I truly appreciate this novel more after reading the author's note at the end. To all the readers: take what you know about Dorothy and Oz and treat the text like an allegory. At face value, it's straightforward. But when you apply the lessons and themes to life, there is no limit to what you might uncover.

I had really high hopes for this. The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorites, so I was excited to see where this would go. It’s a tale of a psychologist who visits Dorothy in an insane asylum and tries to free her of her crime that she was accused of. The psychologist turns detective and uncovers a slew of truths in a small town. I can only give 2 stars because there was a lot of religious talk and bible verses and I don’t really enjoy that sort of thing in my books. But the ending actually ended up being really good. I am glad I stuck with it because it is not what I expected at all.

This is a dark and twisty sequel to Wizard of Oz, and it was so unsettling.

Dorothy makes a return home, only to be committed to a home for the criminally insane as an eleven-year-old child.

It is set in the 1800's, in a bible fearing community that believes her tale to be blasphemy. A woman in town is found murdered in the same way Dorothy describes killing the wicked witch, and all fingers are pointed at her,

I liked the first half of the book more than the second. The first half focused in on Dorothy and what she was going through. A psychiatrist comes to meet with her and is determined to help prove her innocence. The only thing that threw me off is that Dorothy was supposed to be eleven, but her dialogue was very adult. It didn't seem to fit the age of the character, but it didn't deter from my enjoyment of the story.

The second half of the book is more of a historical fiction mystery and is centered around solving the crime that Dorothy is accused of committing.

Although this is more of a dark continuation rather than a retelling of a classic tale, I always like books that put a dark spin on stories we already know. Overall, it was a good read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my copy of After Oz by Gordon McAlpine in exchange for an honest review. It publishes August 6, 2024.
Wow, this book had me on the edge of my seat. I could not stop reading this. I loved how this took elements of the Wizard of Oz and threaded it with an 1890's farming town in Kansas. I thought it was so well-done and just overall interesting.
If you enjoy retellings, or rather, epilogues, I highly recommend this one!

just okay for me. inventive take on the original, but it didn't hold my full attention very well. Much of it seemed lifted directly from the original, and the parts that weren't original were tedious and predictable.

In After Oz, Gordon McAlpine tells the story of what happens to Dorothy Gale after her return from Oz, but it is not the story you think. Instead of waking up from her ordeal surrounded by those who love her, she is found asleep in a neighbor's pumpkin patch several days after the tornado. And instead of dismissing Dorothy's amazing story of her adventures in Oz as a dream experienced when she was unconscious, the towns people in her 1898 home of Sunbonnet, Kansas begin to think there is something sinister about the child when she relates what she considered a true experience with strange characters, including good and bad witches. She tells a story of accidentally killing a witch by pouring water on her, and when and when the body of a local spinster is discovered, killed in a way startlingly similar to what Dorothy described, they blame her for the killing and eventually sentence her to an insane asylum, considered a merciful decision considering her young age.

Enter a young female psychologist, Dr. Evelyn Wilford who, upon hearing about Dorothy's case, travels to the asylum to evaluate Dorothy for herself. Upon getting to know the child, she begins to believe that Dorothy is innocent of the crime. She resolves to try and get to the bottom of this incident, but she must battle against the prejudices of society against educated women at that time, and the dangers involved if the real killer finds out what she is up to. This is a very interesting and at times harrowing version of a well known tale turned murder mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed this unexpected perspective

Interesting twist on the Wizard of Oz. Definitely a dark novel! There are two different POVs, neither of which are Dorothy. One believes Dorothy is innocent and one believes shes guilty.

This is set in the late 19th century and has a lot of small town prejudice and bigotry.

This is a great read for anyone who is a fan of the Wizard of Oz!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What an interesting take on a classic. This was one that kept me reading and wanting to know what would happen next. I enjoyed the exploration of thought and am grateful for the opportunity to have read this one. Thank you!

It is 1896 and a small mid-western town has suffered a cataclysmic event. A tornado has left the town in disarray and eleven-year-old Dorothy is missing. After Oz is a grippingly dark twist on the beloved story The Wizard of Oz. When Dorothy is found in a neighbor’s pumpkin patch the story unfolds as she relays in detail her trip to the magical Land of Oz. In speaking of her adventures, Dorothy mentions that she killed a wicked witch by melting her with water. Days later, the local spinster Alvina Clough is found dead in her home. Dorothy is found guilty of the murder and is sent to an insane asylum in Topeka, Kansas. After entering the asylum, Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford arrives to interview Dorothy. She befriends Dorothy and believes she is innocent. As Dr. Wilford investigates the crime, she exposes dark secrets, prejudices, deceit, and hypocrisy in the dusty mid-western town. As a huge fan of every Oz tale, this one does not disappoint! It is a delightfully dark and twisty tale!

Loved this take on a classic. This was my favorite growing up and now that I'm older and thrillers are my favorite thing to read this hit the spot! I really enjoyed everything about this and it kept me engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for a copy of this book.

This was such a unique take on The Wizard of Oz story. I enjoyed reading this take on the classic novel and the take on Dorothy being accused of murder. I would recommend.

This was an interesting idea of what might have happened to Dorothy, when she came back with her fantastic tale of Oz. While I did enjoy it, especially the second half, I felt the characters were a little flat. Would have loved to understand more about the doctor's back story, and how it factored into her motivations.

Books about Oz or related to the Wizard of Oz tend to always fall short for me. This one fell in the middle. I did like the darker twist of the story and found most of it interesting. Lagged a little in the middle but overall was a decent read.

After a tornado sweeps through Kansas, 11 year old Dorothy Gale is missing. Four days later she turns up with a fantastical story. At the same time, a local woman is found dead, burnt with acid. Dorothy, who claims to have melted a witch, is immediately under suspicion. After a hearing, she is sent to an insane asylum, where she meets Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford, who interviews her at length. Despite her new circumstances, Dorothy maintains that following the tornado, she was in the magical world of Oz.

This was an engaging story with a unique perspective. I enjoyed the characters and the pace of the story. I didn’t particularly like the letter writing in the middle of the book, I think this time could have been done differently. Despite this criticism, 4 out of 5 stars.

This was a dark, entertaining and original sequel to the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy returns to Kansas and after telling her story is placed in an insane asylum for murder.

I really enjoyed this story. A psychologist takes interest in Dorothy’s story and sets out to prove her innocence. As she does this, you learn all about the small town Dorothy grew up in, and the characters that reside in that town. While this is a sequel of sorts to Wizard of Oz, and the story is about Dorothy, she is not the MC on the story, and really non of the major players from the original book/movie come into play. It’s more about the psychologist’s quest and a narrator, who I’m not sure we ever learn who it is, telling the story.

Either way, the story is gripping, the plot an original take on what happens after Dorothy returns from the land of Oz. Very enjoyable and a fast read, I would recommend for any Wizard of Oz fans who might like to read a different take on the story.

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am usually a huge fan of Oz retelling but this one just did not land for me. It was weird reading a story with characters I’ve always loved and being so bored.

I think everyone knows the basics of The Wizard of Oz, but just incase - lets recap. Massive tornado hits a small farming town in rural Kansas and young Dorothy Gale is swept away to the magical land of Oz. Days later, Dorothy returns, regaling her formerly worried family of her fantastical adventures. The end! But what happens after?

When a tornado strikes the town of Sunbonnet, Kansas, it wreaks destruction on the small, rural town and carries away one of their own - eleven year old Dorothy Gale. When she returns, seemingly unharmed, four days later everyone is relieved - that is until she starts telling tales of the magical land she spent the last 96 hours in. As Sunbonnet is a devoutly Christian town, her tales, specifically her tales of witches, are cause for alarm and concern. The fact that she "melted" a wicked witch especially gives everyone pause. When the local irritable spinster turns up murdered, all suspicion lands squarely on Dorothy. After a slapdash hearing, Dorothy is sent to a mental institution in Topeka to live our the remainder of her days. But did she do it? Dr. Evelyn Wilford is determined to get to the bottom of the entire situation.

From the description, this seemed like a fun take on a whodunnit that incorporates parts of a story we already know and featuring a known, and beloved, character - Dorothy. However, Dorothy only factored into maybe 15% of the book - if that. The majority of the book is the recounting of Dr. Evelyn Wilford as well as an unnamed member of the community of Sunbonnet. Which, would be fine, but the extreme amount of religious fervor that took over the story was a turn off for me. I get it - the time period and location lends itself to religiosity and very conservative views - but I felt like I was almost being beaten over the head with it to the detriment of the narrative. While it was a quick read, there wasn't anything particularly MEMORABLE about it. None of the characters really made an impact, which meant I didn't particularly care about the outcome of any of it.

Admirable premise, but it just fell short for me.

I thought I was going to enjoy this based on this part of the description:

In a small town full of insidious secrets, Evelyn sets out to save Dorothy from her terrible circumstances but can't help but fear whether something menacing may be lurking just out of sight.

As I read this story it began decent, the direction it continued on was a bit slow for me.

Once it really got into motion, I began to enjoy it but for me it took too long so I was often bored and overwhelmed with finishing it.

We all know how the story goes – a tornado hits a rural Kansas farming community, Dorothy Gale is missing for days, and upon her return she has a fantastical tale about the land of Oz. But what happens after Oz? In this re-imagined follow up, Dorothy finds herself in a mental institution. The conservative leaders of her town find they don’t believe the fantasy land the girl insists she visited, and there is a damning detail that can’t be ignored – Dorothy’s mention of “melting” a witch on accident. Why would they focus on this? Because in the time Dorothy was missing, a recluse woman on the outskirts of town was found murdered – with her face melted by acid.

Enter Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford, a 28-year old psychologist from “the big city” who comes to the asylum to listen to and help Dorothy. While all the men in the town condescendingly endure the doctor’s questions, Dorothy and Dr. Wilford converse freely. Through these discussions, Dr. Wilford determines that the case against Dorothy is not as open and shut as the town elders would have her believe, and she sets off on a mission to find the truth.

I really enjoyed this twist on a classic! The nod to Frank L. Baum in Dr. Wilford’s correspondence was nicely done. The asylum aspect reminded me of the beginning of “Return to Oz” (a super creepy movie that you should absolutely watch). And the men around Dorothy and Dr. Wilford thinking they knew better than all the women-folk? Unfortunately still relatable. A great read that incorporates some elements of fantasy with a murder-mystery. Follow the clues and see if you can figure out who is really at the heart of the witch’s death!

I was really not impressed with this book, For how much the summary references Dorothey and Oz, you'd think there would be more about Dorothy in the book! However, she felt like just an afterthought and was only in the book about 20%. I almost DNF but powered through it. I would not recommend this book to anyone other than an enemy.