Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must Die 

Author: Danielle Paige 

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date:  April 1st 2014

Pages: 432
Genre:  YA Classic Retelling

Series:  Dorothy Must Die #1
Source: Audio

  

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.What happened?Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.I've been trained to fight.And I have a mission:Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.Steal the Scarecrow's brain.Take the Lion's courage.Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

When I first discovered there was an OZ retelling, Dorothy is the bad guy, my world changed. I was so very excited. I wasn't a big fan of the movie, but I loved the story. I was excited to see a new take on the book. The book was good too. I enjoyed it very much. I was into the story, adored the main character, and loved the creativeness of the story. 

Amy Gunn is sucked into OZ when her mobile home gets sucked up by a tornado. When she realizes where she is, she realizes Oz is nothing like the storybook portrays. More disturbing than the big crater in the ground or the emo munchkin... Dorothy is the bad guy. Wicked is good and good is wicked. Say what. Yup its all mixed up and all wrong and now its up to Amy to get it back the way it should be. The only problem.... who do you trust when good is bad and bad is good. 

Quite a twisted book but so good. The story started off a bit slow for me. Not slow in pace just slow in excitement. It felt at first like a normal book, not at all what I was hoping for. Somewhere in my read.... not sure where. It all changed. I was wrapped up in a dark and twisted fairy tale story with strange creatures, pure evil, and psycho girls. Once the story took off, I couldn't stop the listen. It was so on. 

There is so much cool about this book. Dorothy was just amazing. Even though she was evil, and she was evil, she made the story. Its awesome to see a sweet girl turn into a maniac. Addicted to magic and power and delusion, she brought so much to the story. She was just plain crazy cakes. 

Amy was a great main character too. She wasn't sweet and innocent like Dorothy originally was. She  tried to right most of the time, but she has had a pretty hard life, bullied, neglected, abandoned. She was pretty screwed up.. but she still knew what was right from wrong and Oz was wrong. She cared for the little guy and could kick butt pretty awesomely. Snarky and sharp. Loved her. 

There were quite a bit of odd characters too. A pretty emo munchkin, a couple wacky wicked witches, and a couple of hot guys thrown into the mix. Oh and don't forget the flying monkey. It was pretty fun and ridiculous. 

There was just a start of a romance. I think I am going to like where the romance is going. There may be a future love triangle and there may not be. Not sure. But so far there seems to be just one that Amy has her eye one. He is pretty yummy too. Not a good boy, not a bad boy, but everything in between. The love story isn't the story center but its there, lingering int he background. Just how I like it. 

The story really is the main attraction for this book, but it wouldn't be that spectacular without the amazing and quirky characters. The story is about right and wrong, to far or not enough. Choices... which one to make and the consequences afterwards. Don't lose yourself but don't be a pushover. Its pretty jammed packed with goodness, except the ending. The ending was just an ending, no resolution, and I hate that. I have to wait a really long time to see where it goes... I will be first in line to grab it for sure. 

A very twisted but wondrous read. From classic fairytale to dark fairytale. So Loved It!

Danielle lives in NY. Before turning to YA, she worked in television & was nominated for several Daytime Emmy's. Dorothy Must Die is her first novel.

Review: Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira

Title: Love Letters To The Dead

Author: Ava Dellaira

Publisher:  Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 
Publishing Date: April 1st 2014

Pages: 323
Genre:  YA Realistic Fiction

Series:  Stand Alone
Source: ARC 

  

It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.

I was so uber excited to get this book. Everything about it called to me. I was interested first for the cover, its so pretty, then the title, clever, and finally the act that it is written in letters. Sounds awesome... oh and of course the synopsis grabbed me. The book was good. I loved it. It was intense, emotional, and captivating. 

Laurel lost her sister May about 6 months ago. School is starting, and it will be her first day of a new high school. She goes to school, makes no friends, she is a misfit, she eats lunch alone. She has an english assignment, write a letter to someone who is dead.  Laurel decides to write to Kurt Cobain, he was her sisters favorite. The letters don't stop with that one. Laurel keeps going and writes about her decision to wear May's clothes, meeting new friends, crushing on a guy, everything that is happening to her. Laurel also decides to write about her past, her sisters death, family issues, secrets, she airs it all out in these letters. As she writes, she lives, she learns, she loves, she heals. 

Awesome read! This was a very tough read emotionally but well worth the heartache and tears. The main character, Laurel, went through a bunch of crap. From the very beginnning it was easy to feel her hurt, see her struggles, and are for her deeply. Everything that Laurel went through, it was amazing she was as sane as she was. She was a survivor and since her sister's death, she's had difficulty finding reasons to survive. She was living with tons of guilt over her sisters death but won't tell anyone what really happened that night. Slowly throughout the letters, the truth comes out and all I wanted to do was hug Laurel. She had so many deep emotions, hard emotions, emotions that can change a life drastically and she was doing her best to make it through everyday living with a broken family and a broken heart. 

Laurel wants to let someone in, just not all the way, or she doesn't know how. She had a fresh beginning at a new school and when she meets a group of misfits,everything changes. This book was full of wonderful supportive characters who all had stories and issues of their own. I had few issues with Hannah and her story at first but in the end she made more sense to me. I liked Kristen, she was a very intelligent and wise friend to Laurel. I also fell in love with Sky. He wasn't perfect by far but he was a great love interest for the story. He was screwed up a bit too, had some big issues going on at home, but he as a good guy, a great heart, and a pretty good head on his shoulders. I liked him a bunch. 

I really do believe the cast of misfit characters made the book, add it to the the story and of course a pinch of romance and its a great read. The romance was sweet and of course came with true healing powers. It wasn't the main focus of the story but it was a big part of Laurel's journey and I was truly wonderful! 

The story read was very quick, but packed full of goodness. Once I started I couldn't stop. I loved it all and hope to see  more from the author in the future. 

Addicting. Powerful. Beautiful. 

Ava Dellaira is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow. She grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago. She believes this book began when she bought her second album ever—Nirvana’s In Utero—which she listened to on repeat while filling the pages of her journal. She currently lives in Santa Monica, California, where she works in the film industry and is writing her second novel.

Review: A Mad Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

Title: Mad Wicked Folly

Author: Sharon Biggs Waller

Publisher:   Viking Juvenile 
Publishing Date: January 3rd 2014

Pages: 448
Genre:  YA Historical Fiction

Series: stand alone
Source: audio

  

Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909, where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams?

The cover to this book really drew me in. I wasn't real sure what it was about when I decided to read it. What I knew... historical fiction, beautiful cover, takes place in Europe, about a girl who wants to be an artist. I was in for quite a surprise.There was so much more to this book and I enjoyed every bit of it. A very emotional read for me. Not a tear jerker, but it was a bit of an anger maker. In a good way. 

Vicky wants to be an artist in 1909, in England. She is from a very high society family and what is expected of her is to marry, be a socialite, wife, and mother. Vicky has other plans. After posing nude for an art class in Paris, her parents bring her back to London and attempt to repair her reputation. Word got a around and her parents are not happy. They decided to announce her eligible for marriage and make a deal with her. Her boring Aunt's in the country or marry a rich high standing man. She decides marrying this man is her only hope to go to art school. This book is the journey she takes in a society that doesn't make easy for to her make her own dream come true. 

I love historical fiction, mainly because I love to feel the era and learn of the ways people lived in the past. I must be drawn into the setting to see clearly the time I am reading about. I want the language, the descriptions, and the characters to bring history to life for me. I don't know much about history but I know when it feels right. This book felt right. The author did an amazing job of making me live 1909 in London. The setting, the tone, the characters, it was all there. The writing was just right. 

I loved the story. The story had so much depth. Any person, especially women, know what women through in the past in order to receive rights, rights to speak, rights to an opinion, rights to vote. Its in all our history books, Although I learned the American journey in school, I was pretty sure it was much the same in England. This book really brought forth what women went through. How they were treated and how far they have come to be respected. It was a hard journey and the main character, Vicky, did what she could to prove she was as capable as any man with same dream. It was nice to see her fight, but it was also nice to clearly see the fight all around. The story wasn't just about Vicky, although she was the focus, the story went into many issues with woman's rights in this time period. It made me angry then made me proud. It was a feel good book in the end. 

Vicky was a wonderful main character. Defiant, independent, stubborn, determined. Everything that is good in a main character. She also had her flaws. Sometimes she made me want to hit something. She was clueless at many moments in the story, but it was pretty much expected of her knowing her upbringing. I was happy to watch how she grew as she strengthened herself and her proved her independence. She was strong and I just adored her. 

I also loved her friends, Sophie and Lucy. Lucy was bit annoying at the beginning but she grew on me. She was a true leader and she did what she had to do bring attention to her cause. She was committed. She was also a loyal friend. I just loved Sophie. She was also very independent and defiant. She just went about it a bit quieter than some. She was also a very loyal friend. 

The romance in the book was just right for me. Sweet and passionate. The love interest, Will, was definitely swoon worthy, sweet, noble, a real hero. Loved loved loved him. The romance was paced well. It started off friendship then led to more and I was so rooting for Will throughout the entire book. 

Another aspect of the book I really enjoyed was the art world of the story. The writing of the art world was done very well. It was very interesting to read about Vicky's artwork, how she posed models, how she started her drawings and finished them. It felt very authentic. 

The pacing was very good for the story. I fell into the story very quickly and it wasn't so much as a page turner but it kept my interest steady throughout the read. It was a very easy enjoyable read with just enough excitement to keep me feeling completely satisfied with the ride. 

A great book I would recommend any historical reader or readers who would love to give historical fiction a shot. 

 Sharon Biggs Waller grew up around artists and developed a passion for Edwardian history and the Pre-Raphaelites when she moved to England in 2000. She did extensive research on the British suffragettes for her novel, A MAD, WICKED FOLLY when she wasn’t working as a riding instructor at the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace and as a freelance magazine writer. She also writes non-fiction books about horses under her maiden name, Sharon Biggs. She is a dressage rider and trainer and lives on a 10-acre sustainable farm in Northwest Indiana with her British husband, Mark. Visit her atwww.sharonbiggswaller.com.

Review: No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

Title: No One Else Can Have You

Author: Kathleen Hale

Publisher:  HarperTeen
Publishing Date: January 7th 2014

Pages: 380
Genre:  YA Mystery/Suspense

Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC 

  

Small towns are nothing if not friendly. Friendship, Wisconsin (population: 689 688) is no different. Around here, everyone wears a smile. And no one ever locks their doors. Until, that is, high school sweetheart Ruth Fried is found murdered. Strung up like a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield.

Unfortunately, Friendship’s police are more adept at looking for lost pets than catching killers. So Ruth’s best friend, Kippy Bushman, armed with only her tenacious Midwestern spirit and Ruth’s secret diary (which Ruth’s mother had asked her to read in order to redact any, you know, sex parts), sets out to find the murderer. But in a quiet town like Friendship—where no one is a suspect—anyone could be the killer.

This was a Waiting on Wednesday book for me and I was so excited when I received the galley to read. I was happy to dig in as soon as I could get to the book and well it's really going to be hard for me to put my thoughts into words. I liked the book. There were so many things about the book I enjoyed. Much of the writing style really had me going. It was different and I liked it. The mystery was a good  one and it had all the elements I needed. I thought all the characters were kooky and likable. Even in their worst moments. There was something about the book that kept me from loving it. I think I expected more and so when I read the book I was a tiny bit disappointed. It was a good read but not a wow read. 

Kippy has had one friend, a best friend, for as long as she can remember. One dreadful night, on the way to Kippy's house, Ruth was murdered. Hung and stuffed like a scarecrow. Ruth is determined to find out who killed her best friend, Ruth. There is a suspect and even though he is found to be the only suspect and is being held by local police, Kippy is sure he didn't do it. Along with the help of Davey, Ruth's brother,  Kippy is sure to solve the crime. 

I think this book had a bunch of great things going. I think one of my favorite things about this book was the writing style. The voice of the book, which is in 1st person so its Kippy's voice, was unique, quirky, and fun to follow. The tone was just right for the type of read, and I just had a ton of fun reading the story. It was one of the most original I have read in a while. That does say a lot for the type of book, a mystery thriller, I read a lot of those. I love it when they stand out. 

The characters were definitely the best part of the book. Kippy wasn't the perfect character. She was flawed, a little nutso, and sometimes a bit whiny, but I liked her. She was just nuts enough I could appreciate her. She really kept me entertained. 

Some other great characters in the book were Kippy's father Dom.He was a bit clueless but he was doing the best he could do when it came to raising Kippy on his own. Davey was pretty sweet, a little crazy too. liked him. Even Officer Staake had some good qualities. He was very clueless, not the best officer, but he added just the right amount of jerk but not a jerk to the cast of characters. 

Ruth, I didn't like. She left plenty to be desired and I am not sure why Kippy was even friends with her. Even in death Ruth came across as a selfish witch and still Kippy did everything she could for her. Sad really. Kippy did find some pretty cool and loyal friends in the end. All crazy like her and much nicer than Ruth. 

The mystery was also pretty good. I didn't have it figured out and to me, it wasn't very predictable at all. I enjoyed the time that Kippy was taking to investigate the murder and it was great to follow the clues she unraveled. The journal entries from Ruth's diary also added to the interesting read. The only issue I had with the story was the detour in the middle of the book. I felt the story took kind of a left turn into nowhere for a short moment. I didn't quite understand why the story tool this left turn. It made a little bit of sense with the characters background, I just didn't think ti fit well in the story. It felt kind of like filler to me. It wasn't  long before the story got back on track and it was a fast track to the ending. Which takes me to the pacing. 

The pacing started off good, slowed down, took the left turn, then sped up again to a page turning rate. I didn't mind the slow down too much, only the left turn that followed, like I mentioned. SO all in all the pacing was pretty good. It was geared just right for a suspenseful read. 

It was good.  A satisfying read but I did enjoy it. I look forward to seeing more from this author.