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.

I really wanted to like After Oz by Gordon McAlpine, but it left me feeling flat.

Mr. McAlpine gives Dorothy’s journey to Oz a new spin, and the concept is interesting and has potential. However, the writing itself felt more like a young adult’s attempt at re-writing a classic. I found Dorothy’s dialogue unmatching of the personality the author tries to describe the girl as having. It was as if he was trying too hard to make Dorothy sound like she belonged in an insane asylum rather than just an imaginative young lady. Speaking of dialogue, the language between characters doesn’t quite reflect the time period the story supposedly took place during, either.

Some elements of the story line make me think perhaps Mr. McAlpine was trying to write a Midwest, late Victorian era version of The Scarlet Letter. But this, too, was unsuccessful.

I am rating this story 3 stars because the idea had potential, but I don’t believe it was carried out as well as it could have been .

I was really excited about the premise of this book but I was left wanting more when I finished it. I think it's because I wanted more investigation into Dorothy's retelling of her trip to Oz, how did she come up with the details, where was she really? The mystery of the old crone was a good twist but it was more a of traditional "who done it?" than an exploration of a well-known, and well-loved, fantasy land.

This is the tale of what happened to Dorothy after she returned from Oz. It is definitely an interesting spin on how a small, Christian community in the late 1890s reacts to a young child and her "imaginative" story of where she was after the twister hit their town.

I enjoyed the story and was not expecting a retelling of "The Wizard of Oz" as the title specifically states "After Oz". It was a fun read! 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for a pre-release copy of After Oz. **Warning: this review contains spoilers.”


I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, it was really hard to follow. It’s written from several perspectives (and switches back and forth), but the narrators are never formally introduced, and there isn’t a signal when the narrator was changing. So I had to spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what was going on, who was talking, and why.

I liked the general premise of the book. However, the ending was disappointing. Justice is never given to the real killer and Dorthy just goes on the run. It would’ve been nice to have more of a resolution.

♥️♥️Book Review♥️♥️
After Oz by #gordonmcalpine

So cool! I have had quite a few back-and-forth reviews on this. You either really love it or didn't like it. I give 3.5 stars.
Yes, it was a cool remake of #thewizardofoz... Told through the mind of a psychologist. The book entails how doctors and psychologists work in small towns back in the 1800s. In a small town, a young girl named, Dorothy says she visited the land of Oz and survived the massive tornado the town was still recovering from. She also says that she accidentally killed a witch by melting her face in the land of oz. A neighborly woman found Dorothy in her pumpkin patch a couple weeks after the tornado had passed. Dorothy was taken to the hospital right away, and kept in an insane asylum, due to the hint stories of the land of Oz. some believe that Dorothy had a hard bringing up due to living with her aunt and uncle, and not having parents others believe that Dorothy could be from hell but in all reality, could a little girl really murder someone so violently by melting their face off! A psychologist dives deep and finds out the truth. The truth shall set you free.
The ending of the story is a little drawn out, which is fine, but I felt like it could’ve ended on a sharp-witted-witted note rather than a run-on. I didn’t give this five stars because there are a lot of subjects that are overly explained in this novel. Some main like that is just not something I prefer. This is also a murder mystery, and not just fantasy. You could definitely sit down and read this in one day. Give it a try! You may love it!!!!

#netgalleyreadathon #netgalley #netgalleyreview #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreads #netgalleyarc #ilovebooks #ilovebooks📚 #bookrecsofinstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreader #bookreviewersofinstagram #booknerdigans #booklover #murdermystery #thriller #thrillerbooks #thrillerera

A tornado has hit the town of Sunbonnet, Kansas. 11-year-old Dorothy Gale is missing, the farm belonging to her aunt and uncle destroyed. The townspeople go looking for her but have little hope of her recovery, especially as days pass without a sign of her. When Dorothy is found in a pumpkin patch several miles away four days later, people can't help but wonder where she's been but none of them believe the story she tells.

I almost don't know what to make of this book. I feel like I need some time to think about what I read. The first thing I tried to figure out as I was reading was whether the author used the Oz books or the movie(s) as his starting point. Definitely it seems that the movies were the starting point, with both the original Wizard of Oz and the Disney sequel Return to Oz being visible behind the curtain (like how I did that?) The story also had definite overtones of the Salem witch trials, as religious zealots are prosecuting a person against whom there is no real evidence of any wrongdoing.

The perspective was very interesting, going back and forth between an anonymous townsperson who represented one side of the story and a doctor from the east coast (Massachusetts of all places) representing the other side of the story. Dorothy played very little part in the book and we only see Toto once. I found that a bit disappointing but the story wasn't really about Dorothy, it was more about the town and how they handled the situation.

To avoid spoilers I won't say anymore about what happens in the book, however I will say that there were some moments that had me gasping out loud and the ending was quite a surprise. I enjoyed this book a lot and would really like to reread it. Anyone who is a fan of the Oz stories should definitely check it out.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Thank you for the chance of reading this arc.

I didn't love this book, but I also didn't hate it. There were aspects I really enjoyed, for example the addition of L. Frank Baum. But I did also struggle with the format.

I really looked forward to reading this book, but I didn't love it. It was not what I expected. I struggled with the way it was written and I felt like there were a lot of bible verses. I think it would have been nice to hear from Dorothy's point of view as well.

Step into a world where the magic of Oz collides with the harsh realities of small-town life in ‘After Oz.’. Ever wondered what happened to Dorothy after her trip to the wonderful world of Oz? Get ready for a captivating tale that picks up where the yellow brick road left off.

You should know…this isn’t your typical fairy tale. Alpine delves into heavy religious themes, adding depth and resonance to its narrative set in the heart of Sunbonnet, KS in the late 1800’s.

Following a devastating tornado, Dorothy finds herself at the center of a mystery when a local recluse is found murdered, and she becomes the prime suspect.

Dr. Wilford embarks on a journey to unravel the truth, navigating the town’s most insidious secrets while battling to clear Dorothy’s name.

As a fan of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ I was drawn to this dark and twisty reinterpretation. It exceeded all my expectations, delivering a fascinating blend of fantasy and suspense.

If you’re a fan of retellings, ‘After Oz’ is a must-read for your TBR pile!

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC of this gem.

What happens to Dorothy when she returns to Oz? In a dark and twisted sequel, we learn about what happened when Dorothy returns to Kansas and tells her community about the magical land of Oz.

It was a quick read, but I still struggled a little to get through. The narrative went back and forth between a member of the community and a doctor who has taken an interest in Dorothy. It gives you both a narrator to root for and one who you’re not quite a fan of (I think intentionally). Being as this story takes place in the 1890s, the author wrote the way one would presumably speak in those days, which is what made me struggle with it more. All in all though, it was a fairly good book.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced copy.

I was very excited to receive an advanced copy of this book as who isn't a fan of the Wizard of Oz! The writing was right on point for the time period and the location - lots of Bible quoting references (maybe a bit too many?). However, I felt a bit robbed that the book hardly has Dorothy in it at all. It really revolves around a whodunit (without giving away any spoilers) and I kept hoping Dorothy and her adventure in Oz would work itself back into the story. Even so, it kept my interest and I would recommend it to others but NOT if they are looking for a true "After Oz" experience. 3.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

DNF'ing at 25% but giving 3 stars because I'm going to try this book again when its formatting is fixed. I found it difficult to follow the doctor-patient interview 'dialogue' because it wasn't always a one-for-one alternating flow, and I had no idea who was sometimes talking.

The writing is decent but my main complaint is the amount of exposition in the first 1/4 of the story. I would've preferred a bit more 'show, don't tell.'

The concept for After Oz is so interesting and I look forward to finishing this.

A dark and unsettling tale of what happens to Dorothy after she returns from the Land of Oz. It focuses heavily on the themes of religious bigotry and small-town prejudice, and will almost certainly make you want to punch a certain narrator in the nose by the end.

After Oz is told from two different points of view, that of the doctor who is attempting to prove Dorothy's innocence and of an unnamed resident of her small Kansas town who is convinced of her guilt (and who appears to speak for the town as a whole). The townsperson is full of hatred and vitriol (complete with bible verses to justify both), while Dr. Wilford is a much more sympathetic character. Dorothy is surprisingly not all that prominent in the story – she's talked about, sure, but she doesn't narrate any of the chapters and is locked away in the Topeka Insane Asylum for most of the book.

And I guess that's part of my biggest complaint about this novel, really. Dorthy isn't the main character in her own story, Toto is almost nonexistent, and the Land of Oz is mentioned only superficially. Even the more prominent non-Oz-related characters don't really have much of a history or a personality (other than “religious” in the case of the townsfolk). Certain events in Dr. Wilford's past are hinted at, but you never really get any of the details. If you're going to take most of The Wizard of Oz out of a story that's a spinoff of The Wizard of Oz, you really should at least have some interesting characters to make up for it.

I also felt that the ending was a little farfetched. The climatic bits are fine, but Dr. Wilford doing … what she does at the very end comes out of nowhere and is maybe just a bit of an overkill? Surely there would have been a better resolution for the matter at hand?

But, with that said, this isn't a terrible read. It's infuriating (the townspeople are really awful) and the characters are kind of cardboard-y, but the premise is great. What if Dorothy hadn't said “There's no place like home” but “There's no place that's home” because her Kansas town kind of sucks? And what if the overly pious residents of that town decide that Dorothy's talk of accidentally killing a wicked witch is really referring to something much more sinister? It's definitely an unusual twist on a classic tale and I was invested in finding out the truth of Alvina's murder from the very beginning. And I did not see that twist regarding Alvina coming at all!

My overall rating: 3.49 stars, rounded down. After Oz has its issues, but there are certainly worse ways to spend a few hours.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. (And RIP, Gordon McAlpine!)

I was excited that read this book, having enjoyed The Wizard of Oz as a child (as a matter of fact, I still own the copy I had when I was young). I knew this was going to be a twist on this story and I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it. It started out strong. As in the original book, a devastating twister tears through Kansas (the town of Sunbonnet in this case). A young girl, Dorothy, being raised by her aunt and uncle, is missing after the destruction of the tornado. What happens next is a take on what could have happened when Dorothy is found (in the original story she awakens from a dream where she had visited the land of Oz). A woman is found dead, Dorothy is accused. After being sent to an insane asylum in Topeka, a female psychologist, Dr. Wilford, visits Dorothy in the asylum, and later does some investigating determined to find the answers to what really happened. I enjoyed the exchanges between Dr. Wilford and Dorothy. I found them entertaining and felt that was the best part of the story. However, it is only a small part of the book. The rest was full of biblical quotes (I understand the town was quite religious, but it felt overdone) and not all that exciting in my opinion. There was a mystery, but it fell a little flat. I did enjoy the way the story ended, as it was a fun wrap up to a story that was otherwise a bit disappointing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane books for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I am a huge lover of anything Wizard of Oz and Gordon McAlpine did NOT disappoint. I loved how many elements he brought to this novel with the correlations between Dorothy's hometown and Oz. I loved that we had murder, court scene drama, and even psychiatry. So many elements breathing life back into a favorite classic. I do think the ending would have been better if Gordon had the psychiatrist tell Dorothy a secret, and that she herself had been to Oz when she was a young girl, and that is why she went into psychiatry. Still enjoyed the ending and the nod to the origin story of L. Frank Baum going on to write the infamous classic. I gave this 4 stars!

I will be featuring this review on my Tik Tok account on Sunday, March 30.

Link to my account: www.tiktok.com/@dogearrinit