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bexrecca's review against another edition
2.0
A completely unnecessary addition to the Wicked series. Actually, every book after Wicked is unnecessary with each following slightly worse than the previous. Unlike the first book, readers have less attachment to the characters, which is what makes the formula for that book and Maguire's other fairy tale adaptions work.
ejbkimbler's review against another edition
4.0
I really only have one spoiler, and it's at the end of this review.
*I got this book for free from the Goodreads First Reads program*
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Now obviously this is the fourth and last book in a series, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who didn't read and enjoy the first three. But if you DID read and enjoy the first three, you shouldn't miss this one.
I've liked that each book in the series has a different focal character (first Elphaba, Liir, Brr, and now Rain). At first I thought this book would focus more on Glinda, since the story seemed to be building around her. And now I realize that this was because Rain was BORING at the beginning. And Glinda helped Rain to wake up and start to grow into a real and exciting character. And I loved that she was able to change so much. It really felt like I was watching her grow up as she learned about the world around her.
Little Daffy and Mr. Boss are ridiculous. And they were awesome. Even though I didn't really like either of them at first.
I love Brr. I think I love him even more after this novel than I did after the last.
I think I really only have one criticism about this book- I could have done without all the mention of sex. I really didn't mind the part regarding Rain and Tip's intimacy, but that's because it was touched on briefly and sweetly- without being crass and crude (or overly descriptive). It's the same criticism I had of Wicked, the first book in the series. This book didn't really have a whole lot of description in that area, but for a while it felt like a few of the characters were constantly doing it or talking about doing it. I guess mostly when the company was in Quadling country, where people are apparently very open about their bodies.
But all in all, this was a great ending to the series. It tied up all the loose ends without feeling like a "happily ever after." And that's a good thing because "happily ever after" stories leave the impression that nothing happened after, that the characters and the world ceased to exist after the last page is turned. But this book ended in a way that left me satisfied to know that Oz is going to be okay, even after I finish reading about it.
It took me a while to read this just because life got in the way (wouldn't it be great if I didn't have to go to work every day!) so I'm going to have to read it again sometime when I have time to soak in the whole story a little better.
*Spoiler alert: Ozma was hidden in perpetual BOYhood for all these years?!?!? I mean, I figured there was something strange about Tip, but that he was really a she who is the last in the missing line of Ozmas? Yeah, I didn't expect that.
*I got this book for free from the Goodreads First Reads program*
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Now obviously this is the fourth and last book in a series, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who didn't read and enjoy the first three. But if you DID read and enjoy the first three, you shouldn't miss this one.
I've liked that each book in the series has a different focal character (first Elphaba, Liir, Brr, and now Rain). At first I thought this book would focus more on Glinda, since the story seemed to be building around her. And now I realize that this was because Rain was BORING at the beginning. And Glinda helped Rain to wake up and start to grow into a real and exciting character. And I loved that she was able to change so much. It really felt like I was watching her grow up as she learned about the world around her.
Little Daffy and Mr. Boss are ridiculous. And they were awesome. Even though I didn't really like either of them at first.
I love Brr. I think I love him even more after this novel than I did after the last.
I think I really only have one criticism about this book- I could have done without all the mention of sex. I really didn't mind the part regarding Rain and Tip's intimacy, but that's because it was touched on briefly and sweetly- without being crass and crude (or overly descriptive). It's the same criticism I had of Wicked, the first book in the series. This book didn't really have a whole lot of description in that area, but for a while it felt like a few of the characters were constantly doing it or talking about doing it. I guess mostly when the company was in Quadling country, where people are apparently very open about their bodies.
But all in all, this was a great ending to the series. It tied up all the loose ends without feeling like a "happily ever after." And that's a good thing because "happily ever after" stories leave the impression that nothing happened after, that the characters and the world ceased to exist after the last page is turned. But this book ended in a way that left me satisfied to know that Oz is going to be okay, even after I finish reading about it.
It took me a while to read this just because life got in the way (wouldn't it be great if I didn't have to go to work every day!) so I'm going to have to read it again sometime when I have time to soak in the whole story a little better.
*Spoiler alert: Ozma was hidden in perpetual BOYhood for all these years?!?!? I mean, I figured there was something strange about Tip, but that he was really a she who is the last in the missing line of Ozmas? Yeah, I didn't expect that.
jdrummond's review against another edition
4.0
After struggling to finish the second and third books in this quartet of Oz inspired novels, I was pleasantly surprised by how satisfying this book is. Although it’s been a while since I read the previous books in the series, this outing presents a much clearer narrative that is paced well that doesn’t feel like it is spinning its wheels. Oddly, I felt like the clarity of this book makes the previous two make much more sense. It almost felt like the author took this last opportunity to address the confusion of those books and bring all three storylines together in a strong narrative.
misajane79's review against another edition
4.0
A very satisfying conclusion. But I was wishing I had read some of the others more recently, because I was a wee bit hazy on some details.
beetree's review against another edition
3.0
UG. This book was really hard to get through, though it did pick up and get more interesting in the second half, I thought. It's lucky I got it from the library and it was due, or it would have taken much, much longer to finish. I really love what he did with Rain, but then I tend to like the way he sketches out his characters.
Also I kept trying to fit it contextually into the movie Return to Oz and that the fact that it didn't really seem to made me uncomfortable. Of course though, that movie wasn't true to the original Baum books, so I'll have to reserve judgement on that until I read more of his work. I loved Wicked but it all went downhill from there. Let's just say I'm glad I'm done with this series.
Also I kept trying to fit it contextually into the movie Return to Oz and that the fact that it didn't really seem to made me uncomfortable. Of course though, that movie wasn't true to the original Baum books, so I'll have to reserve judgement on that until I read more of his work. I loved Wicked but it all went downhill from there. Let's just say I'm glad I'm done with this series.
asphaltjunkie's review against another edition
4.0
I really wanted to like this so much more than I did. After the brilliant setup to the revolution that Maguire composed in Lion, I expected that the lady book in the series would get to the revolution itself quickly. Except it didn't. Instead, the characters went for a walkabout that would have put Tolkien's characters to shame for half the book. And then didn't deliver much when the revolution finally came. It was disappointing.
elisse9's review against another edition
4.0
For all of my Wizard of Oz fans out there, Out of Oz is the fourth and final volume in the Wicked series created and written by Gregory Maguire. Since I am starting this blog long after I began my adventure with Maguire, I feel I can only review on this most recent work of his that is freshest in my mind.
Maguire is a genius. It is simple as that. He writes in a weaving, complex, colorful and admirable way that leaves his readers speculating at the end of each passage. He has transformed the happy and mesmerizing Oz we imagined as children and turned it into a wildly tantalizing and chaotic land with a story far beyond what I had ever thought possible.
In Wicked, Son of a Witch and Lion Among Men (the predecessors to Out of Oz), Maguire always left me wanting more and left many loose ends that nagged at me, yearning to know how it would all end. Out of Oz is near perfection in the way that he sums up the story and lives of Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West), Glinda, Dorothy, Brrr (The Cowardly Lion) and Elphaba's ancestors known as Liir (her son) and Rain (Liir's daughter, Elphaba's granddaughter).
He fell short of perfection with the very ending in regards to a few questions that were left unanswered. Did Elphaba really die by the hands of Dorothy? What would become of Rain? What would become of the rest of Oz and is this truly the end of Oz in Maguire's eyes.....or will he create a new series that he does not consider 'wicked'?
Although these unanswered questions linger in my restless mind, I can not help but applaud my dear Gregory Maguire on his beautiful work of art he created in The Wicked Series. Out of Oz had me on the edge of my seat for almost the entire book and as a devoted fan, I felt satisfied with the ending to it all. I was sad when I closed Out of Oz, because no one ever wants a great thing to end.
dogearrinit.blogspot.com
Maguire is a genius. It is simple as that. He writes in a weaving, complex, colorful and admirable way that leaves his readers speculating at the end of each passage. He has transformed the happy and mesmerizing Oz we imagined as children and turned it into a wildly tantalizing and chaotic land with a story far beyond what I had ever thought possible.
In Wicked, Son of a Witch and Lion Among Men (the predecessors to Out of Oz), Maguire always left me wanting more and left many loose ends that nagged at me, yearning to know how it would all end. Out of Oz is near perfection in the way that he sums up the story and lives of Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West), Glinda, Dorothy, Brrr (The Cowardly Lion) and Elphaba's ancestors known as Liir (her son) and Rain (Liir's daughter, Elphaba's granddaughter).
He fell short of perfection with the very ending in regards to a few questions that were left unanswered. Did Elphaba really die by the hands of Dorothy? What would become of Rain? What would become of the rest of Oz and is this truly the end of Oz in Maguire's eyes.....or will he create a new series that he does not consider 'wicked'?
Although these unanswered questions linger in my restless mind, I can not help but applaud my dear Gregory Maguire on his beautiful work of art he created in The Wicked Series. Out of Oz had me on the edge of my seat for almost the entire book and as a devoted fan, I felt satisfied with the ending to it all. I was sad when I closed Out of Oz, because no one ever wants a great thing to end.
dogearrinit.blogspot.com
davidkeithley81's review against another edition
4.0
For the most part, a very satisfying conclusion to the “Wicked Years” series. I thought Maguire did a much better job making Brrr more sympathetic than in the previous novel, and I really enjoyed the character of Rain as the protagonist. What Maguire does best is in describing the themes most people must learn in adulthood: disappointment and abandonment. I’m really glad I read the series.
monchies's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0