Gregory Macguire, in my opinion, you are both insane and lovable.

The audiobook version I had access to was clearly a digitized book on tape, which brought back a lot of nostalgia. However, it was also a bit distracting at times. Nevertheless, I'm truly grateful for the interview with Macguire at the end of the novel. It provided some extremely helpful insights into his writing process.

Now, is my five-star rating rather questionable here? Absolutely. There are some truly wild things going on in this novel that I don't fully comprehend and perhaps don't even want to. Several of these have deeply troubling implications. But I am so completely captivated by Macguire's world, his characters, and his writing style that I find myself willing not to simply overlook but rather to carefully set aside some of these elements. I do so with the hope that things might be addressed later on in the series. Is that a foolhardy thing to do? Very possibly! But I just can't wait to find out.

I'm eager to see how the story unfolds and if my initial impressions and decisions will be vindicated or proven otherwise. Macguire has created a world that is both fascinating and a bit perplexing, and I'm excited to continue exploring it.

Taken by itself, this book seemed rather aimless to me. It was much like the main character himself, whose constant opining about being useless got old after a time. However, I still just enjoy being immersed in Maguire's writing and learning more about his Oz.

In Wicked, we learned that Liir is the son of Elphaba and Fiyero. But the adolescent Liir himself does not know this for sure, although he has heard the rumors. With Elphaba having been such a force of nature, Liir is constantly disappointed in himself by comparison. He decides to go searching for the one person who showed him kindness in his childhood and sets off for the Emerald City. Then life just sort of happens to him for the next several years. He crosses paths with several characters we met in the previous book and meets some new ones. Finally, by the end of this book, he decides to do something meaningful despite not being Elphaba.

I read another review saying this sequel answers a lot of questions left from book one, and I must wholeheartedly disagree. I don't think it answered a single one! But just sinking down into the world with all its fascinating politics and religions is still a treat to me. The complex web of relationships and the detailed描绘 of the Ozian society make it a captivating read, even if the plot may not be as tightly woven as one might hope.

As a die-hard fan of both the original book and the theatre show, I have to say that this particular book failed to meet my expectations.

It was an excruciatingly slow read, with very little being disclosed along the way to keep my curiosity piqued. There was a distinct lack of excitement and jeopardy, which made it difficult for me to truly care about what was happening.

Moreover, a significant number of the characters felt underdeveloped and unappealing. They seemed to lack depth and authenticity, making it hard for me to form any sort of connection with them.

Even after finishing the book, I still had a plethora of unanswered questions lingering in my mind.

Overall, I would rate this book a 3.5. While it managed to hold my interest long enough for me to complete it, it simply didn't have that special something that would have made me love it.

I was left feeling somewhat disappointed and longing for a more engaging and satisfying reading experience.

Perhaps if the author had injected more excitement, developed the characters more fully, and provided more answers, this book could have been a real winner.

As it stands, however, it falls short of the mark and fails to live up to the high standards set by the original.

I'm not going to lie.

This has been an extremely difficult read for me. It has literally taken me years to get through it.

However, it ended up being so incredibly good.

The story, the characters, and the overall plot were all well-developed and engaging.

Despite the initial struggle, I'm glad I stuck with it.

It's definitely a 4-star book in my opinion.

I would highly recommend it to others who are looking for a challenging yet rewarding read.

Even though it took me a long time to finish, I found myself constantly thinking about the book and the characters even when I wasn't reading it.

It's one of those books that stays with you long after you've turned the last page.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this book and would give it a solid 4 stars.

3⭐️ This is Part 2 of the Wicked Years series. I have a great affection for both the film and the play of Wicked, and I also enjoyed the book. Naturally, I am eager to know what happened next. So, I added this book to my list of those that make one go “hmmm”. The story is about Liir. Once I managed to follow the plot, I started to like this book. It is, once again, a highly political and socially aware book. Although not as direct as Wicked, it still has the power to start conversations. The book gives the impression of being in the middle of a longer story. Some storylines have endings, while others are left open, just like in real life. Some aspects are extremely vague, but overall, I had a rather decent reading experience. However, the ending! I absolutely loved it.

The pacing of the book is terrible. Most of the side characters seem unnecessary, and the writing is so flowery and chaotic that it is sometimes difficult to follow. I would not recommend this book to most people. But for me, I liked it. I think it does an excellent job of raising questions about morality, religion, and kinship. It is hard to rate, but I had to do it.

This book was a good addition to this series. However, it does not live up to Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

There seems to be a lack of magic, especially in the relationships. I desired more from these characters as they were what made me love the first one.

Nevertheless, I was still engaged with this world. I was never as invested in Liir as I was in Elphaba, which made the book a hard sell for me. I was counting on Nor, whom I loved, but was disappointed that the promised search for her was abandoned early on.

In turn, the book didn't deliver as many interesting characters and relationships as the previous installment. This left Liir isolated, but not in a compelling way like Elphaba's.

Despite this, there are relationships that are worth it. The book picks up where we left off with him, and his care and attraction for Dorothy were enjoyable to read. How quickly he becomes attached to her and how he struggles with that dynamic, considering how they meet and the short timeline, was interesting.

After that, it takes until the ending to see how his relationships with Candle and Trism develop, making them more interesting and curious dynamics that capture your attention.

On the topic of dynamics, seeing Glinda again was beautiful. I felt she was a bit influenced by the musical, and I liked seeing this different look into her, her grief, and her in the role we know better from The Wizard of Oz.

And then, without giving anything away, we meet Shell, who was quite the character.

Now onto my favorite thing, I love how this book centers the Animals again. There are multiple arcs about their journey in a post-Wizard world, the political consequences of those years, and the after now. It also gives emotional bits when speaking of Elphaba and her legacy.

This all said, this book was a worthwhile read, even if it did not live up to the first book. I'm curious to continue with the series, hoping to further explore the Animals, even if I care less about the Lion.

The wall read:
ELPHIE LIVES
OZMA LIVES
THE WIZARD LIVES
and then
EVERYONE LIVES BUT US.

Reading this book and The Marvelous Land of Oz simultaneously was an interesting experience. Oh, there's little Tip and Mombi! Nice nod, Mr. Maguire. But this Oz? It's quite different from the one Mr. Baum imagined. Unlike the Scarecrow-run original, where the Army of Oz was a single soldier, the illegitimate, unrecognized son of Elphaba finds himself in an unstable nation where the Scarecrow is both a literal and figurative straw man. The people (and Animals, especially the Animals!) of Oz are no more free than they were under the Wizard's rule and things just keep getting worse.

The novel opens with a nearly-dead Liir (son of Elphaba) being found and taken back to the same Cloister of St. Glinda where he was born. As Liir is nursed back to health, his life up to this point is revealed in flashbacks. Some is a rehash: accompanying Elphaba to his father's former home of Kiamo Ko and growing up alongside his half-siblings until their assumed deaths, and then his lonely adolescence alongside Elphaba and Nanny, until the disastrous arrival of Dorothy. Then there's the aftermath of the witch's death: joining Dorothy's ragtag entourage in their return to the Emerald City (where the few laughs of the novel are to be found), chasing rumors of his half-sister Nor into the prison known as Southstairs, where he meets his alleged uncle Shell, and then a military career in the Army of Oz that leads to more tragedies. Eventually, we catch up to Liir's present and see some action in the second half. Although there are glimpses of Baum's original characters (Dorothy & co., Glinda, the Wizard, etc.), most of main characters are Maguire's creations.

“Not everyone is born a witch or a saint. Not everyone is born talented, or crooked, or blessed; some are born definite in no particular at all. We are a fountain of shimmering contradictions, most of us. Beautiful in the concept, if we're lucky, but frequently tedious or regrettable as we flesh ourselves out.”

While Wicked featured the struggle between good and evil, this sequel focuses on Liir's search for identity. How does one know who one is, when one doesn't even know who one is? I'm rounding up a 3.5 star rating, because Liir's story was intriguing, even if he's not always a very sympathetic character. But that ending... Major cliffhanger. It leaves the reader on the edge of their seat, eager to know what will happen next in Liir's life. Will he finally discover his true identity? Will he be able to bring about change in the troubled land of Oz? These questions and more keep the reader engaged until the very end.

The advertising for "Son of a Witch" truly confuses me.

At the bottom, it states, "From the author of 'A Lion Among Men'." Indeed, it's the book that comes after. The back also features excerpts from both "Wicked" and "A Lion Among Men". Let me clarify for those who haven't read any of these. It's not a series where you can just pick up any book and be okay with it.

"Wicked" initially felt a bit unsatisfying. However, as a precursor to this book, it actually gains a great deal of depth. Knowing so much about the protagonist Liir's mother helps you understand the awkward life position he finds himself in.

I'm still entertained by the fact that the Wicked series isn't so much a reimagining of the Oz series as it is a view from an adult perspective rather than that of the oblivious Dorothy. There are complex politics, ambiguous behavior, and some rather unsettling moments that sell the reality over the fantasy of Oz. L Frank Baum's world had many concrete rules, but he also might whimsically introduce whatever wacky creature he'd just thought up, a style that C.S. Lewis would continue.

The OZ references are great fun for the OZ enthusiasts out there. The post-brains Scarecrow's brief appearance made him such an enigmatic character that I was sad to see him go, and I kind of hope he gets his own book in the future. The appearance of the main character from Baum's second book made me feel like such a nerd because my immediate thought was, "My god, by this timeline the next book may feature the ascent of Ozma!" And then, in accordance with my own ethical code, I had to give myself a punch in the stomach.

The main drawback of both of the Wicked Years books is the sometimes loose structure. Liir's story is at times a series of interconnected vignettes without much of a larger overarching purpose. I suppose that may have been the intention, but it's still frustrating to read in parts. Maguire's highly readable style is the main factor keeping everything moving forward.

The plot doesn't so much end as it trails off like an old person who has lost their train of thought. However, it is redeemed somewhat by the last few sentences, which had a power that took me by surprise.

Gregory Maguire's writing is both alluring and frustrating, which is why he may always receive 3 stars from me. No more, no less.

It's actually been a couple of days since I finished the book and I've been letting my thoughts mull.

I've come to the conclusion that this is actually quite a horrible story. There's lots of wanton, unjustifiable violence to both people and animals. It's truly disturbing. And I can't say that this led to any great change or sense of hope. Lir's big action? To put on an aerial display? That just seems rather anticlimactic.

The first section of the book is a bit of a mess, with lots of jumping around in time. But at least that seemed to set up some hope that there would be something good to come out of it all, some resolution of the great mystery of the attacks. However, what follows is the same sort of meandering, seemingly half-baked storyline. As mentioned before, it doesn't actually come to much at all.

That said, I did read it all to find out what happened and would probably read more books in the series. But I've been surprised by how disappointed I am by something I've been looking forward to reading in ages. It's a real letdown. :(

I had an unwavering need to keep my fixation on Elphaba alive. This particular book is the second installment of the Wicked series and it revolves around Liir, a character who was introduced in the first book, Wicked.

However, this book still failed to neatly tie up any loose ends. The first book had left a rather frayed rope of unresolved storylines. In fact, I had already been forewarned by a friend before I began Son of a Witch that I would still be left with a significant number of questions and very few answers. And, as expected, this means that I now have to progress to book 3.

The book was a relatively easy read, and I managed to breeze through it quite quickly. New characters were introduced, and there were also a few familiar faces that made an appearance. While I didn't experience the same level of intensity that I had felt in Wicked, I was nevertheless happy to be returning to the magical land of Oz. (Strangely enough, I never thought I would find myself saying that.)

Overall, Son of a Witch was an enjoyable read, albeit one that left me craving more answers and eager to see what the next book in the series has in store.

I really liked this book.

It was an easier read compared to the "Wicked" book itself.

However, I didn't really enjoy the chapter about his time as a soldier as it wasn't really my area of interest.

Nonetheless, I really liked the rest of the book.

I love delving more into Oz's history and getting to know the characters better.

I'm glad that some of the previous people in "Wicked" were also in this one, and we got to know new things about them as well.

Plus, I absolutely loved the ending.

I won't divulge what it is, but it was something I didn't see coming, which is always a bonus.

This book offered a unique perspective on the world of Oz and its characters, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed "Wicked" or is interested in exploring this fictional universe further.

Overall, it was a great read that kept me engaged from start to finish.

I have a deep affection for the Wicked series books. The reason is quite evident: they are "NOTHING LIKE THE PLAY!" to such an extent that it truly angers the fans of the stage version.

If you have the spare time, do take a look at some of the one-star reviews for the first book (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37...). It's truly hilarious to see how furious these people become. It's as if they have been betrayed and tricked into reading this divergence from their beloved creation. Since the play is based on the book, shouldn't they be upset with the play for changing things around and confusing their minds?

If they were to continue reading the series (which is highly unlikely), no doubt this continuation of Maguire's alternative Oz history would further incense them. It departs even further from Baum's original work... unless Baum discusses homosexuality in one of his books that I haven't read yet. The tone is more realistic and contemplative. Everything is taken more seriously than your great gran's carefree Oz.

I'm also a fan of these books because of the writing. Gregory Maguire has a remarkable ability to string words together. He's also a solid storyteller, although pacing can sometimes be his weakness. Those contemplations do slow things down a bit from time to time.

This series is definitely not for everyone (certainly not for a particular few!), but if you enjoyed adventuring in the Land of Oz as a child and now, as an adult, long for more (and are fully equipped with an open mind), this just might be the escape you've been seeking.