Sadly, like other reviewers, I wasn't able to get into this book fully. The writing was a little off for me. The plot was super interesting, but it wasn't a good fit for what I like. It took me a while to finish, and I never really got into it. Dorothy wasn't a strong enough character, like she should be, and I found the insta-love to be unnecessary. It's a definite pass for me.

The basic premise of this was super interesting but I was a little underwhelmed by the actual product, and I found myself too old to enjoy it properly. I really appreciated receiving a copy of this book but was unable to finish it as it was not what I was expecting, and is not the kind of thing I enjoy reading unfortunately.

Dorothy and Toto aren’t in Kansas anymore. They’re in a land of blood and death. After a tornado carries Dorothy and her dog to the land of Oz, she must find her way back to Kansas and her aunt and uncle. The catch? Oz has been overrun with Vampires, zombies and shifters, oh my. With her trusty trio of friends, a zombie looking for brains, an axe-man looking for a heart, and a werelion looking for some courage, and a pair of magical ass-kicking boots, Dorothy must fight her way to the great and terrifying wizard, and back home to Kansas.

Dorothy in the Land of Monsters was a wicked interesting take on the classic tale. I really enjoyed how Gevedon explained the magic of the world and built each country of Oz. The way the Emerald City was described made me wish I could book a vacation and a trip to the Emerald magic spa! The dynamics of the witches and the wizard was an interesting subplot and I’m looking forward to learning more of their stories in the rest of the series.

There were some pretty major issues that I had with the story. Although Dorothy was a typical teenage girl, turned bad-ass, the way that she talked and explained things about her realm to her new friends was completely unrealistic. I’m not sure if Gevedon just doesn’t know many 17 year old girls, or doesn’t speak with them very often, but her dialect was nothing like the conversations I’ve had with teenage women.

Another thing that irked me was how repetitive and whiney she was. I mean, the girl lost her parents, was living on a barren farm and had just been transported into a world full of vampires, zombies and evil creatures that all wanted to kill her, so some whining is to be expected, but the repetitiveness of the whine writing and the repetitiveness of her thoughts on what she deserved in her love life and what she would do and accomplish if she ever made it home, made it seem like the author was just trying to reach a word count goal. We get it. You want to travel and do good.

For anyone looking for a horror story featuring our lovely Dorothy and Oz, this might not be what you’re looking for. There was plenty of monsters and butt-kicking action, but it all seemed to take a back seat to the romance and crass humor. It was almost like the author was trying to see what they could get away with while still being considered a young adult story. There’s basically everything except actual sex, but even that is alluded to.

All in all, Dorothy in the Land of Monsters is getting 3 stars from me. Interesting story, but some of the subjects weren’t what I was expecting and the repetitiveness and way the dialect was written just wasn’t for me.

This book is an interesting take on the world of the Wizard of Oz and has some fun with the monsters of Oz. The execution does not match the idea though and it is slow to get started and the writing could be be better. I would still recommend to Zombie and Oz lovers though.

The cover of this book was what draw me in. It is just AMAZING and my fantasy soared away with all the possibilities this story had. Sadly it wasn’t what I expected, at all. I couldn’t find something appealing in Dorothy, she mostly was annoying me. And I really, really am not a fan of insta-love and this kind of “love” isn’t necessary if in a series.

DNF 32%
I am finally giving up on this book. I keep expecting it to get better and it just isn’t.

Things I Liked:
-Like the concept
-Love how badass and magical the shoes are. I would want a pair if they could come off.
-I love all the different types of creatures in this version of Oz.

Things Didn't like:
-I really didn’t like Nick from the beginning. He was a player who tried to take advantage of Dorothy. He never really got better either.
-I really didn’t like the Dorothy+Nick love angle they were going for. I feel like it would have been better if the attraction had been slowly building throughout the book instead of the instant attraction.
-The writing style. They are trying to copy the original writing of Baum and it isn't successful. It would be fine sometimes but others it was jarring and pulled you out of the story.
-There was a lot of teenage anguish and ‘woe is me’ going on with Dorothy. It was repetitive and quickly became annoying.

So as you can see the concept of this book is quite fascinating, especially if you are a fan of the Oz series, but, unfortunately, it was poorly written and repetitive. I am not going to force myself to keep reading this book when I am not enjoying it. This book wasn’t for me but I see others have enjoyed it. I will stick to the original series.

*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an awesome retelling of The Wizard of Oz. It is so fun to read one of my favorite stories with the addition of vampires, zombies, and werewolves. This book really felt like coming home, there was a familiarity to it but with a quirky twist. If you want a book that is dripping in originality, then this isn’t your book. It is a very close retelling but with a twist.

My main complaints for this story would be that it was a bit repetitive. I felt Dorothy was super whiny. But my favorite part was that the book premises was super amazing. I do feel like it could have been executed better.

I felt the mention of the color grey was way overly repetitive. It reminded you constantly that the world was without color. I did love the direction the author took the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion. I’ve always loved those characters in the original story, so seeing them so wonderfully mastered here made me adore them even more.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to review this book.

I found this book way too long, Dorothy was incredibly annoying, the insta-love was too much, and a lot of the jokes were too crude. I was drawn in by the cover but sadly this was a miss.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

UGH, I really wanted to like this. Heck the title and cover alone made it seem like it was going to be a bad ass version of Dorothy.. and yet, I was bored out of my mind!!! I don't think I've ever despised a retelling of the Wizard of Oz.. or any retelling in general. YET, it happened and I'm still in shock about it.

In this book, you will meet Dorothy. Nothing really special about her but her super powers seems to be annoying people to death. Mostly because I was annoyed from the second we met her. With her constant whining, I was just hoping that a zombie, vampire, or a werebeast would just kill her. It might've brought me joy because then the book would've ended. Yet, I got nothing.

Overall, I am definitely disappointed in this book. I thought we were going to have a great adventure/relationship but I got the opposite. Ugh.

Don't judge a book by it's cover.
Because this cover is AMAZING!
The book...not so much.
I expected a high octane version of The Wizard of Oz with epic fight scenes and creative world building.
What I got was a highly repetitive, angst riddle, pity party featuring a girl named Dorothy.
I received my copy for NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours.

*thank you to Netgalley and Garten Gevedon for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*


1 star.

Ohh boy oh boy. I finally made it! This was one challenging read due to the size of this book and the uninterest I felt. It was actually a forced read. I wanted to DNF SO many times but I pushed myself just incase things turned around and it was actually a good read. Unfortunately that never happened. The beginning was probably the best part but the amount of times the word 'Grey' had been used was way over the top thatbitngot rather annoying.

I LOVE Wizard of Oz retellings and vampires, zombies (when I'm in the mood) and the like, so this should have been a great mash up. But this was such a let down. I wasn't gripped by it. I wasn't excited to read it. I just wasn't interested. Based on the sypnosis had so much potential. I hope there are people who enjoy this and I know authors put a lot of work into their books but this was a miss from me.

If you liked Pride and Prejudice and zombies you will like this. I was presently surprised that it was based off the book and not the movie.

DNF - 18%
I was so hoping all the negative reviews for this book had it all wrong*. I think that old saying 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all' perfectly describes the way I feel about this book. I'm really trying but I just can't think of anything nice. I'm sure there's an audience for this book, but unfortunately I'm not a part of it.

Both Dorothy and Nick are unbearable. All the crude jokes, sex talk and the final nail in the coffin was the insta-sex (or close enough), I was cringing the entire time. I really wanted to continue reading just so I could follow Ardie and his merciful voice of reason, but even he wasn't worth having to suffer the presence of the other two.

Gorgeous cover!!

Wizard of Oz retelling? Yes please!
Imagine if Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland married Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, but invited Kate Beckinsale’s Underworld character to the party…. I know right?! How does one get invited to such a shindig?

I will spare you explaining the plot of The Wizard of Oz, I mean we all know what happens in the end. If you have never heard Judy Garland singing, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, then my friend, we have some pop culture catching up to do.

This book very much follows through with the original plot of The Wizard of Oz. Starting with the Tornado, landing on the witch, inheriting her shoes, but this Dorothy will end up being your very personable and relatable heroine. She will soon realize she is not in Kansas anymore and there are horrible monsters ruling and running amok in the Land of Oz. She has to quickly adapt and cope with this sudden change. As well as making some spooky friends along the way.

The way Gevedon re-wrote the Scarecrow needing a brain, the Tin Man needing a heart, and the Lion needing courage was such a fantastical and fun twist. I admired them throughout the story. They had really funny moments which helped them all grow closer as the story developed. I had many many moments where I literally laughed out loud at their banter. Their togetherness was well done but I could have used more dialogue between them. Even with that being said, the author did well to always keep the group close together during the challenges on the way to Oz.

Dorothy in the Land of Monsters by Garten Gevedon is a cool, macabre, dark, and kick-ass take on your typical Oz story. If you are into that sort of adventurous (can get a little violent) kind of stories I highly recommend it. But lest we forget those that like a little romance sprinkled on top, it’s there for you too. I too sometimes crave a little attraction here and a little longing there. In which I don’t want to spoil it for you, but alas, you get a “lil something something” for that story requirement.

Dorothy in the Land of Monsters is a debut novel for Garten Gevedon.
I found her plot overall enticing and creative. I will be ready for book two when it does make its appearance.

3.5

The description of this book is definitely what drew me in. It starts out a little slow and dragging but once you get into the story you find that while it does stick to the lines of the original they give it it's own pizzazz to make it it's own.
From zombies, shifters and good looking murders. We follow Dorothy on her bloody quest to get home with a little romance in there which gives us a whole new ending.

I've dnfed this book at 26 %.

I love retellings of Wizard of the Oz and I was really looking forward to reading this one. Starting it with no knowledge of its lenght, I was still hopeful. By all matters it's not a bad book and I believe it might be compelling to some readers. It just didn't meet my expectations and eventhough I wanted to finish it, 500+ pages just made me not to.

This book sticks very closely to its original so if you're looking for something fresh and new, I'd rather try other rettelings. Characters and the country is just reversed to the "monster theme" going around, otherwise it stays the same. It's also very slow paced which I don't particularly like in my books. Another aspect I was not expecting at all was a lot of focus on the romance / sexy times. I don't mind at all but in this particular book, almost half of what I've read was just Dorothy being horny with Tin Man..

So, if you like Oz rettelings, don't mind slow pace and some sexy times, try this book.

This book had promise but it could use another run through with an editor. The dialogue needs tightened up as does the storyline. Also, at times it’s wordy when it’s not needed.

This was different but fun to read. Dorothy get taken away by the tornado and Toto is not described as the Toto we know but as a bloodhound.
They land in Hell. Described as a colorful Hell dripped in blood.This alternate world has vampires, zombies and shifters. The City of Emeralds is where she needs to go and follow the blood-soaked yellow brick road. Her footwear are silver boots which went on her feet when the house she was in landed on and killed the wicked vampire of the west. The City of Emeralds is also a vampire free zone.
Dorothy meets up with a friendly zombie, a massive shifter werelion and a heartless ax murderer, who is very hot!! So Dorothy has to find the powerful Oz so he can send her home and help her new friends.
I would have liked to have given this 5 stars because this was so different and I do like retellings of fairytales and other stories. The only problem I had was that Dorothy was 16 and there was instant love and how they can't be apart and there will never be anyone else for her. At 16 that is a little weird. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this take on the Wizard of Oz.
I received this ARC from Xpresso and NetGalley for a review.

trigger warnings
<spoiler>being orphaned
slavery
depression
</spoiler>


dnf at 13%

Dorothy is not in Kansas anymore.
After a hurricane picked her up in her uncle's and aunt's house, it drops her in an unknown land - and on top of an evil witch who is killed instantly. She is told that Oz, the great and terrible, might show her how to get back home, and so she sets out on a road made of yellow bricks to the Emerald City of Oz.

You know the drill. Only this time, Oz (the kingdom) is infected by Vampires, and people turn either to zombiism or being a werebeast to protect themselves from being enslaved by a vampire. Oz (the person) is not able to do anything to save this world, but there are rumours that he might have a cure for turning zombies back into men if said men feel they didn't make the right choice. Also, apparently Oz (the city) is free from vampires and everyone is welcome to live a sheltered life.

A big problem is the point of narration. It was a big mistake to give everything from Dorothy's point of view as she is depressed her parents died, which left her in the care of the remaining family members. She reminds me a lot of myself when I was in puberty and had an untreated depression - but she knows she's depressed, so why isn't it treated?
She rambles on and once she's found a topic, it will be milked as thoroughly as possible. This means, like other reviewers mentioned, that she goes on and on to describe how grey and dreary Kansas and the farm are to her, even her life is. I tried to ignore that and carry on, but Dorothy does this again and again, and as she stops to discuss her sex-life with the axe wielding murderer she met the day before, I knew I'd better quit.

I guess this one is hit or miss, either you love it or you don't.
Sadly, for me, it didn't work.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book. When I read the description, it immediately caught my attention. A retelling of Dorothy in the land of Oz, but with monsters? Sign me up.

I did not love this book. I barely enjoyed it at times. This book took me entirely too long to read only to not finish because I couldn’t be pressed to pick it up. Don’t get me wrong, there were moments that shined in this book. The friendship between Dorothy and the Oz Trio was very well written. The descriptions of Oz were so vivid, I could see it in my mind. The world building, or the revamping of the world of Oz was done very well. That’s about all I can say good about this book.

I had three major gripes about this book. First gripe is the use of SAT/ACT words when Dorothy is our narrator. Dorothy is supposed to be 17 from Kansas and hasn’t finished high school yet. Her school is very small, and I’m pretty certain they’re not the best school in the state of Kansas since it’s in the middle of everywhere. If the story was told in 3rd person omniscient, then I could understand the use of such words. But this is from the eyes of a 17-year-old girl, and I’m going to take a bet that she doesn’t really know these words. It sounded like the author had a thesaurus next to her the whole time and just wanted to fancy up the writing. It didn’t need it. The descriptions were good enough on their own, that using big fancy words just bogs the writing down. Also, the overuse of certain words like scintillations was aggravating as hell. The writing bogged this story down, and it appeared to be a clever way to disguise the lack of character development with Dorothy.

My second gripe is the forced romance between Nick and Dorothy. Oh my Ozma, did these two annoy the ever living crap out of me. They’ve known each other for maybe a total of a month, if we take into consideration all the time they spent walking to Oz, the time they spent in Oz, and then heading to kill the Vampire Witch of the West, and the time Dorothy was trapped there. They had known each other less than that before Dorothy is all, “Oh I’m so in love with Nick!” Then he’s all, “Oh, I’m so in love with Dorothy!” Before we’re even 70% into the book, they’ve proclaimed their love for each other and how they will never love anyone else in the entire realms. Hold up, girly. You’re 17. You got your whole life ahead of you. Slow down for a second. There’s even a part after they return to the City of Emeralds (because Emerald City was too…plain?) that she refers to him as her husband. NO. NO NO NO NO. That’s not how it works, and they just became insufferable with their misery that he wants her to leave and she wants to stay and fight with him, and they’re just not meant to be together because they are both TOO STUPID TO FUNCTION. This romance wasn’t needed. Or better yet, this romance had time to grow.

My third gripe was this book didn’t know if it wanted to be young adult or a new adult novel. There were moments that were not young adult appropriate, and all the talk about sex kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. We had a character flat out call Dorothy a place for Nick to park his cock, and I was so flabbergasted that this made it through an editor’s pen. It felt like the author wanted to make this an adult fiction but was trying to bank on the young adult readers, so she aged down Dorothy and Nick, but left all the inappropriate dialogue and scenes. I’m not a prude by any standards, and I love me some smut, but if this was written towards young adults, mainly teens, then the all the talk about sex, friends with benefits, having flings needs to be cleaned up a bit. That would also take out a lot of unnecessary scenes between Nick and Dorothy. Good Lord was there way too many of the same repetitive nonsense between these two.

Okay, I have final gripe. That was Dorothy’s silver boots. These literally created plot armor around Dorothy, and soon because that all threats to her life became predictable, because of these boots. They created this armor that made her this badass of a warrior even though she hadn’t fought in her entire 17 years. Nothing was going to touch her, and the only time she didn’t benefit from the boots, they still protected her. She was never in any actual danger, so all the scenes with monsters and danger fell flat. If our main character isn’t at risk of dying, being hurt, or being turned into a vampire or zombie, then what is the point of having those fight scenes? The boots were too powerful, and it took away from the suspense and danger this book was trying to create in a land full of monsters.

This book had a lot of potential, but it needs an editor that is going to be brutal to it and take out half of the unnecessary drama between Nick and Dorothy. Also there were a lot of typos, but nothing that took me out of the book. I didn’t need help with that, I stayed mostly on the outer edges of the book most of the time anyway.