Review: A Pretty Necessary Prequel (and Amazing!)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 6, 2014
Dorothy Must Die is my most anticipated debut of 2014! Ever since I heard what it was about and saw it's awesome and ironic cover, I've been hooked! And then awhile ago, I heard from another blogger about this prequel! And I was wondering, where had I been?! It released last November and I've just not finally read it (after buying it like a month ago!)!No Place Like Oz is our prequel and instead of being with the narrator of Dorothy Must Die, Amy Gumm, we're in Dorothy's point of view. It's kind of odd reading a prequel knowing your narrator is going to be the enemy. Definitely got my braining running on multiple theories. And further reading only infused those theories! I so can't wait to see how the debut novel pans out!It's been two years since Dorothy returned from Oz and while she enjoys being back home, she can't help but long for the days of Oz, where she was a hero and loved. Pretty much right away, I took a disliking to good ol Dorothy. She comes off as a very selfish and almost heartless girl. While feeding the animals at her farm, her "pet" chicken follows her around and causes her to fall down and cover herself with the pig slop. And after getting the given peeved, she decides not to feed the rest of the animals, they can't wait until tomorrow and go and get ready for her birthday party. I cannot tolerate animal cruelty in any way, shape, or form. And starving animals? Yeah, that's cruelty. Already Dorothy wasn't scoring any points for me. Plus Dorothy has more than a few moments of selfishness, always wanting more. Always wanting the best for herself. It got kind of annoying.Then after a disastrous Sweet Sixteen birthday party, she receives a magical gift of red shoes. Ones like her silver slippers that got lost in her trip back home. And when she puts these on, she's taken back to Oz, along with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry who were nearby at the time. And Toto too! She finds Oz has changed quite a bit since she was last there. Time works differently in Oz, she learns and more than two years have passed for its citizens.The Scarecrow is no longer in power and a new ruler, Ozma sits in the throne. Worst yet, Glinda is missing and when a message comes from her to Dorothy asking for help. Dorothy is determined to do just that. Only with her aunt and uncle in tow.While this is a prequel novella, it's still nearly 200 pages, but that includes a sneak peek at Dorothy Must Die. I definitely got the sense that there's going to be more to Dorothy's story and plight after we saw that ending. It was quite astonishing! I definitely wasn't expecting it at all. You can really see our villain rising in Dorothy before the novella ends, but yet, there's more to it than that. I will be interested to see what theories prove correct in this series and I sooo cannot wait to read it next month! And while it's impossible to know how imperative it is to read this novella before the book releases, I'd recommend it anyway. Here you will get Dorothy's story. For when the series starts, we have a new narrator/heroine and it feels like that will be her story.Overall Rating 5/5 stars