The New York Times bestselling first book in a dark new series that reimagines the Oz saga, from debut author Danielle Paige. 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 a road of yellow brick--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. And--Dorothy must die.
[...] he was still standing within kissing distance. - "That will never happen again", he began. My stomach dropped. (Was it that awful?) I wondered. - "But it would be too bad if it didn't happen once", he finished.
I tried to keep my eyes open. I could sleep when I was dead, and if I didn't want that particular sleep to come very soon, I had to find a way out.
No matter how tough you think you are, there are certain things that just get to you, and they're usually little things. The ones you don't expect.
She looked so sad. It was the worst kind of sad, too - the kind where you're sad about something that you know will never change. The kind of sad you can't even bother getting angry about anymore.
So I set my fear aside, put one foot in front of the other, and as the road carried me high into the sky, I felt myself less and less afraid.
He grabbed my hands suddenly. - Magic is just energy that wants to be something different- he reminded me. - So take what you're feeling right now and turn it into something different. Turn it into magic.