The End of Oz (Dorothy Must Die #4) by Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: Ding dong—Dorothy is dead.

I watched as the Emerald Palace crumbled to the ground, burying Dorothy, the Girl Who Rode the Cyclone, under the rubble. And now that the rightful ruler, Ozma, has been restored to the throne…

Oz is finally free.

My name is Amy Gumm. You might remember me as the other girl from Kansas. When a tornado whisked me away to the magical land of Oz, I was given a mission: Dorothy must die.

But it turns out girls from Kansas are harder to kill than we look.

Now the Road of Yellow Brick is leading me away from Oz to the dark world of Ev, where I have a new, powerful enemy to deal with: the Nome King. And—surprise—he has a gingham-clad bride.

With my magical shoes and a shrinking group of allies, I have one final chance to fulfill my mission, and save not only what’s left of Oz, but Kansas, too. As the line between Good and Wicked blurs even further, I have to find a way to get rid of Dorothy once and for all—without turning into a monster myself.

Dorothy once said there’s no place like home. Can I stop her from destroying mine? 
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Amy Gumm is the other girl from Kansas. After leaving Dorothy under a collapsing palace, her next mission is to kill the Nome King. Alongside Nox and former bully Madison Pendleton, the Yellow Brick Road transports them to Ev where they'll need everything they have to restore Oz. Many trials will test them to see if they are truly ready to save Oz.

"'Hi, Amy,' she said. Her grotesque grin had suddenly transformed into a joyful snarl. 'Are you going to kill me now?'"

The theme of books one to three is mainly 'kill Dorothy', while The End of Oz focuses much more on other subjects, such as the downfall of the Nome King, gaining a princess's trust, explaining the magical world to Amy's old tormentor, and why of course, relationship drama. Honestly? I didn't expect that Amy and Nox would be so big a part of the book when previously they'd been minuscule at the most. Sure, I love it, but the element of romance just seems strange when the focus has always been war/violence oriented.

"The air around us held still.
Then the world fell apart."

Sacrifices must be mad if Oz is to be returned to its former glory. This section of the book is bittersweet and conflicting, but all turns out to be okay. This quote really makes you think. All the goals you aspire for, they can become impossible moments after you've achieved them. It makes you wonder if all that hard work was pointless, a constant uphill battle. So why try?

"When she took a last step forward, the magic from our shoes rippled like she was wading through water."

Amy/Dorothy's shoes are a crucial part of the ending, something which makes me wonder why Danielle Paige chose to end the series in such an uncertain way, an ending which tells us nothing about the future, or what is to become of our beloved characters. To me, the element of wonder is exciting and all but this series is extremely definite and the ending should've been the same way. You like Oz? This is definitely the right series for you.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from HarperCollins NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of retellings.

Yellow Brick War (Dorothy Must Die #3) by Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: In this dark, action-packed third book in the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Amy Gumm—the new girl from Kansas—must do everything in her power to save Kansas, kill Dorothy, and make Oz a free land once more.

Amy Gumm’s mission to take down Dorothy Gale is not going according to plan. Dorothy has found a way to bridge the worlds of Oz and Kansas, and if the power-hungry dictator of Oz has her way, Kansas will be destroyed forever. Now, Amy has to team up with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked to save her home, restore the balance between the magic and nonmagic worlds, maybe get the guy—and kill that not-so-sweet Kansas farm girl once and for all.

In the third installment of the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Danielle Paige’s twisted versions of beloved Oz characters are back, including the biggest, baddest, most famous of all: the Wicked Witch of the West.

Welcome to the other side of the rainbow. Here there’s danger around every corner, and magic shoes won’t be able to save you.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: Yellow Brick War is as good as Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise combined in an all-in-one. This series has gradually gotten better with each book, and I love how much each and every character has developed. From the initial story to full out war, Danielle Paige has insured that I will read her future books.

In the previous reviews, I've discussed the characters as individuals, but now I wanted to talk about Amy and Nox. Their relationship is hard earned, a complicated road that is stepped on cautiously; it only gets worse in Yellow Brick War with even more major complications. Amy really learns to control her magic, and Nox realises his true place and where his loyalties will lie.

I found it quite ironic how Amy's enemies in Dorothy Must Die pretty much became her friends in this book. I was slightly confused about this, and felt that it should've been explained further. On the whole I really enjoyed Yellow Brick War and can't wait to read more from Danielle Paige.
Purchase Location: ~I received a free paperback copy from HarperCollins NZ in exchange for an honest review~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Quotes: 

"It is only your capacity for wickedness that makes selflessness possible." — Lurline to Amy, Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige.

Recommended for: Fans of retellings, adventure stories, and The Wizard of Oz.

The Wicked Will Rise (Dorothy Must Die #2) by Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: In this New York Times bestselling sequel to Dorothy Must Die, who is good—and who is actually Wicked? The Wicked Will Rise is perfect for fans of richly reimagined fairy tales and classic tales like Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles and Gregory Maguire’s Wicked.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I’m the other girl from Kansas. After a tornado swept through my trailer park, I ended up in Oz. But it wasn’t like the Oz I knew from books and movies. Dorothy had returned, but she was now a ruthless dictator. Glinda could no longer be called the Good Witch. And the Wicked Witches who were left? They’d joined forces as the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, and they wanted to recruit me.

My mission? Kill Dorothy. Except my job as assassin didn’t work out as planned. Dorothy is still alive. The Order has vanished. And the home I couldn’t wait to leave behind might be in danger.

Somehow, across a twisted and divided land, I have to find the Order, protect the true ruler of Oz, take Dorothy and her henchmen down—and try to figure out what I’m really doing here.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: The Wicked Will Rise followed on from Dorothy Must Die, and the the consequences were revealed. Amy is now on a new quest. Separated from the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, she discovers more that is not supposed to be. The Wicked Will Rise is just as strong as the prequel, Dorothy Must Die. Loyalties are questions further, new characters are introduced, and the quest to kill Dorothy continues at a fast pace.

Amy Gumm is a really good heroine. Flawed, as expected but I really saw her develop in this book; discovering more about herself, and realising who she is and who she will become. Nox is a minor character in this book, even more so than in Dorothy Must Die. He appears in the second half of the book, and answers some of the questions I wondered from Dorothy Must Die. He also proves that he is loyal to a fault.

The Wicked Will Rise is even better than Dorothy Must Die, in that we see more character development and I felt that it had a much more improved story line and more plot twists. This series is suitable for all, whether you know about Oz or not.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of retellings

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1) by Danielle Paige 
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: 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 bluebirds. 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 a yellow brick road - 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.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: Well, I decided to read Dorothy Must Die because the wonderful Harper Collins NZ sent me Book 3, Yellow Brick War, but also because I've always wanted to read it, and finally I had a good reason to!

Before Dorothy Must Die, I'd never read or watched anything related to The Wizard of Oz. Nonetheless, Dorothy Must Die gave me enough background that I understood the characters, and how they were before the retelling.

I was addicted to Dorothy Must Die and simply couldn't stop reading. Amy is an awesome heroine and I loved the first sentence. I don't know whether to hate or love Nox, he really reminds me of Dai from Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, I feel like he is going to betray Amy and side with the witches, as he owes his life to them.

Danielle Paige had me hooked from chapter to chapter, each chapter's end was just another brief conclusion that was enough a cliffhanger to compel me to continue reading. Dorothy Must Die is like no book I've ever read, and even with the use of the common "trust no one", loyalties proved a lot more tangled than I imagined.

Think of a place where the wicked are supposedly the good, and the good are evil. That place you're envisioning is Dorothy's Oz, the setting of Dorothy Must Die. I really liked the shocking ending. Note: I wouldn't say you have to know anything about Oz to read this book, I certainly had no clue what was going on, but it was all explained!
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Quotes: 

"He was beautiful. He was too beautiful. It was the kind of beautiful you don't want to touch, because you know it might burn."

"'Who are you?'
'I'm not one.'"

"Be brave. Be angry. Don't trust anyone."

"It always wants to be something different from what it already is."

"I was testing him now. I wanted him to correct me."

"With all the magic in Oz, with all the magic the witches had taught me, there was one trick I still hadn't mastered: how to make people stay."

"I couldn't figure him out. Was he using me or did he actually care about me? Hell, I couldn't even figure myself out. Did I want to kiss him or punch him in the face?"

"There must be some mistake. You're the bitch. I'm the witch."

Recommended for: Fans of retellings.