Title: The Wicked Will Rise (Dorothy Must Die #2)
Author: Danielle Paige
Genre: Magic // Young Adult // Retellings
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: March 31, 2015
Format: Physical
Source: Borrowed (Library)
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 (goodreads)?
Reading The Wicked Will Rise was one of the hardest things I've had to do all year.
Plot: Following the aftermath of her botched assisnation on Dorothy, Amy finds herself separated from the rest of the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked and still has to fight her way through Oz.
I felt that The Wicked Will Rise was your stereotypical second book in which a lot happens but at the same time, it feels like nothing has happened. There are a lot of important discoveries made, but in the end, it feels like nothing that took place in The Wicked Will Rise really mattered.
Characters: The characters are what ruined this novel for me. There is a monkey with a mobster, an evil witch for a love of pink sweat suits, and dialogue that is just awkward and cringeworthy. My problem with all of the characters was that everyone was a cariacture and I found that I couldn't take anyone seriously. The descriptions of Oz and dialogue are scarce and meaningless. Towards the end I just got to flipping through pages just so that I could be done with it.
World Building: As I had just mentioned, the descriptors of the world, just like its occupants, were unsophesticated and bland. I think my biggest problem comes from the language. Paige's writing seems very simplistic from what I'm used to in fantasy-esque novels. The action scenes did not cause any excitement and even though I could picture some settings, they seemed out of place in the gran scheme of Oz.
Short N Sweet: The Wicked Will Rise is a poor follow up to Dorothy Must Die, but I will stick around to see how Paige wraps all of the madness up!
Labels: 2 stars, book review, dorothy must die, harpercollins, HarperTeen, review, the wicked will rise
