If you think you know all about Dorothy and her trip to Oz, you may be surprised to discover you only know half the story. Much like A.G. Howard did to Alice in Wonderland in Splintered, Danielle Paige turns a beloved tale and movie into an intriguing novel of dark magic for older teens.
Amy Gumm’s father abandoned the family; her alcoholic mother has become despondent; and she’s often the victim to a high school bully. Amy at least finds protection in her Flat Hill, Kansas, trailer park. But when the first hint of a tornado swirls, it’s no surprise where her mobile home lands.
Of course a yellow brick road awaits Amy, but so does a dramatically different Land of Oz. What most readers don’t know is that Dorothy came back and took control of Oz’s magic. To maintain her power, the now Goth-garbed Dorothy steals and mines the countryside of its magic. Dorothy’s famous friends still vow to help her, but now the Scarecrow performs diabolical experiments, the Tin Woodman is building an army of hybrid tin humans, and the Lion commands the creatures of the forest by stealing their fear.
As she tries to make sense of this new world, Amy unwittingly becomes bound to the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, a band of renegade wicked witches determined to restore magic to Oz before Dorothy drains it all. They look to Amy as their new hero to take down Dorothy. As this second girl from Kansas trains with a possible love interest, learns to use magic and prepares to sneak into the Emerald City, she discovers her own abilities and learns to rely on herself for the first time. Fans of the original story will relish the Tim Burton-like twists along the way.
