt that this book wasn’t as good as the first.
Although Glamora made next to no appearance in this book, she still is my favourite character. However, I have to include Polychrome, Ozma, Amy, Nox and Lulu in my list of notable characters.
*WARNING: SPOILER ALERT* I’m left with a few questions regarding some of the characters. First and foremost, WHY DID POLYCHROME HAVE TO DIE?! I was really beginning to like her! I know this made for a juicy plot twist, but why did Pete have to betray Amy? I trusted him! Why wasn’t Bright torn up about Polychrome’s death? Finally, WHY WAS GLAMORA NOT IN THIS BOOK?
My favourite parts of this novel include Amy’s visit to Polychrome’s palace and the battle with Dorothy. As I have already mentioned, I really liked Polychrome’s character. After her small appearance in Dorothy Must Die, having the opportunity to get to know her a bit more was great. It was interesting to see that she wasn’t on Dorothy’s side. Also, her interactions with her ‘unicorn’, Heathcliff, were surprisingly amusing. I liked the battle between Amy and Dorothy because it was action-packed, dramatic and tense.
Recommendation time! If you like the Queen of Hearts saga by Colleen Oakes, Slumber by Christy Sloat, and The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes The Wizard of Oz, Once Upon A Time, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland, Red Riding Hood, Beastly, and Grimm.
I will also be reviewing the rest of the Dorothy Must Die series: Yellow Brick War, as well as the other upcoming books in the series.
My review for Dorothy Must Die can be found by clicking on the title.
Happy reading!
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