Yellow Brick War (Dorothy Must Die #3)
By Danielle Paige
Genre: YA Fantasy
Once upon a time, there was a girl from Kansas named Dorothy.
You might know her as the Girl Who Rode the Cyclone. She ended up in Oz, where she became friends with the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion. But the temptation of magic was too much for her. She let it change her. Her friends became twisted versions of their former selves.
The magical land of Oz is now a dark and menacing place.
My name is Amy Gumm. Tornadoes must have a thing about girls from Kansas, because I got swept away on one too. I also landed in Oz, where Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good, and the Wicked Witches clued me in to my true calling:
Assassin.
The only way to stop Dorothy from destroying Oz—and Kansas—is to kill her. And I’m the only one who can do it.
But I failed. Others died for my mistakes. Because of me, the portal between the worlds has been opened and Kansas and Oz are both in danger. And if I don’t find a way to close it?
Dorothy will make sure I never get to go home again.
The Gist:
Yellow Brick War is the third book in this series and I feel like each book continues to disappointment me more. I’m actually a little late on writing this review after reading it and I had to look up summaries to remind myself of what happened. That’s how much it didn’t stick with me. But I didn’t hate it enough to not continue to the end of the series. So there’s that. In general though, the book felt like an attempt to drag out a series that could have ended after book two.
What I Liked:
I enjoyed getting to learn more about the characters from Earth, especially seeing how much the mom has done since Amy disappeared. I thought there was a lot of action, which helps. I have enjoyed the struggle Amy goes through to walk that delicate line of embracing her magic but not letting it turn her into Dorothy. I like when the story is set in Oz. I think Danielle does an amazing job of creating a magical world that reaches new levels of imagination from the Oz we grew up with. The characters each have their own unique and spunky attitude and that makes it an enjoyable read. Dorothy is an excellent villain. You know she’s evil, but you can also see how she manages to convince people she’s not. The most dangerous kind of villain.
What I Didn’t Like:
Let me start with a personal opinion comment: I didn’t like the Oz/Kansas are connected thing. It didn’t make sense in my head how only a part of Earth was connected and what that meant if Dorothy combined them. That little twist just didn’t pull me in. But I think the biggest thing that bothers me about the series as it progresses is I’m not any more invested in the Amy/Nox ship. I kind of don’t care that much if they end up together. I don’t feel like enough is done to make me hope and pray they get together. And for those that know me and my preferences, the ship is a major enticement for me in a book. And I thought the beginning part in Kansas was too long/pointless. I would have rather she stayed in Oz the whole time. A lot of the problem with books 2 and 3 of this series for me has been the plot. It just feels so up and down sometimes and I get confused about what the goal is and why the characters want it so bad.
LunasLuckyRating: 2.5/5 Lunas
1/2
