DNF: The Battle for Oz by Jeyna Grace

Publication September 2015 by Inkshares

Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Children’s, Retelling

eARC provided by Netgalley

No Rating Due to DNF

GoodreadsThe Battle For Oz reimagines L. Frank Baum’s canonical classic while also taking a page (and character or two) out of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

When a new queen endeavors to take over the city of Oz once again, Dorothy Gale and Alice Liddel must come together to fight off the wicked magic. With help from Toto and the Tin Man, Scarecrow and The Mad Hatter, the young women travel to earth and back and face impossible circumstances. In all the chaos and commotion, while Alice and Dorothy struggle to discover the key to saving the city, along the way they find themselves discovering the meaning of friendship.

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MY THOUGHTS I want start by stating that I did not finish this book, so I don’t know how it all ends. Don’t just take my word for it, you may enjoy this. There’s really not much to say for the little that I did read.

I know that, occasionally, I will complain about a book being too slow. Well, the pacing in this book is fast, too fast if you ask me. Right off the bat, the antagonist in this story is being exiled from her kingdom and, if I remember correctly, there’s no explanation as to why that is. It may have been something to do with magic. Her ever faithful guards follow her to her new home deep in the forest. She raises some muddbits (Looks like a rabbit & dog mixed together) to be evil like her and she sets off to the kingdom of Oz, with only one agenda; get inside and takeover, making her the new Queen of Oz. Once inside, she attacks the Queen and Glenda, stealing Glenda’s source of power. Soon, Oz isn’t green and gold anymore, it’s red and gold. The people of Oz are all fearful and hopeful at the same time, because they think that bringing Dorothy to help with the situation will free them of their new evil Queen.

I only got as far as meeting with Scarecrow. I just could not go on any longer. All of the above was achieved during the first 16% or so. All too fast and pushed together. It felt like one of those “made-up-on-the-fly” bedtime stories you tell to kids. No character development to see just what the Evil Queen is all about. How she came to be Queen, nothing. Sure, that could be explained later on. But, the way this story is set up, that’s not likely to happen. It’s only 180 pages and I just couldn’t keep reading. I labeled this as Children’s/MG simply because I don’t think that anyone older would enjoy this. It’s not like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , where no matter the age, you love it. That’s why I wanted to read this to begin with, and I was let down by the simpleness of it. Again, don’t just take my word for it. Read on, if you so dare. But, if you are looking for an awesome retelling or reimagining, then this is not the book for you. This book has none of the brilliance that stands out like The Wonderful Wiz………. nor Alice’s Adventures………..