In the first book, Amy from Kansas was picked up by a tornado and deposited in Oz; but it was certainly not the technicolor Oz from the movies or anything like the Baum books.  This Oz was bleak and devastated by the predations of an evil Dorothy and Glinda who were busily sucking all the magic from land and torturing and killing along the way.  The Lion was bloodthirsty, the Scarecrow was a raving psychopath, and the Tin Woodman was totally heartless.  Amy was recruited by the Order of the Wicked to help destroy Dorothy and save Oz.  The Order included Glamora, Glinda's wicked twin sister, and Mombi, a wicked witch. 

By the end of the first book, Amy had destroyed the Tin Woodman, but Dorothy herself still eluded her.  But Amy had discovered how much more powerful she was using magic and was even more determined to find and kill Dorothy.  And the Emerald City was burning.

Amy and Ozma found refuge with the flying monkeys but they couldn't hide there forever.  The Lion was no longer a threat but Amy knew Dorothy and Glinda would be coming for her soon; she couldn't put the monkeys at risk.  Amy had two of the three trophies she'd need to weaken Dorothy: the Tin Woodman's heart and the Lion's courage.  Both enchanted items proved to be a mystery; Mombi couldn't divine a link between their magic and either Dorothy or the Wizard who gave them away.  And it was abundantly clear that it was those items which made the bearer evil.

Amy and Ozma set off on a journey on the yellow brick road to find allies to help Nox and Glamora.  The road takes them first thru the Fog of Doubt and the on to the Island of Lost Things.  On the island they meet Bright who takes them to Polychrome, the first magically strong ally they've encountered.  Unfortunately, they are ultimately betrayed from a most unexpected person and Ozma is lost but Nox is found.  At a loss to know what to do, Amy and Nox end up back at the Emerald City where they find the remains of the Scarecrow - now missing his brains, thanks to Dorothy.  While Amy believed she needed all three artifacts, heart, courage and brains, to defeat Dorothy; she didn't know for what purpose Dorothy needed them.  At the palace, they finally meet up with the Wizard who, while purporting to want to help Amy, appeared to be mostly interested in contesting Dorothy's power.  It didn't go well for him.  And when the dust settled, Amy found herself back in…Kansas.

This one wasn't quite as much fun as the first book; it felt more like a novella with no particular climax.  It did lay more groundwork as the focus was on the three magical artifacts: heart, courage and brains.   ~~  Catherine Book

For more titles by Danielle Paige click here