Dorothy Must Die,

Reimagining classic fairy tales and literary canons with dark fantasy twists has become a defining trend in modern young adult fiction. Danielle Paige gained widespread recognition with her debut series starting with Dorothy Must Die, which presents L. Frank Baum's Oz as a dystopian realm where a modern Kansas teenager must overthrow a corrupted, tyrannical Dorothy Gale.

Career & Background

Raised in Atlanta, Danielle Paige originally intended to pursue journalism before moving to New York City to attend Columbia University. While studying at Columbia, she took an internship on the daytime drama Guiding Light, which launched her career as a television scriptwriter. Her work in broadcast television earned her a Writers Guild of America Award and multiple Daytime Emmy Award nominations before she shifted her focus toward writing young adult fiction.

Leveraging her extensive background in episodic scriptwriting, Paige established a successful career in young adult fantasy. Beyond her Oz-inspired fiction, her publications include the Stealing Snow series, the DC Entertainment graphic novel Mera: Tidebreaker, the Fairy Godmother series beginning with Wish of the Wicked, and the collaborative novel The Ravens co-authored with Kass Morgan. She continues to live and write in New York City.

Writing Style & Themes

Paige's storytelling features high-stakes narrative pacing, morally complex character motivations, and sharp subversions of classic folklore. Drawing from her television writing experience, she constructs dramatic scenes anchored by fast-moving plots and resilient female protagonists. Her narratives routinely explore power dynamic shifts, systemic corruption, and the fine boundary between heroism and villainy.

Major Works

• Dorothy Must Die — The opening novel of the bestselling series introduces Kansas native Amy Gumm, who is swept away to a corrupted Oz and recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked to defeat a ruthless Dorothy Gale.
• The End of Oz — A prominent installment in the Dorothy Must Die series that concludes the high-stakes rebellion against Dorothy's regime across a shattered magic kingdom.
• Stealing Snow — A dark young adult fantasy reimagining Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, centered on a young woman who escapes a facility into an icy alternate reality.
• Mera: Tidebreaker — A graphic novel published by DC Entertainment detailing the backstory and coming-of-age journey of the Atlantean princess Mera.
• The Ravens — A fantasy collaboration co-written with Kass Morgan that blends college sorority culture with a secret coven of witches.
• Wish of the Wicked — The inaugural entry in the Fairy Godmother series, presenting a dark origin story centered on vengeance and magical matriarchs.