The Wicked Will Rise (Dorothy Must Die #2)
Author: Danielle Paige
Published: 2015
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
Rated B for unexpected backstabbing and getting blindsides with loss of precious things you didn’t realize were precious.
My name is Amy Gumm and I’m the other girl from Kansas.
The moment Amy entered Oz she was put on a mission. To kill Dorothy. Turned out not to be as easy as she thought. While she now knows some wicked magic and is getting a handle on it, the Order of the Wicked has been scattered after a large battle in the Emerald City.
Now, Amy will have to devise a different way to defeat Dorothy and the Wizard may have just helped her out with that, but can she trust him? Can she trust anyone? Wickedness changes like the wind changes direction when it blows. For now, she’ll focus on her mission. She’ll need the Tin Man’s heart, the Lion’s courage, and the Scarecrow’s brain. Only then does she stand a chance against Dorothy…maybe.
The Dorothy Must Die series is one of the series on my New Year’s resolution and this is book 2 of 4.
Dorothy Must Die Review Here
Not long at all after the events of the first book, Dorothy gets lucky and survives the assassination attempt and Amy is saved by Ollie, the wingless monkey. Yep, the one from the beginning of the first book! Given the temporary responsibility of taking care of the rightful ruler of Oz: Ozma, and going for round two against Dorothy, while also wondering what happened to the Order (but mostly Nox), Amy’s got her hands full. Ozma’s got a bit of a cracked gourd, but that doesn’t matter…right? And Dorothy’s got a lot more powerful than originally thought. Nox. Just thinking about him ties up Amy’s insides, but for good or bad?
Amy’s struggles only get more complex with this book.
The boundaries of Oz continue to be endless and surprising. The wingless ones and Polychrome, and her rainbow citadel come in on this part of the journey. It’s quite beautiful too. Very colorful and magical, especially, Polychrome’s “unicorn”. Beautiful scenery. I’m continuously swept away by it in this series. Brava.
Also, Nox and Amy are getting some serious chemistry! In the first book, it was just a simmer, but it really puts its foot on the gas pedal this time. I did admire that it wasn’t the main plot point. It was on the side, but still really cool. Nox and Amy have a unique relationship. While their chemistry is fiery, they have a great partnership. Friends to lovers and all that. Always a BIG plus for me.
Magic became a villain that Amy officially struggles with. Turns out that being Wicked isn’t always good and neither is having magic powers. I never thought I witness magic being so evil no matter how good you are with it. For Amy, that’s what seems to be the case. Her struggle with magic is something that really grabbed my attention. The side effects and the study of it from Oz-ian POV is impressive. Also, it’s pretty creepy.
Overall
I’m still entertained and intrigued by this series. This installment was fresh and just action-packed. Amy is getting in deeper and deeper with Oz. It seems like Oz is becoming a home away from home and doing battle is the new normal, but is this really what she wants? So many questions. Like, what happens when Amy uses too much magic. It gets ugly. And, is the Wizard trustworthy? Is anybody? More so, I really enjoyed that this book took the time to give the characters even more depth and backstory. Big props for that.
Quotables:
“Remember—don’t be wicked. Unless you really have to!” (Queen Lulu of the Monkeys to Amy, p. 128)
“Faith: everybody knows it’s something you’re supposed to have, but it’s harder to put that into practice when your senses are telling you all hope is lost.” (Amy, p. 160)
“Amy gets a gold star. Dorothy wears the dunce cap for spinning foolish taradiddles.” (the Wizard, p. 284)
“I knew what would happen if I killed her. I would be accepting the mantle I’d been promised. Finally, I would be Wicked. Really Wicked. And there would be no going back.” (Amy, p. 289)
More to come soon…
-K.
P.S. Song today? Headstrong by Trapt
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The Scarlet Reader 
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