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The Bloody Brick Road: A Wizard of Oz Retelling
In this wildly creative, horror-soaked reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, nothing is as it seems in Dorothy’s dystopian nightmare. Fans of Tender Is the Flesh and Maeve Fly will want to follow her twisted journey down the yellow-brick road.
When nineteen-year-old Dorothy Noroît finds out she is pregnant, the road ahead seems bathed in golden light. She has a hard-working boyfriend, a beautiful home, and a job where she works with her best friend. But on October 2nd, 1994, everything changes.
Fast forward twenty-four years.
The city of Montreal is plagued by extremist group, The Winged Monkeys. The gruesome murder of a young man has just made headlines. Just when Lieutenant Henri Duhaime and his partner Detective Emilianne Saint-Gelais begin to wrap their heads around this heinous act of violence, another young man is found brutally murdered. And then another. As the body count rises, they race against the clock to track down the killer.
This unhinged retelling of the beloved classic, filled with a twisted cast of your favorite characters, brings together horror and revenge in a blood-soaked, funhouse mirror reflection of the timeless tale—and with endless Easter eggs for readers to discover. Translated to English for the first time from the original French, The Bloody Brick Road will transport you to a dark new world.
When nineteen-year-old Dorothy Noroît finds out she is pregnant, the road ahead seems bathed in golden light. She has a hard-working boyfriend, a beautiful home, and a job where she works with her best friend. But on October 2nd, 1994, everything changes.
Fast forward twenty-four years.
The city of Montreal is plagued by extremist group, The Winged Monkeys. The gruesome murder of a young man has just made headlines. Just when Lieutenant Henri Duhaime and his partner Detective Emilianne Saint-Gelais begin to wrap their heads around this heinous act of violence, another young man is found brutally murdered. And then another. As the body count rises, they race against the clock to track down the killer.
This unhinged retelling of the beloved classic, filled with a twisted cast of your favorite characters, brings together horror and revenge in a blood-soaked, funhouse mirror reflection of the timeless tale—and with endless Easter eggs for readers to discover. Translated to English for the first time from the original French, The Bloody Brick Road will transport you to a dark new world.
- GenresFiction
Audible Audio
Published January 6, 2026
14 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 29, 2025
Quite possibly one of the worst books I’ve read in awhile. I was so ready for a bloody twist of a classic story but instead was met with disorganized writing, too many characters, and incredibly graphic sexual content that made the whole thing feel like a joke. Surely this isn’t an actual book. RIGHT? RIGHT?!?
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I was really interested in reading this modern horror retelling of the Wizard of Oz. It sounded so intriguing, and I mean look at this cover! Fantastic! This was not what I was expecting. It's definitely twisted and gruesome, but there were so many characters that I found it hard to keep track of them all. I had a hard time getting through this book. The writing just didn't pull me in like I was hoping. Unfortunately, I did skim parts, but I just wanted to see if it would grab me, and it just didn't. Sadly this was a miss for me.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
January 14, 2026
I was expecting Wizard of Oz slasher. … eek.. this wasn’t it. “Wizard of Oz retelling” was very misleading. The only thing it had in common was the names
January 8, 2026
I don’t even know what to think about this book. It was weird, I was confused through a lot of it? I liked part of the premise but the way it’s written was weird. Didn’t like how it jumped to different characters, the sexual parts of this book were 🤮 I give it like 2.5 stars at most, and that’s being generous
January 8, 2026
The Bloody Brick Road
by Maude Royer
⭐️⭐️½ (dark, but not deep - and that’s the problem)
POV: You pick this up expecting dark, gritty, maybe unsettling in a good way - and instead you spend a good chunk of the book wondering if it’s you… or the book. (It’s the book.)
I went into this expecting gritty, morally complex, maybe even unsettling in a smart way. What I got instead was bleakness doing most of the heavy lifting… and not quite pulling it off.
Yes, the atmosphere is dark. Yes, it’s violent. But grit alone doesn’t equal substance, and this book leans hard on mood without giving enough character depth or narrative payoff to justify it. The characters are unlikable and underdeveloped, which makes it difficult to emotionally invest or even care where the story is going.
The pacing is uneven - scenes linger when they shouldn’t, while moments that should hit hard feel oddly rushed or muted. Instead of building tension, the story often stalls. After a while, the violence stops feeling purposeful and starts feeling like it’s there to prove how dark the book wants to be.
✨ Genre:
• Dark Fiction
• Psychological Thriller (light on the “thrill”)
📌 Is it worth the hype?
Honestly? No.
Unless you’re specifically into bleak, abrasive stories and don’t mind thin character work and a meandering plot, this will likely feel like more effort than reward.
Final verdict:
The Bloody Brick Road has ambition, but ambition isn’t execution. It’s dark without being insightful and unsettling without being memorable.
Objectively: 2.5 stars.
Subjectively: I finished it, but I wouldn’t recommend it - and I won’t be thinking about it again.
Dark is easy. Depth is not.
by Maude Royer
⭐️⭐️½ (dark, but not deep - and that’s the problem)
POV: You pick this up expecting dark, gritty, maybe unsettling in a good way - and instead you spend a good chunk of the book wondering if it’s you… or the book. (It’s the book.)
I went into this expecting gritty, morally complex, maybe even unsettling in a smart way. What I got instead was bleakness doing most of the heavy lifting… and not quite pulling it off.
Yes, the atmosphere is dark. Yes, it’s violent. But grit alone doesn’t equal substance, and this book leans hard on mood without giving enough character depth or narrative payoff to justify it. The characters are unlikable and underdeveloped, which makes it difficult to emotionally invest or even care where the story is going.
The pacing is uneven - scenes linger when they shouldn’t, while moments that should hit hard feel oddly rushed or muted. Instead of building tension, the story often stalls. After a while, the violence stops feeling purposeful and starts feeling like it’s there to prove how dark the book wants to be.
✨ Genre:
• Dark Fiction
• Psychological Thriller (light on the “thrill”)
📌 Is it worth the hype?
Honestly? No.
Unless you’re specifically into bleak, abrasive stories and don’t mind thin character work and a meandering plot, this will likely feel like more effort than reward.
Final verdict:
The Bloody Brick Road has ambition, but ambition isn’t execution. It’s dark without being insightful and unsettling without being memorable.
Objectively: 2.5 stars.
Subjectively: I finished it, but I wouldn’t recommend it - and I won’t be thinking about it again.
Dark is easy. Depth is not.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
#ad much love for my finished copy
@gallerybooks #partner
& @simon.audio #partner for the ALC
‧₊˚ ✩°｡⋆♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡⋆｡°✩˚₊‧
🆃🅷🅴 🅱🅻🅾🅾🅳🆈 🅱🆁🅸🅲🅺 🆁🅾🅰🅳
< @ >
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴊᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ 𝟨, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟨
ʜᴏʀʀᴏʀ | ʀᴇᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ | ꜱᴇʀɪᴀʟ ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀꜱ
‧₊˚ ✩°｡⋆♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡⋆｡°✩˚₊‧
𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 - 𝚘𝚋𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢. 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚠𝚒𝚙𝚎 ——>
Dorothy is pregnant and addicted to buying shoes, and from page one her life just falls apart in the worst ways imaginable. I’m talking back-to-back disasters where you’re sitting there wide-eyed like oh no… this can’t get worse, and then it does. The opening alone had my jaw on the floor and I never recovered throughout it.
Then we jump 24 years later, and that’s where the story really digs its claws in.
Holy CRAPPERS! - pop a Xanax because this book comes out swinging and never lets up. It’s dark, brutal, bloody, and absolutely wild. I was hooked from start to finish. Honestly one of the craziest books I’ve read in a while and I loved every chaotic second of it.
🎧 Also listened to the audio while following along and I highly recommend it. Jeremy Carlisle Parker nails the narration - she brings so much energy and attitude that it makes the story even more addictive.
This was my first retelling book I’ve ever read and I had so much fun spotting all the original themes. Such a clever modern take.
The twists. The turns. The kiIIings. It gets a solid 4 stars from me - completely unhinged in the best way. Freaking insane… in that I need everyone to read this so we can talk about it way. Like right now! You’ll be shitting yellow bricks. 🧱
@gallerybooks #partner
& @simon.audio #partner for the ALC
‧₊˚ ✩°｡⋆♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡⋆｡°✩˚₊‧
🆃🅷🅴 🅱🅻🅾🅾🅳🆈 🅱🆁🅸🅲🅺 🆁🅾🅰🅳
< @ >
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴊᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ 𝟨, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟨
ʜᴏʀʀᴏʀ | ʀᴇᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ | ꜱᴇʀɪᴀʟ ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀꜱ
‧₊˚ ✩°｡⋆♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡⋆｡°✩˚₊‧
𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 - 𝚘𝚋𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢. 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚠𝚒𝚙𝚎 ——>
Dorothy is pregnant and addicted to buying shoes, and from page one her life just falls apart in the worst ways imaginable. I’m talking back-to-back disasters where you’re sitting there wide-eyed like oh no… this can’t get worse, and then it does. The opening alone had my jaw on the floor and I never recovered throughout it.
Then we jump 24 years later, and that’s where the story really digs its claws in.
Holy CRAPPERS! - pop a Xanax because this book comes out swinging and never lets up. It’s dark, brutal, bloody, and absolutely wild. I was hooked from start to finish. Honestly one of the craziest books I’ve read in a while and I loved every chaotic second of it.
🎧 Also listened to the audio while following along and I highly recommend it. Jeremy Carlisle Parker nails the narration - she brings so much energy and attitude that it makes the story even more addictive.
This was my first retelling book I’ve ever read and I had so much fun spotting all the original themes. Such a clever modern take.
The twists. The turns. The kiIIings. It gets a solid 4 stars from me - completely unhinged in the best way. Freaking insane… in that I need everyone to read this so we can talk about it way. Like right now! You’ll be shitting yellow bricks. 🧱
January 19, 2026
When 19-year-old Dorothy Noroit learns she's pregnant, life seems sunny. That is until a devastating car crash alters her future forever. Decades later, a series of brutal murders terrorizes the city. Montreal is gripped by fear as a violent extremist group known as The Winged Monkeys cast a long, bloody shadow over the city. When a young man is found brutally murdered, Lieutenant Henri Duhaime and Detective Emilianne St. Gelais are called into untangle the case. Before they can begin to understand what's happening, another body appears. Then another. Mutilated corpses and scattered organs turn the city into a grotesque crime scene, sending investigators scrambling in multiple directions as panic spreads. To stop the violence, Duhaime and St. Gelais must uncover who is behind the murders and why before Montreal drowns in blood.
This one had a killer concept, but the execution didn't fully deliver for me. A horror soaked Oz retelling set in modern Montreal with an extremist group called The Winged Monkeys and organs everywhere like nightmare confetti sounds irresistible right? While Royer at times nails the bleak and brutal atmosphere, and the gore and nods to Oz are engaging, something just didn't fully work for me. The story felt somewhat chaotic rather than compelling. The pacing drags in places and then rushes when it shouldn't. I felt like I needed deeper character work because many characters felt distant, so it was hard for me to stay fully invested. Overall, it's not a bad book but it didn't live up to its potential.
Thank you to NetGalley, Maude Royer, and Gallery Books for both the eARC and physical copy!
This one had a killer concept, but the execution didn't fully deliver for me. A horror soaked Oz retelling set in modern Montreal with an extremist group called The Winged Monkeys and organs everywhere like nightmare confetti sounds irresistible right? While Royer at times nails the bleak and brutal atmosphere, and the gore and nods to Oz are engaging, something just didn't fully work for me. The story felt somewhat chaotic rather than compelling. The pacing drags in places and then rushes when it shouldn't. I felt like I needed deeper character work because many characters felt distant, so it was hard for me to stay fully invested. Overall, it's not a bad book but it didn't live up to its potential.
Thank you to NetGalley, Maude Royer, and Gallery Books for both the eARC and physical copy!
January 9, 2026
3.5
Huge thanks to @gallerybooks for this stunning shelf trophy copy and to @simon.audio and @librofm for the gifted ALC.
Forget everything you think you know about The Wizard of Oz or Wicked, because nothing prepares you for this wildly unhinged, blood splattered retelling. This is Dorothy’s story reimagined as a dystopian nightmare, where the yellow brick road is soaked in violence, revenge, and horror.
The dual timelines pulled me in immediately, starting with Dorothy Noroît’s seemingly golden future before everything shatters, then fast forwarding to a brutal murder investigation in the 1990s. As the body count rises and the Winged Monkeys terrorize the city, the Oz parallels unfold in the most twisted and clever ways. The Easter eggs are everywhere, and spotting them was half the fun.
The audiobook narration by Jeremy Carlisle Parker elevates the experience even further. His delivery is chilling and immersive, perfectly matching the dark tone and escalating tension. This is not a cozy retelling! It’s bold, graphic, unsettling, and absolutely gripping.
If you love horror or dark retellings, take this brick road. Just just be ready for the blood spatter along the way.
Huge thanks to @gallerybooks for this stunning shelf trophy copy and to @simon.audio and @librofm for the gifted ALC.
Forget everything you think you know about The Wizard of Oz or Wicked, because nothing prepares you for this wildly unhinged, blood splattered retelling. This is Dorothy’s story reimagined as a dystopian nightmare, where the yellow brick road is soaked in violence, revenge, and horror.
The dual timelines pulled me in immediately, starting with Dorothy Noroît’s seemingly golden future before everything shatters, then fast forwarding to a brutal murder investigation in the 1990s. As the body count rises and the Winged Monkeys terrorize the city, the Oz parallels unfold in the most twisted and clever ways. The Easter eggs are everywhere, and spotting them was half the fun.
The audiobook narration by Jeremy Carlisle Parker elevates the experience even further. His delivery is chilling and immersive, perfectly matching the dark tone and escalating tension. This is not a cozy retelling! It’s bold, graphic, unsettling, and absolutely gripping.
If you love horror or dark retellings, take this brick road. Just just be ready for the blood spatter along the way.
January 10, 2026
This horror based, unhinged reimagining of the Wizard of Oz had me invested in both the references to the beloved characters as well as the creative take on the original story. To not post any spoilers… the story follows a series of murd€rs and the quest to solve the cases and kept me hooked through to the conclusion. The author really did put a twist on the brick road and I found myself gasping, cringing and overall shocked in the best of ways. Quite enjoyable for a genre I don’t usually read, I could probably read it a dozen more times and not catch all the Wizard of Oz Easter eggs.. (Also, originally written in French, the translation was fabulous.)
I did an immersive read, the sole female narrator Jeremy Carlisle Parker was a great choice, and the production very well done. Reading and hearing the pronunciations of the character names helped with comprehension, as well as able to annotate and bookmark references to the original story. 3.5 stars
Thanks Simon Audio for the ALC and to Gallery Books for the gifted physical copy.
I did an immersive read, the sole female narrator Jeremy Carlisle Parker was a great choice, and the production very well done. Reading and hearing the pronunciations of the character names helped with comprehension, as well as able to annotate and bookmark references to the original story. 3.5 stars
Thanks Simon Audio for the ALC and to Gallery Books for the gifted physical copy.
January 6, 2026
This book was UNHINGED!! I had empathy for the FMC, Dorothy who at the start of the book is pregnant, has a shoe shopping addiction and the father of her baby basically dumps her. Then she's in an accident and goes into labor early. Fast forward thirty years into the future and the story follows a series of brutal, gruesome and graphic murders of pretty toxic, unlikeable young men.
This was a VERY loose retelling of the Wizard of Oz story to be honest. And it takes a while for things to come together but I did like that it was set in Montreal and written by a French Canadian author. This is the first English translation and it just wasn't for me. Way too dark and twisted. The way it ends makes it seem like there will be follow up books but I, for one, will not being reading more. It was well done on audio though narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker!
TLDL: Loved the cover, kind of hated the story itself.
This was a VERY loose retelling of the Wizard of Oz story to be honest. And it takes a while for things to come together but I did like that it was set in Montreal and written by a French Canadian author. This is the first English translation and it just wasn't for me. Way too dark and twisted. The way it ends makes it seem like there will be follow up books but I, for one, will not being reading more. It was well done on audio though narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker!
TLDL: Loved the cover, kind of hated the story itself.
January 19, 2026
I didn’t really experience this as a true Wizard of Oz retelling so much as a story that borrows character names and certain themes. Because it was marketed a specific way, the story I got was not quite what I was expecting, which did impact my overall enjoyment.
That said, I did enjoy this as a twisted and dark read. The tone is brutal, unsettling, and unapologetic, with some genuinely disturbing moments that leaned hard into horror and revenge. Once I let go of my expectations around the retelling angle, I found myself more engaged with what the story was actually trying to do.
Overall, this was a solid, dark, and unhinged read that just felt mismarketed. I think it would land better for readers going in expecting a grim horror thriller rather than a recognizable retelling, and viewed through that lens, it was an interesting and memorable experience.
That said, I did enjoy this as a twisted and dark read. The tone is brutal, unsettling, and unapologetic, with some genuinely disturbing moments that leaned hard into horror and revenge. Once I let go of my expectations around the retelling angle, I found myself more engaged with what the story was actually trying to do.
Overall, this was a solid, dark, and unhinged read that just felt mismarketed. I think it would land better for readers going in expecting a grim horror thriller rather than a recognizable retelling, and viewed through that lens, it was an interesting and memorable experience.
January 21, 2026
What did I just read?
This was the worst book I have ever read!
There is a trigger warning list in this book, it is very gruesome, messy, and confusing. The Wizard Of Oz retelling is just very vague references but nothing really tying it together, Dorothy, Tito, Kansas, heart, brain that's pretty much it oh and red shoes. You know when you pass by something you shouldn't be looking at but can't help yourself and keep staring at it. This is how I felt about the book. I kept reading just it's so bad and disgusting I couldn't put it down even though I wanted to. This is the only time I have ever wanted to take a shower after reading a book because I felt so dirty after everything that happened in it. I don't recommend anyone read but if you really want to read a bad, horrible book this one is it.
This was the worst book I have ever read!
There is a trigger warning list in this book, it is very gruesome, messy, and confusing. The Wizard Of Oz retelling is just very vague references but nothing really tying it together, Dorothy, Tito, Kansas, heart, brain that's pretty much it oh and red shoes. You know when you pass by something you shouldn't be looking at but can't help yourself and keep staring at it. This is how I felt about the book. I kept reading just it's so bad and disgusting I couldn't put it down even though I wanted to. This is the only time I have ever wanted to take a shower after reading a book because I felt so dirty after everything that happened in it. I don't recommend anyone read but if you really want to read a bad, horrible book this one is it.
January 8, 2026
This one just didn’t work for me. I found The Bloody Brick Road really hard to follow, and the writing felt very juvenile, almost like it couldn’t decide what kind of story it wanted to be. As a retelling of The Wizard of Oz, it completely missed the magic and heart that make the original so memorable.
What bothered me the most was how poorly everything came together. Instead of feeling dark or inventive, the story felt messy and confusing. The sexual content was especially off-putting—it felt unnecessary and honestly kind of gross, taking me even further out of the story.
Overall, this just wasn’t an enjoyable read for me, and it fell far short of what I expect from a retelling.
What bothered me the most was how poorly everything came together. Instead of feeling dark or inventive, the story felt messy and confusing. The sexual content was especially off-putting—it felt unnecessary and honestly kind of gross, taking me even further out of the story.
Overall, this just wasn’t an enjoyable read for me, and it fell far short of what I expect from a retelling.
January 16, 2026
Not sure why this one is getting so much hate. It’s a fairly pedestrian murder mystery. First of all, let’s get past the false premise. There is little here having anything to do with The Wizard of Oz except some names and some particulars of the murders. So I understand people being put off by the misleading title, cover and description. If you can get past that though you have a decent murder mystery that reminded be a bit of the Michael Slade Headhunter series. Nothing great but not terrible either.
January 2, 2026
This was such a fun and gruesome, serial killer mystery and retelling of the Wizard of Oz. The setting was really well done and the plot twists kept coming all the way to the end. What a cliffhanger too! Really hopeful this story will continue because there is soooo much left to explore! Great plot, bloody vengeance, and a satisfying tale of revenge!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wasn’t what I was expecting? But not poorly written or executed either. Characters were well developed & the atmosphere was vibing….just fell short of the expectations I had.
Read
January 4, 2026Maybe something was lost in the translation. I couldn't get into this book at all. The writing felt juvenile.
DNF
*Thanks to the publisher for the free print copy.*
DNF
*Thanks to the publisher for the free print copy.*
January 16, 2026
This was so bizarre
January 16, 2026
Had to dnf 3 chapters in do to some triggers
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews