Title: The Witch Must Burn
(Dorothy Must Die #0.2)
Author: Danielle Paige
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retelling
First published: November 11th 2014
Finished reading: June 7th 2015
Pages: 100
“You can’t choose who you are. But you can choose what you’ll become.”
This second prequel novella of the Dorothy Must Die series is slightly better than the first one, although I still wasn’t too impressed by it. The writing style is about the same as the actual series, but I cannot say I’m a big fan of the characters she decided to focus on in the novellas. I can’t deny Jellia is an interesting character, but she is actually quite similar to the Amy Gunn of the actual series and I really can’t stand Glinda and her pink castle. I wish Danielle Paige would have chosen something a bit more original for her novellas, because the ‘big secret’ Jellia has isn’t exactly that shocking. The Witch Must Burn was more of a very long description of both the Emerald City where Dorothy lives and Glinda’s cotton candy pink castle… Not exactly something exciting or a novella you have to read to really understand the actual series. It’s a quick read though, so if you like pink descriptions and want to learn a bit about Jellia’s history I guess it’s still an ok read.
Dorothy is quickly turning into the newest wicked witch in Oz, power and magic hungry and slowly destroying the Oz as it is known. And she is not the only one in control. Glinda still has a big influence on Dorothy and she didn’t bring back Dorothy without having her own secret agenda. The supposedly good witch of the North is searching for a way to mine the magic of the land of Oz, and Dorothy and the Scarecrow play a big role in it. When Glinda pays a visit to Emerald City, she decides that the head maid Jellia has something special about her… And demands Dorothy to lend her Jellia for a few months. They travel back to the pink castle that Glinda calls her home, and Jellia soon discovers GIinda is planning something wicked.
I’m glad I’ve read Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise first, because I don’t think I would have continued the series after reading the novellas. They just aren’t as good so far as the actual series, and the characters Danielle Paige focuses on are quite annoying. I admit I like Jellia, but Glinda plays a big role in The Witch Must Burn as well and I really can’t stand her and her pink world. Only imagening her castle already gives me a headache! The writing is quite entertaining and it’s a short read, but still it cannot compare to the actual series.
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