No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die, #0.1)

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After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same. 

Perfect for fans of Alex Flinn, Marissa Meyer, and Gregory Maguire, No Place Like Oz is a dark reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Building off of its rich mythology, Danielle Paige creates an edgy, thrilling story for teens that chronicles the rise and fall of one of the literature’s most beloved characters. This digital original novella is a prequel that sets the stage for the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die. 

 

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In 2016, I came across the book, Dorothy Must Die , which I was hesitant about at first but ended up falling in love with. While reading the series, I did wonder what happened to Dorothy, how she became that evil. I wondered if there was a reason behind her turning to that monster. Usually, I don’t read novella’s often, but I was curious about NO PLACE LIKE OZ and curious to find out what happened with Dorothy. I saw the change in Dorothy, the minute that she had the shoes on. At first, they were little change, but the most I change was in Dorothy’s attitude. It seemed as if anything her aunt and uncle did, it wasn’t right. I wondered if it was the shoes that made Dorothy want to stay in OZ. I know that both her aunt and uncle noticed the change, even if they pretended like they didn’t. 

I did wonder what would happen if Dorothy was able to remove the shoes. I wondered if she would be going back to herself and go back to Kansas with her aunt and uncle. In this book, Dorothy is not the Dorothy I remember from Wizard Of Oz . As the book progressed, it seemed as if she got angrier at everyone, and I knew it would not end well for anyone. Never did I imagine that Glinda would be the one responsible for Dorothy going evil. That was one of the things that I loved about the book; it was unexpected. NO PLACE LIKE OZ will keep you on reading until the end. That ending, it had me curious and picked up the next in the series to see what happens. If you are a fan of Wizard Of Oz and want to read a retelling with a twist, be sure to check this series out. 

Be prepared for a wild ride.

The Year Of Witching(Bethel,#1)

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CONTAINS SPOILERS

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement. 

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood. 

Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her. 

 

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  Dark. Mysterious. Magical. 

I love any books that deal with witches, wizards, and witchcraft. I fell in love with those stories when I read Harry Potter in middle school. Since then, I have read a few different books about witches. I have been hearing about THE YEAR OF WITCHING for a while but had to wait for a while because there was a long list of holds. Now that I have read it, I know that this book was worth the wait. THE YEAR OF WITCHING is the type of books that I love. This story was unlike any other book that I read. THE YEAR OF WITCHING had me thinking about the Salem Trials, except this one had unexpected twists. This was one of the books that I wasn’t sure what to expect since I wasn’t familiar with the author. On the other hand, I was curious about this story because so many were talking about it. Now I know why. THE YEAR OF WITCHING was one of the darker witch stories and not the kind of witches that you would want to meet. THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING portrayed the witches the way I always thought of them before reading Harry Potter. 

I was engaged with the story from the first page. From the start, you wonder what is going to happen with Immanuelle. As the story progressed, it got more challenging for me to put the book down. When I was sure that I could put down, something happened that kept me reading for a couple more hours. THE YEAR OF WITCHING was a hard book to put down. I had forced myself to put down, and I knew if I wanted to finish my homework, I had to. It was the book that I was looking forward to reading all day. THE YEAR OF WITCHING had amazing descriptions, and the way that Immanuelle’s emotions were portrayed had me imagining that I was in Bethel, in the Darkwood. I had a feeling that something terrible would happen when Immanuelle went into the Darkwood; I knew that there was a reason that her grandmother told her to stay away. I hoped that she would stop the plaque, but I wasn’t sure if she could stop it. I loved that she kept on going, that not even once did she give up. 

Prophet. He’s not a character you will like. I was not too fond of the way that he treated others, especially girls. There was a part of me that hoped that someone would be able to put a stop to it. I did wonder if maybe that person would end up being Immanuelle. Ezra. What is there to say about him? I had a good feeling about him from the start. I had a hard time believing that he was related to Prophet. It didn’t take long to see how much Ezra cared about her, even if Immanuelle did not at first. He had helped her and looked her out so many times. He even got himself captured, to protect her. If that’s not love, then I don’t know what is. I do wonder what happens with them after. THE YEAR OF WITCHING is a beautiful story, a story that will be hard to describe in a review. I don’t think I can even express all my emotions; there are so many. If you love fantasy, witches, adventure, then I would highly recommend this book. Not a book that you will regret checking out.

Unbirthday (Twisted Tales,#9)

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 CONTAINS SPOILERS

What if Wonderland was in peril and Alice was very, very late?

 
Alice is different than other eighteen-year-old ladies in Kexford, which is perfectly fine with her. She'd rather spend golden afternoons with her trusty camera or in her aunt Vivian's lively salon, ignoring her sister's wishes that she stop all that "nonsense" and become a "respectable" member of society. Alice is happy to meander to Miss. Yao's teashop or to visit the children playing in the Square. She's also interested in learning more about the young lawyer she met there, but just because she's curious, of course, not because he was sweet and charming. 

But when Alice develops photographs she has recently taken about town, familiar faces of old suddenly appear in the place of her actual subjects-the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar. There's something eerily off about them, even for Wonderland creatures. And as Alice develops a self-portrait, she finds the most disturbing image of all-a badly-injured dark-haired girl asking for Alice's help. Mary Ann. 

Returning to the place of nonsense from her childhood, Alice finds herself on a mission to stop the Queen of Hearts' tyrannical rule and to find her place in both worlds. But will she able to do so . . . before the End of Time? 

 

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 I remember as a kid, re-reading Alice in Wonderland , and every time that I read it, I fell in love with it. It was one of my favorites; I loved exploring Wonderland along with Alice. When I heard about UNBIRTHDAY from a friend, I was excited. Like many others, I wondered what happened to Alice after, if she ever went back to Wonderland, or if she wanted to go back to Wonderland. I had always wondered what happened to Alice after. One of my best friends ended up surprising me and getting UNBIRTHDAY for me. I was happy and could not wait to read the book and see what would happen with Alice. I wondered how Alice would be an adult if she would be as adventurous as she was when she was a kid. I have read LIZ BRASWELL other twisted tale, Part Of Your World and loved it. Maybe I set my expectations high for this book. I did enjoy UNBIRTHDAY , but it wasn't what I expected the book to be. 

The first part of the book was slow for me. I did enjoy the elements that the pictures that she has taken; they were characters from Wonderland. I found it interesting that Alice was the only one that could see it, maybe because she been to Wonderland before. I was eager if there was a reason behind it, why they started to appear all sudden. The book did pick up once Alice got herself into Wonderland again. I was eager to see all of them, and I found out how all of them might change. I did not like Queen Of Hearts when I read Alice In Wonderland , and it seemed as if she got worse since Alice last seen her. It was as if she has taken over Wonderland, changing everything in the process. I rooted for her and hoped that she would stop Queen Of Hearts and save Wonderland. I did wonder if maybe Alice would stay there or would want to stay this time around. 

Going back and forth to Wonderland and Kexford was a bit confusing for me. The story was more interesting when she was in Wonderland than when she kept going back to Kexford. When she was back in Kexford, I felt as if the story dragged on and wasn't as interesting to read when she was in Wonderland. There was more going on, more adventures when Alice was in Wonderland. I did enjoy the story; there were some parts that I did not enjoy as much as the others. UNBIRTHDAY turned out not to be like I was expecting to be. There were relatively few enjoyable parts in the book, especially as she tried to save Wonderland, there was always something happening. If you are a fan of Alice In Wonderland , I recommend giving this book a try.

Last Day.

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Years ago, Beth Lathrop and her sister Kate suffered what they thought would be the worst tragedy of their lives the night both the famous painting Moonlight and their mother were taken. The detective assigned to the case, Conor Reid, swore to protect the sisters from then on. 

Beth moved on, throwing herself fully into the art world, running the family gallery, and raising a beautiful daughter with her husband Pete. Kate, instead, retreated into herself and took to the skies as a pilot, always on the run. When Beth is found strangled in her home, and Moonlight goes missing again, Detective Reid can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. 

Reid immediately suspects Beth’s husband, whose affair is a poorly kept secret. He has an airtight alibi—but he also has a motive, and the evidence seems to point to him. Kate and Reid, along with the sisters’ closest childhood friends, struggle to make sense of Beth’s death, but they only find more questions: Who else would have wanted Beth dead? What’s the significance of Moonlight? 

Twenty years ago, Reid vowed to protect Beth and Kate—and he’s failed. Now solving the case is turning into an obsession . . . 

 

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 Mysterious. Thrilling. Tragic. 

There are many more words I could use to describe this book. The words that would take me all day to write. I don’t even know how to express my emotions about what I just read, especially that ending. That was the last person that I expected… that was… wow. LAST DAY had everything that I love about murder mystery books, a story that had me guessing until the end. There were so many twists and turns, and it’s what made it so hard to put the book down. I was drawn from the moment that Beth was found murdered, who was it, her husband, or was it, someone, who wanted her dead, and why? Reid was positive that it was Pete, her husband, but I had my doubts that he had anything to do with her death. I know that their marriage has fallen apart, but I don’t think that he wanted her dead. The way that Pete acted when he found out about Beth’s death and how he kept calling was not an indication of a killer. Of course, I knew that there is a possibility that I could be wrong. It’s not uncommon for a husband to get accused when a wife gets murdered, especially if he has an affair. 

Every page, something was happening. It made me feel as I was there, along with everyone, trying to figure what happened to Beth. The way Beth was murdered was disturbing, and I wondered what the murderer’s intention was, and if it could be someone that she knew, or if it was a stranger. I cannot even begin to imagine how Beth’s daughter, Sam, felt during all of this. Her mother found murdered; her father was accused of murder. Sam’s emotions were strong, and as I read, I felt the feelings that Sam was feeling. I felt all the emotions; they were so vivid. The only reason I put the book down was because of classes, homework. LAST DAY is a book you won’t put down once you pick it up. 

I have been reading LUANNE RICE since 2011, and there hasn’t been a single book I did not enjoy. Its been few years since I read a book by LUANNE RICE , and as I read LAST DAY , it reminded me of why I love her books. LAST DAY was different from the other ones that I have read, and so far it is my favorite one. There wasn’t anything about this one that I did not like. It was…breathtaking and a story that I won’t forget anytime soon. It was real. If you love a mystery with twists and turns, I would highly recommend picking this one up.

A Court Of Wings And Ruin(A Court Of Thorns & Roses,#3)

 

 

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Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series. 

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. 

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places. 

 

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 Oh, man. What is Maas doing to my emotions? Once again, I am at a loss at words, especially when it comes to this series. I have yet to finish Thorne Of Glass , and after reading A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN , it’s my favorite series of her. I know that I said that my emotions are over the place in the other books in the series, and if you have read the series, you will understand why. I read a few fantasy books about fae and faeries, but I was never blown away, the way I am right now. I have read a few books by SARAH J. MAAS in 2020, and I cannot seem to stop falling in love with her stories. After reading so many books by Maas, I should expect my emotions to be all over the place, and yet again, there was a twist I did not see coming. I concluded that it’s impossible not to love book by SARAH J. MAAS , at least not from my experience so far. There hasn’t been a single book by her that I did not fall in love with. 

A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN was even more emotional than the other books in the series, and only when I didn’t think that it couldn’t get any better. Everything that happened in this book, I couldn’t get out of my mind. Despite the book being long, I kept reading for hours because I could not force myself to put the book down. This magical world that Maas created seems to get even more magical every time that I read the book. I am not sure if I can even explain all my feelings about this book. What I love about this book, that all the characters feel real. The story feels as if it could be real. I love all the details in the book, it those details which are so vivid that has me picturing myself there, every time. I loved the action in this book. Out of all books in the series, it has the best action. 

The War, it’s what we have been waiting for. That was one of the best fighting, action scenes in the entire series and the one I have been looking towards. It has so many feelings, and all the descriptions, it made me picture everything. As I read the scene, I felt as I was there, along with Feyre and her friends, fighting. I think that most of my emotions were during that scene. My heart was pounding the entire time because I wasn’t sure what to expect of what would happen. Those chapters were when I lost track of time; I am not sure for how long I read; I just kept on reading. I was on the edge of my seat from the moment the war started until the end of it. This type of series is what had me realizing why I love fantasy. Even though I have finished this book a while back, I cannot seem to get out of my mind. There is a part of me that wants to pick it up and reread it. I most likely read this series multiple times. A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN has my heart breaking in pieces. I even think that this might be my favorite series. 

Rhys and Feyre. How can you not love them? I don’t remember the last time that I loved the couple together, as much as I love the two of them together. The love that the two of them had, it’s real. I have a feeling that the two of them are meant to be. The scenes between Rhys and Feyre are my favorite. Now Nesta and Cassian, another couple that I can see myself rooting for. I could see how much the two of them cared about one another, even if Nesta won’t admit it. The bond that the two of them seemed to have established, it’s powerful. It does make me wonder that maybe the two of them are mates. I am eager to see what happens with them next. I am excited that the next book, A Court Of Silver Flames , Is from Nesta’s point of view. I want to learn more about her. I am also eager to see if anything else develops between her and Cassian. A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN had everything that I love about fantasy, a book that had you craving for more. 

Magical. Inspiring. Treasured.