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monarchbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a fun book even though I knew the big twist going in and I do wish I had read it before reading Dorothy Must Die because that book makes so many references to this one but I think what I did not really enjoy in this book is that the Scarecrow (brains or not) is meant to be smart yet he seems so stupid in this book. Also Happy Pride Month to Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman.
redheadreading's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
calbowen's review against another edition
4.0
This was another fun OZ book.
Introducing a new group of characters, but bringing back a couple of the old favorites.
Magic, witches, sorcery, conflict, and adventure galore!
This had a great bit of a twist at the end as well, which I will not ruin, but it is one that I did not see coming. Some things in the book are very convenient to be able to rescue the heroes, but at this day and age, that was the norm so no harm, no foul.
An enjoyable read.
Introducing a new group of characters, but bringing back a couple of the old favorites.
Magic, witches, sorcery, conflict, and adventure galore!
This had a great bit of a twist at the end as well, which I will not ruin, but it is one that I did not see coming. Some things in the book are very convenient to be able to rescue the heroes, but at this day and age, that was the norm so no harm, no foul.
An enjoyable read.
gossamerwingedgazelle's review against another edition
4.0
Completely nonsensical, somewhat sexist, but very classic and enjoyable.
tregina's review against another edition
4.0
I've always struggled with this book, because on the one hand Baum has an abundance of female characters and female protagonists who drive the story (here and in all of the Oz books) but on the other it is rife with appalling gender stereotypes. Baum might have been a feminist, but in 1904 that did not mean he was entirely enlightened. It has Ozma, who is glorious and I could go on about the gender issues touched upon there, but it also has Jinjur, who is a general, yes, and that is great, but she's a general who only wants to laze around with jewels and her soldiers are women and therefore obviously must be terrified of mice. But then there is also this:
"What has happened?" the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk.
"Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the wome have been running things to suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the Emerald City."
"Hm!" said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "If it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?"
So. Conflicted. It's problematic, but it's also progressive? Ultimately, the balance falls on the side of good for me, in no small part because of Ozma, but it will never be unreserved love.
"What has happened?" the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk.
"Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the wome have been running things to suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the Emerald City."
"Hm!" said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "If it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?"
So. Conflicted. It's problematic, but it's also progressive? Ultimately, the balance falls on the side of good for me, in no small part because of Ozma, but it will never be unreserved love.
eesh25's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 Stars
This is the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which I'm still surprised even has a sequel. In this book, we're reunited with some old characters and introduced to some new ones. The protagonist is Tip. He's a boy who's being raised by the evil witch, Mombi, who is very mean to him. And when she threatens to turn him into a statue, he runs away.
Tip has no plans when he runs off. He just wants to get away from Mombi. On a whim, he decides to head to the Emerald City. And similar to how Tip has no goal in mind, the book itself is also quite aimless. With the first book, we knew that the goal was to get Dorothy back to her family. She met people on the way, there were obstacles to overcome and, in the end, they succeeded in their mission and Dorothy went home.
In this book, Tip is just wandering around. He rarely even feels like the main character. All his actions are driven by his companions and what they need to do. He's just a tag-along. Sure, his importance is made clear toward the end, but that doesn't change the issue of his lack of role or personality.
The other characters fared better. We were reunited with the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. There were also new characters like the not-so-smart Pumpkinhead, the maybe-too-smart Woggle-bug, as well as a few transportation devices brought to life. And there were some entertaining conversations, though I could've done without the repetitive brains are so great and, my heart is so great stuff.
So we followed Tip and others to the Emerald City, then to the Tin Woodman's "empire" and then to other places. And the goal kept changing. First, there wasn't one. Then the Emerald City was taken over by girls who wanted the city's wealth for jewels and dresses, so they needed to get the city back. But then it changed again.
I read in a review that this book acts as a bridge between the first book and the next four, which makes sense. Does that excuse the lack of an overarching plot? Not really. Fortunately, the book did improve the longer it went on. But I didn't like the way the story of the girls who took over the Emerald City was concluded. And I don't know how "good" Glinda really is considering she enslaves flying monkies and forbids the use of magic even though she uses it herself.
Overall, there were ups and downs, and the story does come off a tad dated, what with the women's fondness of superficial things. And kitchens, apparently. And for the majority of the novel, I was sure that this would be the last book in the series that I'd read. After the final few chapters, though, I'm not sure. We'll see, I guess.
This is the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which I'm still surprised even has a sequel. In this book, we're reunited with some old characters and introduced to some new ones. The protagonist is Tip. He's a boy who's being raised by the evil witch, Mombi, who is very mean to him. And when she threatens to turn him into a statue, he runs away.
Tip has no plans when he runs off. He just wants to get away from Mombi. On a whim, he decides to head to the Emerald City. And similar to how Tip has no goal in mind, the book itself is also quite aimless. With the first book, we knew that the goal was to get Dorothy back to her family. She met people on the way, there were obstacles to overcome and, in the end, they succeeded in their mission and Dorothy went home.
In this book, Tip is just wandering around. He rarely even feels like the main character. All his actions are driven by his companions and what they need to do. He's just a tag-along. Sure, his importance is made clear toward the end, but that doesn't change the issue of his lack of role or personality.
The other characters fared better. We were reunited with the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. There were also new characters like the not-so-smart Pumpkinhead, the maybe-too-smart Woggle-bug, as well as a few transportation devices brought to life. And there were some entertaining conversations, though I could've done without the repetitive brains are so great and, my heart is so great stuff.
So we followed Tip and others to the Emerald City, then to the Tin Woodman's "empire" and then to other places. And the goal kept changing. First, there wasn't one. Then the Emerald City was taken over by girls who wanted the city's wealth for jewels and dresses, so they needed to get the city back. But then it changed again.
I read in a review that this book acts as a bridge between the first book and the next four, which makes sense. Does that excuse the lack of an overarching plot? Not really. Fortunately, the book did improve the longer it went on. But I didn't like the way the story of the girls who took over the Emerald City was concluded. And I don't know how "good" Glinda really is considering she enslaves flying monkies and forbids the use of magic even though she uses it herself.
Overall, there were ups and downs, and the story does come off a tad dated, what with the women's fondness of superficial things. And kitchens, apparently. And for the majority of the novel, I was sure that this would be the last book in the series that I'd read. After the final few chapters, though, I'm not sure. We'll see, I guess.
whatthesquids's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bungadinding's review
3.0
Lupa ternyata udah sempat baca buku ini. kesannya: ceritanya menyenangkan, imajinatif banget, tapi sekaligus absurd =)) lebih absurd dari buku pertamanya bahkan. tapi ya... menyenangkan *blah* xD. dan in the end pelajaran moralnya banyak dan bagus. Bintang 3,5.
mayormccheese's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
paigereitz's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
2.5