Banished

Betsy Schow

Feb 2018 · The Storymakers Book 3 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

Can Princess Dorthea and Rexi have to get the land of Story its happy ending? Find out in this magical conclusion to the Storymakers trilogy, a wickedly funny Wizard of Oz retelling and fairy tale mashup perfect for fans of the Twisted Tales series and Jen Calonita

Dorthea of Emerald is used to being treated like the princess she is. Except she's trapped in a strange land called Kansas, where no one recognizes she's royalty. Not her parents, not the hospital's doctors, not even the cute patient who keeps flirting with her. The only one who knows who she really is? The evil Blanc. And she's thundering into Kansas to erase Dorethea's—and everyone else's—story.

Back in Camelot, outlaw Rexi's got her own problems...like being locked in a tower. She may have trained with Robin Hood, but she's going to need to steal more than a key to escape Gwenevere's trap to take back Excalibur. And even if Rexi manages to get free, she still needs to reclaim her storyline from Morte's wicked plotting.

It's not over until the last spot of ink dries.

Dorethea and Rexi won't give up their happily ever afters without a fight. But with the villains of Story scripting their triumph, does this spell The End for Dorethea and Rexi?

Fast-paced and delightfully unique, Banished is a perfect for readers looking for:

• a clever retelling of the classic Wizard of Oz book series
• a fresh take on Robin Hood and other timeless fairy tales
• young adult books with adventure, humor, and magic
• whimsical fantasy for tweens and teens
• dynamic and relatable heroines with snark

The Storymakers Series:

Spelled (Book 1)

Wanted (Book 2)

Banished (Book 3)

Ratings and reviews

AudioBook Review: Stars: 4 Narration 4 Story 4 The conclusion of The Storymakers trilogy brings the story to an end, and is best understood if you have read all of the books in order. Here is where Schow shows us her brilliance in the reality/fantasy duality of the story, and the challenges this creates for Dorothea in her life – and her determination to keep moving forward in hopes for better and more. Dorothea is back in Kansas, slowly recovering from a coma – and is slowly forgetting ‘home’. After discovering her parents (book 2) she’s desperate to connect to them, but she’s also got a series of regrets about her own behavior and choices made along the way, and while she wants to remember ‘home’ and still keep her connection to Rexi alive, the dual realities provide conflicts and choices – none of which are simple or clear-cut. Meanwhile, in Fairy-tale land, Rexi is now been crowned King Arthur reborn, and is in a struggle to keep the grail safe – as Camelot has become a series of struggles, battles and enemies. Desperate to NOT be forgotten by Dorothea, the options for Rexi are simple – do anything possible to maintain and kep that connection. For Dorothea, the choices aren’t so simple, and she’s unsure just how far she would, could or should go to keep them and not forget the life she had come to know….even if none believe it was real. Here Schow utilizes her characters to show choices and consequences – with and without regrets, reframing the world Dorthea now exists in against that alternate reality that all but she believe is a dream. With both Rexi and Dorothea discovering yet another challenge to overcome to survive and save their moments, the story manages to untangle all the threads, add the lovely quirks and mashups in neatly, and providing an entertaining, if not always clearly linear, path to the end. Narration for this story is provided by Arielle deLisle, who manages to become each character: teenaged angsty and often flighty and overemotional girls who are distinctly different, yet surprisingly similar in their determination. Throughout the story, deLisle managed to capture each moment and add clarity and interest, allowing the twists and turns to unfold without over-reaching for emotional impact, and keeping listeners able to distinguish each character with subtle changes in pitch, tone and even pace that felt appropriate to each person, and added interest and variation to the listen. Best read (or listened to) in order – this is a story that is written for YA audiences, but seems to be clearly presented for the younger YA reader – a bit of immaturity and youth in both conversations and some approaches to challenges keep the feeling of the series decidedly youthful. With plenty of humor, insets from ‘magazine advice’ columns, plenty of references both historic and literary, and a ton of determination to meet challenges and always get up, again and again, the series, and this book, are fun and clever. I received an Audiobook copy of the title from Tantor Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

love it very good book its feel good book of the year really good am sad that its done

It ties everything together perfectly but the epilogue leaves you wanting more.

About the author

Betsy Schow is the author of the memoir Finished Being Fat, and has been featured on The Today Show and in The Wall Street Journal. She lives in Utah, but travels the country with Color Me Rad 5k, and partners with non-profits to teach kids creative thinking and how to reach their goals. Visit her at betsyschow.com