Book Review: The Wicked Will Rise

Title - The Wicked Will Rise

Author - Danielle Paige

Series - Dorothy Must Die #2

Genre - YA Fiction Retelling

Published - March 31st 2015

Publisher - HarperCollins

Format - Hardcover

(Goodreads)(Amazon)

In this dark, high-octane sequel to the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die, Amy Gumm must do everything in her power to kill Dorothy and free Oz.

To make Oz a free land again, Amy Gumm was given a mission: remove the Tin Woodman’s heart, steal the Scarecrow’s brain, take the Lion’s courage, and then Dorothy must die...

But Dorothy still lives. Now the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked has vanished, and mysterious Princess Ozma might be Amy’s only ally. As Amy learns the truth about her mission, she realizes that she’s only just scratched the surface of Oz’s past—and that Kansas, the home she couldn't wait to leave behind, may also be in danger. In a place where the line between good and evil shifts with just a strong gust of wind, who can Amy trust—and who is really Wicked? 

Review

The Wicked Will Rise is the 2^nd installment in the Dorothy Must Die Series. In order to save Oz Amy was tasked with collecting the items given to Dorothy’s friends from the Wizard which have now corrupted them. Which means she needs to collect an item from each of Dorothy’s henchmen before Dorothy and Glinda find her.  No small task when everyone is out to catch you and the only one you can trust is Princess Ozma. Now if only Princess Ozma would come out of her haze to rise up against Dorothy and claim her throne as true Queen of Oz.

Amy has collected the Tin Man’s heart as well as the lion’s courage so getting the brains from the scarecrow shouldn’t be too hard. Stuck with Princess Ozma who’s not always herself but that of Pete the emerald eyed boy that was the first person she encounter upon arriving in Oz so long ago. While they each share the same body transforming from one the other it’s Pete that’s loyalty will be tested. As the trio travels through Oz attempting to stay one step ahead they encounter new friends, reconnect with old ones and find what they lost. Will it be enough to defeat Dorothy and Glinda or will Amy end of in the place of the lion?

I like Amy a lot she’s an interesting character who while not from Oz takes it all in stride well after all she’s the only one who can save Oz. I’m not sure how I feel about Pete he’s kind of not my favorite guy but he has issues after all he shares his body with Princess Ozma. I still like Nox a lot he’s clearly one of my favorite bad boys from Amy and I see a lot of potential for the future after maybe they fix things. I’m also starting to wonder if maybe Dorothy may not be the bad guy we thought but a pawn for Glinda.

I’ve been procrastinating on reading The Wicked Will Rise because I was waiting for the final installment to come out so I could read them together. However my SS team needed the 2^nd in a series so I knew this was the perfect time to revisit the land of Oz. I love the concept that Dorothy isn’t the good guy in this story but the bad guy and boy is she good at being bad. I really love the unique spin on one of my favorite books as a kid. The author has created an action packed adventure across the land of Oz with exciting characters and villains in hot pursuit. The author has a beautiful writing style it just flows from start to finish creating a story that is hard to put down. I enjoyed every page of The Wicked Will and can’t wait to see how it’s all going to play out in the final installment. I know an epic battle is brewing and I’m anxiously waiting to read it. I honestly loved every minute of the book and it was impossible to put down only took a morning to finish. I highly recommend if you’re a fan of the wizard of Oz you check out this modern twists on a classic.