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Dorothy Must Die #4
The End of Oz
In this dark, action-packed fourth book in the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Amy Gumm travels from Oz to the twisted land of Ev, where she fights to free Oz from evil once and for all.
My name is Amy Gumm. You might remember me as the other girl from Kansas. When a tornado swept me away to the magical land of Oz, I was given a Dorothy must die. That’s right, everyone’s favorite Wicked-Witch-slayer had let the magic of Oz corrupt her. She turned evil. So I killed her.
But just when we thought it was safe to start rebuilding the damaged land of Oz, we were betrayed. Now I’m following the Road of Yellow Brick as it helps me escape toward the mysterious land of Ev, where the Nome King rules a bleak and angry world. And what I’m about to find is My original mission may not have been successful.
I thought my job was over, but it’s only just beginning. And it’s up to me to foil Dorothy’s plans for revenge—and finally save the land I’ve come to love.
My name is Amy Gumm. You might remember me as the other girl from Kansas. When a tornado swept me away to the magical land of Oz, I was given a Dorothy must die. That’s right, everyone’s favorite Wicked-Witch-slayer had let the magic of Oz corrupt her. She turned evil. So I killed her.
But just when we thought it was safe to start rebuilding the damaged land of Oz, we were betrayed. Now I’m following the Road of Yellow Brick as it helps me escape toward the mysterious land of Ev, where the Nome King rules a bleak and angry world. And what I’m about to find is My original mission may not have been successful.
I thought my job was over, but it’s only just beginning. And it’s up to me to foil Dorothy’s plans for revenge—and finally save the land I’ve come to love.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2017
550 people are currently reading
19336 people want to read
About the author
Danielle Paige
34 books5,597 followersDanielle 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,621 reviews
March 10, 2020
Full Review on The Candid Cover
3.5 Stars
I had been awaiting this final book in the Dorothy Must Die series for such a long time, but this book ended up being a bit disappointing. It keeps the same action as always, but it seemed unnecessary. I enjoyed seeing some old characters redeem themselves, but the new setting isn’t as impressive as the other books. I found myself unsatisfied with the ending, and would have liked one more magical journey to Oz.
This book is so action-packed! This final instalment of the Dorothy Must Die series is full of plot twists and character revelations. Basically, Dorothy is actually alive, but in a different world called Ev where she is about to be married to an even worse enemy called the Nome King. Amy and her friends travel to Ev to prevent the Nome King from stealing Dorothy’s power and destroying Oz. I enjoyed being reunited with all the characters in the book, but I feel like the plot fell a bit flat. The first book in the series was absolutely incredible, but this fourth one doesn’t seem to compare. I found the Nome King’s character to be a little unnecessary, and I feel like this series should have ended as a trilogy.
What I found really interesting about The End of Oz is the fact that a few of the characters that the reader is meant to dislike become likeable. For example, Madison, Amy’s bully from Kansas, joins her, and they actually become friends. I also sympathized a bit with Dorothy, since she is being forced into a dangerous marriage. All of the characters in this book are as sassy as ever, and they each have such dynamic personalities.
One thing that bothered me about this book in particular is the different setting. The End of Oz does not take place in Oz, but Ev, which is more drab and gloomy. I didn’t enjoy reading about this setting as much since I wasn’t as familiar with it, and I would have preferred to be transported to Oz one last time. This land contains some elements, such as scary machines called Diggers, which I found to be intriguing, but Ev just didn’t seem as magical as the other books.
The End of Oz is the final action-packed instalment in the Dorothy Must Die series. Some old characters redeem themselves, and the series gets a new setting. The ending of this book wasn’t as satisfying as I had expected, and I personally think that this series would have been better as a trilogy.
3.5 Stars
I had been awaiting this final book in the Dorothy Must Die series for such a long time, but this book ended up being a bit disappointing. It keeps the same action as always, but it seemed unnecessary. I enjoyed seeing some old characters redeem themselves, but the new setting isn’t as impressive as the other books. I found myself unsatisfied with the ending, and would have liked one more magical journey to Oz.
This book is so action-packed! This final instalment of the Dorothy Must Die series is full of plot twists and character revelations. Basically, Dorothy is actually alive, but in a different world called Ev where she is about to be married to an even worse enemy called the Nome King. Amy and her friends travel to Ev to prevent the Nome King from stealing Dorothy’s power and destroying Oz. I enjoyed being reunited with all the characters in the book, but I feel like the plot fell a bit flat. The first book in the series was absolutely incredible, but this fourth one doesn’t seem to compare. I found the Nome King’s character to be a little unnecessary, and I feel like this series should have ended as a trilogy.
What I found really interesting about The End of Oz is the fact that a few of the characters that the reader is meant to dislike become likeable. For example, Madison, Amy’s bully from Kansas, joins her, and they actually become friends. I also sympathized a bit with Dorothy, since she is being forced into a dangerous marriage. All of the characters in this book are as sassy as ever, and they each have such dynamic personalities.
One thing that bothered me about this book in particular is the different setting. The End of Oz does not take place in Oz, but Ev, which is more drab and gloomy. I didn’t enjoy reading about this setting as much since I wasn’t as familiar with it, and I would have preferred to be transported to Oz one last time. This land contains some elements, such as scary machines called Diggers, which I found to be intriguing, but Ev just didn’t seem as magical as the other books.
The End of Oz is the final action-packed instalment in the Dorothy Must Die series. Some old characters redeem themselves, and the series gets a new setting. The ending of this book wasn’t as satisfying as I had expected, and I personally think that this series would have been better as a trilogy.
November 6, 2020
It’s finale time, and I expected things to go out with a bang; I’m talking badass showdowns, magic flipping shit upside down, near death experiences- the whole shabang.
But, alas:
Sounds like me re-reading this series thinking it was amazing, only to trudge through something… definitely not that.
Amy and the gang are back at it again, trying to kill Dorothy and rescue Oz from dark magic. Basically, we haven’t made any progress since the start of the series...
Things started dragging ever since book two. The plot went off the rails a while ago, and I was hardly interested in being inside Amy’s head anymore. But then, *POOF* -an escape from Amy’s narrative appeared in the form of a new Dorothy POV. An unexpected but welcome surprise, (and one of the only things I actually enjoyed about this book). Villains are always the most interesting, anyways.
It started dawning on me that compared to other books I’ve read, the writing in this series seems juvenile. I mean, Danielle Paige has written 4 or 5 books prior to this one. It’s safe to say I expected a lot more. The characters weren’t as developed as I would’ve liked, either.
Time for me to donate my copy of this series ✌️… this re-read was a bad idea, lol.
But, alas:
“We must come to terms with the wounds of our past if we are to survive the future”
Sounds like me re-reading this series thinking it was amazing, only to trudge through something… definitely not that.
Amy and the gang are back at it again, trying to kill Dorothy and rescue Oz from dark magic. Basically, we haven’t made any progress since the start of the series...
Things started dragging ever since book two. The plot went off the rails a while ago, and I was hardly interested in being inside Amy’s head anymore. But then, *POOF* -an escape from Amy’s narrative appeared in the form of a new Dorothy POV. An unexpected but welcome surprise, (and one of the only things I actually enjoyed about this book). Villains are always the most interesting, anyways.
It started dawning on me that compared to other books I’ve read, the writing in this series seems juvenile. I mean, Danielle Paige has written 4 or 5 books prior to this one. It’s safe to say I expected a lot more. The characters weren’t as developed as I would’ve liked, either.
Time for me to donate my copy of this series ✌️… this re-read was a bad idea, lol.
January 11, 2019
I loved all 4 books in this series and right now I am bursting with joy because of the ending of this one. The Dorothy Must Die series is definitely one of the most entertaining series I’ve read. This is one of those series where the story and plotline take precedence over the emotional aspect of the books.
All 4 books followed the original storyline very well and didn’t break off which I really liked. The world building was absolutely fascinating, I loved seeing how Danielle Paige twisted the original world into this darker version, which was not all caused by Dorothy.
In this book the characters are transported to the kingdom of Ev which is under the rule of the Nome King, who made a small appearance in the last book. This book, The End of Oz also has a few chapters in Dorothy's perspective which allowed us to dig deeper into the lives of the Munchkins trapped in Ev.
Nox and Amy are taken to the Kingdom of Ev via the Yellow Brick Road and they meet Princess Langwidere who also happens to be known for her penchant of beheading people and keeping the heads.
I actually went into this series with moderate expectations because the average rating on Goodreads was at 3.5 and there a lot of mixed reviews. But after reading them, each of the books get a 4.5 from me and I really enjoyed them.
I loved the world, I loved the magic and I am really glad I chose to read these books.
All 4 books followed the original storyline very well and didn’t break off which I really liked. The world building was absolutely fascinating, I loved seeing how Danielle Paige twisted the original world into this darker version, which was not all caused by Dorothy.
In this book the characters are transported to the kingdom of Ev which is under the rule of the Nome King, who made a small appearance in the last book. This book, The End of Oz also has a few chapters in Dorothy's perspective which allowed us to dig deeper into the lives of the Munchkins trapped in Ev.
Nox and Amy are taken to the Kingdom of Ev via the Yellow Brick Road and they meet Princess Langwidere who also happens to be known for her penchant of beheading people and keeping the heads.
I actually went into this series with moderate expectations because the average rating on Goodreads was at 3.5 and there a lot of mixed reviews. But after reading them, each of the books get a 4.5 from me and I really enjoyed them.
I loved the world, I loved the magic and I am really glad I chose to read these books.
April 21, 2017
3.75 stars
Eh. I expected more. The first two books in this series are terrific. They're true gems. The third book fell a little flat but it still kept up the pace and it had a decent plot. But The End Of Oz was drawn out and unnecessary. Because this series was destined to be a trilogy. When I read Yellow Brick War, I think everybody was under the impression, that would be the final book. And when it ended, it could have been. All Danielle Paige would have needed was to write whether Amy stayed in Oz or left. But she added another book. And added an unnecessary, and quite frankly strange, character, The Nome King. This series is, after all, Dorothy Must Die. But it strayed. Especially in this book.
It didn't take part in Oz, instead in Ev, the drab land The Nome King rules over. The original characters I grew to love, Gert, Glinda/Glamora, Lulu, Ozma, Mombi (I adore her), they all didn't make an appearance in this book. Unless you count Ozma, who was in five pages TOTAL.
Dorothy also wasn't as evil in this book. She seemed pretty likable. Which is a surprise because she's been made out as a real bitch in the entirety of the series. I thought she could have been crueler.
Amy and Nox have an ideal love that's super cute and I ship them with my life. The last twenty pages had me sobbing but I'm happy enough with the resolution.
Langwadiere felt like a forced character in the story to add drama. I didn't dislike her, but I wasn't her biggest fan. Danielle didn't give her enough personality. So, I never felt like I understood her.
And The Nome King was just weird. He's a tyrannical leader who I did not understand. I'd have to read a story from his perspective to even begin to see him the proper way. But I, surely, did not like him.
***** SPOILERS!!! BEWARE!!! *****
Finally, can we talk about that ending? What does it mean? Is there a problem in Oz with someone else now? Aren't the Scarecrow and the Wizard now alive? I want to know what happens. Open endings leave room for interpretation and I'm pretty sure my mind is going haywire. I need a Mombi reunion!!!
3.75 stars
3/25/16 : Why is there a fourth book? I wanted three ughhhh
Eh. I expected more. The first two books in this series are terrific. They're true gems. The third book fell a little flat but it still kept up the pace and it had a decent plot. But The End Of Oz was drawn out and unnecessary. Because this series was destined to be a trilogy. When I read Yellow Brick War, I think everybody was under the impression, that would be the final book. And when it ended, it could have been. All Danielle Paige would have needed was to write whether Amy stayed in Oz or left. But she added another book. And added an unnecessary, and quite frankly strange, character, The Nome King. This series is, after all, Dorothy Must Die. But it strayed. Especially in this book.
It didn't take part in Oz, instead in Ev, the drab land The Nome King rules over. The original characters I grew to love, Gert, Glinda/Glamora, Lulu, Ozma, Mombi (I adore her), they all didn't make an appearance in this book. Unless you count Ozma, who was in five pages TOTAL.
Dorothy also wasn't as evil in this book. She seemed pretty likable. Which is a surprise because she's been made out as a real bitch in the entirety of the series. I thought she could have been crueler.
Amy and Nox have an ideal love that's super cute and I ship them with my life. The last twenty pages had me sobbing but I'm happy enough with the resolution.
Langwadiere felt like a forced character in the story to add drama. I didn't dislike her, but I wasn't her biggest fan. Danielle didn't give her enough personality. So, I never felt like I understood her.
And The Nome King was just weird. He's a tyrannical leader who I did not understand. I'd have to read a story from his perspective to even begin to see him the proper way. But I, surely, did not like him.
***** SPOILERS!!! BEWARE!!! *****
Finally, can we talk about that ending? What does it mean? Is there a problem in Oz with someone else now? Aren't the Scarecrow and the Wizard now alive? I want to know what happens. Open endings leave room for interpretation and I'm pretty sure my mind is going haywire. I need a Mombi reunion!!!
3.75 stars
3/25/16 : Why is there a fourth book? I wanted three ughhhh
May 5, 2018
Disappointed is an understatement to what I feel right now.
I guess I was feeling optimistic when reading this book, desperately trying to scrounge for something I enjoyed.
Having the finale of a series being the shortest book (it’s 270 pages, what?) in the series automatically had red flags swishing in front of my face and although I kept those alerts in mind, I wanted to see how it all ends, closure is the only thing I wanted from this series at this point.
And how convenient that everything wrapped up in a perfect little bow that I wanted to rip apart and set on fire.
If I thought the sequels were rushed, THIS had replaced any areas where development was key (pretty much everywhere) and replaced it with a cheesestorm, which grew into a cheesy apocalyptic mess as the story went on.
The romance became the main focus of this story and I didn’t like the insta-love from the first book.
Another ‘romance’ (it’s kinda disgusting to be honest) occurred VERY briefly between two other characters and I just kept thinking, ‘What was Paige going through when she thought this would be a good idea?’
Long story short: I despise the romance.
From the ‘climax’ to the last page of the book was to be the worst chunk of it. I thought that with there being a new world and characters introduced I could enjoy this as I won’t be rereading events that I already knew what would happen....oh how wrong I was.
The new characters (about as appealing as cardboard) and the world (watching paint dry is more exciting) was awful. Apart from a few descriptions of the colours and the shape of buildings, the world-building ended there. The characters, both old and new, were boring and bland and I feel relieved that I no longer have to read about these characters ever again.
The ending had me rolling my eyes so far back I thought I would go blind. Nothing made sense, the plot had holes asteroids could fit through and I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to bash my head against the wall everytime I saw the word ‘somehow’ ‘but somehow I knew what was happening’ is one of ENDLESS examples you’ll find in all the books, especially this one.
The End Of Oz had me rooting for everyone to be killed off and I can now finally rest, my suffering is over and I doubt I’ll ever pick this series up for a reread again.
Goodbye.
I guess I was feeling optimistic when reading this book, desperately trying to scrounge for something I enjoyed.
Having the finale of a series being the shortest book (it’s 270 pages, what?) in the series automatically had red flags swishing in front of my face and although I kept those alerts in mind, I wanted to see how it all ends, closure is the only thing I wanted from this series at this point.
And how convenient that everything wrapped up in a perfect little bow that I wanted to rip apart and set on fire.
If I thought the sequels were rushed, THIS had replaced any areas where development was key (pretty much everywhere) and replaced it with a cheesestorm, which grew into a cheesy apocalyptic mess as the story went on.
The romance became the main focus of this story and I didn’t like the insta-love from the first book.
Another ‘romance’ (it’s kinda disgusting to be honest) occurred VERY briefly between two other characters and I just kept thinking, ‘What was Paige going through when she thought this would be a good idea?’
Long story short: I despise the romance.
From the ‘climax’ to the last page of the book was to be the worst chunk of it. I thought that with there being a new world and characters introduced I could enjoy this as I won’t be rereading events that I already knew what would happen....oh how wrong I was.
The new characters (about as appealing as cardboard) and the world (watching paint dry is more exciting) was awful. Apart from a few descriptions of the colours and the shape of buildings, the world-building ended there. The characters, both old and new, were boring and bland and I feel relieved that I no longer have to read about these characters ever again.
The ending had me rolling my eyes so far back I thought I would go blind. Nothing made sense, the plot had holes asteroids could fit through and I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to bash my head against the wall everytime I saw the word ‘somehow’ ‘but somehow I knew what was happening’ is one of ENDLESS examples you’ll find in all the books, especially this one.
The End Of Oz had me rooting for everyone to be killed off and I can now finally rest, my suffering is over and I doubt I’ll ever pick this series up for a reread again.
Goodbye.
May 6, 2017
Mini Review: Jeez. What happened to this series?
Is it just me? My reading tastes definitely shift over the course of a year, but I thought this was utterly awful.
This book felt ludicrous in plot, and it was a predictable mess of a finale. We get a Dorothy perspective, which was laughably bad. It feels overwritten and like it's trying too hard.
Perhaps I'm being harsh, but I think this series really fell apart, which sucks because it had one of the most promising first books that I've read.
Is it just me? My reading tastes definitely shift over the course of a year, but I thought this was utterly awful.
This book felt ludicrous in plot, and it was a predictable mess of a finale. We get a Dorothy perspective, which was laughably bad. It feels overwritten and like it's trying too hard.
Perhaps I'm being harsh, but I think this series really fell apart, which sucks because it had one of the most promising first books that I've read.
December 18, 2017
Full Review on my blog!
Let me first start with saying that the series is a roller coaster of emotions perfectly twisted together to form a lovely book series! The End of Oz was a beautiful end to this series! This time we also get a point of view from Dorothy, and she’s something else!
I loved the dual perspectives in this book, showing us a whole new side to Dorothy. I especially appreciated the way we saw events from both Amy and Dorothy’s point of view, and seeing them both figure things out and watch everything click into place was just so satisfying. It amazed me how well Danielle managed to create such a distinction between Amy and Dorothy’s voices, while showing us just how similar they were at the same time.
Amy Gumm is going to be added to my list of bad ass favorite female protagonists. And she is also one of the few protagonists that didn’t annoy me ONCE the entire series. Danielle Paige wrote such a beautiful and relatable character. Her personality was consistent but her growth throughout every book was astonishing. She had her dark moments and she had her good moments and through it all I liked her. Honestly, character development in general, in this series is insane, and watching all the characters change and mature over the course of the 4 books was such a lovely experience. Each character has their own voice, personality, and background enabling you to submerge yourself into their lives.
The book picks up right where the 3rd book ended, when Amy, Nox and Madison escaped on the yellow brick road. Yes, I know… Madison is with them! In the book 3, Yellow Brick Road, Madison and Amy make up and are new best friends! Madison was an old enemy of Amy’s but got pulled into Oz when the Nome King opened a portal into their high school to get Dorothy’s first pair of shoes. The yellow brick road takes them to an old enemy of Nox’s, her name is Lanadel, they have a complicated past and I’m going to be honest Nox was a terrible person in the past. It takes them a while to convince Lanadel to help them. Meanwhile the Nome King and Dorothy have planned to get married, I know what you’re thinking, two powerful, evil people getting married, this CANT HAPPEN D: But the wedding is something else, the Nome King is up to something for sure (not gonna spoil that :p) but Dorothy finds out through her new servant.
Meanwhile Dorothy is planning the wedding, Madison, Amy, Nox, and Lanadel acquire an invitation to the wedding, which is a masquerade party. Even though it’s a masquerade party Dorothy knows Amy is there and uses her presence as a way for her to escape. A big battle happens and Amy is stuck choosing between Nox and saving Oz, how unfair is that?! Amy of course being such a good-hearted person chooses to save Oz and move back to Kansas. Amy is back to her normal life but now has a friend (Madison) and they go back to class as seniors. But of course there’s a small twist at the end which is soooo *heart-eyes*, you’ll have to read the series to find out though!
Honestly, this series is amazing and so unique you have to check it out and give it a chance! I highly recommend it!
Check out my reviews of the rest of this series!
Dorothy Must Die
The Wicked Will Rise
Yellow Brick War
The End of Oz
_____________________________
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Let me first start with saying that the series is a roller coaster of emotions perfectly twisted together to form a lovely book series! The End of Oz was a beautiful end to this series! This time we also get a point of view from Dorothy, and she’s something else!
I loved the dual perspectives in this book, showing us a whole new side to Dorothy. I especially appreciated the way we saw events from both Amy and Dorothy’s point of view, and seeing them both figure things out and watch everything click into place was just so satisfying. It amazed me how well Danielle managed to create such a distinction between Amy and Dorothy’s voices, while showing us just how similar they were at the same time.
Amy Gumm is going to be added to my list of bad ass favorite female protagonists. And she is also one of the few protagonists that didn’t annoy me ONCE the entire series. Danielle Paige wrote such a beautiful and relatable character. Her personality was consistent but her growth throughout every book was astonishing. She had her dark moments and she had her good moments and through it all I liked her. Honestly, character development in general, in this series is insane, and watching all the characters change and mature over the course of the 4 books was such a lovely experience. Each character has their own voice, personality, and background enabling you to submerge yourself into their lives.
The book picks up right where the 3rd book ended, when Amy, Nox and Madison escaped on the yellow brick road. Yes, I know… Madison is with them! In the book 3, Yellow Brick Road, Madison and Amy make up and are new best friends! Madison was an old enemy of Amy’s but got pulled into Oz when the Nome King opened a portal into their high school to get Dorothy’s first pair of shoes. The yellow brick road takes them to an old enemy of Nox’s, her name is Lanadel, they have a complicated past and I’m going to be honest Nox was a terrible person in the past. It takes them a while to convince Lanadel to help them. Meanwhile the Nome King and Dorothy have planned to get married, I know what you’re thinking, two powerful, evil people getting married, this CANT HAPPEN D: But the wedding is something else, the Nome King is up to something for sure (not gonna spoil that :p) but Dorothy finds out through her new servant.
Meanwhile Dorothy is planning the wedding, Madison, Amy, Nox, and Lanadel acquire an invitation to the wedding, which is a masquerade party. Even though it’s a masquerade party Dorothy knows Amy is there and uses her presence as a way for her to escape. A big battle happens and Amy is stuck choosing between Nox and saving Oz, how unfair is that?! Amy of course being such a good-hearted person chooses to save Oz and move back to Kansas. Amy is back to her normal life but now has a friend (Madison) and they go back to class as seniors. But of course there’s a small twist at the end which is soooo *heart-eyes*, you’ll have to read the series to find out though!
Honestly, this series is amazing and so unique you have to check it out and give it a chance! I highly recommend it!
Check out my reviews of the rest of this series!
Dorothy Must Die
The Wicked Will Rise
Yellow Brick War
The End of Oz
_____________________________
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook | Store
Want to read
May 13, 2016Are you kidding me?? First I thought this was going to be a duology, then I got my hands on the third book and was super excited to finally get to the end of the series, and now there's a fourth book? This just feels like it's dragging on far too much. Danielle Paige is really milking it with this one.
August 7, 2018
This series just crashed and burned with these last two books.
December 26, 2022
i have come to hate this series, but i wanted closure and redemption so i decided to give the final novel a chance 😤
and, shockingly, i don't regret reading it. the penultimate volume in the series is by far the worst, so this was an improvement (although it is absolutely not necessary for the series to be this long).
something that has bothered me throughout the series is amplified in this one: misogynistic language is everywhere in the interactions between amy, madison, dorothy, and most of the other young women in the book. they refer to each other as "bitch" and "ho" and i cringe every time. do teenagers still talk to each other like this? i sincerely hope not. maybe danielle paige is just behind on the times.
this is an eye-rolling sort of series, and i definitely rolled my eyes at the fact that hardly any of the book actually takes place in oz. instead it takes place in the land of ev, oz's dark underworld.
amy is still detestable and her romance with nox unbelievable, but this book introduces dorothy's POV, which i'm realizing was long overdue. dorothy is such an interesting character! unlike amy, who floats along and lets things happen to her yet still considers herself a badass, dorothy truly makes shit happen. dorothy has turned oz upside down since her arrival there! and in this book she must escape her engagement to the evil nome king before he steals her magic shoes and finishes her off.
dorothy's narration is contrived and obnoxious (not unlike amy's), but it is a refreshing change of pace. finally, a woman with agency!
and the end of dorothy's story is surprisingly well done.
that ending feels powerful, but then there are two sloggy wrapup chapters that bring amy back to kansas,
this series was on my list from the first time i saw the cover of dorothy must die years ago, and while it was an entertaining romp, oh my god i'm so glad it's over.
and, shockingly, i don't regret reading it. the penultimate volume in the series is by far the worst, so this was an improvement (although it is absolutely not necessary for the series to be this long).
something that has bothered me throughout the series is amplified in this one: misogynistic language is everywhere in the interactions between amy, madison, dorothy, and most of the other young women in the book. they refer to each other as "bitch" and "ho" and i cringe every time. do teenagers still talk to each other like this? i sincerely hope not. maybe danielle paige is just behind on the times.
this is an eye-rolling sort of series, and i definitely rolled my eyes at the fact that hardly any of the book actually takes place in oz. instead it takes place in the land of ev, oz's dark underworld.
amy is still detestable and her romance with nox unbelievable, but this book introduces dorothy's POV, which i'm realizing was long overdue. dorothy is such an interesting character! unlike amy, who floats along and lets things happen to her yet still considers herself a badass, dorothy truly makes shit happen. dorothy has turned oz upside down since her arrival there! and in this book she must escape her engagement to the evil nome king before he steals her magic shoes and finishes her off.
dorothy's narration is contrived and obnoxious (not unlike amy's), but it is a refreshing change of pace. finally, a woman with agency!
and the end of dorothy's story is surprisingly well done.
that ending feels powerful, but then there are two sloggy wrapup chapters that bring amy back to kansas,
this series was on my list from the first time i saw the cover of dorothy must die years ago, and while it was an entertaining romp, oh my god i'm so glad it's over.
April 19, 2017
I can't believe this is it...the final book in Danielle Paige's dark, deadly, delectable, and diabolically amazing Dorothy Must Die series!
Now that we know who the real Big Bad is, the Nome King, it's up to Amy, Nox, and Madison to travel to the land of Ev and figure out a way to defeat him before he manages to subjugate the land of Oz as well. Of course, he's got a secret ally on his side, one who may not be such a good ally after all...but to reveal who that ally is would be a spoiler. (Let's just say, though, that if Emma Roberts were to play this character in the eventual movie or TV adaptation - preferably not on Netflix too! - I wouldn't be surprised one bit.) And you know what? Amy and friends have a pretty good, if not perfect, ally in Ev themselves. You'll know who they are if you read the third volume of the Stories first, so if you haven't yet, go ahead and get that taken care of.
It's not a particularly big book, but Paige jam-packs it with tons of twists and feels to make it a more than suitable finale, even if she does kinda leave us hanging just a bit right at the end. Oh, how I wish this wasn't the end...I don't wanna say goodbye to my faves from this series now!
But I must.
To the Dorothy Must Die series, ave atque vale, and of course, vas ir...anoshe.
Now that we know who the real Big Bad is, the Nome King, it's up to Amy, Nox, and Madison to travel to the land of Ev and figure out a way to defeat him before he manages to subjugate the land of Oz as well. Of course, he's got a secret ally on his side, one who may not be such a good ally after all...but to reveal who that ally is would be a spoiler. (Let's just say, though, that if Emma Roberts were to play this character in the eventual movie or TV adaptation - preferably not on Netflix too! - I wouldn't be surprised one bit.) And you know what? Amy and friends have a pretty good, if not perfect, ally in Ev themselves. You'll know who they are if you read the third volume of the Stories first, so if you haven't yet, go ahead and get that taken care of.
It's not a particularly big book, but Paige jam-packs it with tons of twists and feels to make it a more than suitable finale, even if she does kinda leave us hanging just a bit right at the end. Oh, how I wish this wasn't the end...I don't wanna say goodbye to my faves from this series now!
But I must.
To the Dorothy Must Die series, ave atque vale, and of course, vas ir...anoshe.
June 6, 2017
Before Reading:
I still can't get over the fact that there is going to be a fourth book. Yellow Brick War was atrocious and should have concluded the series, but looks like Ms. Paige will get more of my money. I hope it returns to the innocent fun that was Dorothy Must Die, but that looks doubtful.
After Reading:
Who knew that the book would be so self-aware? The direction in which Paige took the series saw a massive downturn in Yellow Brick War, in which drama with the Nome King really took off. I'm fine with a convoluted, unexpected story, but the Dorothy Must Die series becomes convoluted past the point of enjoyment. In case you've forgotten, Dorothy is the primary antagonist, Paige, not this Nome King character.
Speaking of Dorothy, we get her narration in this books, which I must say made me like her a lot more (to the point of cheering for her). However, I must admit that I started to take issue with Dorothy's characterization in this book: Dorothy has always been a bratty teenage girl. I didn't take issue with that until The End of Oz, in which I kept trying to make her this all-out femme fatale rather than some teenager who can charm her way out of sticky situations. (As is, I couldn't stop comparing her to Pretty Little Liars' Alison DiLaurtentis, which made me take the series less seriously with each use of like.)
But my gosh, Dorothy was pretty kickass in this one; honestly, I got to the point at which I almost started cheering for Dorothy of Amy because Dorothy was the only interesting character. If she's as crafty to make her way out of the clutches of the Nome King, Dorothy must live.
And I'm fine with that, because it was bound to happen (but that doesn't prevent me from putting the obvious in spoilers). My only complaints about the ending –– which I actually liked, believe it or not –– are that it felt hasty and confusing. I wish that Paige had taken more time to really flesh out the final standoff because it was a beautiful, though preachy, moment; and of course I wish that she had gone more into because that raises so many questions and paradoxes, it's not even funny.
Sadly though, nothing that I liked about the book was able to convince me to rate the book above one star. I still firmly believe that the book series should not have been so long, but I'm officially finished now, so I'm free.
Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!
I still can't get over the fact that there is going to be a fourth book. Yellow Brick War was atrocious and should have concluded the series, but looks like Ms. Paige will get more of my money. I hope it returns to the innocent fun that was Dorothy Must Die, but that looks doubtful.
After Reading:
"'Three worlds, two pairs of shoes, sixteen villains ... It's too much....'"
Who knew that the book would be so self-aware? The direction in which Paige took the series saw a massive downturn in Yellow Brick War, in which drama with the Nome King really took off. I'm fine with a convoluted, unexpected story, but the Dorothy Must Die series becomes convoluted past the point of enjoyment. In case you've forgotten, Dorothy is the primary antagonist, Paige, not this Nome King character.
Speaking of Dorothy, we get her narration in this books, which I must say made me like her a lot more (to the point of cheering for her). However, I must admit that I started to take issue with Dorothy's characterization in this book: Dorothy has always been a bratty teenage girl. I didn't take issue with that until The End of Oz, in which I kept trying to make her this all-out femme fatale rather than some teenager who can charm her way out of sticky situations. (As is, I couldn't stop comparing her to Pretty Little Liars' Alison DiLaurtentis, which made me take the series less seriously with each use of like.)
But my gosh, Dorothy was pretty kickass in this one; honestly, I got to the point at which I almost started cheering for Dorothy of Amy because Dorothy was the only interesting character. If she's as crafty to make her way out of the clutches of the Nome King, Dorothy must live.
And I'm fine with that, because it was bound to happen (but that doesn't prevent me from putting the obvious in spoilers). My only complaints about the ending –– which I actually liked, believe it or not –– are that it felt hasty and confusing. I wish that Paige had taken more time to really flesh out the final standoff because it was a beautiful, though preachy, moment; and of course I wish that she had gone more into because that raises so many questions and paradoxes, it's not even funny.
Sadly though, nothing that I liked about the book was able to convince me to rate the book above one star. I still firmly believe that the book series should not have been so long, but I'm officially finished now, so I'm free.
Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!
March 27, 2017
Warning- Spoilers Ahead
I gotta say, I really was disappointed in the way that it ended. I also was very unhappy with this story.
For one thing, the inconsistencies I kept finding while I was reading was awful. You can see in my progress at one point our author had no idea where our character was! I found a lot of things misspelled, wrong punctuation, and even missing words. The proofreader was falling down on their job.
I also found the story itself to just be...boring. This is supposed to be the final confrontation between Amy and Dorothy. They find out Dorothy is alive and with the Nome King and it was 277 pages of absolutely NOTHING. There was so much dialogue between Amy, Nox, and Madison that I felt, at this point in the game, was completely unnecessary. We know that Nox is unhappy with the way things turned out, we know Madison wants to go home and is starting to feel bad at how she treated Amy, and we know Amy has become a different person and loves Nox and has past issues with her mom blah blah blah. We have heard all of this the past 4 books. It has just become repetitive and boring in this story.
Then, when we finally reach the climax of the story and Dorothy and Amy come face to face? It's over in about 2 pages. Dorothy feels bad about what she did, dumps a bucket of water over her head, and everything goes back to normal. WHAT?! What kind of crap is that?!? There should've been another epic battle! If this is what Amy "was trained for" during her time with Wicked, and how she lamented that she couldn't end Dorothy the first time around, all of that was incredibly wasted. I didn't feel any sense of satisfaction in the way that that ended.
This book solely centered around Nox and Amy's love story, in my opinion, and I really was unhappy with that. Yes, she found her prince charming and can live happily ever after now that they have "saved each other" but I feel this should've been bigger. Or the third book should've been bigger than the 200+ pages we were given and make that into the final story. Because, to be honest, waiting for this book felt totally worthless to me. Yes, Oz was saved by Dorothy and the Nome King is gone and everyone went back to their normal lives, but it was a weak ending. The whole book leading up to the final battle was just talking back and forth, arguing and bickering over past issues; finally coming to the end and nothing happening felt very lackluster.
This book had the potential to be really epic at the end, especially with the title and all. Oz could've been raining down around them while Dorothy and Amy duked it out, Nox could've been more in jeopardy, Ozma and Dorothy could've fought for Oz, SOMETHING! Instead we get normal teenage drama and hormones and a really weak ending.
I gotta say, I really was disappointed in the way that it ended. I also was very unhappy with this story.
For one thing, the inconsistencies I kept finding while I was reading was awful. You can see in my progress at one point our author had no idea where our character was! I found a lot of things misspelled, wrong punctuation, and even missing words. The proofreader was falling down on their job.
I also found the story itself to just be...boring. This is supposed to be the final confrontation between Amy and Dorothy. They find out Dorothy is alive and with the Nome King and it was 277 pages of absolutely NOTHING. There was so much dialogue between Amy, Nox, and Madison that I felt, at this point in the game, was completely unnecessary. We know that Nox is unhappy with the way things turned out, we know Madison wants to go home and is starting to feel bad at how she treated Amy, and we know Amy has become a different person and loves Nox and has past issues with her mom blah blah blah. We have heard all of this the past 4 books. It has just become repetitive and boring in this story.
Then, when we finally reach the climax of the story and Dorothy and Amy come face to face? It's over in about 2 pages. Dorothy feels bad about what she did, dumps a bucket of water over her head, and everything goes back to normal. WHAT?! What kind of crap is that?!? There should've been another epic battle! If this is what Amy "was trained for" during her time with Wicked, and how she lamented that she couldn't end Dorothy the first time around, all of that was incredibly wasted. I didn't feel any sense of satisfaction in the way that that ended.
This book solely centered around Nox and Amy's love story, in my opinion, and I really was unhappy with that. Yes, she found her prince charming and can live happily ever after now that they have "saved each other" but I feel this should've been bigger. Or the third book should've been bigger than the 200+ pages we were given and make that into the final story. Because, to be honest, waiting for this book felt totally worthless to me. Yes, Oz was saved by Dorothy and the Nome King is gone and everyone went back to their normal lives, but it was a weak ending. The whole book leading up to the final battle was just talking back and forth, arguing and bickering over past issues; finally coming to the end and nothing happening felt very lackluster.
This book had the potential to be really epic at the end, especially with the title and all. Oz could've been raining down around them while Dorothy and Amy duked it out, Nox could've been more in jeopardy, Ozma and Dorothy could've fought for Oz, SOMETHING! Instead we get normal teenage drama and hormones and a really weak ending.
April 13, 2017
I went out and bought this as soon as it hit the stores and I read it in one day. I can barely describe how happy I felt afterwards. The book ended exactly as I had hoped. No I'm not a bleeding heart who expects all books to have a sappy traditional happily-ever-after ending, but I really wanted it for this one. I haven't loved a book couple as much as Nox and Amy (well, and Eleanor and Park too), . I fell in love with the series as soon as I finished Dorothy Must Die .
My only one little complaint about this was that - I expected it to be longer. I feel like if this was going to be the final book in the series, Paige should have at least given us the luxury of a longer and more detailed read, ya know? But I'm wondering if she actually intended for End of Oz to be longer but then made a lot of revisions, because I remember back in the summer last year when Goodreads revealed the title the book clearly said it was going to be like 400 something pages.
Another thing is that for a book that is suppose to be the end, it left me with more questions than ever and didn't really tie up any loose ends. Like the more I think about it it seems Danielle just kind of rushed through this book.
Well, anyway. I loved every book in the series and I'm extremely sad and disappointed to see it end. I honestly still want to read more, but that's it. It's finished. Only thing left that I haven't read yet are the last three novellas....
I won't exactly say cliffhanger, but End of Oz ended with a lot of possibilities. I think it's quite possible that Paige may decide to write another book in the future.
*sigh* Post Book Depression: that feeling you get when you just finished a good book/series you didn't want to end
P.S. For those of you who purchased End of Oz from somewhere other than Barnes and Noble, apparently the Barnes and Noble edition has an exclusive epilogue that yours may not have. It further confirms what I said about the possibility of another book in the future.
My only one little complaint about this was that - I expected it to be longer. I feel like if this was going to be the final book in the series, Paige should have at least given us the luxury of a longer and more detailed read, ya know? But I'm wondering if she actually intended for End of Oz to be longer but then made a lot of revisions, because I remember back in the summer last year when Goodreads revealed the title the book clearly said it was going to be like 400 something pages.
Another thing is that for a book that is suppose to be the end, it left me with more questions than ever and didn't really tie up any loose ends. Like the more I think about it it seems Danielle just kind of rushed through this book.
Well, anyway. I loved every book in the series and I'm extremely sad and disappointed to see it end. I honestly still want to read more, but that's it. It's finished. Only thing left that I haven't read yet are the last three novellas....
I won't exactly say cliffhanger, but End of Oz ended with a lot of possibilities. I think it's quite possible that Paige may decide to write another book in the future.
*sigh* Post Book Depression: that feeling you get when you just finished a good book/series you didn't want to end
P.S. For those of you who purchased End of Oz from somewhere other than Barnes and Noble, apparently the Barnes and Noble edition has an exclusive epilogue that yours may not have. It further confirms what I said about the possibility of another book in the future.
June 18, 2017
I don't know...this book just felt completely underwhelming. I actually loved the first three books in the series, and I agree with anyone saying that the series could've ended there.
I thought The End of Oz was unnecessary. It seemed to swerve away from the main story, and although I'm all for the introduction of a new villain, in this book it wasn't incorporated very well. The plot for this book seemed very drawn out, and it wasn't until the end did the story actually move forwards.
I actually did not like Dorothy's point of view in this either. I thought it ruined the suspense a little, and though I understand dramatic irony, I felt like it made the story more predictable and boring.
I felt like Amy was a little different as well - she didn't have as much fire in her, and times where she pined over Nox got more annoying than cute. There were definitely some scenes that I still liked, but their relationship lost a bit of their spark for me.
I guess I did receive closure at the end of this book, but I wish I had gotten it earlier, at the end of book three.
I thought The End of Oz was unnecessary. It seemed to swerve away from the main story, and although I'm all for the introduction of a new villain, in this book it wasn't incorporated very well. The plot for this book seemed very drawn out, and it wasn't until the end did the story actually move forwards.
I actually did not like Dorothy's point of view in this either. I thought it ruined the suspense a little, and though I understand dramatic irony, I felt like it made the story more predictable and boring.
I felt like Amy was a little different as well - she didn't have as much fire in her, and times where she pined over Nox got more annoying than cute. There were definitely some scenes that I still liked, but their relationship lost a bit of their spark for me.
I guess I did receive closure at the end of this book, but I wish I had gotten it earlier, at the end of book three.
July 11, 2017
Aunque El fin de Oz no sea el mejor libro de la saga, esta es una saga que recomendaría a mucha gente amante del género. Son historias muy entretenidas, rápidas de leer y que seguro tiene algo para cada gusto.
Reseña completa en THE BEST READ YET BLOG
Reseña completa en THE BEST READ YET BLOG
November 27, 2017
D-E-C-E-P-C-I-Ó-N... Esperaba un libro de acción, de aventura, no de romance y lleno de cursilería. Se supone que están en una guerra y la mitad del libro son los pensamientos recurrentes de Amy sobre que pasará en el futuro y lo mucho que entiende, pero no entiende, a Dorothy. Estaría bien si hubieran sido una vez... dos veces, pero en serio, deben haber ocupado la mitad de las páginas con esta clase de pensamientos, con los además siempre se llegaba a la misma conclusión.
Si no hubiese sido por los capítulos dedicados a Dorothy, creo que hubiera puesto con suerte una estrella a este libro.
Creo que si ya llegaron al punto de haber leído los tres libros anteriores (a mi parecer este es el peor de todos), creo que siempre es bueno terminar algo que se ha empezado, asi que solo por eso les aconsejo terminar la saga, pero no tengan altas expectativas.
Si no hubiese sido por los capítulos dedicados a Dorothy, creo que hubiera puesto con suerte una estrella a este libro.
Creo que si ya llegaron al punto de haber leído los tres libros anteriores (a mi parecer este es el peor de todos), creo que siempre es bueno terminar algo que se ha empezado, asi que solo por eso les aconsejo terminar la saga, pero no tengan altas expectativas.
August 3, 2017
Cierra de forma espléndida una tetralogía de la que he disfrutado, tanto por su trama y sus personajes como por lo mucho que me ha gustado el mundo de Oz. Sin duda, os recomiendo que le deis una oportunidad.
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June 24, 2020
By now everyone knows that I’m a diehard fan of this series and I’ve adored every single book. That being said, this book was by far my least favourite out of the series. Up until about 95% of the way through I was loving it and thought I was getting the perfect conclusion I hoped for. But the final pages just didn’t sit right with me, I literally threw the book across the room when I finished it. Such a shame to have a book and series that was EXCELLENT otherwise, end in such a disappointing way. I think I’m just going to erase the final 5-10 pages from my mind and leave it at that because if not for those pages, this series and this book were perfect.
April 18, 2017
What the fuck?!
July 31, 2017
Update! Here's my full review: http://www.bookishrealmreviews.com/20...
3.5 Stars. Okay this was a hell of a lot better than the third book. Yes I still had my issues with it as in the fact that I still think the story could have done without the Nome King and Ev. While they are interesting aspects, they weren't developed enough to fit in with the story and kind of just felt like filler moments. I work think that the story could have been contained into three books but that's just my personal opinion. The writing was good and I liked that there was more humor in this one than the previous novel especially since we were given the opportunity to see Dorothy's perspective. I'm still left with some questions in reference to certain characters so part of me wonders if she'll ever revisit this world or not. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Although I was worried about not liking the conclusion I am glad that I stuck around to finish the series. I'll do a full series review soon.
3.5 Stars. Okay this was a hell of a lot better than the third book. Yes I still had my issues with it as in the fact that I still think the story could have done without the Nome King and Ev. While they are interesting aspects, they weren't developed enough to fit in with the story and kind of just felt like filler moments. I work think that the story could have been contained into three books but that's just my personal opinion. The writing was good and I liked that there was more humor in this one than the previous novel especially since we were given the opportunity to see Dorothy's perspective. I'm still left with some questions in reference to certain characters so part of me wonders if she'll ever revisit this world or not. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Although I was worried about not liking the conclusion I am glad that I stuck around to finish the series. I'll do a full series review soon.
May 18, 2017
I received a copy of The End of Oz from HarperCollins New Zealand to review. This is the last book in the Dorothy Must Die series. I think.
This series has been predictable and really cheesy at times but I still found myself enjoying it. I haven’t read the novellas yet but I’m hoping to get to them soon.
I liked that Madison was in this book. I actually started to like her in Yellow Brick War. I liked that Amy and Madison’s friendship didn’t happen overnight and they still had their problems with each other but Madison had put Amy through a lot in high school that she was still dealing with. But I think they’d make really good friends now that Madison has grown up a bit.
Nox annoyed me at the start of the Dorothy Must Die series but he’s definitely grown on me through the books. I think Amy changed the way he saw things, which is probably why I started to like him because he was really stubborn and bossy in the first couple of books.
The ending wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The whole series had been building up to something and so I was taken by surprise with how the book and series actually ended. It was still good though. Probably better than the ending I was expecting.
Speaking of the ending… I’d heard that this was the last book in the series but after reading the last page I’m really confused. I don’t want to give anything away though so I’m not going to say anymore.
Like I said at the start of my review, this series was predictable and sometimes a bit cheesy but I’ve enjoyed it. And I’m looking forward to reading the novellas soon. And I should probably read the original Wizard of Oz story too.
This series has been predictable and really cheesy at times but I still found myself enjoying it. I haven’t read the novellas yet but I’m hoping to get to them soon.
I liked that Madison was in this book. I actually started to like her in Yellow Brick War. I liked that Amy and Madison’s friendship didn’t happen overnight and they still had their problems with each other but Madison had put Amy through a lot in high school that she was still dealing with. But I think they’d make really good friends now that Madison has grown up a bit.
Nox annoyed me at the start of the Dorothy Must Die series but he’s definitely grown on me through the books. I think Amy changed the way he saw things, which is probably why I started to like him because he was really stubborn and bossy in the first couple of books.
The ending wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The whole series had been building up to something and so I was taken by surprise with how the book and series actually ended. It was still good though. Probably better than the ending I was expecting.
Speaking of the ending… I’d heard that this was the last book in the series but after reading the last page I’m really confused. I don’t want to give anything away though so I’m not going to say anymore.
Like I said at the start of my review, this series was predictable and sometimes a bit cheesy but I’ve enjoyed it. And I’m looking forward to reading the novellas soon. And I should probably read the original Wizard of Oz story too.
April 23, 2018
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When it comes to the magical world of Oz, I do not know what it is exactly that draws me every time nonetheless I will forever be grateful that L. Frank Baum created this beautiful fantasy land and Danielle Paige for temporary borrowing it and creating something fresh when it comes to Oz and Dorothy Gale. I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz and I believe it is one of the few films that blows me away every time. For this Dorothy Must Die series, without any hesitations I can say that the first novel of the series is still the strongest and while I had no desire to marathon the series again I can say that I was satisfied with this novel.
The End of Oz picks up immediately right after where Yellow Brick War which is Amy Gumm, Nox, and Madison escapes the wrath of the Nome King in Kansas and travels back to Oz. The difference this time is Amy possesses the original sliver slippers that Dorothy originally wore in her first adventure in Oz. Amy used the slippers power to escape but like everything in Oz it has a mind of its own and now they are traveling to the Land of Ev which is where the Nome King lives. Unfortunately when they arrive to this barren land, all their magic cease to exist because they are no longer tied to Oz and its magical connections.
As they struggle to survive and figure out what is their next move, remember Dorothy? She supposedly died? Well like they say in the movies, if you don't see the body it means they are still alive! Of course I remember exactly when reading the previous book that she will miraculous find a way to save herself and let the final novel be the epic battle between her and Amy. Sure enough the Nome King had buried a secret tunnel underneath the Emerald City and at the last moment saved Dorothy and cure her wounds. She's confused about what is going on but makes an allegiance to the Nome King to help her reclaim Oz in exchange she would marry the Nome King. All that seems fine and dandy except Dorothy only makes promises to one person which is to herself.
What made the whole story fascinating is we get read Dorothy's perspective throughout the novel and it was my favorite treat. After every few chapters of Amy, we got a front row seat as to what is happening with her, her relationship to the Nome King, and mini glimpses into her past. Danielle Paige is trying to capitalized on the prequel novellas so you don't get much insight in the novel but since her Ruby Slippers aren't fully functional, Dorothy is getting a taste of her humanity back. Even though she has murdered and torture people (which is unforgivable in my book) for the sake of power it allows wiggle room to understand that underneath that façade is a girl tortured by her past.
Had you read the previous novels then it is completely understandable why Danielle Paige went that route in terms of a redemption storyline because in many ways it kind of goes back to the original story that L. Frank Baum created. The way this last novel was written I felt as though Paige created an alternate universe where Dorothy turns evil based on the sacrifices she had to make in order to survive and return to Kansas. Besides the first novel, I haven't read all of L. Frank Baum's Oz novels but its pretty understandable to think that Dorothy must be traumatized having traveled to a faraway fantasy land, full of magic and killing creatures for means of survival.
I am still adamantly over this series should have been trilogy. The 2nd and 3rd novels could have been mashed into one book and had made this one the final one in the series. From my understanding Paige is not continuing this series and I dislike how she left it wide open for another book. I accept how she wrapped up the ending even though I believe Dorothy never got to suffer the repercussions of her actions but leaving it wide open for a potential spinoff or another sequel is ruining everything that I love about Oz. I think Paige did the best that she could do because the Oz catalogue is massive considering she was not able to introduce other characters who help shape Oz in the latter novels.
If you are a fan of Return to Oz film that Disney made decades ago, you will get a kick out of this novel because Paige introduces certain characters and creatures from that movie and it felt as though as though I was part of the film when reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed that film as a child and I never understood why it was a flopped. Then again I will always be biased when it comes to Oz because I've practically seen every film, TV Show, or miniseries in reference to Oz. I do not know if I will ever read the prequel novellas but if I do it will give me an excuse to return back to the world of my childhood.
I thought I would not cry when reading this novel even though the ending was a tiny bit predictable and yet I found myself shedding a few tears for certain characters. I am trying to be super vague because I believe this is a great series to read and if you are an Oz fan it is a fun and exciting series to add to your collection. I can never get sick of Oz and I hope someday I'll find myself back in this Universe again. Till next time...
P.S. I got to relive my childhood fantasy on April 5th, 2018.
When it comes to the magical world of Oz, I do not know what it is exactly that draws me every time nonetheless I will forever be grateful that L. Frank Baum created this beautiful fantasy land and Danielle Paige for temporary borrowing it and creating something fresh when it comes to Oz and Dorothy Gale. I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz and I believe it is one of the few films that blows me away every time. For this Dorothy Must Die series, without any hesitations I can say that the first novel of the series is still the strongest and while I had no desire to marathon the series again I can say that I was satisfied with this novel.
The End of Oz picks up immediately right after where Yellow Brick War which is Amy Gumm, Nox, and Madison escapes the wrath of the Nome King in Kansas and travels back to Oz. The difference this time is Amy possesses the original sliver slippers that Dorothy originally wore in her first adventure in Oz. Amy used the slippers power to escape but like everything in Oz it has a mind of its own and now they are traveling to the Land of Ev which is where the Nome King lives. Unfortunately when they arrive to this barren land, all their magic cease to exist because they are no longer tied to Oz and its magical connections.
As they struggle to survive and figure out what is their next move, remember Dorothy? She supposedly died? Well like they say in the movies, if you don't see the body it means they are still alive! Of course I remember exactly when reading the previous book that she will miraculous find a way to save herself and let the final novel be the epic battle between her and Amy. Sure enough the Nome King had buried a secret tunnel underneath the Emerald City and at the last moment saved Dorothy and cure her wounds. She's confused about what is going on but makes an allegiance to the Nome King to help her reclaim Oz in exchange she would marry the Nome King. All that seems fine and dandy except Dorothy only makes promises to one person which is to herself.
What made the whole story fascinating is we get read Dorothy's perspective throughout the novel and it was my favorite treat. After every few chapters of Amy, we got a front row seat as to what is happening with her, her relationship to the Nome King, and mini glimpses into her past. Danielle Paige is trying to capitalized on the prequel novellas so you don't get much insight in the novel but since her Ruby Slippers aren't fully functional, Dorothy is getting a taste of her humanity back. Even though she has murdered and torture people (which is unforgivable in my book) for the sake of power it allows wiggle room to understand that underneath that façade is a girl tortured by her past.
Had you read the previous novels then it is completely understandable why Danielle Paige went that route in terms of a redemption storyline because in many ways it kind of goes back to the original story that L. Frank Baum created. The way this last novel was written I felt as though Paige created an alternate universe where Dorothy turns evil based on the sacrifices she had to make in order to survive and return to Kansas. Besides the first novel, I haven't read all of L. Frank Baum's Oz novels but its pretty understandable to think that Dorothy must be traumatized having traveled to a faraway fantasy land, full of magic and killing creatures for means of survival.
I am still adamantly over this series should have been trilogy. The 2nd and 3rd novels could have been mashed into one book and had made this one the final one in the series. From my understanding Paige is not continuing this series and I dislike how she left it wide open for another book. I accept how she wrapped up the ending even though I believe Dorothy never got to suffer the repercussions of her actions but leaving it wide open for a potential spinoff or another sequel is ruining everything that I love about Oz. I think Paige did the best that she could do because the Oz catalogue is massive considering she was not able to introduce other characters who help shape Oz in the latter novels.
If you are a fan of Return to Oz film that Disney made decades ago, you will get a kick out of this novel because Paige introduces certain characters and creatures from that movie and it felt as though as though I was part of the film when reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed that film as a child and I never understood why it was a flopped. Then again I will always be biased when it comes to Oz because I've practically seen every film, TV Show, or miniseries in reference to Oz. I do not know if I will ever read the prequel novellas but if I do it will give me an excuse to return back to the world of my childhood.
I thought I would not cry when reading this novel even though the ending was a tiny bit predictable and yet I found myself shedding a few tears for certain characters. I am trying to be super vague because I believe this is a great series to read and if you are an Oz fan it is a fun and exciting series to add to your collection. I can never get sick of Oz and I hope someday I'll find myself back in this Universe again. Till next time...
P.S. I got to relive my childhood fantasy on April 5th, 2018.
April 9, 2017
I know that her original plan was to have a trilogy, and Goodreads had a lengthy page count for the third book. I'm wondering if Paige decided to split the book in half to space it out. That being said, I'm still hoping the final book is lengthy like the first one was. And the Wicked Witch of the West please!
June 1, 2017
2.5 perhaps
This series really went downhill for me. It started strong, then just degenerated. Teens have brains, and I think that was forgotten.
Lord of the Rings, The Neverending Story, Dune, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe were all ripped off so originality was lacking.
Dorothy is really the only character I enjoy. I think I may be her.
This series really went downhill for me. It started strong, then just degenerated. Teens have brains, and I think that was forgotten.
Lord of the Rings, The Neverending Story, Dune, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe were all ripped off so originality was lacking.
Dorothy is really the only character I enjoy. I think I may be her.
May 29, 2020
3.5 estrellas.
Cómo había dicho, la mitad se me hizo muy lenta y en ocasiones algo aburrida debido a que no sentí que hubiera mucha acción.
Después de esa mitad y que empezaron a suceder cosas me atrapó.
El final que le dio la autora a la saga me gustó.
Ese final abierto, necesito saber que más pasó.
En general la saga me gustó y a todos en general les doy 4 estrellas.
Veré si hago una reseña después.
Cómo había dicho, la mitad se me hizo muy lenta y en ocasiones algo aburrida debido a que no sentí que hubiera mucha acción.
Después de esa mitad y que empezaron a suceder cosas me atrapó.
El final que le dio la autora a la saga me gustó.
Ese final abierto, necesito saber que más pasó.
En general la saga me gustó y a todos en general les doy 4 estrellas.
Veré si hago una reseña después.
Read
December 10, 2023rtc!
November 4, 2020
My Rating: 1.5 stars rounded up
The End of Oz also marks the end of this series, where Amy and the crew finally hit the final leg of their journey to defeat Dorothy and kill the Nome King.
My Breakdown:
- My first thought after finishing this book was "thank the lord that this is over". I could not stress enough how much I did not like this book. It was boring. And the ending was also terrible!
- I was actually glad that we got another POV, but I do have to say that both POVs sucked. Dorothy wouldn't have been speaking in modern dialogue if she was from the 1900s/1930s. Especially if she's been living in Oz all her life, and they wouldn't have any idea on how people from the Other Place would speak. So yes, she is a fascist, but she wouldn't be speaking like she just popped out of 2014.
- The book was so incredibly boring the entire time. It felt like Paige was milking it too hard and she was just trying to turn the series into something it's not. There was no reason for the Nome King to even be a part of the series at all. It was an obvious jump-the-shark strategy, and as Paige has also written screenplays for some TV shows, I'm not entirely surprised that she did this.
- The ending also hurt to read. It was like Paige tried to squeeze a cheesy teen movie ending into one chapter.
- In conclusion, I did not like this book. I was disappointed in the ending and Paige milked this out for no reason. I'm not even going to touch the novellas, because that's another obvious cash grab and it's probably not going to be any better than this one. I enjoyed the first book and how it twisted the dark elements into the original tale but this was just a plain-old disappointment.
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Rep: gay SC, lesbian SC
TW: violence, character death, mentions of drug abuse and addiction, mentions of alcoholism, blood, burns
The End of Oz also marks the end of this series, where Amy and the crew finally hit the final leg of their journey to defeat Dorothy and kill the Nome King.
My Breakdown:
- My first thought after finishing this book was "thank the lord that this is over". I could not stress enough how much I did not like this book. It was boring. And the ending was also terrible!
- I was actually glad that we got another POV, but I do have to say that both POVs sucked. Dorothy wouldn't have been speaking in modern dialogue if she was from the 1900s/1930s. Especially if she's been living in Oz all her life, and they wouldn't have any idea on how people from the Other Place would speak. So yes, she is a fascist, but she wouldn't be speaking like she just popped out of 2014.
- The book was so incredibly boring the entire time. It felt like Paige was milking it too hard and she was just trying to turn the series into something it's not. There was no reason for the Nome King to even be a part of the series at all. It was an obvious jump-the-shark strategy, and as Paige has also written screenplays for some TV shows, I'm not entirely surprised that she did this.
- The ending also hurt to read. It was like Paige tried to squeeze a cheesy teen movie ending into one chapter.
- In conclusion, I did not like this book. I was disappointed in the ending and Paige milked this out for no reason. I'm not even going to touch the novellas, because that's another obvious cash grab and it's probably not going to be any better than this one. I enjoyed the first book and how it twisted the dark elements into the original tale but this was just a plain-old disappointment.
---
Rep: gay SC, lesbian SC
TW: violence, character death, mentions of drug abuse and addiction, mentions of alcoholism, blood, burns
March 15, 2017
I was counting the hours for this book to come out and it did not disappoint. In the book Dorothy has her own POV which I really loved. I got to know Dorothy more then I did in the previous books and by the end I could understand her a lot better and really liked her. Amy and Nox have always been one of my favourite book characters and in the book they made me so happy. I'm not going to spoil anything but the ending was perfect for them. Madison also became one of my favourite characters of the series. I love to reaction when she first learned about Oz and how she was as the book put it "a smart ass". It was also really nice to have Amy know more about Oz then someone else and having her trying to teach someone else about this new world that they never knew existed. This book is a perfect ending for an amazing series and if you are thinking about reading it I definitely recommend that you do.
August 13, 2017
Hope this book is going to be better than the previous one
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