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Oz

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After Dorothy’s defeat of the Wicked Witch of the West she went on to become one of Oz’s most beloved rulers. Oz thrived under Dorothy.

Only days before Dorothy is due to announce her predecessor it is announced she is missing.

Gone.

Without a trace.

The Wizard’s Coalition takes control of the country within days. Their leader, Marcus Rightfoot elected as the next ruler of Oz.

Soon, living in Oz becomes worse then it was under the rule of the Wicked Witch.

*
Delia believes that Oz is a myth.

A place that was created to explain the disappearance of a young girl in the sixties.

Then a mysterious woman claims she is the Wicked Witch’s sister. And that Delia is in Oz.

And that Delia is destined to find Dorothy.

144 pages, Hardcover

Published March 3, 2024

2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read

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Hope Swan

6 books6 followers

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5 stars
8 (40%)
4 stars
7 (35%)
3 stars
2 (10%)
2 stars
1 (5%)
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2 (10%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Aussieindiereads.
112 reviews12 followers
July 29, 2025
"Oz has been around for generations; we've all heard of it. The mystical land with monkeys and Munchkins, where Dorothy 'found' herself. The little girl that came along defeated the wickedest of witches and saved us all. It's real, oh God, is it real. Just not like everyone believes; there are some, how should I put this?.... Discrepancies."

And twists, and turns and OMG! What a spin on OZ after the wicked witch died. This paragraph was from the prologue, the introduction to the story, and I was hooked from the start.

The character development with Delia throughout the story, the relationships and emotions she was put through, was just magic.

Can I say the sassy cat is my favourite! IYKYK 💜
Profile Image for Laura Trenham.
333 reviews5 followers
January 18, 2025
I very rarely provide one star reviews, but unfortunately this book gets one. It was riddled with missing punctuation marks and sentences, which were not cohesive. The plot was all over the place and I found myself skimming the pages just to finish it. There was almost too much going on in such a short space of time. The characters were one dimensional and there was no differentiating between them. A great idea, but poorly executed. In order for this novel to be more successful, there needed to be more depth to the story and relate to the original’s style, rather than using colloquial conversation.
Profile Image for Dani.
181 reviews10 followers
February 28, 2025
I am not a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz; however, this book was such a unique take on the story that I couldn’t put it down. From start to finish I was captivated. I was not ready for that little (or maybe not so little) twisty twist towards the end!

This book was hard to follow, the storyline was jumpy.
The illustrations throughout really brought the book to life. Character development was absent, and it only took me 2hrs to read.
Profile Image for Sasha.
333 reviews2 followers
February 16, 2025
I went into this book knowing it’s not my usual read and I really wanted to enjoy it, but there was just some things that I found disappointing and that could have been refined.

Let’s start with the concept. It really is such a unique and amazing concept and I loved seeing the little hints and similarities between the characters in this to those from the Wizard of Oz and Wicked. I do really think Hope has created a unique concept that could appeal to a large percentage of readers. The setting was also nice and I felt the author did a great job at introducing the characters and the setting and felt it was all relevant to the story. The inclusion of drawings also added to the reading experience.

What really let me down and what I think needs the biggest improvement is the characterisation. There was little to no characterisation in the book, which led to me not actually understanding what was happening in the book. There was no complete distinction between different characters and there just wasn’t enough description or information given for each character to make them all distinct and unique. This also led to me not finding a connection with any of the characters and this made it not enjoyable and it just felt very flat. I didn’t know the characters, or find anything relatable in them, which makes for a very superficial read. Finding just something to connect readers with a character is really crucial in a book and I believe is what makes a good book. I think if the author had have written the characters with more detail, it would have been more enjoyable. I think in order for this to happen, the characters in further books need to reflected on and revised so a connection between them and the readers can be made.

The writing was very simplistic and there were lots of grammatical errors throughout the book that threw me off. I also felt that the scenes in the book were very jilted and didn’t flow that well. It went from one crucial scene to the next, without any information or understanding given to the reader on what was happening. I didn’t feel I had all the information I needed to understand the book and characters and everything felt a little out of place. Whilst I didn’t see great execution in this book, I definitely saw potential for the writing to be really great with some improvement in the flow of writing.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy this book and think there needs to be some improvement in certain areas, but this doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it! Also, I’m not coming out of a place of hate or dislike, I just want the author to note what I felt reading the book and take it on board as constructive feedback.
Profile Image for Mel (literaturelylost).
104 reviews1 follower
September 29, 2024
Wow!! This book was so good!! I honestly didn't know which way Hope was going to take this story but there were so many twists and turns to an absolute classic!!

When Delia is sucked up in a storm.and taken to Oz she has no idea what perils are waiting for her. Everyone is looking for Dorothy who disappeared 8 years ago seemingly out of the blue.

I didn't expect the world to be so dark. Oz is pictured as this glorious place but Hope managed to twist, making Oz a horrific place to be, under the rule of Marcus Lightfoot.

The betrayals in this book were another thing, I did not see coming because I always associated the characters being on the 'good side'... IYKYK

This is an easy compelling read, and I'm excited to get into book two 😏
Profile Image for Char.
235 reviews7 followers
August 16, 2024
I am a huge fan of anything Oz related and give me all the spin offs and retellings imaginable !

This book took me to my happy place.

Here we meet Delia and are welcomed back into Oz, but it’s not quite the same as when we left it with Dorothy and her friends.

This story was full of political intrigue and held true to elements of Dorothy’s story that I loved as a child as well as introducing new characters and stories. This was a book filled with magic and friendship.

The illustrations throughout are also phenomenal and really bring everything to life.
Profile Image for Reg 🦇.
92 reviews4 followers
April 2, 2024
this book is such an action packed and fun read. i really loved the illustrations throughout by Matthew Broughton that further brought the story to life.
the format and narration was reminiscent of being read a fairy tale as a kid (but make it new adult), and i think that made this book really special.
Oz was quite the page turner, and i found myself wanting to devour it in one go to get to the end, but also read it slowly to savour it because i wasn’t ready for it to end.
Profile Image for Ashlee Isaacson likes to read.
8 reviews1 follower
August 31, 2024
Just when you thought the wizard of oz was done, Hope Swan shows you it is not!! With all the characters from the Wizard of Oz plus some new ones, this was an adventure I didn’t know I needed. When Dorothy goes missing and Delia is the one who is meant to save her. However, Delia doesn’t believe in Oz until she meet the woman she loves and the father she didn’t know. Delia needs to find a way to find Dorothy and Save Oz.
Profile Image for Abigail Mader.
Author 9 books14 followers
July 6, 2025
This was an amazing book, a modern take on the world of Oz with many of your favourite characters making a feature. Highly recommend! I cried at the last line "So thank you, Oz, for showing me that it's ok to feel a little lost."
Profile Image for Elah.
1 review
February 5, 2025
I loved this book! I thought it was so fun and such an interesting take on The Wizard of Oz and I loved the way Hope expanded the story and made it their own. It’s not easy to create a unique spin on such a classic story, and I think Hope executed it so well!

I loved the dialogue in particular - it was funny, witty, and made the characters feel very human and grounded. I adore Deliah as an MC and I felt she was so relatable!

Overall the story was exciting and layered - I basically devoured the entire thing in a day. I couldn’t put it down! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this series to anyone looking for an adventure-filled, re-spun classic. I can’t wait to dig into the sequel!
Profile Image for Rachel  Wagner.
166 reviews7 followers
September 6, 2024
Oz is an action packed page turner. With political undertones and a fresh look at this story Hope Swan created something quite special.

With the writing being brought to life by Matthew Broughton's gorgeous illustrations, it was almost like reading a child's novel (note - this is not a child's novel) which brought cosy and nostalgic feelings.

The Wizard of Oz was one of my favourites to watch with my Gran so I thought I'd be a harsh critic on this new take. However, it was a delight to read and hard to put down. I can truly say that as it's currently 1:20am and I've only just finished!
Profile Image for Sara Ray.
178 reviews2 followers
September 1, 2025
Such a beautiful and original step back into the world of Oz. Being an original Wizard of Oz fan and becoming a Wicked fan with my daughter I was unsure what to expect, but this story did not disappoint. Featuring new twists on some of the original characters and introducing some new characters this is a must read for all Oz fans, even for those who aren’t.
Profile Image for Mark Aeschlimann.
Author 2 books3 followers
January 16, 2025
This was a fun read. It’s was very fast paced and I enjoyed the banter between characters.
1 review
February 18, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was easy to concentrate on and l especially love the spin on an old classic.
Thank you Hope Swan, such a great book.
Profile Image for Chloe.
44 reviews2 followers
January 11, 2025
I read this book in a sitting. Oz features a great amount of action and world building. I found myself turning pages quickly to discover what happens next however at times yearned for a bit more explanation and background for certain elements. I enjoyed a new take on the world and characters we've come to know and Hope introduced some fascinating new characters into the world with a villain I want to know more about! On a side note, this book featured something personally triggering to me however it wasn't as triggering as I thought it might have been. It made me realise how far I have come with dealing with that grief and trauma. It made me sit and reflect with those feelings. I wouldn't have had this personal epiphany and growth without this book. So thank you 🫶🏽
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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