Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige - Review

Title:               Dorothy Must Die
Series:             Dorothy Must Die
#:                     1
Author:           Danielle Paige
Publisher:        HarperCollins
Date:               01 April 2014


I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

So, as you know I like to read a series at a time, but I just couldn't stay away from this book any longer. It has been calling to me since I first read the blurb. Evil Dorothy and another girl from Kansas trained to kill her had me intrigued.

I really enjoyed my trip back to Oz even if it was a little warped and twisted. Dorothy sure isn't the sweet girl I remember seeing when I was growing up. She may still have a thing for the blue and white check but the way she wears it sure has changed. Of course not only Dorothy has changed but all the main characters from the story: Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man are all freakishly scary in this tale. Definitely do not want to run into any of them!

Our Heroine is very different in this story. Amy Gumm has pink hair and a pet rat. Not your ever day saviour. She doesn't believe in herself but everyone around her says she is the one to do it.

"Simple you're going to kill her." She looked right at me and said "Dorothy Must Die"

Who was I in Oz. What had I done to make them think I was a potential teen assassin? 

"That was magic, I'm sure of it. But I couldn't kill someone. I wouldn't even know how""We'll teach you of course,' "Glamora said. "Everyone has to start somewhere"

Scattered around the room were strange iron machines that looked like either exercise equipment or torture devices.Training with Nox was going to be fun.

I really liked the magic in this one, from changing the way we look to teleporting ourselves across Oz it's all quite an adventure. I don't think there are any limits to magic and spells in this book. Which basically means if you can use magic you can do anything.

Permasmile! Ever wanted to be able to smile all day, well now you can, with Permasmile you just smear it on and you've got a big bright smile, lasts until you take it off.
Now that was freaky. Even if you're crying or scared you will be smiling.

The writing and the plot were easy to read and understand. It was so easy to imagine the world the was being described throughout the story that it was like I was there. The story was always moving along at a nice pace too, I didn't get the chance to be bored/confused or tell the book to hurry up/slow down.

Overall I found this a nice read, and it was a beautifully written twisted version of the Wizard of Oz that I can't wait to continue in the next instalment. If you're after an OZ that isn't rainbows and happy songs you've found the right book.

Pretty Revealing (8)

Hello again, it's that time where I share some covers that have been released lately, of course these are the ones that caught my eye or are authors that I, myself, have an interest in. (not all are featured here)

First up we have A Selection Novella called The Queen by Kiera Cass. It follows the theme of the series covers which I like. 

You can find more info Here

Next we have Rain by Amanda Sun, this is book 2 of Paper Gods. Again this cover is following on from the previous book, I think all series should do this! I really like the pastel colouring, easy on the eye.

You can find more info Here

Now I don't know if this cover is a reveal, but I only just found this one.

Outcast by C. J. Redwine is a Defiance Novella for the Courier's Daughter series. Gone is the girl with the red hair, but you still get the greenery with some red, since there is fire instead.

You can find more information Here

So there they are. This weeks reveals, now with links to Goodreads.com incase you wanted to know more than just what the cover looks like and my thoughts.

And now I want to know your thoughts!

Waiting on Wednesday - The Girl From The Well

A weekly meme brought to you by Breaking The Spine where we get to show off some of the books we are waiting to be released.

This week I am waiting on The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupeco

Expected publication: August 5th 2014 by Sourcebooks Fire


You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night. 

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out. 

The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge", based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story


Why am I Waiting?
Did you not see the cover or read the blurb? A dead girl walking the streets, creepy stuff, Dexter, killing murderers. It's just calling out to me to read it.

A Creature Of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn - Review

Title:              A Creature of Moonlight
Author:          Rebecca Hahn
Publisher:      Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date:              06 May 2014

 A stunning debut novel about a girl who is half dragon, half human, and wholly herself.

As the only heir to the throne, Marni should have been surrounded by wealth and privilege, not living in exile-but now the time has come when she must choose between claiming her birthright as princess of a realm whose king wants her dead, and life with the father she has never known: a wild dragon who is sending his magical woods to capture her.

Fans of Bitterblue and Seraphina will be captured by A Creature of Moonlight, with its richly layered storytelling and the powerful choices its strong heroine must make





You know those stories you start reading and then you look up at the clock and realise that hours have passed? This is one of those. I was intrigued by the moving trees and it had my imagination running wild along with them.

The world that Rebecca Hahn has created in this book is interesting, a very proper society alongside fae and magical creatures in a woods that moves, devouring buildings and whatever stands in it's way.

Marni is a very strong character. Her actions are always true to herself, whether she's planting flowers or punching people in the face. Even though there are many things she doesn't understand or are outside of her control she doesn't back down, she keeps fighting for what she wants and what she believes in.

So since this girl is obviously half dragon half human I was expecting her to get up and fly away sometimes or just burn everyone to the ground. Unfortunately I did not get my wish. This story is not about random destruction. If you are after a dragon story full of fire and brimstone you're in the wrong place.

Ultimately a fun read, full of magic and life.

I look forward to more books by Rebecca Hahn that can capture and hold me like this one did.


(I received an e-arc from net galley in return for an honest review)

(Taken from Goodreads.com)

Rebecca Hahn grew up in Iowa, attended college in Minnesota, and soon afterward moved to New York City, where she worked as an editorial assistant and wrote A Creature of Moonlight on the side. She now lives in Minneapolis, with the winter cold, the wide sky, and many whispering trees.

Pretty Revealing (7)

So I know I have been rather lazy with my cover reveals. Sorry about that. I'm probably always last to know! 

But now, for your convenience I have them all in one easy to see place! TaDa!!

So first up we have Atlantia by Ally Condie. This is to be a standalone novel I believe. The cover is interesting, a shell and a ripple, not giving much away

Next we have Whisper the Dead by Alyxandra Harvey book 2 of the Lovegrove Legacy. Look at that swirly blue mess, isn't it pretty.

The Cure For Dreaming by Cat Winters, this cover is intriguing and I am told by many to hurry up and read her previous book and add this to the to get list.

Dawn Metcalf's Invisible, book 2 of the Twixt. I have no idea what this series is about and that horse piece isn't saying read me like the pretty flower on Indelible.

Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire. Peacock feathers are always beautiful, and the blue behind it just makes it stand out even more.

Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini, book 1 of the new series. This is actually the UK cover that has recently been revealed. Is that fire hair I see?

Blue Lily, Lily Blue book 3 of The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. This cover is just pretty, all lovely greens and such. Haven't read the previous books in this series, but it's different not seeing straight up birds.

Sarah J. Maas has revealed the cover for Heir Of Fire, the next Throne of Glass book. Now I know I have two covers here, one is the UK version and the other is USA. Please don't ask me which is which I have drawn a blank. It doesn't really matter, they are both so pretty.

Do any of these covers give you the grabby hands?
 I think they're all very pretty myself and I would like them all because I am a hoarder of pretty books.

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa (review)

Title:            The Forever Song
Series:          Blood of Eden
#:                    3
Author:         Julie Kagawa
Publisher:     HarlequinTeen
Date:            01 May 2014

Vengeance will be hers.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie. 

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

THE FINAL HUNT IS ON

Spoilers for previous books will be told.

Yay another series is complete. I get very excited with the release of the final book in a series. It means I can start reading them, I really don't like to wait, but good on you guys who read the books as they were released and waited patiently, or perhaps sometimes impatiently for the finally.

And this one would have been very hard to wait for. With the turn of events in the end of The Eternity Cure I bet you were all swearing and wishing you could start this one already. 

I just love Jackal in this book. He brought comedy and light into a dark and desperate situation. Without him this story would have been very bleak. Very glad that Jeb decided to Push him out a window instead of grabbing Allison's Katana and cutting off his head. 

"Oh, heads are going to roll for this. I'm going to set up a special lane and use their skulls for bowling balls."

That is just one example. There are many wonderful lines by Jackal. And then there are many lines by Allison, which are a bit repetitive and whiney. Allison is on repeat for this book, her lines, her thoughts, everything. I got a bit tired of hearing how she was going to let the monster take over, then I got tired of her thoughts on Zeke, I was glad when they were fighting and she didn't have time to think. 

There are a lot more fight seems in this book, because as we all know Sarren is 'one sick puppy' so to get to him is a lot of work, and it was never easy. Sometimes I got a bit fed up with how many hold ups there were on our way but I think that may have been because I was so eager to find Sarren and to see the final showdown.

Overall I like this book, I like the ending, I like Jackal and Kanin. I wouldn't mind seeing a spinoff for Jackal in the future. wink wink.
The series overall is a good vampire read, about how human a demon can be, and how demonic a once human can be. two sides to every coin. I would recommend this to fans that don't mind a bit of carnage along with their conscience battles.

One thought for the road
How come rabid corpses don't fade in the sunlight in this book like they should.

(Taken from juliekagawa.com)

Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon.

May New Releases 2014

Just look at all those pretty books. Finally the release of City of Heavenly Fire draws close enough that I can actually plan buying and reading the book. Finally!

Again some new series are starting, Amy Plum, Cara Lynn shultz, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl all have some pretty looking, and sounding starters.

While we again have some wrapping up! yay

What's on your to buy list this month?