Book Review: The Witch Must Burn

Title - The Witch Must Burn

Author - Danielle Paige

Series - 0.2

Genre - YA Retelling

Published - November 11th 2014

Publisher - HarperCollins

Format - Kindle

(Goodreads)(Amazon)

There’s a new Wicked Witch in Oz—and her name is Dorothy. This digital original novella is the second installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and exciting New York Times bestseller Dorothy Must Die.

Dorothy Gale is back . . . and she’s not the sweet little heroine of Oz anymore. She’s power-hungry and vicious, and she leaves a trail of destruction beneath her spike-heeled, magical shoes. But behind the scenes, there’s someone else pulling the strings. Someone who doesn’t want fame or glory—just control.

Glinda of the North brought Dorothy back to Oz for a reason. And in The Witch Must Burn, a young maid is about to discover that a witch who says she’s Good might be the most dangerous kind of Wicked.

The Witch Must Burn, by debut author Danielle Paige, is a dark and compelling reimagining of a beloved classic and is perfect for fans of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Beastly by Alex Flinn, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire.

Review

The Witch Must Burn is a prequel novella of Jellia who is Dorothy’s maid in the palace. She enjoys her work even if she’s no longer working for Ozma her friend but for Dorothy who’s taken over the Emerald City. It’s while at the Emerald City Glinda see’s that there is more than just a maid to Jellia and takes her off to her fortress. While at the Glinda’s pink palace she learns that Glinda’s plans for Oz is much worse than what it was like working for Dorothy. After the real reason that Glinda requested her visit is revealed, Jellia is left for dead. Saved by the rebellion she’s recruited to help in the battle against the evil duo.

I’ve read the first book so I have an idea who Jellia prior to reading The Witch Must Burn. I’ve been working my way through the Novella’s to catch up in anticipation of the 3^rd book being released. While this isn’t my favorite novella so far is does showing an interesting side of what’s going on with Glinda and the Wizard. I think the author has done a great job creating a unique spin on the classic Dorothy story and I love seeing that she’s evil as well as Glinda. I also admit that I never want to try bubble gum fondue ever it just sounds nasty. I thought it was fitting that everything for Glinda is pink and the gum ball reference is how I always envisioned her coming to Dorothy in the movie. While a short novella it’s worth reading. It also has one of my favorite covers so far in the series. I wish I had a physical book with this cover.