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Published: Feb. 06, 2012
Words: 68,505 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781466045163
Short description
Kansas orphan Gail Dorjee braves bullying and supernatural interference at Seattle's elite Osland Academy. She doesn't walk alone; she has the friendship of a ditz, a coward and a beautiful, heartless boy. Together, they must stop a murderous plot in this modern re-imagining of "The Wizard of Oz."Extended description
When her parents die, teenager Gail Dorjee retreats into an angry, sarcastic shell. She hopes it will ease her pain, but all it gets her is a one-way trip from Kansas to a Seattle boarding school, the elite Osland Academy.As soon as she arrives, Gail clashes with Diana, the leader of the school's most powerful clique. The Winged make Gail's life hell until she find allies: her airhead roommate; a cowardly fellow victim of the Winged; and, bit by bit, Diana's boyfriend--the seemingly heartless Nick.
But Gail soon has bigger problems than Diana. One of her teachers hates her. Glasses shatter and fountains erupt around her. She can't swear no matter how hard she tries. An unseen force is keeping her on campus. Worst of all, she uncovers a plot that will give one person a precious gift at the cost of thousands of lives. Now Gail and her friends must stop the plot--not just to save lives, but to win a brain, the nerve, a heart and a home.
Tags
urban fantasy, paranormal, magic, young adult, seattle, boarding school, oz, asian american protagonistAvailable ebook reading formats
Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.| Format | Full Book | Sample First 15% |
|---|---|---|
| Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser) | Buy | View sample |
| Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps) | Buy | Download sample |
| Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) | Buy | Download sample |
| LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub) | Buy | Download sample |
| Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices) | Buy | Download sample |
Reviews
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Review by:
Sherry Ellis
on Sep. 26, 2012 :
When teenager, Gail Dorjie, from Kansas loses her parents, she is sent to a Seattle boarding school. There she meets characters akin to the familiar Wizard of Oz characters. These characters work together to stop an evil plan, thereby earning smarts, courage, heart, and a home.
The Emerald City is a creative YA paranormal fantasy that gives a refreshing look at a classic story. The characters act like believable teenagers, and it's interesting to watch their struggles. Even the touch of humor makes it an enjoyable read.
If you enjoy paranormal fantasies, then this is a good book to read.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Midu Hadi
on June 21, 2012 :
This was such a refreshing book! Another YA novel that I’d recommend to those of us who aren’t too into them.
The book had everything:
a teenager who acted her age, was smart and kicked butt-not dumb enough to dismiss the strange ongoings in her school like most YA protagonists would have done.
characters that kept me interested throughout-Nick’s zombieness made him all the more fun and Lydia was cute.
the right beginning and a balanced ending-the book wasn’t too long either.
there were some spelling mistakes, yes.
the humor was done just right.
It was fun, witty and a quick read-I just couldn’t put the book down till I was done reading.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Sharie Mueller
on April 22, 2012 :
I was enchanted by this novel, an inventive and entertaining re-imagining of the Oz story. J.A. Beard's style is lively and his dialogue is convincing. The mystery at the core of the book kept me reading, and it was easy to feel a connection to his insightful version of the Oz characters and their struggles. Obviously a labor of love, I recommend The Emerald City -- a splendid book for both children and adults.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Marva Dasef
on Feb. 21, 2012 :
I liked this book a lot. It held my attention from the first line onwards. The play on Wizard of Oz is handled deftly and not heavy-handed with th "look at my in-joke" attitude I've seen elsewhere.
Most surprising to me is how well Mr. Beard portrays the first person voice for Gail. His understanding of the teenage psyche is excellent.
There are a couple of downsides, but nothing that would diminish a pleasurable read. One of my main pains in the a.. (I guess the Osland Academy's rule against cursing applies here) is a bit of muddle with the rift watchers' roles since they're referred to both by their first names, then by "Miss Lastname." Maybe my brain cells are firing at full capacity, but I hate having to stop and think who is who.
I got my copy at Smashwords and found a lot of strange errors (missing words or extra words that just didn't smell of typo). At first, I was aghast at the number of errors, but then caught on that the uploaded file to Smashwords might be corrupt. I queried the author about these errors and determined that a flawed file was at fault. The Kindle and B&N editions should be much cleaner and the author is making adjustments. If you got an earlier version with the strangeness, don't count it as a fault.
This is a series, and I'm definitely interested in reading the next book. Best of all, I can choose to continue the series or not. I abhor books in a series that leave a clifhanger of gigantic proportions in an attempt to force the reader to buy the next in a series. My answer is always no. Give me a fully realized story in each book in a series or you won't keep me as a reader. Mr. Beard has done very well in making me WANT to know what happens next, rather than trying to force me to find out.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)