Mini Review--The Witch Must Burn by Danielle Paige

There’s a new Wicked Witch in Oz—and her name is Dorothy. This digital original novella is the second installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and exciting New York Times bestseller Dorothy Must Die.

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 behind the scenes, there’s someone else pulling the strings. Someone who doesn’t want fame or glory—just control.

Glinda of the North brought Dorothy back to Oz for a reason. And in The Witch Must Burn, a young maid is about to discover that a witch who says she’s Good might be the most dangerous kind of Wicked.

The Witch Must Burn, by debut author Danielle Paige, is a dark and compelling reimagining of a beloved classic and is perfect for fans of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Beastly by Alex Flinn, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire.

Danielle Paige returns to the land of Oz in The Witch Must Burn. We have here a second prequel to Amy Gumm's story in Dorothy Must Die. This time our narrator is Jellia, the maid. Granted I can't quite pull her from my memory of the first book, but naturally I just moved on!

Jellia has gotten used to Dorothy's ways and whims. She has a handle on how to deal with Dorothy's sporadic tendencies and radical requests. Jellia isn't fond of Dorothy and truly misses the days when Ozma ruled.

Then Glinda visits and Jellia sort of unknowingly reveals that she has magical abilities despite Dorothy's ban on magic. Glinda however, sees something in her and politely demands requests that Dorothy lend her to her for the summer. Dorothy begrudgingly agrees.

This is when we really get to see Glinda's true colors. Before we had inklings that she may be up to no good. Now we know. Now we see it. Glinda is batsh*t freaking power hungry crazy!

I also enjoyed seeing another particular character in this one. A pleasant surprise really! This was a quick and delightful little read. We get to see Jellia before Amy comes along and see how she comes on her current course for the future. I highly recommend these prequel reads for all Dorothy Must Die fans because they're little hidden insights to our resident villains. A fast and enjoyable read to say the least!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars