Dorothy In the Land of Monsters
Garten Gevedon
(Oz ReVamped, #1)
Publication date: October 11th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
Shifters, Zombies, and Vampires? Oh my!My name is Dorothy Gale, and I think I might be dead.When my dog Toto and I got swept up in a twister, we landed in hell. A very colorful hell. Like a rainbow dripping in blood. Now it looks as though this dreadful underworld plagued with vampires, zombies, and shifters will be the site of my eternal damnation.They say this terrifying land called Oz isn’t hell or purgatory and escape is possible, but first I must survive the journey down the blood-soaked yellow brick road to the only place in Oz where vampires dare not tread—The City of Emeralds.With enchanted footwear and the help of my three new friends—a friendly zombie, a massive shifter lion, and a heartless axe murderer of evil night creatures (who also happens to be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen)—Toto and I have a chance to make it to the Vampire Free Zone. When we get there, I must convince the most powerful wizard in this magical land of monsters to send us out of this radiant nightmare and back to the world of the living. They say he’s just as frightening as this monstrous land, that he detests visitors, and even the most horrifying creatures cower in his presence. But I must seek him out. And when I find him, I’ll do whatever it takes to make him send me home.
My Review
Dorothy in the Land of Monsters is a fun, unique retelling of The Wizard of Oz.
Instead of landing in a magical world of witches, Munchkins, and the Great and Powerful Oz, Dorothy (and Toto) finds herself transported to a technicolor nightmare filled with zombies, shifters, and vampires (but also witches, Munchkins, and the Great and Powerful Oz).
Unsure of how she ended up there, and now saddled with the magical, weaponized boots of the Vampire Witch of the East she killed (accidentally), Dorothy must travel to the City of Emeralds to seek the help of Oz himself. But her journey won't be an easy one. Thankfully, she has some interesting friends to aid her along the way.
First things first: the cover is awesome. So colorful and crazy. I love it.
Second: I want to make Ardie my best friend. I loved him more than any other character. He's great.
Third: the Bisque people? Creepy! But also really neat.
I have to say, I did like this retelling, and I'm curious to see where the series goes. I liked how the story starts off as describing Dorothy's life/location/etc as gray and drab and boring. It was a bit of a nod to the movie (although it technically starts off more in a sepia tone), and I liked that.
Once Dorothy lands in Oz, things get interesting. I found the world building to be intriguing. Each land/area of Oz Dorothy goes to is weird and wonderful, bizarre and extraordinary.
Another thing I liked was the detailed back story of the witches and how the monsters came to be in Oz. Discovering that a certain someone wasn't as good or as nice as originally thought made the story more exciting.
I think the only thing that detracted from the story, at least for me, was the back-and-forth romance stuff between Dorothy and Nick (the Tin Man, basically). It sort of bogged the story down a bit, and I couldn't wait to get past Dorothy's hemming and hawing over Nick, his refusal to be with her, them wanting to be together, etc. It got a little too repetitive and boring, and I found myself wanting to smack both of them and tell them to stop their nonsense. Also, Dorothy's hating on herself, while relatable, was annoying. Like, she was a bad-ass slayer of vampires and other nefarious monsters. That clearly makes her awesome and sexy in her own special way.
Other than the romance issues slowing down the plot a little, I found Dorothy in the Land of Monsters to be an action-packed, thrilling read. I'm looking forward to book two.
3.5 stars from me.
Author Bio:Garten Gevedon lives in New York City with her family. She's a sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal author who loves taking fairy tales and turning them inside out. You can visit her online at www.gartengevedon.com.
Thanks for hosting today! Glad you liked it! :)
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DeleteSounds like a great book.
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