YMMV / Ozma of Oz

• Alternative Character Interpretation: It's easy to see how the Nome King wouldn't consider himself villainous. He could be argued to have not done anything truly villainous (other than actually agreeing to buy the royal family as slaves in the first place, and being a bit of a Sore Loser himself); on the contrary, it was Ozma and her party that were the aggressors. After all, the royal family of Ev were sold to him by their king, and he could have made them work in the mines but instead gave them the rather painless fate of being transformed into objects; a mercy, in the Nome King's point of view. Ozma on the other hand barges into his territory and threatens him with her army if he doesn't give them up, only backing down and settling for negotiating after the Nome King shows her he can't be defeated by force. Finally, the Oz residents agree to the Nome King's challenge and are given the chance to free the royal family at the risk of being transformed themselves, after having all the rules laid out to them with no tricks, and end up having to cheat to win. The Nome King is punished by having his Magic Belt taken away only because the Oz residents almost lost the challenge, which they were not forced to do but they themselves agreed to undertake. Though Ozma muses that the deal is null and void, if not outright fraudulent, as the King didn't get the long life he asked for.
• Base-Breaking Character: The Nome King gradually became one of the series' more prominent recurring villains. However, in pop culture, he tends to be overshadowed by the Wicked Witch of the West, despite being killed off in the first book. On the other hand, his ornament game tends to be a fan-favorite scene and he does have his fans.
• Common Knowledge: Thanks to most adaptations, most people assume Dorothy is the one to figure out the Nome King's trick and save the day. In the actual book, Billina is the one who saves the Queen of Ev and most of her children, although Dorothy previously rescued one of the princes by sheer luck.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Princess Langwidere tends to be popular, thanks in part to Return to Oz. That said, it's very common to make her a straight villain, and an outright witch, thanks to the film conflating her with Mombi.
• What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: Ozma of Oz is one of the most infamous Oz books due to its Nightmare Fuel, including the Wheelers and Princess Langwidere's collection of heads. It has a pleasant looking cover and title but has a lot of dark elements.
• Win Back the Crowd: Dorothy Gale and the Cowardly Lion returning after they were cut from the second book.