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Everland #3
Ozland
With Everland and Umberland both destroyed, the survivors have taken refuge in a small village tucked within the shadows of the Bloodred Queen's castle. Doc has found an actual cure for the Horologia virus, while Gwen, Pete, and Alyssa begin plotting the assassination of the queen with the help of Gail, an excellent huntress. But killing the queen won't be enough. The world has been destroyed and its needs a ruler to set things right again. A ruler who is good, kind, and fair. Someone like the former king of Germany. But he's dead ... or is he?
There's a rumor that the king has been hidden away in a secret land, where only the worthiest can find him. Desperate to end the war, a plan is hatched that could put everything right again, only before it's set in motion, the village is burned to the ground, all survivors taken prisoner to the castle. Except Gail.
But is one girl enough to find a long-dead king, kill the wicked queen, and save the world?
There's a rumor that the king has been hidden away in a secret land, where only the worthiest can find him. Desperate to end the war, a plan is hatched that could put everything right again, only before it's set in motion, the village is burned to the ground, all survivors taken prisoner to the castle. Except Gail.
But is one girl enough to find a long-dead king, kill the wicked queen, and save the world?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2018
39 people are currently reading
2774 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Spinale
6 books512 followersWendy is the author of the Everland series. She is a former Disneyland actress and online journalist. She currently resides in California with her three sons, two dogs, a chinchilla, and hamster.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
April 18, 2019
I read Everland and Umberland, the first two books in this series, last spring. At that time, I thought Everland was okay, and I liked Umberland even less. But I was still intrigued enough, especially by the retelling aspects, to want to finish the series. I just didn't get the opportunity to do so until this April!
So I'll be honest; I went into this fully expecting not to like it, but somewhat hoping that it would redeem the series and make it worth my while. Unfortunately, my instincts were right, and I did not enjoy this at all.
In Everland, I really enjoyed the way the Peter Pan story was woven into the story, and twisted to fit the science fiction/dystopian setting, even though I didn't love the book. All of the characters from the original story were there in one way or another, and some of the same story beats were hit. In Umberland, the references to Alice in Wonderland were still there, but less so as the book went on.
In Ozland, the references to the Wizard of Oz were either thin, weak, or non-existent, and concentrated mostly on the characters. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tin Man are all easy to spot, along with the flying monkeys. The Wizard is somewhat represented by King Osborne. It took me a while to realize that the Bloodred Queen also doubled as the Wicked Witch. And it wasn't until reading another review that I understood that Ginger is supposed to be the equivalent of Glinda. There's a character named Jo who is present for a total of about 20 pages who I think was supposed to be an Ozma reference? Because Gail refers to Jo as a boy, but wonders why he's with the all-female warrior group instead of the men. But then the character is never seen again, and I wondered what the purpose of any of that was.
Beyond the characters, there are very few references to the Oz story. THERE MAY BE SPOILERS HERE: And that's about it. The rest of the story has nothing to do with Oz at all.
In fact, there are quite a few elements of Snow White thrown into both Umberland and Ozland. The Zwergs are obvious analogs for the dwarves, the Macguffin is a poison apple, and the King is kept in a glass coffin after being poisoned to sleep from said apple. Even the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion are referred to as Huntsmen.
One of my biggest pet peeves with this book is how it handles the death of its characters. Right at the beginning, a few months have passed since the end of the last book. And we're simply told that Gwen is upset because the younger siblings she's spent the last two books trying to protect and save have died. Bella has gotten even sicker and they're not even sure they will be able to save her with the cure. And then less than 50 pages in
The relationships between these characters are so poorly developed and maintained. Gwen and Pete's romance was one of my favorite parts of the first book. It was strained in the second book, but I was still rooting for them. My favorite part of Umberland was Maddox and Alyssa's relationship. In this book, both couples barely even interact with each other! Doc and Lily take on the role of the central romance, but again...they barely interact! The reader is given very little reason to care about their relationship.
And finally, I have to mention the writing. The book is only 279 pages long and there were inconsistencies. Even within ten pages, there would be contradictions! In one scene near the beginning, all of our characters are having a discussion. On one page, it says something like "Maddox spoke for the first time." The problem is, Maddox has said at least two or three things in the past five pages. The same thing happens later in the book with Hook. He's been contributing to the conversation, but then the book says "Hook finally piped up."
The way the mutated Horologia virus affects people is inconsistent. The Bloodred Queen can't have been exposed to the mutated virus for longer than Katt, but she is significantly farther along in the development of her symptoms.
Overall, I found very little to enjoy about this book. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot is all over the place and only tangentially related to Oz, and the writing is unimpressive.
So I'll be honest; I went into this fully expecting not to like it, but somewhat hoping that it would redeem the series and make it worth my while. Unfortunately, my instincts were right, and I did not enjoy this at all.
In Everland, I really enjoyed the way the Peter Pan story was woven into the story, and twisted to fit the science fiction/dystopian setting, even though I didn't love the book. All of the characters from the original story were there in one way or another, and some of the same story beats were hit. In Umberland, the references to Alice in Wonderland were still there, but less so as the book went on.
In Ozland, the references to the Wizard of Oz were either thin, weak, or non-existent, and concentrated mostly on the characters. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tin Man are all easy to spot, along with the flying monkeys. The Wizard is somewhat represented by King Osborne. It took me a while to realize that the Bloodred Queen also doubled as the Wicked Witch. And it wasn't until reading another review that I understood that Ginger is supposed to be the equivalent of Glinda. There's a character named Jo who is present for a total of about 20 pages who I think was supposed to be an Ozma reference? Because Gail refers to Jo as a boy, but wonders why he's with the all-female warrior group instead of the men. But then the character is never seen again, and I wondered what the purpose of any of that was.
Beyond the characters, there are very few references to the Oz story. THERE MAY BE SPOILERS HERE: And that's about it. The rest of the story has nothing to do with Oz at all.
In fact, there are quite a few elements of Snow White thrown into both Umberland and Ozland. The Zwergs are obvious analogs for the dwarves, the Macguffin is a poison apple, and the King is kept in a glass coffin after being poisoned to sleep from said apple. Even the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion are referred to as Huntsmen.
One of my biggest pet peeves with this book is how it handles the death of its characters. Right at the beginning, a few months have passed since the end of the last book. And we're simply told that Gwen is upset because the younger siblings she's spent the last two books trying to protect and save have died. Bella has gotten even sicker and they're not even sure they will be able to save her with the cure. And then less than 50 pages in
The relationships between these characters are so poorly developed and maintained. Gwen and Pete's romance was one of my favorite parts of the first book. It was strained in the second book, but I was still rooting for them. My favorite part of Umberland was Maddox and Alyssa's relationship. In this book, both couples barely even interact with each other! Doc and Lily take on the role of the central romance, but again...they barely interact! The reader is given very little reason to care about their relationship.
And finally, I have to mention the writing. The book is only 279 pages long and there were inconsistencies. Even within ten pages, there would be contradictions! In one scene near the beginning, all of our characters are having a discussion. On one page, it says something like "Maddox spoke for the first time." The problem is, Maddox has said at least two or three things in the past five pages. The same thing happens later in the book with Hook. He's been contributing to the conversation, but then the book says "Hook finally piped up."
The way the mutated Horologia virus affects people is inconsistent. The Bloodred Queen can't have been exposed to the mutated virus for longer than Katt, but she is significantly farther along in the development of her symptoms.
Overall, I found very little to enjoy about this book. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot is all over the place and only tangentially related to Oz, and the writing is unimpressive.
February 8, 2019
3.5
Reading Challenge Categories:
-Beat the Backlist Reading Bingo: Part of a trilogy
-#LitsyAtoZ: O
Reading Challenge Categories:
-Beat the Backlist Reading Bingo: Part of a trilogy
-#LitsyAtoZ: O
August 6, 2018
The beginning almost ruined the book for me. We find out that all these characters have died and it almost feels like, what's the point then? The characters go through so much and then die anyway. And most of them are kids! It just made the book hard to read. The different character point of views were interesting, it helped the plot move quicker. I liked the scarecrow, lion, and tin man, although their roles were small. Overall, it wasn't a bad conclusion, I just wish a few more characters could've made it out alive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2022
This is definitely one of those series where each book gets a little worse than the one before. I really enjoyed the first one, but the second didn’t quite live up to it. The addition of Alice in Wonderland characters didn’t entirely work for me. And in this third book, I cared about none of the POV characters, and the addition of Wizard of Oz characters just kind of made it a mess. It was okay, but unsatisfying. I liked the idea of the series adding more fairytales to it as it went on, but I now think it would have been better as a standalone and only a Peter Pan retelling.
June 1, 2021
I skimmed through it all.
August 10, 2018
I'm sorry, but I'm done.
This book lost me. And I'm not usually a person who quits on books. I LOVED the first two books of this series, but this one fell so far and hard that I can't get back up. I MIGHT reread the whole series, and then come back to this one. Perhaps that will help this, EH, feeling? I don't know.
This book lost me. And I'm not usually a person who quits on books. I LOVED the first two books of this series, but this one fell so far and hard that I can't get back up. I MIGHT reread the whole series, and then come back to this one. Perhaps that will help this, EH, feeling? I don't know.
March 21, 2020
Is this for real? It's little more than a first draft. It's choppy, doesn't flow well, there are some typos, & the characters all fall flat. Everland was phenomenal, & Umberland great. What happened with Ozland? Did the author get lazy & decide not to keep revising it? Did an editor even look this over? I'm disappointed beyond comprehension. Scholastic, I want my money back.
February 19, 2020
This was an amazing ending to finish off the series!
May 23, 2020
4.25*
December 31, 2024
Again, it was just ok, ending was a bit rushed. But I will say she was very creative in how she named and merged the different stories.
March 12, 2021
I almost didn't write a review, but I felt compelled to after thinking about the events in this book again.
On the one hand, I appreciate the different points of view. It was actually very nice to get to know Doc. However, I have serious issues with this book. I had to read it because I loved the relationships between Gwen-Pete and Maddox-Alyssa in the first and second books. However, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ANYTHING MORE BETWEEN THESE COUPLES IN THE THIRD BOOK you will be sourly (yes i mean sourly) dissapointed and will have to cope with a 2 page wrap-up. I also HATE how the author literally just kills off a million characters without ANY HESITATION. You liked their two sentences in the first book, well they're dead now-peace out. I sincerely wish someone could rewrite this in a way that gives me any sense of closure, or that I could get back the hours I spent reading this "finale" wrapped up in shabby newspaper.
On the one hand, I appreciate the different points of view. It was actually very nice to get to know Doc. However, I have serious issues with this book. I had to read it because I loved the relationships between Gwen-Pete and Maddox-Alyssa in the first and second books. However, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ANYTHING MORE BETWEEN THESE COUPLES IN THE THIRD BOOK you will be sourly (yes i mean sourly) dissapointed and will have to cope with a 2 page wrap-up. I also HATE how the author literally just kills off a million characters without ANY HESITATION. You liked their two sentences in the first book, well they're dead now-peace out. I sincerely wish someone could rewrite this in a way that gives me any sense of closure, or that I could get back the hours I spent reading this "finale" wrapped up in shabby newspaper.
June 15, 2021
Okay but why gwen just sleep the whole book??? Like sis wake up there stuff going on 👏🏻 not the time to be sleeping beauty 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 and also literally everyone died 😭 why not let others live?? (LIKE PICKPOCKET I MEAN-) and also wehre is maddox??? he deserves a pov or something. and pete and gwen needed a chapter so we could have some closure MY GOODNESS and I feel like jack needed a chapter as well ❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2019
I really liked how this not only expanded the world of Everland, with new characters but also gave a satisfying ending. I really like Gail and Ginger’s teamwork and kinda wish there was more about the aftermath. I loved the fairytale references so much! I felt they were included very cleverly!
December 14, 2020
I think I've managed to follow a yellow bricked road, one that lead me straight back this fantastic series!
Publication: April 24th 2018
Synopsis: With Everland and Umberland both destroyed, the survivors have taken refuge in a small village tucked within the shadows of the Bloodred Queen's castle. Doc has found an actual cure for the Horologia virus, while Gwen, Pete, and Alyssa begin plotting the assassination of the queen with the help of Gail, an excellent huntress. But killing the queen won't be enough. The world has been destroyed and its needs a ruler to set things right again. A ruler who is good, kind, and fair. Someone like the former king of Germany. But he's dead ... or is he?
There's a rumor that the king has been hidden away in a secret land, where only the worthiest can find him. Desperate to end the war, a plan is hatched that could put everything right again, only before it's set in motion, the village is burned to the ground, all survivors taken prisoner to the castle. Except Gail.
But is one girl enough to find a long-dead king, kill the wicked queen, and save the world?
Review/Thoughts: I dived into this book with a very open mind. I learned with the first two that Wendy Spinale has a way of taking my expectations and blowing them out of the water! She has exceeded them so far, and that statement rings true for this book as well.
Ozland takes place 3 months after the events of Umberland. And I kid you not, I opened this book. I and started reading and thought to myself "There is so much death in this series!" I not complaining. But it's true! When I first started this series back in July I did not think that this set of books would have as much death and sorrow in it as it does. It definitely gives that dystopia feel to the story.
I know Ozland is supposed to be based off of The Wizard of Oz story, but it also reminded me a bit of the story of Robin Hood in a way. Gail and her family gave off that vide, that's why I say that. With the past two books I really grew attacked to our two main characters that we follow, and I didn't grow attached to Gail. I didn't really care for her. I liked that fact that she used a bow and arrows as her preferred weapon but there was just something about her that didn't click with me. I wanted to know of her progress and how she was getting along, but I was always yearning to be back with Pete, Maddox and the rest! I was even thrilled to read from Katt's POV over Gail's.
I loved all the returning characters! I feel like Maddox didn't get near enough of screen time, but I do love what he was given. We get to read from Doc's perspective in this book. And I like that! We get to know him for him and not just how Pete sees him. And between the three books we get to see their friendship get pieced back together. We can see development between them and I adore that!
Speaking of my absolute favorite character from this series; I'm thrilled with how much we got to spend with Pete in this book. It's far more that I expected. I thought that, he like Maddox, would be seen throughout the book but wouldn't get a ton. I like that we are constantly reminded that this leader of the Lost Boys had tattoos. I know I've said that a ton, but it's a nice little reminder that he does have them, and we don't forget that. In this book he'd added to his collection, adding the names of Lost Kids that succumbed to the virus. In my opinion that's sweet. A reminder of everything they've lost to the Horologia Virus, but now I feel like he's over doing it. He wants to remember the kids that have fallen, I get that, but I was just fine the gears and cogs that decorated his chest and ran down his one arm in Everland.
One character that has...boggled me through this whole series is Jack! The Lost Boy turned Marauder turned... Well, he's an interesting character to say the least. After the events in Everland I didn't know whether to believe the kid of punch him in the face. I didn't know where he stood, and it constantly felt like, that with him, the lines between good and evil were blurred. I didn't know what to expect with him around, and to be honest, I stood with Pete when it came to Jack. Jack did turn out to be one of my favorite characters, however.
Wendy Spinale has done such an amazing job on this series! I sad it's over and that I didn't get to read it sooner. I love how Ozland nicely wraps up this series. It great and amazing! I loved the references to The Wizard of Oz. It took me a bit to catch onto The Tinman, The Lion. and The Scarecrow references but Wendy Spinale snuck them in so marvelously! (Scarecrow was the best though!) The story within these three books is amazing! The covers are each equally gorgeous! And each story was sprinkled with pixie dust, madness and each followed the yellow brick road to the very end.
Thank you Wendy, for such an incredible journey and the amazing characters who we traveled alongside through it all!
~Till the next Chapter~
You can also find me on:
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/view/areaderswo...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shylas_sher...
Publication: April 24th 2018
Synopsis: With Everland and Umberland both destroyed, the survivors have taken refuge in a small village tucked within the shadows of the Bloodred Queen's castle. Doc has found an actual cure for the Horologia virus, while Gwen, Pete, and Alyssa begin plotting the assassination of the queen with the help of Gail, an excellent huntress. But killing the queen won't be enough. The world has been destroyed and its needs a ruler to set things right again. A ruler who is good, kind, and fair. Someone like the former king of Germany. But he's dead ... or is he?
There's a rumor that the king has been hidden away in a secret land, where only the worthiest can find him. Desperate to end the war, a plan is hatched that could put everything right again, only before it's set in motion, the village is burned to the ground, all survivors taken prisoner to the castle. Except Gail.
But is one girl enough to find a long-dead king, kill the wicked queen, and save the world?
Review/Thoughts: I dived into this book with a very open mind. I learned with the first two that Wendy Spinale has a way of taking my expectations and blowing them out of the water! She has exceeded them so far, and that statement rings true for this book as well.
Ozland takes place 3 months after the events of Umberland. And I kid you not, I opened this book. I and started reading and thought to myself "There is so much death in this series!" I not complaining. But it's true! When I first started this series back in July I did not think that this set of books would have as much death and sorrow in it as it does. It definitely gives that dystopia feel to the story.
I know Ozland is supposed to be based off of The Wizard of Oz story, but it also reminded me a bit of the story of Robin Hood in a way. Gail and her family gave off that vide, that's why I say that. With the past two books I really grew attacked to our two main characters that we follow, and I didn't grow attached to Gail. I didn't really care for her. I liked that fact that she used a bow and arrows as her preferred weapon but there was just something about her that didn't click with me. I wanted to know of her progress and how she was getting along, but I was always yearning to be back with Pete, Maddox and the rest! I was even thrilled to read from Katt's POV over Gail's.
I loved all the returning characters! I feel like Maddox didn't get near enough of screen time, but I do love what he was given. We get to read from Doc's perspective in this book. And I like that! We get to know him for him and not just how Pete sees him. And between the three books we get to see their friendship get pieced back together. We can see development between them and I adore that!
Speaking of my absolute favorite character from this series; I'm thrilled with how much we got to spend with Pete in this book. It's far more that I expected. I thought that, he like Maddox, would be seen throughout the book but wouldn't get a ton. I like that we are constantly reminded that this leader of the Lost Boys had tattoos. I know I've said that a ton, but it's a nice little reminder that he does have them, and we don't forget that. In this book he'd added to his collection, adding the names of Lost Kids that succumbed to the virus. In my opinion that's sweet. A reminder of everything they've lost to the Horologia Virus, but now I feel like he's over doing it. He wants to remember the kids that have fallen, I get that, but I was just fine the gears and cogs that decorated his chest and ran down his one arm in Everland.
One character that has...boggled me through this whole series is Jack! The Lost Boy turned Marauder turned... Well, he's an interesting character to say the least. After the events in Everland I didn't know whether to believe the kid of punch him in the face. I didn't know where he stood, and it constantly felt like, that with him, the lines between good and evil were blurred. I didn't know what to expect with him around, and to be honest, I stood with Pete when it came to Jack. Jack did turn out to be one of my favorite characters, however.
Wendy Spinale has done such an amazing job on this series! I sad it's over and that I didn't get to read it sooner. I love how Ozland nicely wraps up this series. It great and amazing! I loved the references to The Wizard of Oz. It took me a bit to catch onto The Tinman, The Lion. and The Scarecrow references but Wendy Spinale snuck them in so marvelously! (Scarecrow was the best though!) The story within these three books is amazing! The covers are each equally gorgeous! And each story was sprinkled with pixie dust, madness and each followed the yellow brick road to the very end.
Thank you Wendy, for such an incredible journey and the amazing characters who we traveled alongside through it all!
~Till the next Chapter~
You can also find me on:
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/view/areaderswo...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shylas_sher...
May 14, 2018
I was really looking forward to this conclusion. I was not looking forward to the deaths of beloved characters, which Spinale has a habit of doing. She did not disappoint. I really liked the first book, Everland, and found the second, Umberland, just good. This time I had high hopes since I love the Wizard of Oz story. I found that Wendy Spinale did a very nice job weaving her story around elements of the Oz story. She slightly breaks away from the mold she used for the previous works and I think Ozland benefits from it. Ozland was a bit rushed in places, especially at the very end, but it's a conclusion that wraps everything up. I recommend for fans of the previous books and fans of the Dorothy Must Die series.
July 16, 2019
There was so much action in this book, it became confusing at times. However, it was still an interesting read.
May 19, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through KidLitExchange from the publishing company Scholastic Press in exchange for review and promotion. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Rating: 3/5
Genre: YA Dystopian/Fantasy/Retelling
Recommended Age: 14+ (violence, slight gore, murder, and poison)
Pages: 288
Amazon Link
Author Website
Synopsis: With Everland and Umberland both destroyed, the survivors have taken refuge in a small village tucked within the shadows of the Bloodred Queen's castle. Doc has found an actual cure for the Horologia virus, while Gwen, Pete, and Alyssa begin plotting the assassination of the queen with the help of Gail, an excellent huntress. But killing the queen won't be enough. The world has been destroyed and its needs a ruler to set things right again. A ruler who is good, kind, and fair. Someone like the former king of Germany. But he's dead ... or is he?
There's a rumor that the king has been hidden away in a secret land, where only the worthiest can find him. Desperate to end the war, a plan is hatched that could put everything right again, only before it's set in motion, the village is burned to the ground, all survivors taken prisoner to the castle. Except Gail.
But is one girl enough to find a long-dead king, kill the wicked queen, and save the world?
While I was heavily disappointed with how Umberland turned out I wanted to complete the series, thus I started this book. This book takes place a few months (weeks? Unsure) after the events in Umberland. The book does really well at drawing in your interest immediately with all the death and destruction of this world and it’s amazing to see how twisted a retelling can be. The plot overall was also good and well thought-out as was the steampunk elements of the book.
However, I did feel that there wasn’t any character development and that the book was incredibly fast paced. Dystopians are usually slower paced then what we see in this read and the pacing of this book really makes the reader rush through all the elements of this world. The world building in this book was almost non-existent and the writing was a bit confusing to read. I’m not sure if the fault in that was from the multiple POV or because the writing flew by a lot of important items and retelling portions in the book. The book is good overall, but I feel that if this entire series was expanded in terms of world building and character development then I think the series would be better overall.
Verdict: Good, but not as good as the original.
Rating: 3/5
Genre: YA Dystopian/Fantasy/Retelling
Recommended Age: 14+ (violence, slight gore, murder, and poison)
Pages: 288
Amazon Link
Author Website
Synopsis: With Everland and Umberland both destroyed, the survivors have taken refuge in a small village tucked within the shadows of the Bloodred Queen's castle. Doc has found an actual cure for the Horologia virus, while Gwen, Pete, and Alyssa begin plotting the assassination of the queen with the help of Gail, an excellent huntress. But killing the queen won't be enough. The world has been destroyed and its needs a ruler to set things right again. A ruler who is good, kind, and fair. Someone like the former king of Germany. But he's dead ... or is he?
There's a rumor that the king has been hidden away in a secret land, where only the worthiest can find him. Desperate to end the war, a plan is hatched that could put everything right again, only before it's set in motion, the village is burned to the ground, all survivors taken prisoner to the castle. Except Gail.
But is one girl enough to find a long-dead king, kill the wicked queen, and save the world?
While I was heavily disappointed with how Umberland turned out I wanted to complete the series, thus I started this book. This book takes place a few months (weeks? Unsure) after the events in Umberland. The book does really well at drawing in your interest immediately with all the death and destruction of this world and it’s amazing to see how twisted a retelling can be. The plot overall was also good and well thought-out as was the steampunk elements of the book.
However, I did feel that there wasn’t any character development and that the book was incredibly fast paced. Dystopians are usually slower paced then what we see in this read and the pacing of this book really makes the reader rush through all the elements of this world. The world building in this book was almost non-existent and the writing was a bit confusing to read. I’m not sure if the fault in that was from the multiple POV or because the writing flew by a lot of important items and retelling portions in the book. The book is good overall, but I feel that if this entire series was expanded in terms of world building and character development then I think the series would be better overall.
Verdict: Good, but not as good as the original.
June 9, 2018
3,5 stars, it was fun but I felt like this series was way better at the start and went a little downhill from there.
July 31, 2018
I think I'm pretty meh about this whole series. I was hoping that Ozland would be the best one, but all three books are a flat 3-star read for me. Not terrible, but not great for me either. And like the other three, there's a lot of telling, not showing, especially in the first half.
I love that we got Doc's perspective in this since he's one of the characters that I've enjoyed over the series and I'm like, "Please don't die, please don't die, please don't die."
But it feels weird that we spend a whole book developing a female character (Gwen, Alyssa) and then both are barely mentioned in the next one. Gwen is unconscious and off-stage in this one and Alyssa has maybe five lines. I really liked these characters in their books and I'm sad that they're just tossed aside.
However, I did like Gail and Ginger and their relationship throughout the novel. I went into this book hoping that it wasn't going to be Dorothy joining the Scarecrow character on a journey and falling in love with him like the last two, so I'm glad Spinale mixed it up in this one with two platonic girlfriends rescuing King Osbourne.
Ozland still keeps some of that dark, weird stuff from Umberland that I liked. Extraneous Lost Boys are horrifically killed off, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion are now video game level bosses that are dispatched with arrows to the throat and hatchets to the eyes, and I'm pretty sure the Red Queen is like, part alligator. Like Umberland, I found it really fun in its bizarreness.
But that ending.
Warning: Rant Ahead.
Overall, I still feel like this series didn't quite work for me as an adult, but if I were 13 or 14, I would have loved it so I still recommend it for that age range. If you really liked the other two, you'll probably like this one.
I love that we got Doc's perspective in this since he's one of the characters that I've enjoyed over the series and I'm like, "Please don't die, please don't die, please don't die."
But it feels weird that we spend a whole book developing a female character (Gwen, Alyssa) and then both are barely mentioned in the next one. Gwen is unconscious and off-stage in this one and Alyssa has maybe five lines. I really liked these characters in their books and I'm sad that they're just tossed aside.
However, I did like Gail and Ginger and their relationship throughout the novel. I went into this book hoping that it wasn't going to be Dorothy joining the Scarecrow character on a journey and falling in love with him like the last two, so I'm glad Spinale mixed it up in this one with two platonic girlfriends rescuing King Osbourne.
Ozland still keeps some of that dark, weird stuff from Umberland that I liked. Extraneous Lost Boys are horrifically killed off, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion are now video game level bosses that are dispatched with arrows to the throat and hatchets to the eyes, and I'm pretty sure the Red Queen is like, part alligator. Like Umberland, I found it really fun in its bizarreness.
But that ending.
Warning: Rant Ahead.
Overall, I still feel like this series didn't quite work for me as an adult, but if I were 13 or 14, I would have loved it so I still recommend it for that age range. If you really liked the other two, you'll probably like this one.
July 23, 2021
The Everland series by Wendy Spinale consisting of Everland, Umberland and Ozland was a disappointment from the first book and did not improve. I cannot, in good conscience, give it anything but a “1” and tell Ms. Spinale she has an ugly baby here.
A very loose re-telling of Peter Pan, Alice & Wonderland, Wizard of Oz and Sleeping Beauty combined utilizing a steam-punk universe is the premise. Sounds interesting and fun right? It’s not. It was sadly disappointing in the execution. The main problem is there was not a main character that was likeable. Peter and Gwen, who were introduced in the first book Everland, were whiney and annoying, Alyssa and Maddox Hadder, introduced in the second book Umberland, were flat and uninteresting, not really having any personality to speak of. Gail, introduced in the third book, Ozland, was incompetent and more of a hindrance than a help. They were all inept, bungling, whiney morons who, due to their idiotic decisions, only made them more exasperating. The villains were so one-dimensional they were ridiculous and even the supporting characters were infuriating. Gabs, who I assume was supposed to be comic relief with his incessant chatter, was instead annoying and obnoxious. The elimination of characters was met with apathy. I will not waste any more time on this series than I already have committed to it by going into detail about the premise or character development. Suffice it to say it was not worth the time it took to read it and I will not waste time on giving it a review beyond the most succinct. I cannot recommend this train wreck of a story. If it had any redeeming qualities to not label it an “ugly baby” I could not find them.
A very loose re-telling of Peter Pan, Alice & Wonderland, Wizard of Oz and Sleeping Beauty combined utilizing a steam-punk universe is the premise. Sounds interesting and fun right? It’s not. It was sadly disappointing in the execution. The main problem is there was not a main character that was likeable. Peter and Gwen, who were introduced in the first book Everland, were whiney and annoying, Alyssa and Maddox Hadder, introduced in the second book Umberland, were flat and uninteresting, not really having any personality to speak of. Gail, introduced in the third book, Ozland, was incompetent and more of a hindrance than a help. They were all inept, bungling, whiney morons who, due to their idiotic decisions, only made them more exasperating. The villains were so one-dimensional they were ridiculous and even the supporting characters were infuriating. Gabs, who I assume was supposed to be comic relief with his incessant chatter, was instead annoying and obnoxious. The elimination of characters was met with apathy. I will not waste any more time on this series than I already have committed to it by going into detail about the premise or character development. Suffice it to say it was not worth the time it took to read it and I will not waste time on giving it a review beyond the most succinct. I cannot recommend this train wreck of a story. If it had any redeeming qualities to not label it an “ugly baby” I could not find them.
August 11, 2024
After loving adoring Everland and hating Umberland, I truly did not know what to expect with Ozland. But I thought “I got to this point already, why not stick to it?”. Which was my mindset during the entirety of this third book, as I sadly almost DNF-ed it too many times to count. I’m stubborn, and I didn’t want all this time to be wasted. But I definitely should have stopped reading this trilogy after the first book, because it got from really bad to worse. Ozland picks up a few months after Pete and the rest of the Lost Boys arrived in the Labyrinth, as the sicks slowly start to get better, but their peace is still threatened by the Bloodred Queen. Once their peaceful village is attacked, they know the war has to begin, and they will stop at nothing before the Queen is dead and the peace is restored.
First of all, I need to get the thing that annoyed me the most out of my chest, because it happens in the very first pages and it made me so unbelievably angry. To recap, the first book follows Gwen, who gives her everything to protect her two siblings after the disappearance of their parents. In the end of the first book, she glimpses a bit of happiness when she finds her mother again, who is then taken away from her as she dies suddenly from the virus in the beginning of the second book. But then, hope and happiness again, as the three siblings very randomly find John Darling alive, and the family reunites again. So it could have send a message of hope and a glimpse at an happy ending for the girl who was literally the main character of Everland. But apparently not, because the author decided that, in the few months between Umberland and Ozland, Gwen needed to lose her newly found father, but also HER SISTER AND HER BROTHER. Off the page. Just like that. For no reason at all, because it didn’t bring anything to the story, or to anyone’s character development. It was infuriating. We’re taking about the girl that introduced us to this universe, who learned the hard way to find hope and happiness in her loved ones, being ripped away from the only family she had left, just for what… misery? I’m never one to shy away from death in stories, but death needs to have meaning. This felt very frustrating. It’s not just about the Darling family, as one of the main characters of the first book also dies in the very first pages, and it’s NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN. Despite being one of the most important people in another character’s life.
The plot itself is quite all over the place. We follow the same outline as Umberland, with three different POV: a main character from Everland (Doc), an antagonist (Katt) and a new character introduced just to link it to another retelling (Gail). Were all of them useful? Absolutely not. It was already the opinion I shared in my review of the second book, but the author should have stuck to one POV. I had so much fun reading about Doc’s adventure, especially because it’s the one that made the plot progress and helped the character development of absolutely anyone. When you have a POV for an antagonist, you expect said antagonist to be developed, and hearing their inner thoughts would help in complexity them, which absolutely not the case for Katt, and it didn’t serve anything to hear what she had to say (especially since she doesn’t even do anything interesting for the plot). And of course, Gail, who could have been an interesting character in any other setting, but her whole side plot was so out of touch with the universe of the rest of the novel. I swear my mind went blank anytime it switched to her. You could erase absolutely everything about her and it wouldn’t change the story in any way.
I’m not very familiar with The Wizard of Oz, so take my word with a grain of salt, but this definitely felt like the worst retelling out of the three done in the trilogy. There wasn’t anything there to remind us of the original story, Gail wasn’t anything like Dorothy (even her name forgot to pass the retelling check), and the only elements of the universe we get to remind us what story we’re supposed to be following are very random side characters and one island name. Once again, I’m not an expert, so maybe the references were very subtle and easy to miss, but it was a huge letdown for me. The concept was completely forgotten to the plot.
Of course, I have to talk about my favorite characters, Gwen and Pete. I already touched a little bit (ranting for a whole paragraph) about the author just decided to kill everyone Gwen is related to off the page. Well, I at least imagined there would be some kind of theme about trauma and grief, and how one could handle this much pain and still fight through to the end. Nope. Gwen is literally forgotten, so much so that she’s “poisoned” in the middle of the novel only to reappear at the very end with one line, and we never see her again. Keep in mind she’s one of the tree main characters of the trilogy, so as the reader it’s easy to expect her character development not to be butchered. Well, if this trilogy taught me one thing, it’s to never hope for anything.
Pete has the exact same vibe. We learn two things about him, that are repeated to us since Everland: he’s fearless, and he will go insane if the people close to him are hurt. And this book literally starts with him losing the person he’s closest to, and it’s never brought up. He has one vague line about it while confronting an antagonist, but we never explore the trauma this must have dealt to him. He was still the character I liked the most, because to the end he was true to what he wanted, and who he wanted to protect. He did stuck to his fearless side, and I genuinely care for him a lot. I did also like to finally see his relationship with Doc being healed, as the two finally teamed up.
The huge flaw of this book (well, the more obvious one) is how bad the antagonists are, and not in the good way. Hook and Jack, the antagonists of the first book, both get some kind of redemption, but it was underwhelming at best. As I previously mentioned, Katt was useless and I do not understand the point of her character. And in this third volume, we finally meet the infamous Bloodred Queen… and at best, she was laughable. She had no personality, was not badass at all, and was death with way too easily. Katt was a more threatening antagonist than her.
The epilogue of the third book was absolutely laughable, as it brought us an “and they lived happily ever after” kind of ending, without ever explaining how the characters healed and grew from this horrible final fight. It completely ignored all the questions the readers may still have by the end. To anyone thinking of reading this trilogy, I would recommend to read the first book, and then just accept the open(ish) ending and move on to better books. Umberland and Ozland were absolute wastes of my time, and it ruined the good parts that only Everland knew how to bring.
First of all, I need to get the thing that annoyed me the most out of my chest, because it happens in the very first pages and it made me so unbelievably angry. To recap, the first book follows Gwen, who gives her everything to protect her two siblings after the disappearance of their parents. In the end of the first book, she glimpses a bit of happiness when she finds her mother again, who is then taken away from her as she dies suddenly from the virus in the beginning of the second book. But then, hope and happiness again, as the three siblings very randomly find John Darling alive, and the family reunites again. So it could have send a message of hope and a glimpse at an happy ending for the girl who was literally the main character of Everland. But apparently not, because the author decided that, in the few months between Umberland and Ozland, Gwen needed to lose her newly found father, but also HER SISTER AND HER BROTHER. Off the page. Just like that. For no reason at all, because it didn’t bring anything to the story, or to anyone’s character development. It was infuriating. We’re taking about the girl that introduced us to this universe, who learned the hard way to find hope and happiness in her loved ones, being ripped away from the only family she had left, just for what… misery? I’m never one to shy away from death in stories, but death needs to have meaning. This felt very frustrating. It’s not just about the Darling family, as one of the main characters of the first book also dies in the very first pages, and it’s NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN. Despite being one of the most important people in another character’s life.
The plot itself is quite all over the place. We follow the same outline as Umberland, with three different POV: a main character from Everland (Doc), an antagonist (Katt) and a new character introduced just to link it to another retelling (Gail). Were all of them useful? Absolutely not. It was already the opinion I shared in my review of the second book, but the author should have stuck to one POV. I had so much fun reading about Doc’s adventure, especially because it’s the one that made the plot progress and helped the character development of absolutely anyone. When you have a POV for an antagonist, you expect said antagonist to be developed, and hearing their inner thoughts would help in complexity them, which absolutely not the case for Katt, and it didn’t serve anything to hear what she had to say (especially since she doesn’t even do anything interesting for the plot). And of course, Gail, who could have been an interesting character in any other setting, but her whole side plot was so out of touch with the universe of the rest of the novel. I swear my mind went blank anytime it switched to her. You could erase absolutely everything about her and it wouldn’t change the story in any way.
I’m not very familiar with The Wizard of Oz, so take my word with a grain of salt, but this definitely felt like the worst retelling out of the three done in the trilogy. There wasn’t anything there to remind us of the original story, Gail wasn’t anything like Dorothy (even her name forgot to pass the retelling check), and the only elements of the universe we get to remind us what story we’re supposed to be following are very random side characters and one island name. Once again, I’m not an expert, so maybe the references were very subtle and easy to miss, but it was a huge letdown for me. The concept was completely forgotten to the plot.
Of course, I have to talk about my favorite characters, Gwen and Pete. I already touched a little bit (ranting for a whole paragraph) about the author just decided to kill everyone Gwen is related to off the page. Well, I at least imagined there would be some kind of theme about trauma and grief, and how one could handle this much pain and still fight through to the end. Nope. Gwen is literally forgotten, so much so that she’s “poisoned” in the middle of the novel only to reappear at the very end with one line, and we never see her again. Keep in mind she’s one of the tree main characters of the trilogy, so as the reader it’s easy to expect her character development not to be butchered. Well, if this trilogy taught me one thing, it’s to never hope for anything.
Pete has the exact same vibe. We learn two things about him, that are repeated to us since Everland: he’s fearless, and he will go insane if the people close to him are hurt. And this book literally starts with him losing the person he’s closest to, and it’s never brought up. He has one vague line about it while confronting an antagonist, but we never explore the trauma this must have dealt to him. He was still the character I liked the most, because to the end he was true to what he wanted, and who he wanted to protect. He did stuck to his fearless side, and I genuinely care for him a lot. I did also like to finally see his relationship with Doc being healed, as the two finally teamed up.
The huge flaw of this book (well, the more obvious one) is how bad the antagonists are, and not in the good way. Hook and Jack, the antagonists of the first book, both get some kind of redemption, but it was underwhelming at best. As I previously mentioned, Katt was useless and I do not understand the point of her character. And in this third volume, we finally meet the infamous Bloodred Queen… and at best, she was laughable. She had no personality, was not badass at all, and was death with way too easily. Katt was a more threatening antagonist than her.
The epilogue of the third book was absolutely laughable, as it brought us an “and they lived happily ever after” kind of ending, without ever explaining how the characters healed and grew from this horrible final fight. It completely ignored all the questions the readers may still have by the end. To anyone thinking of reading this trilogy, I would recommend to read the first book, and then just accept the open(ish) ending and move on to better books. Umberland and Ozland were absolute wastes of my time, and it ruined the good parts that only Everland knew how to bring.
January 11, 2019
Hurgh.
Okay, So I had a lot of problems with the first book, the second book wasn't the best but had two amazing characters in Alyssa and Maddox. This book? Had nothing. Alyssa and Maddox sidelined, Pete and Gwen there but not really; Gail, who was new, as one of the flattest characters ever. A bad end to an overall mediocre series.
Okay, So I had a lot of problems with the first book, the second book wasn't the best but had two amazing characters in Alyssa and Maddox. This book? Had nothing. Alyssa and Maddox sidelined, Pete and Gwen there but not really; Gail, who was new, as one of the flattest characters ever. A bad end to an overall mediocre series.
November 29, 2019
I cannot stand this book!!!
The amount of time I have spent yelling at this book is incredible. I’m done. Don’t read it if you want to go as long as you can without extra grey hairs.
Two stars because the idea of the book is still good. The execution was lacking.
The amount of time I have spent yelling at this book is incredible. I’m done. Don’t read it if you want to go as long as you can without extra grey hairs.
Two stars because the idea of the book is still good. The execution was lacking.
October 12, 2021
In honor of,
Gabrielle
Pyro
Justice
Mole
Dozer
The professor
Scout
Gabs
Joanna
Mikey
The colonel
Hunter
Emery
Cogs
Bella
Pickpocket
The lost boys
And all of the others who died during this wonderful adventure♡
Gabrielle
Pyro
Justice
Mole
Dozer
The professor
Scout
Gabs
Joanna
Mikey
The colonel
Hunter
Emery
Cogs
Bella
Pickpocket
The lost boys
And all of the others who died during this wonderful adventure♡
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2018
I have to say this is my least favorite book in the series. It just felt dry and fell short in so many spots.
January 26, 2023
Wow, what an ending!! This was a rollercoaster but an awesome one! It had the ups and downs that made your heart race and the places where you cheer! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, cheering and booing, and nearly crying. My heart broke for all that these characters I loved went through and all the people they had lost. **SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!** I thought as it went on that there weren't going to be any characters left at the rate that they were getting killed off! I was so scared! I nearly lost it when I thought Pete was going to die. Thankfully he didn't but, man, did that scare me! I nearly cried when Pickpocket and Bella died. It broke my heart! **SPOILERS OVER!!*
But, oh, how I loved this book! I hate to see this amazing series come to end, but it ended with a bang! I loved how we got to see all of the characters once more. I really felt like I was right there with them sometimes. This has definitely become one of my all time favorite series!
My only complaint, is that the ending felt rushed. I wished that a little more time had been taken with it. I was so shocked with everything that had happened, I had to go back and read the last chapter again.
But, this was an amazing book! I HIGHLY recommend this series!
Content:
Language: just British 'obscenities'.
Romance: Kisses, caresses, and embracing. Implied that girlfriend and boyfriend were sleeping together but nothing happened. Unwanted touching. A forced kiss. An almost forced marriage.
Violence: Animal bones crunch. Mention from last book about kids dying of mercy killing and bodies piled up the next morning. Character gets burned. Village set on fire. Showing of burned bodies and scent of them. Light description of burn victim. Cheek cut. Two characters whipped. Character is put to sleep (like Snow White). Character grabbed by throat. Mentions of bodies with lacerations, disembowelments, and missing limbs. Attacks on village. Mention of skin falling away and the smell. Bug bites that are fatal. Parts of dead bodies used in machine. Boy thrown against the wall and a crack. Man on top of woman choking. Arrow at the base of a neck. Characters with muzzles. Arrows to characters in multiple places. Many characters die. Mother takes son down with her by killing him. Characters shot.
Age recommendation: 14+
But, oh, how I loved this book! I hate to see this amazing series come to end, but it ended with a bang! I loved how we got to see all of the characters once more. I really felt like I was right there with them sometimes. This has definitely become one of my all time favorite series!
My only complaint, is that the ending felt rushed. I wished that a little more time had been taken with it. I was so shocked with everything that had happened, I had to go back and read the last chapter again.
But, this was an amazing book! I HIGHLY recommend this series!
Content:
Language: just British 'obscenities'.
Romance: Kisses, caresses, and embracing. Implied that girlfriend and boyfriend were sleeping together but nothing happened. Unwanted touching. A forced kiss. An almost forced marriage.
Violence: Animal bones crunch. Mention from last book about kids dying of mercy killing and bodies piled up the next morning. Character gets burned. Village set on fire. Showing of burned bodies and scent of them. Light description of burn victim. Cheek cut. Two characters whipped. Character is put to sleep (like Snow White). Character grabbed by throat. Mentions of bodies with lacerations, disembowelments, and missing limbs. Attacks on village. Mention of skin falling away and the smell. Bug bites that are fatal. Parts of dead bodies used in machine. Boy thrown against the wall and a crack. Man on top of woman choking. Arrow at the base of a neck. Characters with muzzles. Arrows to characters in multiple places. Many characters die. Mother takes son down with her by killing him. Characters shot.
Age recommendation: 14+
March 30, 2022
In this final installment of the Everland trilogy, the lost Kids are faced with some of their hardest trials to date.
Displaced once again, they’re forced to witness their friends and newly built community burn to ash.
Not only is the Blood Red Queen ready to finish their reign of “by the skin of their teeth” luck, but Katt has decided it’s her turn to rule the world.
Gail finds her strength after the death of her parents to save Germany. Teamed up with Ginger, they fight through poppies and mechanical beasts in an attempt to reinstate the rightful king to his throne.
It’s been years since I stopped reading this trilogy but it all came back to me as I picked book three up, destined to finish this series once and for all.
I adored the steampunk retellings of Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Wizard of Oz. It’s such a unique premise, at a time where we’re bombarded with retelling.
This book is a literal battle. It’s war from page one until the end. While that’s not typically my style, it reads quickly.
I gave it a three because I didn’t think the characters were flushed out as well as they could have been. We’re introduced to side characters that we’re told have a pretty important role in the back story, but we don’t get the back story. We’re quickly introduced to a “tin man, lion, and scarecrow” but don’t get anything more than five pages where they’re the villain.
Same goes for the Apothecary workers, there’s a story behind their characters but we don’t get it. Though They play a huge role.
Beware, the author kills off many characters in this book.
Displaced once again, they’re forced to witness their friends and newly built community burn to ash.
Not only is the Blood Red Queen ready to finish their reign of “by the skin of their teeth” luck, but Katt has decided it’s her turn to rule the world.
Gail finds her strength after the death of her parents to save Germany. Teamed up with Ginger, they fight through poppies and mechanical beasts in an attempt to reinstate the rightful king to his throne.
It’s been years since I stopped reading this trilogy but it all came back to me as I picked book three up, destined to finish this series once and for all.
I adored the steampunk retellings of Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Wizard of Oz. It’s such a unique premise, at a time where we’re bombarded with retelling.
This book is a literal battle. It’s war from page one until the end. While that’s not typically my style, it reads quickly.
I gave it a three because I didn’t think the characters were flushed out as well as they could have been. We’re introduced to side characters that we’re told have a pretty important role in the back story, but we don’t get the back story. We’re quickly introduced to a “tin man, lion, and scarecrow” but don’t get anything more than five pages where they’re the villain.
Same goes for the Apothecary workers, there’s a story behind their characters but we don’t get it. Though They play a huge role.
Beware, the author kills off many characters in this book.
September 13, 2018
Fans of the first two books in this series of childhood fantasy favorites being retold will likely enjoy this one. This steampunk dystopian series shows London a year after the Horologia virus was unleashed by the evil Bloodred Queen from Germany. This virus killed nearly all the adults. Now the Lost Kids are racing against Captain Hook to find King Osbourne to return him to power while scrambling to find a true cure to the deadly virus.
Book 1 is Everland and had the most similarities to its original in Peter Pan. Book 2 is Umberland and its homage to Alice in Wonderland was full of crazy characters and deadly labyrinth. This book’s connection to the Wizard of Oz barely goes beyond the word Oz in the title. Each book in the series is narrated by different characters with the focus on primarily one female and one male character. As the series continued, it was increasingly difficult to tell these supposedly strong, yet different women, apart. Alyssa in book one sounds a lot like Gail in book three.
While each book in the series has some interesting recreations from its original, there just wasn’t enough polish and clear plotting to keep my interest. The author repeated weak gimmicks throughout, such as resurrecting parents thought dead--twice, in different books--only to promptly kill them off shortly after the happy reunion of parents and children.
Some great ideas needed more fleshing out for me to truly enjoy the series. While I love the Wizard of Oz, there wasn’t enough of it to sustain my interest in this series, especially in book 3 so I won’t be purchasing for my middle school library.
Book 1 is Everland and had the most similarities to its original in Peter Pan. Book 2 is Umberland and its homage to Alice in Wonderland was full of crazy characters and deadly labyrinth. This book’s connection to the Wizard of Oz barely goes beyond the word Oz in the title. Each book in the series is narrated by different characters with the focus on primarily one female and one male character. As the series continued, it was increasingly difficult to tell these supposedly strong, yet different women, apart. Alyssa in book one sounds a lot like Gail in book three.
While each book in the series has some interesting recreations from its original, there just wasn’t enough polish and clear plotting to keep my interest. The author repeated weak gimmicks throughout, such as resurrecting parents thought dead--twice, in different books--only to promptly kill them off shortly after the happy reunion of parents and children.
Some great ideas needed more fleshing out for me to truly enjoy the series. While I love the Wizard of Oz, there wasn’t enough of it to sustain my interest in this series, especially in book 3 so I won’t be purchasing for my middle school library.
October 17, 2018
I loved the first two books in the series (Everland and Umberland) so I had high hopes going into this one. However, they were met with disappointment. I could not get into some of the new characters and the old characters I had liked were all killed off. I felt like there were times when the author wanted to make it more dramatic or dark (hence killing people, throwing them into tough circumstances), but it happened so often that the high-charged action moments got to be boring. As for the character deaths, I found that it felt more like the author didn't want to write those characters anymore and thought killing them off was the best way to deal with it. In fact, some of the biggest character deaths did not even happen during the book (or the books before) and were just briefly mentioned that they had died earlier. I ended up just skimming the last few chapters to find out how the book ended so I could just know how the series ended. Like I said, I love Everland and Umberland and would definitely suggest them. Ozland had so much potential that it just didn't live up to and was disappointing to me because of it.
June 21, 2018
Ozland by Wendy Spinale, 288 pages. Scholastic Press, 2018. $18.
Language: G, Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (deaths, some blood)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE
KID APPEAL: MEDIUM
The survivors of the destruction of Everland and Umberland are desperate to stop the Bloodred Queen and save the world from the Horologia virus. It will take each one of them, plus a few new characters and a lot of sacrifice, to triumph.
With the introduction of a third world and more characters, Spinale overloads her slim book with just too much. I was distracted with keeping track of everyone and couldn’t really enjoy the deft inclusion of the Oz characters as mucha s I had meting the other worlds. Spinale really does a great job of adding in the people and action from the classic novels – I think she needed more than 300 pages to give full play to the ambitious scope of her world.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
Language: G, Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (deaths, some blood)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE
KID APPEAL: MEDIUM
The survivors of the destruction of Everland and Umberland are desperate to stop the Bloodred Queen and save the world from the Horologia virus. It will take each one of them, plus a few new characters and a lot of sacrifice, to triumph.
With the introduction of a third world and more characters, Spinale overloads her slim book with just too much. I was distracted with keeping track of everyone and couldn’t really enjoy the deft inclusion of the Oz characters as mucha s I had meting the other worlds. Spinale really does a great job of adding in the people and action from the classic novels – I think she needed more than 300 pages to give full play to the ambitious scope of her world.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
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