Dorthy Must Die by Danielle Paige (Review)

Genre:	YA, Retelling, Twisted Tale
Publication Date:	April 1, 2014
Pages:	452
Published By:	Harper Collins
Series	Dorthy Must Die #1
Review copy:	Bought

Buy it:
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Chapters

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 bluebirds. 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 a yellow brick road - 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.

  I had been dropped here by a tornado, and now I was standing on something that looked remarkably like a road of yellow bricks.
  This had to be some big mix-up.  Maybe Kansas had finally cashed in on the whole Dorthy thing with a theme park and the tornado had just happened to drop me here.

  This Tin Woodman was not the Tin Woodman I remembered.  By now I shouldn't have expected anything different   nothing was the way it was supposed to be in Dorthy's remade Oz.

  Or was I someone more extreme, someone  I never imagined   a killer.  A warrior.  A girl who could stab someone in the face and know that she was doing the right thing?  A girl who had strength she never even knew about?

 What a fun and unique take on what happened after the classic finished.  So often we are tied up in the before it happened or what we would have preferred to happen, to stop and think about the after.  The aftermath is quite often more interesting than we would expect.  Dorthy Must Die nailed the post Dorthy leaving Oz, and created a masterful story with the power of 'what if'.  

  There is so much to be said about the way this was written, and the way that everything pieced itself together.  There was no one moment where as a reader I paused and couldn't accept the turns that this story took.  No, this was written in such a way that as things changed and people were introduced that it was easy to accept that this was the way things had become.  Basically despite the horror that the beautiful land had become, it was easy to visualise.  This is not saying that there were some questions left hanging in the air because for me there was.  However, there is no good book in which all of the secrets are dished out in the start and it's these little things that keep us turning the pages wanting more... Right?

  Amy herself to start came off as nothing special, and not horribly notable as a character but as this book proves, things change.  Though Oz is not the one she thought she knew, or the Oz that she had hoped she landed in, it proves to be a character builder for her.  Though things were not always what they seemed with her either.  For me Amy's wanting something more became something she wanted less of, and a path to see that things can be what you want if you are willing to go for it.  This being said, she was very much a pawn in multiple games, and all in which no one really knows who the 'good guys' are.  Though I never really connected with Amy I did enjoy her.  She was smart enough to ask questions, quick enough to pick up up on things not to do but impulsive enough to be enjoyable to read.

  There was definitely a lot going on in this book, and many characters that were mentioned.  What is good about this is that Paige does not kill the book with over detailing each one, but does give enough detail to each to allow you to see them the way you need to.  With this comes some new and some old.  I loved the way that the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Lion were twisted into something spectacularly horrible.  Maybe it is Dorthy's presence that causes this, but either way they are not the friendly characters we came to love in the original.  This is accented by some small surprises from other characters that kind of have always in some way been a wild card and a few new ones that add their own kick to the mix.  Nox was one of the characters that kind of stirred up the mix, but he also caused some mixed feelings that may need to be discussed in future reviews.

  Dorthy Must Die was a fast paced, well thought through twist on the post Dorthy Oz.  Can it be called post Dorthy if she found her way back?  Either way there was almost never a dull moment, and I can't wait to start The Wicked Will Rise (the only benefit of not having picked up this book before now).  Fans of Oz, twisted tales and new takes in general will surely enjoy this read!!

Neverland Evermore by Sarah J. Pepper (Review)

Genre:	YA, Twisted Tale, Retelling
Publication Date:	May 27, 2016
Pages:	180
Published By:	Createspace
Series:	Never Ever #1
Review copy:	Purchased (ebook)

Buy it:
Amazon ~ B&N 

Neverland has a way of breaking people. It corrupts souls. It destroys hope. The evil festering inside it brings out the darkness in our hearts and leaves us worse than dead. No good has ever come from it. Ever.

It is where I was born.

Therefore, darkness is all I know. Corruption is in my bones. So when I see him, I mean to win his heart and then break him. I mean to lure him to my arms and then destroy him. But it is his intentions and his wicked smile that deter me…at least until a lost soul from my past catches up with us.

My world ignites into flames. My love’s sinks to the depths of the sea. We are from two different worlds that overlap for a brief moment in time. But it is that moment which carries me forward. It is that moment in which he lives in the past. It is that moment in which I embrace my true nature and seek vengeance against those responsible for feeding his hand to that godforsaken crocodile.

Another gunshot went off as I plummeted into the angry water below.  My first mate stumbled away.  The last thing I saw before the waves crashed over me was her eloquent face.  The last thing I heard was my name on her lips.

  Her love was the last thing I fely before being pulled down into Davy Jones' Locker.

  I jumped at the sound of James' pocket watch as it marked the final hour of another day.  The clicks of the watch became louder with each passing second, a cruel reminder that I lived...and he didn't.

  Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

  "Mermaid tears do incredible things, and I've watched children join the stars," she cooed.  Remorse carried in the tone of her voice.  "But I have never heard a man give warning of a place called Neverland, because there is no escaping that hell."

"You don't understand what you are asking, Captain.  Neverland has a way of breaking people.  It corrupts souls.  It destroys hope.  The evil festering inside it brings out the darkness in our hearts and leaves us worse than dead.  Criminals, traitors, and the truly evil beings are attracted to it.  No good has ever come from it, no matter how much treasure is buried on the island." 

 Twisted tales seem to be really picking up in popularity and I'm loving it.  Plain and simply put I enjoy the chance to pick up so many different takes on tales that I have known and loved.  Peter Pan I'm finding has so much potential to be twisted.  Pepper shows off her talents by not only twisting it but putting Miss Bell and Captain James in the spot light.  Nothing about this read was what I expected, yet everything was better than I could have ever wanted.

  Because this is such a quick read, it jumps right into the thick of things.  It then proceeds to be told from Miss Bell in the present day and Captain James from earlier that year.  Though it may sound like it comes out confusing, it is as clear as a bell.  Pepper flawlessly sews the two together and creates a symmetry between the two that made for a smooth read.  Along with this was the many unique twists put in place throughout the book.  Each step forward or glimpse into the past and how the pair discovered what they have and what they have to lose, consumed me.  Their darkness is their light and this fuels so many events.

  What I love most, is how Miss Bell and Captain James are crafted.  There is a pull between the two characters that is undeniable, but more importantly they work.  Bell is not the sweet little fairy that we see in the Disney version, nor is she like any version I have read before.  Her role in Neverland, her relationship with Peter and everyone was not expected.  I also loved the unique way Bell's 'green' was twisted into her being, into her character.  This also leads the way into how the ticking on the pocket watch connected her to Captain.  I loved this truly unique twist.  LOVED!  As for the Captain, he had his own remarkable charm and this book is not the end for him.  I want to go into more detail but honestly I think you should discover him all for yourself!

  This read was beyond addicting and hinted at so much more to come.  Sarah J. Pepper has easily slipped into my heart, as a must read author when it comes to twisted tales and retellings.  This book was beyond addictive and I seriously am already itching to pick up the next book.  If you're a fan of twisted tales you will not want to miss the chance to pick up this beauty.  It is a perfect example of the inside matching the beauty of the cover.  I cannot adequately voice how amazing this book was, how remarkably unique this book was right from the start.   Basically what I am saying is judge a book by its cover and pick this baby up!!