Review: No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige

Title: No Place Like Oz 

Author: Danielle Paige
Series: Dorothy Must Die, #0.5
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: November 12, 2013
Find It (E-book): Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads
Find It (Paperback): Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / Book Depository
My Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Book Summary:

"In this digital original novella, Dorothy travels back to Oz to reunite with old friends, but her story may not have a happy ending. No Place Like Oz is a prequel to the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.
After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same.
Perfect for fans of Alex Flinn, Marissa Meyer, and Gregory Maguire, No Place Like Oz is a dark reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Building off of its rich mythology, Danielle Paige creates an edgy, thrilling story for teens that chronicles the rise and fall of one of the literature’s most beloved characters. This digital original novella is a prequel that sets the stage for the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die."

No Place Like Oz is the e-novella prequel to Danielle Paige's Dorothy Must Die. I purchased this e-novella on my Nook Tablet before reading Dorothy Must Die. I was very excited to begin reading this series and I thought that reading the backstory as to why Dorothy became evil before reading Dorothy Must Die would be a good idea since it was very hard to picture Dorothy as evil and also because No Place Like Oz was released before Dorothy Must Die so I figured that might be the order that the author, Danielle Paige, wanted people to read it (that's just my opinion though, it doesn't really need to be read that way). I absolutely loved this story! Danielle Paige did an amazing job of recreating Oz in a way that was familiar and new at the same time.

No Place Like Oz picks up 2 years after the original story left off. After returning home, Dorothy has a brief brush with fame and becomes a local celebrity as "the girl who rode the cyclone." The fame was short-lived however, and she soon finds herself wishing she was back in Oz where everyone knows her to be a hero as "the witch-slayer." She grew tired of the grays of Kansas that couldn't compare to the many colors of Oz, and she begins to wonder if going back home was the biggest mistake she ever made. Then, on her 16th birthday, after a disastrous sweet 16, Dorothy makes a desperate wish to return to Oz which is granted through a surprise gift from Glinda, a pair of ruby heels. Dorothy is ecstatic and immediately puts them on, clicks her heels and says "there's no place like Oz!" Soon enough, she's back in Oz and she's accidentally brought her aunt and uncle with her, but Dorothy soon realizes that Oz is not what she remembers. Ten years have gone by in Oz and her friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Lion aren't where she left them, Glinda has gone missing, and there's a mysterious new fairy on the throne named Princess Ozma who claims to be Oz's true ruler. Dorothy deems it her responsibility to find out who this Princess Ozma is and if she has anything to do with Glinda's disappearance but her aunt and uncle only want to go back home, unimpressed by what Oz has to offer.

Throughout the story, as Dorothy tries to change her aunt and uncles opinion about staying in Oz, you see Dorothy gradually change from good to bad as the magic in the ruby heels corrupts her. Soon, Dorothy's not content with just finding Glinda and figuring out who Ozma really is. She's fully convinced herself that Ozma isn't fit to rule Oz and that Oz needs her, and she becomes so hungry for power that she'll do anything to get the crown.

I love how Danielle Paige makes sense of how these beloved characters have changed and, although the story seemed a little too modern for the 1930's at times, I love how she had so much passion for Oz and its magic. She really changes everything about the way you viewed the original story. I was hooked from the 1st chapter and couldn't put it down! The ending leaves you shocked and desperate to know what happens next.

As I stated earlier, it's not completely necessary to read No Place Like Oz before reading Dorothy Must Die but I really recommend it. I found that, because I read the prequel first, I was able to fully enjoy Dorothy Must Die because I was not confused the whole time as to why Dorothy was evil. I gave this e-novella 4/5 stars. I enjoyed it very much and was very eager to begin reading Dorothy Must Die. I really recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the original stories by L. Frank Baum and/or the movie The Wizard of Oz.