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.

After the big tornado, Dorothy goes missing for days. She finally turns up and of course recounts her visit to Oz. The towns people who are very religious don't believe her tales and think she might have murdered an elderly lady from town instead of "The Wicked Witch". They sentence her to an insane asylum. Everyone wants to know if she is insane or not. I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. I was looking for a unique take on the Wizard of Oz but I didn't like all the religious hysteria.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC of ‘After Oz’. What an awesome idea for a novel. I love The Wizard of oz and I think this was such an awesome and interesting, slight dark, take on the story. I love opening up the idea of what happened after Dorothy comes back and has this totally outlandish story to tell. Definitely a lot of Bible verses scattered throughout the story, but! I suppose it makes sense to show how deep the townsfolk are in their religious beliefs and how that plays a part in Dorothy coming back.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. It was a bit slow for me and it took a lot for me to stick to it. The premise was good, just didn't capture me.

This was a really amazing imagining of the whole Oz story. Pulls you in like a twister and shakes up what you think you know about it. Poor little Dorothy who is at the mercy of a stupid religious community. A lot of women’s issues that remind me of what is going on right now and how we have to fight to be heard.

Although I enjoyed the story, it seemed to drag out a bit with the writing style. The characters were well thought out, and the twist in the story was good.
Thanks for allowing me to read and review!

Five stars!!! Read this book!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting. The mystery was unraveled at the perfect pace and I loved the extension of one of my favorite stories, The Wizard of Oz. This is a realistic look at what it would have actually been like in the small Kansas town struck by a tornado in the late 1800's and an 11-year old girl who tells a larger-than-life story.
 
Just as in the original source material, when the tornado hits, Dorothy Gale goes missing for four days, but in this book, we don't follow her to Oz. We stay in Kansas with her family and community desperately looking for her. When she is finally found, she tells a fantastical story about her time in Oz, where, though she didn't want to, she was forced to melt the wicked witch to save her friends. Everyone thinks she is completely off her rocker, and they send her to live with the town pastor who might be able to dispel these "devilish" imaginings. However, a few days later, a woman who is not well liked in town is discovered murdered in her home, and the townspeople start to suspect that Dorothy may have fabricated her story of Oz to cover up the fact that she killed the woman.

This one was so much fun! The twister has come. Dorothy was missing for days and turns up uninjured with a FANTASTIC story that’s not well received by this very small, Christian prairie town in Kansas. When Alvina Clough is found murdered, all suspicion goes to Dorothy. After all, she admitted to melting a witch! After she is sent to an asylum, a “lady doctor” comes to help. Sent by her reporter cousin, Frank Baum.

If you love the Wizard of Oz, you’ll love this story! So down to earth!

who dunnit for adults--what happened when Dorothy returned to Kansas. Not for children. Good twist at the end.

This was a nice quick read, and I honestly really appreciated that more than one would think.
I felt the mystery was there. The characters were very interesting. I really wanted more of Dorothy though, that would be my biggest gripe.
My favorite was the different POVs, that just added to the excitement for me.. The only other thing I didn't enjoy was the end. It seemed far out there, and I was hoping for something else.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an eARC copy of After Oz by Gordon McAlpine.

Gordon McAlpine writes the familiar story of Dorothy and her journey to the magical land of Oz which takes on a haunting new twist. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century Kansas, the novel opens with the aftermath of a devastating tornado that destroys the Gale family farm, leaving young Dorothy missing and presumed dead. However, when Dorothy reappears unharmed days later, her account of her time away plunges her into a nightmare of disbelief and suspicion.

This aspect of 'After Oz' is one that I really enjoyed. After all, the original novel and movie do not give any insight into how the Gale family, the farm hands etc., felt during Dorothy's disappearance with the exception that she was missed and they were worried. So it made perfect sense that the residents of Sunbonnet would meet her fantastical tale with fear and condemnation, not to mention the accusations of witchcraft and murder which Dorothy is also entangled with. It also makes sense that Dorothy would be sent to the Topeka Insane Asylum. Gordon McAlpine does a good job in making the real world accurate for the time the Wizard of Oz was set in, not to mention that it doesn't 100% focus on Dorothy as we've already heard her side of the story on many occasions.

Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford, was not my favorite character to say the least. While she was better than the doctors at the Topeka Insane Asylum, the way that she used her experience was not 100% accurate for what was used in MA (I mean tarot cards, really?) and she got herself way over her head in Sunbonnet. Which is pretty typical for any story based in a small town and the trope is over used, but that isn't Gordon McAlpine's fault. The ending also had a lot left to be desired due to some plot holes that really should have been answered, but I won't ruin it for those who wish to finish the novel.

I will say that I did enjoy the novel, McAlpine writes a compelling novel that explores prejudice, madness, and the lengths we will go to uncover the truth. It will certainly linger for some.

I think this is a wonderfully dark twist on a classic story! It was always a wonder what the townspeople thought of Dorothy when she came back and spouted all of this "nonsense" about killing a witch to save a fairy land and now we have a better idea of it. Real page turner.

As someone who works in the mental health field, I was very interested in this re-telling from the synopsis. Overall, the author’s writing style was easy to read and allowed you to follow along the story easily. I really liked the plot of this book, but would have liked more dialogue that pushed the plot forward and less from the narrator. Pretty good read. Not my favorite, but worth a read.