Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

When a tornado picks  up her trailer home and deposits Amy Gumm in Oz, she can't believe it.  But this Oz is different than the one in the stories. Oz has become a dark and desolate place and it's all because of Dorothy. Now it's up to Amy trained by the Order of the Wicked to stop Dorothy from mining all the magic out of Oz and put an end to her cruelty. Because if one thing is for certain, Dorothy must die.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you," she said quietly, although her voice carried through the throne room. "This is where revolution will get you. In Dorothy's Oz, there is no room for the Wicked."

But then the Lion slunk through my field of vision - licking his chops and eyeing me, because apparently patrolling the outskirts and creeping people out was his preferred party activity-

I love a good retelling and/or fractured fairy tale and this is certainly no exception. While I've always enjoyed the Wizard of Oz, it is not one of my fairy tale obsessions. Still I thought I could get on board with an evil Dorothy and nightmarish Oz and I was right. It was definitely worth the read. It was a bit more violent than I expected and the dialogue needed a little more polish in places (the way some of the characters spoke was didn't gibe with me a few times) but I still really loved it. It seems to be mostly pulled from the books but I suspect a few elements of the movie sneaked in. Certainly Dorothy's red shoes are a nod to the movie.

Amy is a sort of the anti-Dorothy. She is a nice girl who had a rough upbringing but still wants to do the right thing and take of business. When she is brought to Oz by the tornado she can't believe it but she carries right on because she doesn't know how to do anything else. What she finds there is nothing like the movie portrayed as she finds that all of Dorothy's sidekicks have been turned into nightmare versions of themselves. The Scarecrow is an evil scientist, the Tin Man is made of sharp things and has no problem torturing people, and the Lion is a grotesque massive fear-eating beast. And Dorothy herself is power hungry and vindictive. But what happened to them? The book only touches on that at the end. It is a trilogy after all and so Amy isn't given her real task till then. Bits and pieces of the how the characters wound up like they did are thrown in.

But it's the prequel novella No Place Like Oz that provided some insight into what happened to Dorothy and I'm glad I read it. I bought it after I read the book and then reread the book after I read the novella. It explains a few things about Dorothy and how she came back to Oz and why Oz is the way it is when Amy arrives. Now I have a few more suspicions to go on for how the trilogy is going to play out.

Weekly Round-Up 4/21

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading Dorthy Must Die by Danielle Paige and The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling. I'm listening to Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, read by Khristine Hvam.

Last week I reviewed The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente, read the author. 

I am on vacation this week. Happy Easter and Spring Break!

The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (Fairyland #3) (audio)

September finds herself back in Fairyland, of sorts. She has landed on the moon and there finds her faithful friends, A-L and Saturday and learns that she must save the moon from a Yeti.

“There is no such thing as a people who are all wicked or even all good. Everyone chooses. But even they, even they looked at people and saw only tools. No one is a cup for another to drink from.” 

How beautifully written are these books? So lovely and musical and lyrical.  And infinitely quotable. There are so many passages that I wanted to mark and highlight but you can't really do that with an audio book. I'm going to have to buy them just for that purpose. Though I will admit that there were a few times I felt like the characters said 100 words when 10 would do.

I was happy to have the real A-L and Saturday and not just their shadows like in the last book. It was nice to have the gang all back together. It's once again a simple quest story with September encountering all manner of quirky and outlandish characters. The moon was an interesting setting and I wonder where there is to go next especially with it ending as it does.

Catherynne Valente narrates this one as she did the first. Her narration is growing on me though it is still not as good as a professional like the last book.  I think it's her voice for September. There is something about it almost like a whine that I don't like. Still she is getting better.

8 hours, 23 minutes.

Weekly Round-Up 4/14

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading Dorthy Must Die by Danielle Paige and The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling. I'm listening to The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente, read by the author and Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, read by Khristine Hvam.

SYNC 2014

I'm pretty excited for the new SYNC schedule. I found a lot of great audio books there last year and I'm looking forward to this year's selection.

 If you don't know, "SYNC is a free summer audiobook program for young adults. From May 15^th to August 13^th, SYNC gives away two complete audiobook downloads a week – a current young adult title along with a thematically paired classic or required summer reading title. Sign up for email and text alerts and be first to know when new titles are available to download at www.audiobooksync.com." If you love audio books or if you are interested in trying them, this is a good way to start!

Weekly Round-Up 4/7

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading Dorthy Must Die by Danielle Paige and The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling. I'm listening to Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, read by Khristine Hvam.

Last week I reviewed The Here and Now by Ann Brashares and The House of Hades by Rick Riordian.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

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

The Real Thing by Marne David Kellogg

Life has changed. The world has changed. Kick Keswick, the world's greatest jewel thief, has changed.

Kick is retired and settled into her comfortable Provencal life on her farm, Le Petit Pomme. But when one of Paris’s most exclusive jewelry stores is robbed for several million dollars worth of jewels and two security guards are killed in the heist, Kick’s husband, Sir Thomas Curtis, head of the International Security Task Force, asks her to help.

Kick soon finds herself on a high-speed train ride to the Côte d’Azur tracking the ringleader of one of Europe’s most dangerous gangs.  

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #1)

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

from NetGalley
My Best Friend, Maybe by Caela Carter 
Publish date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Right before they started high school, Colette’s best friend, Sadie, dumped her. Three years later, Colette is still lonely. She tries to be perfect for everyone left in her life: her parents, her younger brothers, her church youth group, even her boyfriend, Mark. But Colette is restless. And she misses Sadie. Then Sadie tells Colette that she needs her old friend to join her on a family vacation to the Greek Islands, one that leaves in only a few days, and Colette is shocked to hear their old magic word: need. And she finds herself agreeing. Colette tries to relax and enjoy her Grecian surroundings but it’s not easy to go on vacation with the person who hurt you most in the world. When the reason for the trip finally surfaces, Colette finds out this is not just a fun vacation. Sadie has kept an enormous secret from Colette for years . . . forever. It’s a summer full of surprises, but that just might be what Colette needs.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling)

A copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them resides on almost every wizarding household in the country. Now, for a limited period only, Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats, and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl.

The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two (audio) by Catherynne M. Valente, read by the author. 8 hours, 23 minutes.

September misses Fairyland and her friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. She longs to leave the routines of home, and embark on a new adventure. Little does she know that this time, she will be spirited away to the moon, reunited with her friends, and find herself faced with saving Fairyland from a moon-Yeti with great and mysterious powers.

 

The House of Hades by Rick Riodian (The Heroes of Olympus #4) (audio)

Annabeth and  Percy are stuck in Tartarus, making their way to the Doors of Death. Meanwhile, the rest of the group are going to find the doors in the mortal world to save them.

I always enjoy the Olympus books even if the action can be predictable. Predictable is fine as long as it isn't formulaic. And if the characters are good, then predictable is less predictable and more comfortable. Because we've been with Annabeth and Percy through one series and now partway through another we know how they will react to situations with Annabeth trying to talk her way out and Percy trying to fight his way out. So it's easy to see that they are going to get out of Tartarus using their skills. On the other side of the Doors are the rest of  the demigods who are making their way to mortal side in order to rescue Annabeth and Percy and then close them on their side therefore making Gaia unable to summon more monsters and making her weaker. I feel like we get more of Leo and Hazel than anyone but that's fine. I think I like them best anyway. Still it was nice to see Hazel and Frank step up and take charge and for Leo to get some self confidence.

So now it's all set up for the final book, The Blood of Olympus, out later this year. I can't wait though I'm going to be sad to, once again, not have a demigods book to wait on.

17 hours, 30 minutes

Nick Chamian is the narrator and I enjoyed his reading. He did a good job with the voices and the acting and I didn't really notice a difference between him and the last narrator other than he seemed ot have a "surfer" quality to his voice especially for Percy. 


The Heroes of Olympus
#1 The Lost Hero
#2 The Son of Neptune (not reviewed)
#3 The Mark of Athena
 

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Prenna and her community have a huge secret. They are from a future where the world has collapsed and a deadly blood plague carried by mosquitoes is an epidemic. Sent back in time, the leaders of her community are suppose to be working on the solution. But in the meantime they are expected to assimilate into the 21st century and above all else, never tell who they are or where they came from. But Prenna falls in love with Ethan and the two make a startling discovery about Prenna's time and her community itself.

To get it out of the way first, I didn't like the romantic plot. It was strange. Yes, Prenna and Ethan had known each other for a long time but it moved so quickly into true love that it felt forced and I wasn't feeling it. It was more like teenage lust than love. And that's fine but don't pretend it to be otherwise. Anyway. I enjoyed the book despite my objections to the love story. It was a good read and I liked how feisty Prenna was and how she was willing to challenge the leaders of her community. I liked Ethan for how loyal he was and how he was just a good guy. I liked that there was just enough mystery to keep me going but not so much that it bogged the story down. And, honestly, I'm glad the author didn't get into the sciencey stuff too much.

Time travel is a tricky thing to write about, in my opinion. There's a lot to deal with and paradoxes, etc. It was handled fairly well and I didn't really have any questions at the end. I think it was all wrapped up pretty neatly.

Review copy provided by NetGalley
Publication date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press