Darkly fantastical. I really enjoyed this one. It's a bit of a fluff read if you really get down to it, but I don't care. It was fun and creepy and mesmerizing. I found myself intrigued pretty quickly and, as a result, will likely pick up and finally read the original Baum Oz series. As it is, I was able to slide right into the sequel...which is a good thing because cliffhangers drive me crazy.