Dorothy Must Die: But only if you read all four books!
What to do if you didn’t like book 1 of a series?
“I first discovered I was trash three days before my ninth birthday. . .”
With an opening line like that, Danielle Paige, author of Dorothy Must Die, certainly knows how to hook a reader. I bought this book several years ago knowing it was part of a series. Typically, I wait until a series is done or almost done before I read it. I don’t like the wait between books because sometimes it can take years before the new one is published – I’m looking at you, George R.R. Martin. A Dance with Dragons was published in 2011, and since then Mr. Martin has published everything else but the next book in the series. I own the Song of Fire and Ice (a.k.a. Game of Thrones) series, but I struggled with book one and have yet to find the motivation to pick up the rest.
Tomi Adeyemi is another author that comes to mind. She wrote Children of Blood and Bone, published in 2018, and the sequel Children of Virtue and Vengeance, published in 2019. I loved both books, although book two is just a bit better. The wait between the first two books was short for me because I bought book one a few months before the second one was published. How about book three? Yeah, it’s not out yet, it’s been pushed back multiple times but is finally coming out in June of this year and I intend to read Children of Anguish and Anarchy. As someone who works in book publishing (I’m a production editor and proofreader), I understand why it can take years for an author to finish a series. But as a reader, sometimes, I just want what I want when I want it.
What does this have to do with Dorothy Must Die? I finally decided it was time to read more of the books I own, rather than continue to buy books that just collect dust on my shelves. That opening line hooked me. That title gave me the promise of something. This book is a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is not our heroine, she is the enemy. So are the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Lion – even Toto is a little terror. Dorothy has control of Oz, and everyone in it. She rules with intimidation, humiliation, and torture. Someone must stop her, enter Amy Gumm. Amy is a teen from Kansas, and like Dorothy, a tornado carried her to Oz. Only Amy wasn’t greeted with kindness, more like indifference to her presence. Amy is just another human. Is Amy like Dorothy or can she help free Oz?
Amy is a reluctant hero. She wants to go home. But what is she going home to? Her father is long gone, abandoning Amy and her mom when she was nine. Her mother is deep into her drug addiction. Where is home for Amy? She’s not sure, but the only way out of Oz might be to free it from Dorothy’s grip. How? By joining and training with a group of resistance fighters. Amy learns how to adapt, how to fight, and how to do magic – tools she will need on her mission. An undercover mission as a maid in Dorothy’s palace.
This book had all the elements for a compelling story. The reluctant hero going after the evil ruler, friendship, hints of romance, and a little suspense. Many times, I thought Amy would be discovered and killed, but she managed to squirm out of every sticky situation. Halfway through the book, I was certain I wanted to continue reading the series. BookOutlet had a sale, and two of the three remaining books in the series, so I ordered them. Yes, counterproductive to my efforts to read books I already own. Even worse the last fifty pages, which I read after I received books two and three, made me waver on continuing the series.
Why?
The whole book, Amy has one mission infiltrate Dorothy’s inner circle, get close to her, and then kill her. The mission is in the title: Dorothy Must Die. But before Amy can kill Dorothy there are other steps she must take – steps that aren’t revealed until the last seven pages. Grrr!! As a reader, if you’ve spent 400-plus pages promising me something only to change it in the end, you’ve lost me. And this book lost me in the end. The concept was there: Dorothy’s the villain, and she’s got to die. But the execution of that concept just fell flat for me. I didn’t feel the need to start book two right after finishing book one. I wasn’t curious about what happens next, despite the book ending on a cliffhanger. Maybe a few months down the road, I will change my mind. What do you all do if you don’t like book one? Keep reading or tap out?
Series I recommend:
The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee: *chef’s kiss* Don’t be intimidated by the length, this fantasy series is fantastic and so well-written. Magic, family drama, friendship, romance – just a little bit of everything.
Legacy of Orisha series by Tomi Adeyemi: Yes, I’m frustrated by the time between books, but I still enjoy them. Zélie remembers a time when magic flowed through Orisha, but it has long vanished from the land. It’s up to her to bring it back.
Six Crimson Cranes series by Elizabeth Lim: Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, secretly possesses forbidden magic. A secret she is punished for. She must remain silent, if she speaks her brothers, who have been turned into cranes, will die.