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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
In a world where fairy tales often smooth over the messy parts, Wicked chooses to dig in deeper—and what it unearths is unsettling, heartbreaking, and far more honest.
Confession time: I’ve never seen the musical Wicked. While it's widely celebrated, it always felt a bit too sparkly and family-oriented for my taste. And truth be told, The Wizard of Oz never really enchanted me either. I do, however, vividly remember one brave soul in a literature class making a case for Oz as a biting criticism of capitalism, which instantly made the land of Munchkins and flying monkeys about ten times more interesting.
So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Wicked, the novel that sparked the musical phenomenon, is not just some glittery prequel but a dark, politically charged, and deeply philosophical work of fiction.
Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is what happens when you take the candy-colored world of Oz, drag it through a Kafkaesque dystopia, sprinkle in a love affair or two, and demand that every character wrestle with the meaning of good and evil. Political tension? Check. Philosophical themes? Check. Moral ambiguity? Check. Corruption, forbidden love, existential despair? Oh, absolutely—it’s all here.
The writing is rich and literary, the characters are complex, and the world-building genuinely immersive. Somebody once described Wicked as Lord of the Rings meets The Wizard of Oz, and honestly, that’s not far off, though this is less about epic battles and more about the slow, crushing weight of power, prejudice, and isolation.
Reading Wicked was a bit like peeling back a glossy fairy tale only to find a thorny political allegory underneath. And I loved it. I’m already looking forward to diving into the rest of The Wicked Years series.
Confession time: I’ve never seen the musical Wicked. While it's widely celebrated, it always felt a bit too sparkly and family-oriented for my taste. And truth be told, The Wizard of Oz never really enchanted me either. I do, however, vividly remember one brave soul in a literature class making a case for Oz as a biting criticism of capitalism, which instantly made the land of Munchkins and flying monkeys about ten times more interesting.
So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Wicked, the novel that sparked the musical phenomenon, is not just some glittery prequel but a dark, politically charged, and deeply philosophical work of fiction.
Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is what happens when you take the candy-colored world of Oz, drag it through a Kafkaesque dystopia, sprinkle in a love affair or two, and demand that every character wrestle with the meaning of good and evil. Political tension? Check. Philosophical themes? Check. Moral ambiguity? Check. Corruption, forbidden love, existential despair? Oh, absolutely—it’s all here.
The writing is rich and literary, the characters are complex, and the world-building genuinely immersive. Somebody once described Wicked as Lord of the Rings meets The Wizard of Oz, and honestly, that’s not far off, though this is less about epic battles and more about the slow, crushing weight of power, prejudice, and isolation.
Reading Wicked was a bit like peeling back a glossy fairy tale only to find a thorny political allegory underneath. And I loved it. I’m already looking forward to diving into the rest of The Wicked Years series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
overwhelming but with how little substance there was
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Racism, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well. Lack of character development. What was the entire point of the book? Dead ends all over the place. And most of all NOTHING LIKE THE AMAZING MOVIE!!!!!!! Disappointed.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated