The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
frgnadorbl's review against another edition
The writing was not interesting. The characters were not like able. I’ve been reading for a banned book challenge and I feel like this should be banned simply because it’s boring!  What made me get this far was the fact that I love the musical so it had to get better. But they’re absolutely nothing alike except for character names.  It’s a 20 hour audio book. I cannot put another 10 hours into something that I can’t stand.Â
tameekahre's review against another edition
2.0
By the end, I was simply tired of reading this book. The politics overwhelmed the plot too much of the time and left more questions than answers, which may have been the point. I would have enjoyed it more if the politics took a backseat, at least a little bit, to the stages of Elphaba's life. I just feel, "Eh!"
noellesimonson's review against another edition
1.0
Overwritten (but somehow underdeveloped) animalistic fairy porn with no plot.
elysahenegar's review against another edition
3.0
Imaginative and fun, this novel "fleshes out" a little known history for "the Wicked Witch of the West" that makes her well-rounded and invites readers to see the famous character in a whole new light. Maguire also invites readers into a philosophical "discussion" about evil and good and how those constructs are defined, what religion and belief mean to our lives, and the many ways and reasons that hurt people hurt people. It's missing a redemptive element that would have tipped it up another level for me, but it's thoroughly enjoyable!
brooke_review's review against another edition
4.0
Beginning Impressions:
So I'm only 9 pages into Wicked & I can already tell you where Maguire has gone wrong - taking the characters of OZ & trying to paint them with worldly, adult tones. The appeal of OZ is that the characters are wise in their naïveté - they "know" so much more than they "don't know." A child can read one of Baum's books & get from it a completely different message than an adult. The original OZ stories transcend boundaries of all kinds. And here, within the first couple of pages, Maguire has the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, & Cowardly Lion suggesting that the Wicked Witch is a castrated hermaphrodite who prefers the company of women! I am all for a dirty, gritty story, but not with OZ - there is a finesse here that needs to be preserved if one is going to attempt to even touch this series. Having these fairy land characters talk like lowly, earth men misses the whole point ... and magic of OZ.
Let's continue on ... hmmmm.
Few Pages On Update:
Now there was just mention of a magical clock which shows a man with sexual parts in both the front and the back. A woman and her daughter proceed to have sex with the man simultaneously. How this is OZ, I don't know - is this OZ before it was OZ?! Maguire is going to need to do an excellent job of convincing me that all of this is necessary and relevant.
About 1/3 of the Way Through:
I am liking the novel much better now. Once the green child was born, things got interesting. I am loving that we are getting a glimpse of Elphaba's life at college, & the fact that she and Glinda the Good were college roommates. Additionally, this talk of "Animal" vs. "animal" politics is rather interesting. I am a bit dismayed that we are missing some years though -'the birth of Elphaba's sister and the Wizard of OZ overtaking the Emerald City. If you aren't familiar with the original canon, you may not know what's going on at this point in terms of "political rulers."
Around the Halfway Point:
Well imagine that! Who would have thought that Elphaba would be working for the greater good of the people and Animals and animals of OZ? This makes me wonder, what exactly made the "witch" go "wicked?" And maybe she's not so "wicked" after all ...
The End:
Who would have guessed it? I ended up really liking the novel. If it weren't for the unnecessary sexual references (and I'm no prude - they just have no place in OZ) and the fact that OZ was not acknowledged as a fairy country (Elphaba's astonishment over the Scarecrow, for example, when in the original series there are far stranger creatures roaming OZ than a Scarecrow), I would be tempted to give Wicked 5 stars. As it is, it gets 4. I love that we have been wrong about the "Wicked Witch" all this time. I love that she was actually part of a movement within OZ, and that she was just trying to better things for the country. What an interesting take to make her have been misunderstood.
So I'm only 9 pages into Wicked & I can already tell you where Maguire has gone wrong - taking the characters of OZ & trying to paint them with worldly, adult tones. The appeal of OZ is that the characters are wise in their naïveté - they "know" so much more than they "don't know." A child can read one of Baum's books & get from it a completely different message than an adult. The original OZ stories transcend boundaries of all kinds. And here, within the first couple of pages, Maguire has the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, & Cowardly Lion suggesting that the Wicked Witch is a castrated hermaphrodite who prefers the company of women! I am all for a dirty, gritty story, but not with OZ - there is a finesse here that needs to be preserved if one is going to attempt to even touch this series. Having these fairy land characters talk like lowly, earth men misses the whole point ... and magic of OZ.
Let's continue on ... hmmmm.
Few Pages On Update:
Now there was just mention of a magical clock which shows a man with sexual parts in both the front and the back. A woman and her daughter proceed to have sex with the man simultaneously. How this is OZ, I don't know - is this OZ before it was OZ?! Maguire is going to need to do an excellent job of convincing me that all of this is necessary and relevant.
About 1/3 of the Way Through:
I am liking the novel much better now. Once the green child was born, things got interesting. I am loving that we are getting a glimpse of Elphaba's life at college, & the fact that she and Glinda the Good were college roommates. Additionally, this talk of "Animal" vs. "animal" politics is rather interesting. I am a bit dismayed that we are missing some years though -'the birth of Elphaba's sister and the Wizard of OZ overtaking the Emerald City. If you aren't familiar with the original canon, you may not know what's going on at this point in terms of "political rulers."
Around the Halfway Point:
Well imagine that! Who would have thought that Elphaba would be working for the greater good of the people and Animals and animals of OZ? This makes me wonder, what exactly made the "witch" go "wicked?" And maybe she's not so "wicked" after all ...
The End:
Who would have guessed it? I ended up really liking the novel. If it weren't for the unnecessary sexual references (and I'm no prude - they just have no place in OZ) and the fact that OZ was not acknowledged as a fairy country (Elphaba's astonishment over the Scarecrow, for example, when in the original series there are far stranger creatures roaming OZ than a Scarecrow), I would be tempted to give Wicked 5 stars. As it is, it gets 4. I love that we have been wrong about the "Wicked Witch" all this time. I love that she was actually part of a movement within OZ, and that she was just trying to better things for the country. What an interesting take to make her have been misunderstood.
mermads's review against another edition
The fun thing about divorced parents is your dad will buy this for you when you're twelve. And then you'll be 100 pages into this book and your mom confiscates it for inappropriate content. I thought about rereading it, but the concept no longer entices me.
kristensreadingnook's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this but I just didn’t. I will take the musical version over this book any day!
I can definitely see where the musical was based of this book, but this was the R rated version and got really long-winded in my opinion.
I can definitely see where the musical was based of this book, but this was the R rated version and got really long-winded in my opinion.
solaana's review against another edition
3.0
I get the feeling this was as allegorical as the Wizard of Oz was, but fuck if I know what he was talking about. Don't eat meat? Have sex with blue people? Whatever.
chars_books's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0