Thursday, March 12, 2015

The Wizard Returns by Danielle Paige

Title: The Wizard Returns
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher:
Harper Collins
Release Date:
March 3, 2015
Rating:
4/5

Cover Impressions: It is not often that a novella cover appears this well done.  I love the green on green effect for an Oz story and how well this fits with the other covers in the series. 

The Gist:
Dorothy Gale is back . . . and she's not the sweet little heroine of Oz anymore. She's power-hungry and vicious, and she leaves a trail of destruction beneath her spike-heeled, magical shoes. But she wasn't always in charge. There used to be a different ruler of Oz. Someone who also came from the Other Place, and who stole power for himself. They called him the Wizard.

The story goes that when a young Dorothy revealed the Wizard as a fraud, the man behind the curtain fled Oz in his hot air balloon. But in The Wizard Returns, he wakes in a field of poppies to find out that not only had he never left, but that he has no memory of who—or where—he is. As he undergoes a series of tests to uncover his memories, he finds that the very girl who threw him from the Emerald Palace is in control. And that Oz may be his destiny after all 
Review: The Wizard Returns answers the question of what exactly happened to the Wizard after supposedly leaving Oz.  Following a drug induced, 25 year long snooze, the Wizard is found by a young man calling himself Pete and sent on a mission to redeem himself.
 
The plot has a very Christmas Carol feel to it as Hex (the Wizard) encounters a number of tests which are meant to reveal or change his character for the betterment of Oz and set him on the path to defeating Dorothy.  It is fast paced and allows the reader to delve more deeply into the Oz that Paige has created, which is one of magic and wonder but also terrible injustices.   
 
Hex is unable to remember the terrible deeds he had done as the Wizard, but his deplorable sense of self-preservation at all costs, remains.  This novella allows a really interesting glimpse into his motivation and makes me really excited to see him become a more prominent figure as the series continues.    

Bottom Line:I love this series and The Wizard Returns is a great addition.  GIVE ME The Wicked Will Rise!!!

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age:
15 and up
Sex:  None
Violence:  Attack by a lion,
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Use/Abuse: Drinking

Great For Readers Who Loved:

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