Elphie is the story of Elphaba's Childhood. 

I loved it because of course, I did. If you did not know I am obsessed with Wicked. I was so excited to get an early copy of this one. This book is much easier to read than Wicked ( I do suggest reading that though). I just felt like Wicked had some parts that were harder to understand. This was just such a fun read for fans of Wicked. This doesn't change anything about the story; it just gives you insight into Elphaba as a child. This book makes me want to reread Wicked, watch the movie again, and it got me even more excited for Wicked For Good. 

Thank you, Gregory Maguire, William Morrow, and Netgalley for the ARC of this.

I just want to say thank you for the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this book.
As much as I wanted to love this book as much as I did Wicked many years ago. The struggle was real to get through it, as I appreciate Elphaba’s story, I feel as if this was just written since the movie has come out and there just wasn’t enough there. Again I appreciate the opportunity NetGalley.

I feel like this book was writing as publicity for the movies, taking advantage of the film's success. This story was one that did not need to be told, and I really did not enjoy it at all.

Maguire’s writing is lyrical and, at times, profound. He excels at philosophical character examinations. However, Elphie, as a story, had a really rough start.

Elphie, her early years- the years I was aching to learn more about in Wicked, are first filled with repetitive, strangely parsed chapters. Like seriously, who decided to start a new chapter mid-way through a thought? I fault the editorial team. It wasn’t until about 45% through that I felt myself relax into the Maguire’s signature character analysis - Elphie and her supporting cast grappling with identity and a world that never measures up to what they believe it happening.

In spite of its rough beginning, lack of complexity, and meandering plot, I found myself highlighting profound ideas consistently within the second half of this book. Maguire’s mind can hex his readers into falling in love with a book that didn’t quite feel finished (albeit I read the ARC) and wishing it would never end!

I grew up loving the Wizard of Oz, and had always wondered why Elphaba was considered the Wicked Witch of the West. Then I read Wicked for the first time, and got to look inside her life. This story pulled at my heartstrings for her from the very beginning, and to see all that she had to endure in her childhood and all that she had been witness to, it is only a wonder why she ended up the way she did. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to any Wicked fan.

This prequel to Wicked was an interesting look into the life events that shape Elphaba. Overall the book was not necessarily exciting or riveting but more of a walk through the ages highlighting her parents, nanny, siblings, and friends/acquaintances.

I don’t typically read prequels, but thought I would give this one a try since I loved Wicked. This book can add some depth to the main story but does not feel necessary to read.

Overall the writing was well done and it was saddening and eye opening.

Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire is available March 25, 2025. Check it out!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Why did we do this Greg??? This was a fever dream of flashbacks and doesn't quite have the same grit that Wicked offers. This feels like a money grab just because the movie version got super popular.

Elphie is told like a half remembered dream, at times disjointed and confusing, but still intriguing enough to keep me going. As the story continues, it does become more cohesive and easier to follow.

We learn more about Elphie's early years, people she encountered who helped shape her, and ultimately helped her find her way.

I enjoyed many of the new personalities with their quirks and eccentricities, but most of all Unger touched my heart. Their time together warmed me with each interaction.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this after rereading Wicked and am now looking forward to finishing out the series.

I was so excited to hear about this book after finishing all the other previous Wicked books last year. This was an informative take on Elphie's childhood with appreciated moments of call outs to the other media. The writing style is often commented on but I enjoyed this book so much. Definitely recommend if you've read the first Wicked book at least. If you haven't read it, I don't think it would be as enjoyable.

Arc from Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

I was very excited for this ARC. However, the writing was so strange. Not like his usual style, but fluffy in places it didn’t need to be. It was hard to follow. Nothing happened. Boring.

What I love about Maguire's writing is that he never shies away from the darker sides of our world. The original Wicked story was a story of what happens when the government is corrupt, and what narratives are told about the people who chose to stand against that corruption. This delves a bit deeper into how that corruption started in Oz while also giving us the backstory of how Elphaba ended up at Oz. I adore Maquire's storytelling. He's clearly a man who has lived his life entrenched in story, and it shows,

A captivating exploration of Elphaba's backstory, detailing her decision to attend Shiz and the experiences that shaped her journey. Her fear of water and how her parents helped her cope are highlighted, along with the challenges of balancing her role as Nessarose's older sister and caretaker. Influences from figures such as the shopkeeper also play a crucial role in helping her recognize her potential. Together, these elements provide a deeper understanding of the forces that shaped Elphaba's life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, releasing March 25th!

Wow, people on Goodreads REALLY do not like this book, which is surprising to me because I actually enjoyed it-objectively it's probably a 3.5 but I'll round up to four to balance out what seems to me an unfairly low score. Is it entirely necessary? No, not really-you can absolutely skip this and still get a full and complete story of Elphaba through the original series, or even just by reading Wicked as a standalone. That said, this was a nice look into her childhood, and it was really interesting to see the development of the relationships between her and her two siblings. Most of the complaints in other reviews seem to center on the writing style, but as a Gregory Maguire near-completist, this didn't stand out to me as being significantly different than most of his other books-he definitely has a distinctive style which you may like or dislike, but if you've read his work before, especially the more recent Maracoor trilogy, I don't think the style should come as a surprise-I personally found it very readable as I finished the book in one sitting over a few hours. This isn't a necessary read but unlike some other prequels for famous books/characters I don't think it negatively impacts the overall story in any way (looking at you, Hannibal Rising).

I tried so hard.
I read the original Wicked first and I kept my mind open and separated this story from the musical. At the same time, it feels like Maguire wanted to ride on the coat tails of the recent movie success, and that's why he chose to bring this story back with a prequel to his series. So maybe it's fair for people to make comparisons with the musical (hot take, I know). There are also nods to the musical in this book, I think I caught a reference or two.

This book was difficult to read, easier than the original Wicked book, but boy did reading this book put me to sleep so many nights. I skimmed through the last one-third because it was a lot less exciting than the first bit. I think if you are a fan of the original Wicked book series, you will really enjoy this one. Morrow is not a straightforward writer, and his books are not easy to get through. I also didn't really feel like there was any plot at all. It was just a compilation of stories from Elphie's childhood. I think this book would've been better if it was split into several short stories actually.

Anyway, it was a mess and I tried really hard to be a fair reviewer because I noticed so many people didn't like this book because it wasn't close to the musical. But ultimately it wasn't for me. Sorry :(

Maguire has a unique writing style that is not everyone's cup of tea. The plot moved along at a meandering pace and I had to force myself to finish. I'm not sure how this prequel adds to the original story. Overall, I don't think this title would appeal to a casual reader, but might find its niche with Wicked fans.

What I hoped would be an insight into Elphaba’s childhood was instead a delve into the politics of Oz during Elphaba’s childhood and adolescence. Unfortunately this was a difficult read due to the slow moving plot and odd writing style. Other fans of Wicked and the series may find this enjoyable, but I did not.

I did enjoy getting to know a little more about Elphaba in this book. Not only do you get a better understanding of her character, but of the reasoning behind her choices. She’s hard not to love despite the image she has been given, and I am glad we got this extra glimpse to her. In saying that though, the writing style was not my favorite. I really did struggle pushing through it. I felt like I was reading poetry and in some circumstances it was hard to comprehend the information that was being relayed.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

As a huge fan of Wicked, and someone who has read the other books by Gregory, this one was not it for me. It felt so unneccessary as a prequel and to the big plot of the larger story.

His books have always been a little difficult, as he is not afraid to push the boundary and get a lttle uncomfy at times, It just felt like he didnt know where to take the story here or where it needed to go. Not to mention, that you dont see as much of Elphie as I wouldve expected in a self titled prequel.

I love Gregory and his vision, but this one missed.,

I think I am just not the target audience for this book.
I found the writing style to be very difficult to follow, many characters I couldn't keep track of and overall a tone of darkness that was just not for me.

Oof this is difficult.

I’ve read Wicked and while I enjoyed it, I remember it was also a difficult book for me to get into. I probably should have just let myself live with having read that one, but got caught up in the Wicked movie release and excitement and wanted more Elphaba.

But I’m DNF’ing at 13% because, despite the title, there just isn’t enough Elphie! On top of that, I really don’t even know what is going on. Who are these characters and why should I care about them? I really don’t know. One particular passage I had to read 3 times because it sounds like the nonsensical rambling of an oldie on Facebook.

I really don’t know who to recommend this book to. I saw some reviews that said they love Gregory Maguires writing - so I guess for the people who’ve read all his books and loved them - this one’s for you. But it’s not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.