I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz. I’ve watched the movie and I’ve even read Gregory Maguire’s books on Oz. So naturally, when I saw this book, I had to read it!
Amy Gumm doesn’t have the most ideal life. Living in Kansas in a trailer with her drug-obsessed mom has made her grow up much too quickly. When a tornado hits, Amy finds herself transported to Oz, a land she only knows about from the movie. But this isn’t the Oz she has heard of. For one thing, everything is dull instead of vibrant. Also, everyone looks miserable and terrified of Dorothy. It turns out that Dorothy came back from Kansas and has become power-hungry, seizing all of the magic in the land and using it for evil. Now, Amy has been recruited by the Order of Wicked to defeat Dorothy. For the only way to save Oz is for Dorothy to die.
This is definitely a teen novel and it’s something you can tell by the style of writing. But it is extremely addictive. The book ends on a cliffhanger and leaves just the perfect amount of unanswered questions. Amy is sarcastic and cynical, the perfect teenage hero and that’s what really sells this novel. I will say that there were some parts that weren’t written as well as I would have liked, namely the time period when Amy was growing and changing. But it wasn’t that big of a deal. All in all, I enjoyed the book immensely and I’m looking forward to reading the next one in the series!
Happy reading ~