Book Review: Elphie by Gregory Maguire

As a huge fan of Wicked and its rich, complex world, I was absolutely thrilled when I got my hands on Elphie, the prequel to the bestselling series. Gregory Maguire has once again delivered a tale that is as magical as it is thought-provoking, offering a glimpse into the childhood of one of the most iconic characters in fantasy literature.

Elphie takes us back to the beginnings of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, long before she became the figure of legend in Oz. We follow her from her early years as a green-skinned girl in a world that sees her as different, and the book explores the painful and fascinating journey of her growing up. Through the lens of Elphaba’s childhood, Maguire delves into themes of belonging, identity, and power, all while maintaining the darkly enchanting atmosphere that I’ve come to love from his writing.

What struck me the most about this book was how Maguire brought Elphaba’s character to life in such a raw and relatable way. She’s not the "wicked" witch we’ve come to know; she’s a young girl trying to navigate a world that is both strange and unwelcoming. Her relationship with her family—her beautiful mother, her pious father, and her saintly sister Nessarose—is complicated and filled with tension, and it was fascinating to see how these dynamics shaped the woman Elphaba would eventually become.

The magic in Elphie is both subtle and captivating. It’s clear that Elphaba’s powers are starting to manifest, but they are still in the background, like the whisper of something much larger and more dangerous. The moments when magic begins to show itself are both haunting and thrilling, and you can feel the weight of Elphaba’s destiny hanging over her.

One of the things I loved most about Elphie is the way it sets up the characters and events that will play out in Wicked. The writing is lush, and Maguire’s world-building is exquisite as always. The land of Oz feels so alive, and I found myself getting lost in the rich descriptions and intricate details. And of course, Elphaba’s eventual arrival at Shiz University is a moment I was eagerly awaiting, as it sets the stage for the iconic friendships and rivalries that will unfold in the original Wicked series.

Overall, Elphie is a captivating and emotional read. It gives new depth and understanding to the character of Elphaba and allows readers to see the world of Oz through her eyes before she becomes the Wicked Witch. It’s a perfect read for fans of Wicked and anyone who enjoys a dark, beautifully told coming-of-age story.

If you’re a fan of Gregory Maguire’s work, Elphie is a must-read. It’s a compelling and thought-provoking prequel that adds even more layers to the already rich world of Oz, and I can’t wait to see how Elphaba’s story continues to unfold.

Rating: 5/5
Magical, enchanting, and beautifully written, Elphie is a prequel that will leave you eagerly anticipating more.

I truly wanted to this, but I couldn't get into at all. As a huge fan of Maguire's original series, I was very excited to start reading but it just flat. For a book that is less than 300 pages, it felt much longer.

None the less thanks to Netgalley and Mr Maguire's publishing team for giving me the chance to read this eArc

Listen. I totally get why Gregory Maguire wrote this. Wicked has been hugely successful, both as a musical on stage and more recently on screen but the story itself is vastly different from the original story. I read Wicked over ten years ago, and even back then I vividly remember it was some kind of fever dream, nightmare take on Oz.

Elphie explores the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West during her childhood in Munchkinland. You'd think it would be all whimsical and colourful and joyful. It's not. It's really not. Far from lollipop guilds, we get an intense political landscape full of exploited, gullidle people who are also extremely xenophobic. Honestly I'm surprised Elphaba didn't burn Munchkinland down when she left, totally would have been understandable. And probably would have made the plot more interesting, because my God this was pretty dull. It's just endless talk about wars and political intrigue, and besides the odd glimmer of a young Elphie discovering her kind and honest nature and exploring her relationship with the Animals of Oz, nothing happens.

Gregory Maguire's writing style is much as I remember it. It's short and sharp, often repetitive. It's not to everyone's taste, but I strangely don't mind it. It adds to the atmosphere and absurdity of the landscape. Just wish this actually had more of a plot to sink my teeth into.

Covering Elphie’s first hex and job this is a great read for fans of the series but not a starting point. I was hoping for more Turtle Heart but alas he had already reached his demise, we do however find out what happened to him. We’re also introduced to some new characters that help shape Elphie’s future, Unger in particular. Maguire’s writing style takes some getting used to and isn’t for everyone but for me it makes a nice change.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Dnf at 30% tbh because it’s written weirdly, I don’t get the plot (if there even is one). Was looking forward to this especially considering there’s hype round the film coming out but this was just not enjoyable at all.

I really enjoy Maguire's writing, and thought it took me a little while to warm up to this story, in the end it was great to be immersed in Elphie's world again. I think my favourite parts are the dialogue- Elphie's interactions with her family and the people and Animals they meet throughout her childhood are what really bring the story to life. Nessarose & Elphie's interactions as sisters who love each other but most of the time do not like each other are also treat to read.

If you were a big fan of the Wicked book, this is a nice extension to the world - though I actually wouldn't recommend starting here as it really is only setting up Elphie as a character prior to Shiz, which is done well enough in the Wicked book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this a little bit difficult to get through. Something about the writing style and being very character led rather than much plot made it a slow read despite being a relatively short book. This may be one that works better in audiobook format for me. Overall it was nice to get a bit more of background on the characters but I would definitely recommend having read at least Wicked in the series before starting this prequel.

I really really wanted to love this, I just couldn't get into it at all. I am a massive fan of wicked so was so excited to get started but it just fell very flat. Unfortunately I had to give up which I don't do lightly.
Thanks Netflix and publisher for the chance to review, just not for me

I honestly feel like this was only written because Wicked has hit the big screen, with a massive cast and suddenly there's interest in the books again so Maguire is cashing in.
I was excited to read about Elphaba's upbringing, to learn about her hardships and her strength as a young Ozian, to see how she deals with being outcast and still manages to feel love and compassion, but, unfortunately it's just not there. This book lacks so much depth and actual story. It feels rushed and like there's no love or care in the writing at all.

Thank you Headline for providing me with a digital ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when I heard we would be getting more of Elphaba and get to learn a little more detail about her childhood through this prequel.

I will preface by saying I read Wicked 15 or so year ago and I cannot remember if the writing style was the same. I really did love reading Wicked and have also loved the stage show too. I really struggled with this one. The writing didn’t flow for me and felt like a series of observations rather than a story. Whilst I did enjoy some of the language and world of Wicked created by Gregory Maguire I found this a chore to read and forced myself to finish.

What I liked: I really did enjoy getting more background to Elphie just not the way it was written. Gregory Maguire writes fascinating characters I just wish this could have been more developed. The nod to a certain blonde right at the end was the best part for me - and as this was a couple of lines on the final page this just wasn’t the book for me.

For fans of Wicked (the book series) and those wanting to delve back in to Gregory Maguire’s world this insight into Elphie’s childhood was a well timed new addition - was it strictly necessary to the story? No. Did it really add any new insights? Again no. If this hadn’t of been an arc read I probably would have dnf’d.

I was excited about Elphie since I really enjoyed Wicked but it turns out not every book/series needs a prequel… Sadly, Elphie was disappointing. It was a bit of a slog, the sentences were weirdly short and the writing was just off. The story didn’t feel coherent at all and I actually haven’t learnt anything new about Elphaba or other Wicked characters. Some fans of the series might still enjoy it, but unfortunately Elphie wasn’t for me.

I was so looking forward to this. I read wicked a long time ago and loved it. However I found this harder to love. Some bits of the narrative i was really engaged in but others I couldn’t quite get a grasp of. I want to reread wicked now to remind myself of the rest of the story. Definitely worth a read for wicked / and Oz fans (of which I am both). I might try this book again because I think it is something that will grow on me. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read it.

As much as I wanted to enjoy Elphie, I just didn't get on with it. I don't know whether it was Maguire's writing style or the characters, but the only thing that kept me reading until the end was the shortness of the book.

Thanks anyway to NetGalley, Headline and the author for an advance copy.

Unfortunately this book just doesn't do it for me and I am Dnf'ing at the 30% mark. Though beautiful, the poetic style of writing is too flowery for my liking. I've tried so hard to get into this book after reading Gregory Maguire's other books in this series, but for me the writing style of this one is just impossible to get my head around.

Also - where is the storyline? I feel like everything and nothing is happening all at once but with no real end goal? Too many characters, and not as much 'Elphie' as I would have liked.

However I do feel that people who enjoy this style of writing will thoroughly enjoy this new adventure in the land of OZ.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me an advance copy of this book via Netgalley.

Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. Firstly, I haven’t read Wicked and thought with Elphie coming out I’d start here. There were some good insights into parts of her childhood that were touched on in the film / theatre show but also this book was quite slow moving. Enjoyable, if it’s your thing, I’m not sure it’s mine but grateful to have read it nonetheless

I really wanted to love this book, but wow did I not love it.

It is the story of Elphaba's childhood, except story is a generous word. I spent most of this book waiting for the actual plotline to start - and then realised there wasn't going to be one. The writing style is really not to my taste. I am absolutely certain there are people who will love it, but I am not one of them. Lots of flowery words and elaborate sentences to hide an utter lack of depth, like a university student aiming for a good grade despite not understanding any of the material.
And the characters. Oh, the characters. After reading 288 pages about her life I still don't feel I know Elphaba any better. I couldn't put my finger exactly on what made me uneasy in the descriptions of children until the author wrote an oddly sexual paragraph specifying that a young child knocking over tomato plants was enjoying the violence in a non-sexual way because he's too young to enjoy it in that way. That really helped narrow it down.

Many parts of this book I think were meant to be clever and funny and like interesting social commentary - and for those who appreciate Maguire's writing style, it might read that way. It just didn't work out that way for me. The animals were alright though. That's all I got. I'm sorry, I really tried.

Many thanks to Headline and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this title in exchange for a honest review.