5 Star Review: Dorothy Must Die (Danielle Paige)

Hardcover, 452 pages
Published April 1st 2014 by HarperCollins
Book Purchased for Review

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.

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Danielle lives in NY. Before turning to YA, she worked in television & was nominated for several Daytime Emmy's. Dorothy Must Die is her first novel.

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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...

The title of this book and the cover were the first things that grabbed me....even before I read the synopsis. I knew at first glance that I HAD TO HAVE THIS BOOK! and THEN I read the synopsis....SERIOUSLY??? MUST HAVE THIS BOOK NOW!!!!!!!

Dorothy Must Die is one of those books where I just held it in my hand and stared at the cover. The cover was so perfect...so creepy and chilling and absolutely perfect. I am a huge fan of covers. If a cover ROCKS then I am more likely to tear into the book..Yes I know that sounds crazy but I am being honest! and everything about Dorothy Must Die screamed...."I AM AMAZING....READ ME NOW!!!" 

From the very first page this book was amazing....I mean FREAKING amazing. I have always loved The Wizard of Oz and so when I saw this creepily fantastic re-telling it just jumped at me.  A savage, distorted YA Dystopian....Dorothy....EVIL??? I had so many thoughts and aspirations on where Danielle Paige would take this story and WOW...She exceeded my expectations...like....DRASTICALLY. 

The opening paragraph of the first chapter of this book immediately showed me how intense and emotional this book was going to be and how fascinating at the same time. 

"I first discovered I was trash three days before my ninth birthday--one year after my father lost his job and moved to Secaucus to live with a woman named Crystal and four years before my mother had the car accident, started taking pills, and began exclusively wearing bedroom slippers instead of normal shoes."

The main character Amy is such an emotional and riveting character. She has been through so much in her life and faced so many tragedies yet she has overcome them and has grown into a strong, independent young woman. I immediately liked her character and felt so much emotion for her. She has basically raised herself and is just living day to day. She dreams of the day when she can move out of the mobile home park and start fresh. Little does Amy know but a tornado is about to take her to a whole new world where she is going to face more danger and disaster than she ever thought possible.

Amy arrives in Oz and immediately thinks she is dreaming. She has read all the stories and seen all the movies but this OZ is NOTHING like she ever imagined. Everything is creepy, dark, and unsettling. This is where Amy's adventure begins....or should I say her horror?  Amy is first introduced to a mysterious green eyed boy who advises her to follow the yellow brick road and to get to the Emerald City as soon as possible and promises all her answers to her questions will be answered and then he disappears. 

"In the name of Ozma of Oz," the Tin Woodman said grimly, his voice robotic and scratchy, "by order of Princess Dorothy, I --the Tin Woodman of Oz, Grand Inquisitor of the Emerald Police and commander of the Tin Soldiers---hereby arrest you for crimes of treason."

He held out a piece of paper with a gold seal on it, and for the first time I got a look at his hands. A chill ran through my entire body. He had fingers like knives and needles, each of them twisted into a slightly different shape. Like dentist tools."

Amy meets so many phenomenal characters along her journey to the Emerald City and also faces unspeakable pain and suffering. Dorothy and Oz are now evil and nothing is as it seems. There are so many twists and turns and gripping adventure scenes in this book. 

And of course there is romance as well.....

and there are so many well-written characters and Amy never knows who she can truly trust....who is truly on her side...or are they just another one of Dorothy's minions???

If you are looking for an amazing book with twists and turns, spell-binding mysteries, secret romances, and just an absolutely PHENOMENAL story then Dorothy Must Die is for you!!! I absolutely loved it and CANNOT wait to read the sequel....I mean...I need it...NOW!!!!