A Fiery Friendship

March 1, 2017
Dorothy wasn't the first young girl to take an epic journey down the Yellow Brick Road.Long before becoming the Good Witch of the South, Glinda Gavaria was a wide-eyed, red-haired white teenager from Quadling Country whose biggest worry was what career she would be forced to accept. Poised to follow in her mother's footsteps as a seamstress, Glinda quickly learns that life in Oz is nothing like what it seems. Her mother, a seemingly benign seamstress, is actually a powerful sorceress whose revolutionary faction is trying to restore Princess Ozma to the throne, stolen from her while fighting against the four wicked witches who have a stranglehold on the four Oz kingdoms. In Fiedler's dystopian reimagining of the Oz mythos, the country is suppressed by four wicked witches who forbid the use of magic while subjugating the citizens to the rule of a secret evil sorceress to whom the witches owe their allegiance. While this novel stands alone on its own merits, readers familiar with Baum's original series will enjoy spending time with famous characters such as the malevolent Mombi and Nick Chopper midway through his transformation into the Tin Woodsman. The author crafts an intricate world filled with excitement and magical creatures, but unfortunately Glinda's character does not fully crystallize before she is swept up in her adventure. A fast-paced series opener. (Fantasy. 12-17)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2017
Gr 5-8-Late one night, 13-year-old Glinda Gavaria has a vision of wickedness about to be committed by the four witches who control her homeland of Oz. Then, in rapid succession, she graduates from finishing school, learns about magic, watches her mother get kidnapped by a bog monster, acquires some strange new companions, and connects with an underground revolution against the evil enchantresses. There's world-building aplenty in this first installment in the projected -Ages of Oz- series: visitors from Earth, magicked-up 18th-century technology, four elemental spirits, four different types of sorcery, an Ozite creation myth, and an explanation for the historical rulership of Oz taken from plot points in L. Frank Baum's original books. The novel also echoes Baum's work in ornate descriptions of settings and in bizarre character names, which even other characters feel the need to comment on (-Immavinth and Wurlitzoo? She's got to be making those up.-). More modern elements include a bit of teenage trash talk and some unsubtle commentary on the sorry choices available to women in Oz, where Glinda's school offers courses with names such as -A Smattering of Geometry Is More Than Enough for Girls.- The plot meanders a bit, with quests embedded within quests, but fans of elaborate magical tales won't mind. VERDICT This updated take on the -Land of Oz- stories will satisfy middle schoolers looking for an entertaining new fantasy series. A good purchase for most collections.-Beth Wright Redford, Richmond Elementary School Library, VT

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.