Book Review - Dorothy Must Die

Here's my review of Dorothy Must Die

Insight into the book from Goodreads:

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, and I've been given a mission:

REMOVE
The Tin Woodman's heart,

STEAL
The Scarecrow's brain,

TAKE
The Lion's courage,

And then—
DOROTHY MUST DIE

  The story starts off with Amy, a simple girl from Kansas.  Then a tornado sweeps her away, and she finds herself in Oz.  There, she realizes that Oz is nothing like she considered it to be.  

• All of Dorothy's power has gone to her head, and she's changed Oz to be a place of fear.
• The good-witch isn't so good, and the wicked-witch isn't so wicked.
• The Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Woodman are awful creatures that are devoted to Dorothy's safety and happiness.
• Nobody can be trusted.

  Long story very short, Amy makes an alliance with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, and is given a mission.  Kill Dorothy.  Upon completing this task, Amy disguises herself as one of Dorothy's maids, in effort to get closer to her enemy and complete her mission.

  I'm going to take a step back from the plot of the story, and talk deeper about my opinion of this book.  

  My absolute favorite aspect of Dorothy Must Die, is the great modern twist to a modest story about a girl from Kansas that finds herself in a different world.  It wasn't just a modern twist, but a very dark twist, that made the story a hundred times more addicting.  

  I found many sections of this book slow, as I waited impatiently for something to happen.  Most of the time, nothing really did happen.  For example, the end of the book was a huuuuge disappointment for me.  Not to mention, frustrating.  

  Spoilers . . . 

  As I sat on my bed reading the final chapter, I was waiting (somewhat) patiently for a huge plot-twist, or something crazy to happen.  Nothing did.  Amy didn't kill Dorothy, when she had more than three opportunities to do so, but she didn't!  She hesitated, which as all readers know, if the main character hesitates, there's no hope whatsoever.  That frustrated me so much!  Anyone else feel this way?  I'm aware that for there to be a second book, Dorothy should probably still be alive.  However, I disagree.  There's so much more to this book besides Dorothy.  Just because the leader of Oz is dead, Amy will still have to deal with the Scarecrow, Lion, and the Tin Woodman.  Heck, they would be even more furious at Amy, why not let that be the base for the second book?  Instead, the story ends with Amy standing in front of Dorothy, with a clear shot to kill her, but doesn't.

  All in all, I really did enjoy this book.  It was a refreshing fantasy story that is certainly leaving me waiting for the second installment.

  What did you think of Dorothy Must Die?

Birthday Book Haul!!

Fantastic day because I've got four more books, and it's my birthday!

  This morning I woke up, and my parents were in my room holding two sparkly bags and balloons, and wishing me happy birthday.  It was so sweet, and I'm seriously so thankful for such an amazing family.  About twenty minutes later, I left for school, and midway through second period, I was called to the attendance office to pick up a package.  My brother and his girlfriend dropped off a huge Paradise Bakery cookie with icing that read, "Happy Birthday, Cambrie!"  Feeling so blessed right now for such amazing people in my life.

  Now for the books!  

  Everyone of these books have been on my TBR list for such a long time, and I'm beyond excited to finally be able to read them.  Also, the "book" on the end isn't necessarily a book, but a fancy folded version of a story by Jane Eyre (not sure how to describe it).

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The Sunday Post #1

THE SUNDAY POST

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~

It’s a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies. Link up once a week or once a month, you decide. Book haul can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books..share them!

    I want to give a quick explanation to why I've had a lack of posts lately.  In my previous review about Paper Towns, I briefly touched on why I haven't been active, and I figure this is a good time to explain more.  

  I recently began my freshman year of high-school, and its been . . . difficult.  I was home schooled my entire life until about two months ago, and I've never faced such a hard change.  I'm also on the Varsity cheer team at my school, and that has kept me really busy.  To sum this up, I've been super busy dealing with school, keeping up on homework, and cheer practice.  It's been hard to find time to read, and keep up on my blog.  Thankfully, my family and friends have been here for me throughout everything, and it's helped a lot.  A little shout-out to Sarah from Creativity Avenue (I'm at her house right now), for being here for me through all of this!

  I'm currently obsessed with Ed Sheeran, and my favorite song by him is I See Fire.  

  I'm also super-super-super excited for Christmas - nothing makes me happier than driving through a neighborhood looking at sparkling Christmas lights, putting ornaments on the tree, hanging stockings, and sitting around the fire with my family.  

  I went to Paris a few months ago, and it was sincerely the most extraordinary week of my life.  One of the stops we made was a visit to a bookstore I've always wanted to see, Shakespeare and Company.  It was infinitely charming, with a wonderful selection of books.  I probably spent an hour in there, loving every second of being surrounded by books from a different country.  

  My birthday is on the 19th (Wednesday!), and besides a load of books, I'm really interested in getting the Lokai bracelet.  It's infused with elements from the highest and lowest points on earth; water from Mt. Everest and mud from the Dead Sea.  It's so simple and pretty, I'm really hoping to get it for my birthday!

  

  Well that's it for my Sunday Post!  Hope you enjoyed!!

Book Review - Paper Towns, John Green

  Quick message before review ~ Hey blogging world!  I've been in a reading slump lately, and not to mention, I've been super busy with school and sports.  Just wanted to give a little explanation for the lack of posts! xoxo

My review of Paper Towns, by John Green

Insight into the book from Goodreads:

Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew... 

  I sincerely want to give this book a positive review, but in all honestly, I'm feeling really disappointed right now.

  Paper Towns is based on two seniors in high-school, Quentin and Margo.  Quentin has spent years with a secret love for the mysterious Margo, but has never been straightforward with his feelings.  I don't think there's any way to easily sum up Margo's character . . . She has many different personalities, and becomes more surprising as the book goes on.  

  One night, Margo creeps in Quentin's room needing help to get revenge on people at their school, and he follows without much thought.  The two of them have a crazy night, that involves pranks, breaking and entering, and Quentin falling even more in love with a girl he thought he knew.  That basically sums up this whole story.  Oh, and then Margo goes missing and Quentin spends weeks trying to find her and when he does she acts like a selfish brat.  

  As you can tell, I didn't enjoy Paper Towns.  

  I couldn't connect with the characters, especially Margo.  However, I didn't dislike her until the end of the story.  In the beginning, I found her interesting, adventurous, and I wanted to know more about this girl that Quentin has loved for so many years.  Then I came to the last chapter when (SPOILERS) Quentin finds Margo, and she was completely ungrateful.  After he misses graduation to find her, and she's "impressed."  What?  That beyond annoyed me.  Especially after he's spent weeks worrying about her, chasing after clues, and laying in bed late at night pondering over the thought that Margo may not be alive.

  One thing I did like about this book however, was the metaphors.  Leave it to John Green, let me tell you.  I'm still a huge fan of his, but didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as The Fault in Our Stars.

I've read countless amounts of positive reviews for this book, and I wish I could have enjoyed it as much as other people did.  I still do recommend it to everyone, it just wasn't my cup of tea.