A magical planet torn apart by war. A defiant space pilot cadet determined to save the ones she loves. The adventure of a lifetime. Oz like you have never seen before. Space Academy prodigy Dorothy Hanson doesn’t have time for love nonsense. She has one goal, complete the mission her parents started before their untimely death. When a cosmic disturbance hits the Kansas Space Station, Dorothy seizes that opportunity to go on her first space voyage. She didn’t expect to be sucked into a vortex nor land on a strange planet ravaged by war. Stranded, she must embark on a perilous mission to the Land of Oz, the only nation that possesses the technology to send her home. Three strangers join Dorothy in her quest, all carrying reasons of their own for reaching Emerald City. A man without memories marked with a strange symbol on his face. A cyborg with a chip on his shoulder and a mysterious past. And a scarred hellioncat plagued by nightmares in the dark. Dorothy doesn’t know if she can trust them, but as their journey progresses, their bond becomes stronger and Dorothy’s feelings evolve from suspicion to caring too much. Torn between contradicting emotions, she must find the strength to fight the evil forces that stack up against them along the way. Surviving the trip on the yellow road is priority number one, but can she survive losing her heart? Disclaimer: Lost Horizon is space fantasy slow burn reverse harem romance. It's not a standalone novel |
Review
Instead of a tornado, Dorothy is sucked into a white hole while pursuing Mirus, a mystical being that feeds on the remains of stars. It’s believed that the substance Mirus is composed of contains healing properties, and this may be the only chance to save Dorothy’s cousin, Adrian, from deteriorating further due to the genetic condition he and Dorothy share.
I never would’ve thought Oz in space was something I needed in my life until I encountered this book. Hercules has done an amazing job of reimagining Oz as a war-torn planet and Kansas as a space station but it’s the depth she brings to these characters that make this novel stand out.
We’re all familiar with the cowardly lion, the brainless scarecrow, and the heartless tin man. Hercules retains the defining characteristics of these characters in Reo, Darius, and Kevvan, but adds a level of depth that makes them come to life in a way that puts the movie originals (I’ve only seen the movie) to shame. Instead of relying on characterisation based on physical features, such as Reo being a cyborg and Kevvan a hellioncat, Hercules has built a convincing psychological element into the characters to elucidate their cowardice, heartlessness, etc. Toto also happens to be adorable as a robot dog.
I adore a reverse harem romance and the development of emotional and physical attraction between Dorothy and her boys is so good, like, guilty pleasure fan fiction level good.
I really would’ve liked to find out more about Dorothy’s medical condition but not knowing didn’t detract at all from my enjoyment of this book. Although the end provides a satisfying conclusion to the main plot it does leave off with a tantalising cliff-hanger that’ll make it tough to wait for the next Oz in Space book.
Book received through Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.