Reviews

The Oracle of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire

Only show reviews with written explanations

kylaslittlelibrary's review

Go to review page

Spin off series from Wicked. Picks right up from where the first book left off.

katpeaspanen's review

Go to review page

adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It is an Advance Reader's Edition.
I was just about to give up on the book on page 55ish and it caught more of my attention, so I kept reading. Up until this point, I found my attention kept wandering. and had to reread paragraphs because I found myself confused. In addition, there were names that were not only not English names, but the spelling of them (example: Bvasil) made it less fluid to read. There was also the use of "quawking" to refer to a character that was a goose speaking. The first time I saw it, I thought perhaps it was a typo, but no, that is how it was spelled every time. Also, this was Volume Two of a series and perhaps if I had read the first book, I would have had less confusion.
I've enjoyed other books by Gregory Maguire much more.

lazygal's review

Go to review page

2.0

I'm feeling about this the way I felt about Son of a Witch after reading Wicked - it's a lesser book. The first book in this series, The Brides of Maracoor was different and interesting, but this book? It felt like the imagination poured into the first book was no longer there, that the important thing was the personal interactions and the action, rather than crafting a unique world and society.

It also feels as though the author really wants to tie this into the Wicked world (ok, ok, Oz - but not the playful Oz of L. Frank Baum, so I keep them separate in my mind). I'm not sure that's a great idea, because the world of the Brides had promise and this just has "I'm a bridge book" vibes.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.

hello_sweetie11's review

Go to review page

adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I ended up really liking this. Dragging at the beginning, the ending was very exciting and some great quotes and life connections. So very magical, but definitely a strange tempo in the writing that you must get used to.

cmm721's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

owltype's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

5.0

The Oracle of Maracoor started out slow, and I wondered if Gregory Maguire's books had lost their magic. But once it picked up, I was hooked and finished the rest of the book in one sitting. Maguire does it once again, maintaining his position as my favorite author. There were some real zingers in this book--Maguire always manages to turn a phrase or two that I brood on for days afterward. And the "twist" revealing who the Oracle really is nearly made me throw my book across the room, I was so upset. I can't wait for the third book. I'm going to drive myself crazy wondering about what might happen next.