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The Wicked Wizards of Oz #1
Very Bad Wizards
My little dog, Toto, just shifted into a man. A gorgeous, chiseled beast of a man. That was about thirty seconds before the storm hit and he clutched me against his naked body while wild winds raged all around us.
Yeah, we're seriously not in fucking Kansas anymore.
There are male witches with toothy smiles, a man with a tin arm, and some wizards. Some very, very bad wizards--and they're all interested in me. Romantically. How ... interesting.
Oh, and then there's Dorothy, the girl who's claiming that she's the good guy, and I'm the bad one, all because the power to control storms sleeps in my fingertips.
My name is Ozora, Oz for short, and I'm a girl from nowhere, destined for somewhere.
VERY BAD WIZARDS (Book 1 of 3 in the "Wicked Wizards of Oz" series) -- is a full-length reverse harem/new adult/fantasy romance novel, a gritty retelling of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Don't expect a children's tale; these characters are nothing like their more innocent counterparts. This book contains: drugs, cursing, violence, sex ... and love found in the darkest shadows.
Yeah, we're seriously not in fucking Kansas anymore.
There are male witches with toothy smiles, a man with a tin arm, and some wizards. Some very, very bad wizards--and they're all interested in me. Romantically. How ... interesting.
Oh, and then there's Dorothy, the girl who's claiming that she's the good guy, and I'm the bad one, all because the power to control storms sleeps in my fingertips.
My name is Ozora, Oz for short, and I'm a girl from nowhere, destined for somewhere.
VERY BAD WIZARDS (Book 1 of 3 in the "Wicked Wizards of Oz" series) -- is a full-length reverse harem/new adult/fantasy romance novel, a gritty retelling of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Don't expect a children's tale; these characters are nothing like their more innocent counterparts. This book contains: drugs, cursing, violence, sex ... and love found in the darkest shadows.
133 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2020
404 people are currently reading
1139 people want to read
About the author
C.M. Stunich
160 books14.3k followersC.M. Stunich is a self-admitted bibliophile with a love for exotic teas and a whole host of characters who live full time inside the strange, swirling vortex of her thoughts. Some folks might call this crazy, but Caitlin Morgan doesn't mind - especially considering she has to write biographies in the third person. Oh, and half the host of characters in her head are searing hot bad boys with dirty mouths and skillful hands (among other things). If being crazy means hanging out with them everyday, C.M. has decided to have herself committed.
She hates tapioca pudding, loves to binge on cheesy horror movies, and is a slave to many cats. When she's not vacuuming fur off of her couch, C.M. can be found with her nose buried in a book or her eyes glued to a computer screen. She's the author of over thirty novels - romance, new adult, fantasy, and young adult included. Please, come and join her inside her crazy. There's a heck of a lot to do there.
Oh, and Caitlin loves to chat (incessantly), so feel free to e-mail her, send her a Facebook message, or put up smoke signals. She's already looking forward to it.
Stalk me, please!
www.cmstunich.com
www.facebook.com/cmstunichauthor
www.twitter.com/CMStunich
I'm also on Goodreads, Spotify, Google +, Instagram, and Pinterest.
She hates tapioca pudding, loves to binge on cheesy horror movies, and is a slave to many cats. When she's not vacuuming fur off of her couch, C.M. can be found with her nose buried in a book or her eyes glued to a computer screen. She's the author of over thirty novels - romance, new adult, fantasy, and young adult included. Please, come and join her inside her crazy. There's a heck of a lot to do there.
Oh, and Caitlin loves to chat (incessantly), so feel free to e-mail her, send her a Facebook message, or put up smoke signals. She's already looking forward to it.
Stalk me, please!
www.cmstunich.com
www.facebook.com/cmstunichauthor
www.twitter.com/CMStunich
I'm also on Goodreads, Spotify, Google +, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
March 21, 2020
2.5 stars, mostly DNF. Short, feels rushed and cut short mid story rather than a cliffhanger. Oz was annoying, always with the f-bombs and the way she was so blasé about her aunt’s abuse. The Toto thing was a little creepy but I did like the guys. I’ve got a feeling I will likely end up reading the next one just for the guys.
April 1, 2020
3.7
I didn't think it was as bad as some of the poorer reviews said. It was rather short, so I'm glad that I was able to snag it on my kindle unlimited trial. I'm very wary of diving into books with this author as she has the worst reputation for starting a series or promising a series and then ignoring it for months or years on end while traipsing on to starting 3 other new series in it's place. But again, free trial, why not.
I do like the story so far. Yes it was a bit slow paced, but I would not say "nothing happened" as was stated in several reviews. I see this gearing up for the eventual big battle. The players are being met, attractions started. So.. it's progress.
There was lots of repetition.. lots... especially involving Oz's family dying. They died. She's alone. Toto is all she has. Oh, and there was the fact that her family drowned and died. She was left all alone except for dear Toto. What else.... ah, she was alone.. because her family died.. except doe Toto. Do you see where I'm going with this? And yes, it was thrown it at minimum twice a chapter, sometimes more. Bit of an overkill.. no sense in drowning us in that very obvious story detail (no pun intended.. maybe)
So.. yeah.. it has potential. I think this author is wasting her talent in terms of dialogue and quality lately. All her female characters sound the same. Always the trying too hard to be edgy, says fuck a lot, 17yr old mindframe no matter what age she'strying to represent. And quality just isn't what it used to be. Like I said, she's been promising this book for a good while now and this is all she gives her fans? Considering we all know what she is capable of, just seems a tad lazy for lack of a better word.
Maybe some of these poorer reviews will give her the little boost she needs to start focusing on creating quality for all her readers as she used to instead of just drumming out what is a cookie cutter reproduction of everything else out on the market to make a quick buck. I mean, that's why many of us were attracted to her writing in the first place, right? She was different, quality was amazing, we were able to watch her skills grow.... I want that back. I want to be obsessed with this author again. Hopefully one day.
I didn't think it was as bad as some of the poorer reviews said. It was rather short, so I'm glad that I was able to snag it on my kindle unlimited trial. I'm very wary of diving into books with this author as she has the worst reputation for starting a series or promising a series and then ignoring it for months or years on end while traipsing on to starting 3 other new series in it's place. But again, free trial, why not.
I do like the story so far. Yes it was a bit slow paced, but I would not say "nothing happened" as was stated in several reviews. I see this gearing up for the eventual big battle. The players are being met, attractions started. So.. it's progress.
There was lots of repetition.. lots... especially involving Oz's family dying. They died. She's alone. Toto is all she has. Oh, and there was the fact that her family drowned and died. She was left all alone except for dear Toto. What else.... ah, she was alone.. because her family died.. except doe Toto. Do you see where I'm going with this? And yes, it was thrown it at minimum twice a chapter, sometimes more. Bit of an overkill.. no sense in drowning us in that very obvious story detail (no pun intended.. maybe)
So.. yeah.. it has potential. I think this author is wasting her talent in terms of dialogue and quality lately. All her female characters sound the same. Always the trying too hard to be edgy, says fuck a lot, 17yr old mindframe no matter what age she'strying to represent. And quality just isn't what it used to be. Like I said, she's been promising this book for a good while now and this is all she gives her fans? Considering we all know what she is capable of, just seems a tad lazy for lack of a better word.
Maybe some of these poorer reviews will give her the little boost she needs to start focusing on creating quality for all her readers as she used to instead of just drumming out what is a cookie cutter reproduction of everything else out on the market to make a quick buck. I mean, that's why many of us were attracted to her writing in the first place, right? She was different, quality was amazing, we were able to watch her skills grow.... I want that back. I want to be obsessed with this author again. Hopefully one day.
July 22, 2020
I’m struggling a little bit with this book. I have a complex history with C.M. Stunich reverse harem novels, and was pretty sure I was done picking any up. And then this one popped up, and I’m from Kansas, so I couldn’t resist taking a look.
Despite some really irritating flaws that I’ll get into in a minute, I actually enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting, and I didn’t mind the pacing. I thought there was a bit of insta-lust/love, but in novels like this that’s fairly common, and while I wasn’t super invested in the romance I wasn’t uninterested either.
So here are my issues with this book:
❌ It feels less like a finished book and more like the first half of a book. At the end of a book, I should have a fairly firm grasp on the characters, but due to the length of the book, they’re all kind of a mystery.
❌ The lack of fleshed-out world building and what seem like contradictions in what we got. First we’re told that wizards are rare, then we find out Dorothy holds ruby trials with wizards killing each other so often that they’re already on trial two hundred. Either my math isn’t adding up, or wizards aren’t that rare.
Then there’s the protectors that wizards have. Who picks them, why do they pick them, what rules do they have – I could go on for a long time with this, but Oz exhibited absolutely no curiosity on this subject.
What’s the actual difference between wizards, sorcerers, and witches? At times, sorcerer and wizard is used almost interchangeably, but other times there is a hard line drawn between the three.
❌ I could probably overlook the lack of world-building and generally sweeping-under-the-rug of detailed information about the world if the romance was good, but there really wasn’t much of it. Taavi, Stryker, and Bain are obviously interested, but Taavi spends most of his time silently protecting, Bain flits in and out with no real interaction, and Stryker just wants to make babies.
The book was filled to bursting with superficial interactions between the male characters and Oz, but never anything of substance. Within moments of meeting her, Bain gives Oz his blessing, and we later learn he can only give one in his lifetime. We never even approach a reason for why he does this.
Oz’s harem will obviously be comprised of the three males I mentioned above, but there were numerous hints of additional guys that we didn’t even get to really meet. Mannix seems like an obvious choice, but we only see him a handful of times, and I don’t think that he and Oz have any kind of interaction until the final scene in the book. Same with Thyer, who seems like another potential.
❌ Oz was a shitty person. Within the first chapter of the book she managed to insult all four additional characters we were introduced to, then proceeded to describe her aunt’s domestic abuse in detail before being incredibly rude to her. It was kind of surreal to listen to a description of everything her aunt gets beaten for, followed by a scathing internal rant about her aunt.
❌ My final complaint mostly has to do with me being from Kansas. I know that Oz is supposed to hate it, but to justify the hatred Stunich heavily misrepresented Kansas. The Wizard of Oz film would have anyone thinking that Kansas is a dirt wasteland, but a simple google search would show what Kansas actually looks like. It gets a little grey in winter, but spring, summer, and fall are absolutely bursting with color.
The biggest misrepresentation was with tornadoes though. If I had to read the word cyclone one more time, I was going to lose my mind. We don’t have cyclones, we have tornadoes. Cyclone was used – incorrectly – in The Wizard of Oz, but it’s pretty common knowledge now that that’s wrong.
We also don’t use the radio to listen for news about a tornado, we use a television. Like normal fucking people. You know, because they actually have Doppler radars that allow us to project the potential path. And literally no one uses what amounts to an outhouse as a tornado shelter. You either have a basement, or your town will have one or two concrete shelters available.
I think this is a series with some potential, and I’m planning on reading the second book when it comes out, but the world-building and romance needs to be addressed before the story can really go anywhere.
Despite some really irritating flaws that I’ll get into in a minute, I actually enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting, and I didn’t mind the pacing. I thought there was a bit of insta-lust/love, but in novels like this that’s fairly common, and while I wasn’t super invested in the romance I wasn’t uninterested either.
So here are my issues with this book:
❌ It feels less like a finished book and more like the first half of a book. At the end of a book, I should have a fairly firm grasp on the characters, but due to the length of the book, they’re all kind of a mystery.
❌ The lack of fleshed-out world building and what seem like contradictions in what we got. First we’re told that wizards are rare, then we find out Dorothy holds ruby trials with wizards killing each other so often that they’re already on trial two hundred. Either my math isn’t adding up, or wizards aren’t that rare.
Then there’s the protectors that wizards have. Who picks them, why do they pick them, what rules do they have – I could go on for a long time with this, but Oz exhibited absolutely no curiosity on this subject.
What’s the actual difference between wizards, sorcerers, and witches? At times, sorcerer and wizard is used almost interchangeably, but other times there is a hard line drawn between the three.
❌ I could probably overlook the lack of world-building and generally sweeping-under-the-rug of detailed information about the world if the romance was good, but there really wasn’t much of it. Taavi, Stryker, and Bain are obviously interested, but Taavi spends most of his time silently protecting, Bain flits in and out with no real interaction, and Stryker just wants to make babies.
The book was filled to bursting with superficial interactions between the male characters and Oz, but never anything of substance. Within moments of meeting her, Bain gives Oz his blessing, and we later learn he can only give one in his lifetime. We never even approach a reason for why he does this.
Oz’s harem will obviously be comprised of the three males I mentioned above, but there were numerous hints of additional guys that we didn’t even get to really meet. Mannix seems like an obvious choice, but we only see him a handful of times, and I don’t think that he and Oz have any kind of interaction until the final scene in the book. Same with Thyer, who seems like another potential.
❌ Oz was a shitty person. Within the first chapter of the book she managed to insult all four additional characters we were introduced to, then proceeded to describe her aunt’s domestic abuse in detail before being incredibly rude to her. It was kind of surreal to listen to a description of everything her aunt gets beaten for, followed by a scathing internal rant about her aunt.
❌ My final complaint mostly has to do with me being from Kansas. I know that Oz is supposed to hate it, but to justify the hatred Stunich heavily misrepresented Kansas. The Wizard of Oz film would have anyone thinking that Kansas is a dirt wasteland, but a simple google search would show what Kansas actually looks like. It gets a little grey in winter, but spring, summer, and fall are absolutely bursting with color.
The biggest misrepresentation was with tornadoes though. If I had to read the word cyclone one more time, I was going to lose my mind. We don’t have cyclones, we have tornadoes. Cyclone was used – incorrectly – in The Wizard of Oz, but it’s pretty common knowledge now that that’s wrong.
We also don’t use the radio to listen for news about a tornado, we use a television. Like normal fucking people. You know, because they actually have Doppler radars that allow us to project the potential path. And literally no one uses what amounts to an outhouse as a tornado shelter. You either have a basement, or your town will have one or two concrete shelters available.
I think this is a series with some potential, and I’m planning on reading the second book when it comes out, but the world-building and romance needs to be addressed before the story can really go anywhere.
March 28, 2020
I generally do not like to read retellings, they usually don’t have enough new aspects to the story to keep me interested. But this, this was freaking awesome! Between the characters, the storyline, the magic and all the freaking awesome little details, I was hooked right away and could not put it down! I sat still for three hours and just devoured this book! I definitely recommend reading it!
March 22, 2020
This story just wasn't for me. I usually enjoy this author, but it felt rushed.
July 20, 2024
***TRIGGER WARNING: Heroine's aunt is regularly abused by the uncle, physically and I'm guessing sexually as well based on certain wording. I stopped reading within a few pages so I don't know if anything else triggering happens, but what little I read was upsetting enough, especially with how casually it was mentioned. I wish I could scrub that unnecessary information from my mind.***
DNF at 10%. I'm extremely disappointed because I've been looking forward to reading this one. I'm disgusted with how it's so casually mentioned that the heroine's aunt is "pretty regularly" beaten and assaulted by her uncle. The way the heroine was narrating about it made me feel slimy and I very quickly realized that I already hated her. She was also basically calling her aunt spineless but I didn't see her doing anything to help her aunt if the abuse was so bad. I know it's different when you're actually in the situation and the heroine was relying on her aunt and uncle for a place to live, but this chick kept going on about it in such a way that I felt disgusted with her own inaction.
-Ugh. I tried to give it another chance but she keeps going on about how abusive the uncle is to the aunt and I had to stop at something really upsetting. This heroine is probably eventually supposed to be a rebel/badass or something, with the way she was narrating about wearing short shorts and no bra just to irritate her uptight aunt, but you know what would be really badass? Get your fucking head out of your wedgie and get your aunt and yourself out of that awful situation. I don't care if your aunt is a bitch to you; you witness her being abused and you call her weak? Are you fucking kidding me?!
I absolutely do not recommend this book to anyone. Hopefully this helps someone.
DNF at 10%. I'm extremely disappointed because I've been looking forward to reading this one. I'm disgusted with how it's so casually mentioned that the heroine's aunt is "pretty regularly" beaten and assaulted by her uncle. The way the heroine was narrating about it made me feel slimy and I very quickly realized that I already hated her. She was also basically calling her aunt spineless but I didn't see her doing anything to help her aunt if the abuse was so bad. I know it's different when you're actually in the situation and the heroine was relying on her aunt and uncle for a place to live, but this chick kept going on about it in such a way that I felt disgusted with her own inaction.
-Ugh. I tried to give it another chance but she keeps going on about how abusive the uncle is to the aunt and I had to stop at something really upsetting. This heroine is probably eventually supposed to be a rebel/badass or something, with the way she was narrating about wearing short shorts and no bra just to irritate her uptight aunt, but you know what would be really badass? Get your fucking head out of your wedgie and get your aunt and yourself out of that awful situation. I don't care if your aunt is a bitch to you; you witness her being abused and you call her weak? Are you fucking kidding me?!
I absolutely do not recommend this book to anyone. Hopefully this helps someone.
May 5, 2020
TBH, the description reads like it’s going to be more in the vein of erotica than fantasy. Which I was READY for. Don’t let the description fool you. At several points in the book it seems like maybe it will turn that route. But it never quite makes it there. Interesting take on Oz fan fiction though and I will read the others. Just was hoping for more smut I guess. 🤷♀️
April 5, 2020
this is so boring????
Read
April 24, 2022I'm not big on retellings, but I did love this author's Alice in Wonderland version so thought I'd go for it.
It took me three days to read. Which is really not a good sign for how long it was. I never felt invested and had to force myself to finish. It's quite rushed, the world building isn't quite there, and it's just not up to the author's usual standards.
It took me three days to read. Which is really not a good sign for how long it was. I never felt invested and had to force myself to finish. It's quite rushed, the world building isn't quite there, and it's just not up to the author's usual standards.
June 17, 2022
I had a lot higher hopes for this book with it being marketed on amazon as Reverse Harem romance.
There is NO spice in this book, the most that happens is a couple of kisses and when I say a couple, i mean maybe 3? And they were anticlimatic. Now I did just come down from reading Allison in the Underland from the author. And while I understand there is a lot a world building and background to build up, I was expecting some spice. I think i was more let down at the false marketing on amazon for book 1.
Now, moving forward if I erased that this was a RH book, the set up and info was done wonderfully. I am anticipating book 2 to see where it goes. I would say the way Oz the FMC handles coming to the land of Oz is the equivalent to how we all would react if we were dropped in Oz with no escape as well.
There is NO spice in this book, the most that happens is a couple of kisses and when I say a couple, i mean maybe 3? And they were anticlimatic. Now I did just come down from reading Allison in the Underland from the author. And while I understand there is a lot a world building and background to build up, I was expecting some spice. I think i was more let down at the false marketing on amazon for book 1.
Now, moving forward if I erased that this was a RH book, the set up and info was done wonderfully. I am anticipating book 2 to see where it goes. I would say the way Oz the FMC handles coming to the land of Oz is the equivalent to how we all would react if we were dropped in Oz with no escape as well.
November 23, 2021
I use to be a fan of C.M. Stunich's books, but ever since the bully RH it seems that either her writing style has changed or my taste in books has. I was interested in this book because it seemed to finally get away from the whole love interests being abusive jerks thing. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The drug use made me uncomfortable, Toto "slave" thing gave me the creeps, and the story seemed to flow too quickly for me to keep up with what was going on. Overall, not a bad RH but not one I will be continuing to read. I just think C.M.Stunich's books are just not for many anymore.
March 27, 2021
Normally love this author...just couldn’t get into this book. I think probably because of the constant references to the traditional Wizard of Oz story, just made it feel cliché.
April 5, 2020
I know this book may not be for everyone but I liked it very much... It's weird, a bit creepy and definitely not the story I remembered. Oh, this is much darker. I really enjoyed it. Oz is such a great character, she's funny and witty and straight forward. Toto/Taavi, the scarecrow/Stryker and the good witch/Bain are hot guys with very different personalities.There's faeries and wizards and Oh yeah, Dorothy is such a evil B****! It was page turner for sure. The story pulled me in, I felt attached to the characters and I wasn't ready for it to end. I'm excited for book 2, I can't wait!
March 23, 2020
Ozoro, Oz has been living with her aunt and uncle since her family tragically died. During an argument with her uncle a cyclone hits and the next thing she knows, she's living out a bizarre version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz complete with munchkins, wizards, witches and the Golden Brick Road. However Oz's Toto changes into a gorgeous, very naked man, the scarecrow is another wizard, the tin man leads Dorothy's military and Dorothy is not exactly the little meek good girl she claims to be. Now Oz not only has to worry about getting back to the human world, but she also has to stay alive.
To be honest this is not my favorite book CM. I much prefer her more realistic writing to her fantasy stories. Her rock stories, her MC stories capture me like no others. However, she seems to enjoy more outlandish characters and storylines. Her talent still shines through and her creativity can't be disputed even though these aren't my favorites. I do like retellings of fairy tales and classic stories, so I do find this sub-genre entertaining and I always enjoy the quirkiness from this author. Having said that, this book didn't offer as much as I had hoped. It provided the world-building but the story didn't progress much and the characters didn't grab me like usual. Toto Taavi is the exception. He is easily the most compelling character in the book. Stryker provided some comic relief, Mannix the cruelty. I am not sure what other roles will turn out to be included long-term. I will keep an open mind about this series since I have rarely been disappointed by CM.
To be honest this is not my favorite book CM. I much prefer her more realistic writing to her fantasy stories. Her rock stories, her MC stories capture me like no others. However, she seems to enjoy more outlandish characters and storylines. Her talent still shines through and her creativity can't be disputed even though these aren't my favorites. I do like retellings of fairy tales and classic stories, so I do find this sub-genre entertaining and I always enjoy the quirkiness from this author. Having said that, this book didn't offer as much as I had hoped. It provided the world-building but the story didn't progress much and the characters didn't grab me like usual. Toto Taavi is the exception. He is easily the most compelling character in the book. Stryker provided some comic relief, Mannix the cruelty. I am not sure what other roles will turn out to be included long-term. I will keep an open mind about this series since I have rarely been disappointed by CM.
dnf-0star
December 23, 2022DNF @ 46%
This book had every tagline from the original story possible and it just didn’t make sense to me.
46% in and I was BORED. I found myself skimming through more than actually reading.
Oh, and in case anyone cares… almost halfway through and zero smut in sight.
This book had every tagline from the original story possible and it just didn’t make sense to me.
46% in and I was BORED. I found myself skimming through more than actually reading.
Oh, and in case anyone cares… almost halfway through and zero smut in sight.
March 19, 2020
C.M. Stunich never disappoints. This book was a good read. Loved all the twists to The Wizard of Oz story and just really enjiyed the characters and storyline. Definitely worth reading!
March 20, 2020
Disappointed.
It was all very rushed. I wanted an actually book not a short story with a cliffhanger.
It was all very rushed. I wanted an actually book not a short story with a cliffhanger.
April 22, 2021
What the heck did I just spend 2 hours reading? (Insert frustration with my dumb self here I mean what was I THINKING?!) first off this is a novella. And a poorly written one at that. Not enough character development, world building, ( yes I know it’s based on the wizard of Oz but that’s no reason to be lazy with this as it’s BASED off of the book. Some effort needed to be established here). The reverse harem element this author is known for is weak and I’m thinking the three she selected for a relationship with Oz might not be the ones she really wanted to commit to and the random introduction of two others at the last minute is what made this feel unfinished. I’ve read there is a second book coming. I feel meh about this. I’m a writer too. You don’t take over 150 pages to set up another story. That’s just lazy writing.
Now let’s get to Oz. She’s a brat. She’s unlikable, she’s sad about every single one of her family being dead but her poor abused at Em is alive and kicking at the beginning. The author takes great care in describing her abuse and then Oz is used as a vehicle to spew her disgust at her aunt for putting up with it. Yeah not okay! Ever!!! The other thing I’m over with this writer is making sure we ALL KNOW her political stance on just about every topic (I’ve read many of her books and have liked them so this isn’t me picking her apart. I know what to expect when I pick up her stories. But...give it a rest all ready. You’re a democratic feminist. We get it all ready.) spoiler alert, not all your readers are going to feel the same way. Don’t alienate readers by calling them names and alluding to how stupid they are if they aren’t in lock step with you. They are spending time and money to read your stories. Have some respect. End result I’m not picking up book 2 if there is one. I legit don’t care about the relationship(s) here and there is just too many questions not answered and too little character development to want to bother with another however many pages it will take to get there. And the factual inaccuracies are a bit much. Heads up Kansas like all other states have state of the art radar and television sets. Big flat screen ones I bet! So no one listens to the radio for up to date tornado warnings. They either use their tv or hey their phones! And tornados are tornadoes they aren’t cyclones. I know I’m being picky. But still. It pulls you out of an already shaky story. She needs tighter writing, less ambiguous storyline, and way less political pontificating, and perhaps not use a novella as a plotting board. As a form of escape...this book didn’t do it for me...at all. It’s hard to believe the author who wrote Groupie, Roadie, and Moxie (my favorite series by her so far) penned this...
Now let’s get to Oz. She’s a brat. She’s unlikable, she’s sad about every single one of her family being dead but her poor abused at Em is alive and kicking at the beginning. The author takes great care in describing her abuse and then Oz is used as a vehicle to spew her disgust at her aunt for putting up with it. Yeah not okay! Ever!!! The other thing I’m over with this writer is making sure we ALL KNOW her political stance on just about every topic (I’ve read many of her books and have liked them so this isn’t me picking her apart. I know what to expect when I pick up her stories. But...give it a rest all ready. You’re a democratic feminist. We get it all ready.) spoiler alert, not all your readers are going to feel the same way. Don’t alienate readers by calling them names and alluding to how stupid they are if they aren’t in lock step with you. They are spending time and money to read your stories. Have some respect. End result I’m not picking up book 2 if there is one. I legit don’t care about the relationship(s) here and there is just too many questions not answered and too little character development to want to bother with another however many pages it will take to get there. And the factual inaccuracies are a bit much. Heads up Kansas like all other states have state of the art radar and television sets. Big flat screen ones I bet! So no one listens to the radio for up to date tornado warnings. They either use their tv or hey their phones! And tornados are tornadoes they aren’t cyclones. I know I’m being picky. But still. It pulls you out of an already shaky story. She needs tighter writing, less ambiguous storyline, and way less political pontificating, and perhaps not use a novella as a plotting board. As a form of escape...this book didn’t do it for me...at all. It’s hard to believe the author who wrote Groupie, Roadie, and Moxie (my favorite series by her so far) penned this...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2020
CM Stunich is a fantastic author and she never fails to captive the reader. This book is a different read for her, the concept is very intriguing and it makes you want to just immerse yourself in the story. However it take me a couple of chapters to fully get into the story, but by the end I was excited to see what would happen in book two. This is one of those books that has all the makings of a great series..captivating main characters, romance, drama and a certain charm that has the reader wanting to keep reading. Cannot wait for book two.
May 29, 2022
I really liked the Alison in Underland series, so I was excited to see this one based on the Wizard of Oz. Going in, I had some reservations. The source material isn't as dense and imaginative as Alice in wonderland. I also remember reading thst the author daydreamed a lot about the Underland series and wanted to write it for a long time. I think her passion really showed in that series.
This new series had a bit of a slower start. The protagonist is similar to Alison, which I don't mind- I have a preference for more assholish characters than for, as Dorothy was described, "loud-mouthed goody goodys." For me, all of the issues were in the first half of the book. Then I really started to enjoy it, and unfortunately the book ended on a cliffhanger. Fingers crossed for a quick release of the next one.
1. Auntie Em- Oz's treatment of her showed a puzzling cruelty. So let me get this straight- imagine your impoverished aunt lives in the middle of nowhere with her abusive husband. Her little brother and most of his family dies, so she takes in her last surviving niece. She cooks homemade meals each day while maintaining her own business and dealing with daily physical abuse. All she asks is that you do some chores for her so that SHE doesn't get beaten.
...
I don't understand why Oz thought she was so awful. The worst she ever did was be a little dour, which was understandable. Perhaps this will be expanded upon in further books, because otherwise, I didn't see a reason for Oz to be so awful about her.
2. Weird political interjections. I'm not touching that GMO rant with a thousand foot pole. There were really only 3 or 4 small mentions of political things, unlike in Underland. I'll admit that I agree with like 90% of the political things the author said/says in this book and in past books. However, I am not overly fond of the mentions for a few reasons- for one, I read fantasy books as an escape from reality. And second, I think a few sentences in a fantasy book is not enough to provide a comprehensive view of what the author thinks, and as such, it may actually detract from what she is really trying to say. Of course, in the end, she can write whatever she wants. Clearly, I'd read it anyway. Someone may even argue that stating certain views shouldn't be considered "politics" at all, but basic common sense. Unfortunately, in the US at least...everything is politicized. To be clear, I don't consider saying something like "the clothes were genderless," "[character] thinks consent is important" etc. to be political. It's only when there are extra, unnecessary sentences that detract from the current event, to emphasize a statement that can be considered political.
And as a side note, these mentionings may also add to the main character(s), but I am undecided about that.
3. Toto/Tauvi. I could not get into this character at all. He was very serious the whole book. Great move to add Stryker in. Tauvi read as a character of convenience to me- necessary actions and words but not a lot of depth.
I absolutely will read continuations to this series, especially since it got a lot more interesting halfway through. The action and lore dumps are nicely scattered throughout and the characters, other than Tauvi, retain the engaging and imaginative quality that the Underland characters had.
This new series had a bit of a slower start. The protagonist is similar to Alison, which I don't mind- I have a preference for more assholish characters than for, as Dorothy was described, "loud-mouthed goody goodys." For me, all of the issues were in the first half of the book. Then I really started to enjoy it, and unfortunately the book ended on a cliffhanger. Fingers crossed for a quick release of the next one.
1. Auntie Em- Oz's treatment of her showed a puzzling cruelty. So let me get this straight- imagine your impoverished aunt lives in the middle of nowhere with her abusive husband. Her little brother and most of his family dies, so she takes in her last surviving niece. She cooks homemade meals each day while maintaining her own business and dealing with daily physical abuse. All she asks is that you do some chores for her so that SHE doesn't get beaten.
...
I don't understand why Oz thought she was so awful. The worst she ever did was be a little dour, which was understandable. Perhaps this will be expanded upon in further books, because otherwise, I didn't see a reason for Oz to be so awful about her.
2. Weird political interjections. I'm not touching that GMO rant with a thousand foot pole. There were really only 3 or 4 small mentions of political things, unlike in Underland. I'll admit that I agree with like 90% of the political things the author said/says in this book and in past books. However, I am not overly fond of the mentions for a few reasons- for one, I read fantasy books as an escape from reality. And second, I think a few sentences in a fantasy book is not enough to provide a comprehensive view of what the author thinks, and as such, it may actually detract from what she is really trying to say. Of course, in the end, she can write whatever she wants. Clearly, I'd read it anyway. Someone may even argue that stating certain views shouldn't be considered "politics" at all, but basic common sense. Unfortunately, in the US at least...everything is politicized. To be clear, I don't consider saying something like "the clothes were genderless," "[character] thinks consent is important" etc. to be political. It's only when there are extra, unnecessary sentences that detract from the current event, to emphasize a statement that can be considered political.
And as a side note, these mentionings may also add to the main character(s), but I am undecided about that.
3. Toto/Tauvi. I could not get into this character at all. He was very serious the whole book. Great move to add Stryker in. Tauvi read as a character of convenience to me- necessary actions and words but not a lot of depth.
I absolutely will read continuations to this series, especially since it got a lot more interesting halfway through. The action and lore dumps are nicely scattered throughout and the characters, other than Tauvi, retain the engaging and imaginative quality that the Underland characters had.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2021
SO disappointed in this book. I’ve read Stunich’s retelling of Alice in Wonderland and it is one of my all time favorite series. I expected something similar in this book and it’s not even close. Part of what made that series so great was the steamy parts and the reverse harem. This is categorized as a reverse harem and there is not even a love interest in this book. There are some jokes and hint of one, but never is there an actual interest, which was the first disappointment.
The second was just how rushed this all seemed. Certain parts didn’t really make sense for me. Why was Stryker in a fight with the leader of the C.R.O.W.S.? That entire scene was so unnecessary. The only pertaining part was that Oz tried using her magic. She could have done that so many other ways. Instead we got a very hyped up “fight scene” with no fighting and then immediately it’s over and everyone just goes they’re separate ways. Wtf??
And the ending?! Terrible. It seems like there was an attempt at a cliffhanger but it definitely doesn’t make me want to know what happens. It feels more like the book was just cut off in the middle of the climax. I will admit I did whip through the ending pretty quick, because I can see how close to the end of the book I am and there’s so many things happening that I can’t figure out how they’ll conclude in so few pages. That’s easy, they don’t! Books over, goodbye. So frustrating and really just made me angry. I’m not even sure if the rest of this series is out yet and I don’t care to even look because there is no way I’m reading it.
The second was just how rushed this all seemed. Certain parts didn’t really make sense for me. Why was Stryker in a fight with the leader of the C.R.O.W.S.? That entire scene was so unnecessary. The only pertaining part was that Oz tried using her magic. She could have done that so many other ways. Instead we got a very hyped up “fight scene” with no fighting and then immediately it’s over and everyone just goes they’re separate ways. Wtf??
And the ending?! Terrible. It seems like there was an attempt at a cliffhanger but it definitely doesn’t make me want to know what happens. It feels more like the book was just cut off in the middle of the climax. I will admit I did whip through the ending pretty quick, because I can see how close to the end of the book I am and there’s so many things happening that I can’t figure out how they’ll conclude in so few pages. That’s easy, they don’t! Books over, goodbye. So frustrating and really just made me angry. I’m not even sure if the rest of this series is out yet and I don’t care to even look because there is no way I’m reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2020
A bit mixed up
-- SPOILERS BELOW --
I like the idea of doing a RH remake of the Wizard of Oz, however I felt a bit unsure of the direction she wanted to go. At first I thought she was implying that Oz was essentially Dorothy: has an Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, has a dog named Toto, her home is transported to Oz via tornado, kills the Wicked Witch of the East with her house and takes her shoes, and even has a blue and white gingham gown. But then, Dorothy is there, in Oz, as a wizard herself. If you are going to weave Dorothy into the story (which is totally fine) why not make Oz her own character? Why frame so much about her around Dorothy? Oz even knows the story from back in the human world. I understand the need to keep some of the core of the story intact (namely who the other important characters are) but it feels like a real missed opportunity to bring something new and unique to the story. I was intrigued by the twisted world she made, but who she framed Oz to be (Dorothy but not?) was reasserted often and made me enjoy the story less even while I'm on the fence about liking who Oz is and how she deals with situations (almost seems like forcing what you want to happen in the story than it feeling like an intrinsic part of the character). I know a lot of people have enjoyed this story, and maybe you will too, but I guess I expected a more flushed out take on this considering how well I felt her Alice series was done. I don't think I will be reading the next installment.
-- SPOILERS BELOW --
I like the idea of doing a RH remake of the Wizard of Oz, however I felt a bit unsure of the direction she wanted to go. At first I thought she was implying that Oz was essentially Dorothy: has an Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, has a dog named Toto, her home is transported to Oz via tornado, kills the Wicked Witch of the East with her house and takes her shoes, and even has a blue and white gingham gown. But then, Dorothy is there, in Oz, as a wizard herself. If you are going to weave Dorothy into the story (which is totally fine) why not make Oz her own character? Why frame so much about her around Dorothy? Oz even knows the story from back in the human world. I understand the need to keep some of the core of the story intact (namely who the other important characters are) but it feels like a real missed opportunity to bring something new and unique to the story. I was intrigued by the twisted world she made, but who she framed Oz to be (Dorothy but not?) was reasserted often and made me enjoy the story less even while I'm on the fence about liking who Oz is and how she deals with situations (almost seems like forcing what you want to happen in the story than it feeling like an intrinsic part of the character). I know a lot of people have enjoyed this story, and maybe you will too, but I guess I expected a more flushed out take on this considering how well I felt her Alice series was done. I don't think I will be reading the next installment.
February 15, 2025
Can we stop writing RH for minors??!
I stopped reading abruptly on page 10 when the female lead mentions she’s 17, I’m double that age and grossed out. I get that she’s meant to feel trapped in Kansas with her aunt while she waits to graduate high school, but I’m wondering why she couldn’t just be a super senior who had to repeat a year after missing school due to her parents dying. I love sexy time books as much as any hot-blooded woman, but I draw the line at the characters being underage. I went back to the book’s kindle page to see how others felt in the reviews and realized the series is actually discontinued after this first book. I saw from the reviews that the title, cover, and synopsis are misleading and there are no spicy scenes in the book. I’m not sure why the book is advertised as “new adult romance”, I don’t know any adult sitting down to read PG-13 YA books about minors. The book also ends in a “hard cliffhanger” at just over 100 pages. Just a hot mess all around, I’m only giving two stars because the writing itself was good.
I stopped reading abruptly on page 10 when the female lead mentions she’s 17, I’m double that age and grossed out. I get that she’s meant to feel trapped in Kansas with her aunt while she waits to graduate high school, but I’m wondering why she couldn’t just be a super senior who had to repeat a year after missing school due to her parents dying. I love sexy time books as much as any hot-blooded woman, but I draw the line at the characters being underage. I went back to the book’s kindle page to see how others felt in the reviews and realized the series is actually discontinued after this first book. I saw from the reviews that the title, cover, and synopsis are misleading and there are no spicy scenes in the book. I’m not sure why the book is advertised as “new adult romance”, I don’t know any adult sitting down to read PG-13 YA books about minors. The book also ends in a “hard cliffhanger” at just over 100 pages. Just a hot mess all around, I’m only giving two stars because the writing itself was good.
July 23, 2025
Oh, he'll no!!!
Ugh. I didn't realize this story wouldn't have an ending.
So, Ozara, much like Dorothy, takes a cyclone trip to Oz and kills the East Witch. Toto turns from hid dog form to human, then beast, then human, helping her head to Emerald City.
She meets North witch, who gives her a protection kiss before following the yellow bricks. She meets another wizard, Stryker, who is punished as a scarecrow by Dorothy. He joins their trek, until they're captured by Emerald police and taken to Central Oz.
Dorothy enters Oz into the Ruby Trials, a fight to the death, which pits wizard against wizard in a death match to find the one strong enough to kill the West Witch.
Oz begins her fight, finds her magic, gets away, but we have no clue to what extent because CLIFFHANGER!!!
Ugh. I didn't realize this story wouldn't have an ending.
So, Ozara, much like Dorothy, takes a cyclone trip to Oz and kills the East Witch. Toto turns from hid dog form to human, then beast, then human, helping her head to Emerald City.
She meets North witch, who gives her a protection kiss before following the yellow bricks. She meets another wizard, Stryker, who is punished as a scarecrow by Dorothy. He joins their trek, until they're captured by Emerald police and taken to Central Oz.
Dorothy enters Oz into the Ruby Trials, a fight to the death, which pits wizard against wizard in a death match to find the one strong enough to kill the West Witch.
Oz begins her fight, finds her magic, gets away, but we have no clue to what extent because CLIFFHANGER!!!
April 18, 2020
I have loved several of the author’s other books but this one just fell flat for me. The main character was pretty boring and seem very 2D. Despite being the side characters, the male heroes had way more personality than Oz. When the story ended I was very surprised because it felt like a pretty random spot in the book.
Another thing I had trouble with was the way that Oz couldn’t even develop as a character. She was always just being whisked away to different points of the story and being forced to wait around until someone forced her to do something else. We really didn’t get to see her develop at all.
All in all, it was a boring read and if it had been any longer I would have DNF’d it.
Another thing I had trouble with was the way that Oz couldn’t even develop as a character. She was always just being whisked away to different points of the story and being forced to wait around until someone forced her to do something else. We really didn’t get to see her develop at all.
All in all, it was a boring read and if it had been any longer I would have DNF’d it.
May 5, 2020
I love the idea of playing with classic stories and twisting them into something fun and new, and I usually adore most of C.M. Stunich's work but this one... wasn't my favorite.
It's not bad by any means, but it felt a little short in depth, character-wise. I didn't like nor disliked the characters, and that was by far the biggest problem I had with the book. I couldn't get into them because nothing was really said about them. This hopefully will change in the next book, and I will look forward to see the characters growing and developing in the near future.
The first book of this series doesn't really have any romance or erotica, so if you are new to the genre of reverse harem, it might be a good book to dip your toes before diving into stronger depths.
It's not bad by any means, but it felt a little short in depth, character-wise. I didn't like nor disliked the characters, and that was by far the biggest problem I had with the book. I couldn't get into them because nothing was really said about them. This hopefully will change in the next book, and I will look forward to see the characters growing and developing in the near future.
The first book of this series doesn't really have any romance or erotica, so if you are new to the genre of reverse harem, it might be a good book to dip your toes before diving into stronger depths.
May 19, 2020
2-2.5 stars
This was a somewhat interesting take on The Wizard of Oz.
The writing was fine the first half but then it just got terrible and annoying with the repetition of extraneous details and unnecessary explanations of analogies.
Tbh I don’t have high expectations with RH. They’re supposed to be a bit trashy but they’re also supposed to be GOOD trashy.
The lead up to the climax was pretty boring and useless. There’re surprises to who will possible in her harem. I may or may not continue depending on how intriguing the blurb is. Not the best intro to a series but I guess it’s still a fine start.
This was a somewhat interesting take on The Wizard of Oz.
The writing was fine the first half but then it just got terrible and annoying with the repetition of extraneous details and unnecessary explanations of analogies.
Tbh I don’t have high expectations with RH. They’re supposed to be a bit trashy but they’re also supposed to be GOOD trashy.
The lead up to the climax was pretty boring and useless. There’re surprises to who will possible in her harem. I may or may not continue depending on how intriguing the blurb is. Not the best intro to a series but I guess it’s still a fine start.
May 12, 2020
Ummm I don’t know. I love the Wizard of Oz as a classic but maybe not retold in this format. But I gave it a try but... It begins like a modern day Kansas situation but her aunt and uncle, specially her uncle are terrible. He’s abusive to the aunt and yet “Oz” does nothing about it.
It was a fast moving book, not so much development in the storyline or characters. One of those books that got to the point of the matter at hand and I like a little surprise and build up. I don’t know if I have words, it was different and essentially I just started skimming through to read dialogue only.
It was a fast moving book, not so much development in the storyline or characters. One of those books that got to the point of the matter at hand and I like a little surprise and build up. I don’t know if I have words, it was different and essentially I just started skimming through to read dialogue only.
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