Oona Underground: A #LoveOzYA Short Story

by Lili Wilkinson

Meg and Oona venture into the drains under their city to find the fortune-telling Witch Queen.

Genres: Short Stories

27 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2017

About the author

Lili Wilkinson is the award-winning author of eighteen books for young people, including The Erasure Initiative and After the Lights Go Out. Lili has a PhD from the University of Melbourne, and is a passionate advocate for YA and the young people who read it, establishing the Inky Awards at the Centre for Youth Literature, State Library of Victoria. Her latest book is A Hunger of Thorns.

Reviews

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've all heard the stories about the Witch Queen. She dances in the drains, and if you bring her a treasure, she'll tell you your destiny.

Meg and Oona are best friends and have been since they were kids. Oona is eccentric and wild, Meg is the opposite of Oona. Meg wants to be with Oona but doesn't know how to tell her. And Oona wants to fall in love so she decides to go the Witch Queen to ask about her destiny. But the Witch Queen can't be found by everyone, only those who really seek her can find her. So, Oona leaves to find the Witch Queen and Meg follows.

'The truth sends you wild, but only for a time.'

It was a mystery that kept on getting more mysterious and darker as the story progressed and my heart was hammering in my chest like crazy. Two friends going down and down and down the drains where no light reaches and the world turns into a crazy hallucination? Or is it real? This story gave me John Green book vibes sometimes. Although I liked the ending, I didn't like the reasoning at the end. It is still an enjoyable read.

3.5 stars

[Aimee Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(This review was part of my full review on the Begin End Begin anthology)

Loved the fantasy vibes in this one! It was another one of those starts out very real feeling, grounded in a graffiti covered drain and then kinda dipping into a fae like world. You know, like they'd stepped into the mushroom ring at some point.

I also liked the relationship between the two girls (a F/F relationship! Good job #OzYA!), though I have to say I wasn't a super big fan of the motivation for going into the drain. I mean wanting to know someone will follow you anywhere is not awful on its own, but when it endangers their life... Was kinda confused by the ending, but also pretty satisfied by it?

[Siena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shoot, this one is so gooooooood!!!

My 8th and probably favorite entry so far in "Begin, End, Begin".

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet.

[Josephine Burks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting and quick read. I’ll have to read more from this author.

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great short story. Oona and Meg venture underground to find the Witch Queen.

This short story is included in Begin, End, Begin a #LoveOzYA anthology.