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lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
3.0
I can't believe it, but I am starting to get tired of the Oz books. I adored them as a child, but I mostly focused on my four or five favorites of them and never read through them all in order. So this one had some inventive parts ) but it sort of fizzles at the end. It's a good idea to have all the powerful magic in Oz get stolen, including Ozma, but there remains the powerful Magic Belt to step in again as Deus Ex Machina, once Dorothy overcomes her amnesia about how to use it. (The fact that she could use it perfectly well in Ozma of Oz is never explained.) The satire on the puffed-up Frogman doesn't go anywhere -- he goes through some nice moral quandaries, but no one else pays much attention. Button-Bright is annoying. The repentance of Ugu at the end is unconvincing.
Supposedly Ozma and Glinda are good rulers who care about their people, but then there are things like a town full of people who enslave others (giants) and treat them cruelly, throwing them out the window with their super strength ... and the travelers who are looking for the stolen Ozma don't bat an eye at this.
Three more to go. I think Glinda, the last book, was my favorite of these. Let's see if it holds up at all.
Supposedly Ozma and Glinda are good rulers who care about their people, but then there are things like a town full of people who enslave others (giants) and treat them cruelly, throwing them out the window with their super strength ... and the travelers who are looking for the stolen Ozma don't bat an eye at this.
Three more to go. I think Glinda, the last book, was my favorite of these. Let's see if it holds up at all.
_lilbey_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
topdragon's review against another edition
4.0
This is my favorite of the Oz books so far and since I am now near the end of the original Oz series written by Baum, it might well become the best of the lot. While the first book was ingenious for its time, the story in this one was more complete and satisfying. For those that haven't read these books, generally, each book introduces a new character or two and the story is pretty much about their adventures somewhere in the land of Oz, often with them making their way to Emerald City and meeting all of the other characters that have come before.
This time, however, Ozma, the Princess of Oz, herself has gone missing, along with other key artifacts including Ozma's magic mirror and Glenda's Great Book of Records. So this story is about how most of the characters we've met in previous books get together and search the land of Oz for their missing princess. Of course, along the way we do get to meet still more oddball characters including the Frogman, Cayke the Cookie Cook, and the Little Pink Bear.
All in all this is a pleasant read with a happy ending (despite a rather obvious and annoying deus ex machina near the end that allows Dorothy to save the day).
This time, however, Ozma, the Princess of Oz, herself has gone missing, along with other key artifacts including Ozma's magic mirror and Glenda's Great Book of Records. So this story is about how most of the characters we've met in previous books get together and search the land of Oz for their missing princess. Of course, along the way we do get to meet still more oddball characters including the Frogman, Cayke the Cookie Cook, and the Little Pink Bear.
All in all this is a pleasant read with a happy ending (despite a rather obvious and annoying deus ex machina near the end that allows Dorothy to save the day).
tregina's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes for this one because the gang was back together again, and Oz for me should be about Oz which this one was. Unfortunately, the plot was strictly point A to point B with no genuine sense of peril for anyone at any point, and there was always that vague discomfort over the dehumanizing assertion that Ozma had been taken as a 'magical thing' along with other magical Oz items, when in fact she was assaulted and kidnapped.
victoriafrost1991's review against another edition
3.0
This was more decent then many of the previous novels due to having action and pitting good versus evil. Plus, it had more of a plot that was developed.
cowmouflage's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
3.0
After several two-star reviews, I'm finally able to give this Oz book three stars. Why? Because, for one, it is set IN OZ, rather than a distant land. Second, we start the story and continue through the entire thing primarily with Oz characters, rather than beginning with people we've never met who have no real connection to Oz. Third, there is at least a modicum of tension regarding the finale, given that, with Ozma gone, the powerful magic belt is seemingly out of the picture for a solution (seemingly).
Also, this is one of the first Oz books in a while where I recalled at least a pinch of the plot. Good for Ozma. She is worth remembering.
Also, this is one of the first Oz books in a while where I recalled at least a pinch of the plot. Good for Ozma. She is worth remembering.