Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC!

Elphie is a glimpse into what really shaped Elphaba into the Wicked Witch of the West that we all know and love. What really stood out to me is the emphasis on early childhood and how that can really shape us as people. There were specific events that happened, like her sister falling into a pond (water!) and being saved by Animals (the ones who can talk), only to have something truly baaaad happen to them later, that show us why she, later, puts so much stake into finding justice for all Animals. I found myself highlighting moments that really put into words feelings that I have felt while looking back on my own childhood. I think Elphie will really resonate well with those of us who read Wicked years ago and now grew up ourselves some and maybe even have kids of our own. You may even find yourself wondering if wickedness was in fact thrust upon her childhood, too.

I was so excited to receive this since I'm a huge fan of the Wicked series. "Elphie" provides some key background for the series, and brings back some nostalgia of the original. The novel is not really plot-driven and it follows Elphaba's stream of consciousness (not my preference). Like Maguire's other work in the series, the writing and tone is both viciously biting and playful. The story itself can be confusing to follow at times, and I had to go back for some re-reading. It did take a while to get into the story, and wasn't as enjoyable as a reading experience as Maguire's other work.

I was so excited to receive this ARC! Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley. I am a huge Gregory Maguire fan, but who isn’t?! I own all of his novels. I was so thrilled to see this novel! It is the backstory we all needed. The only problem I had was this novel didn’t have much of a story line. I think it’s a must read for any Wicked fan, but for informational purposes. Other than that, it fell a bit flat.

Ugh I am so sad about this one. I almost DNF but stuck it out and I am just so disappointed.

I could not get into this book at all. The writing just wasn’t the best and as a huge Wicked fan, I expected so much more because nothing happened!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This novel really took me back, the nostalgia was something else! I adored the writing style of the book, and loved learning more about Elphie's childhood. Knowing how everything turns out for her, my heart ached but I could not put this book down until I was finished. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loved The Wicked Years!

I absolutely loved wicked, son of a Witch, etc. This gave some background information, which was great. I hoped it would have had more of a storyline, but I am grateful to have read this. I'll always be a Gregory Mcguire fan.

Elphie is a story about Elphaba’s childhood before events taking place in Wicked. This book is for you if you enjoy Wicked AND you have a fondness for stream of consciousness writing. I personally had a hard time following the story because the stream of consciousness (while beautifully and artfully crafted) made it difficult for me to settle into the story and understand what was going on without reading a section several times.

I would like to thank William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story starts in Quadling country with Elphie as a toddler, her mother still alive and her father trying unsuccessfully to start a mission. Like the title says, it follows her childhood as she grows up.

I really liked most of this book. The tone is sarcastic, almost playful, and sometimes a bit jaded. Elphie is portrayed as morally ambiguous, the same as when she's an adult so the evolution of Elphie rings true. She has a vicious sibling rivalry with her sister and watches on as her brother raises havoc everywhere he goes. Her curiosity is insatiable, and it runs alongside an attitude problem.

It was interesting getting to know the supporting characters with more depth than Wicked offered. Alongside Elphaba we see the evolution of Nessa and Shell. Her parents' histories and shortcomings are delved into, although with regards to Melena as a person there was no real surprise.

What I wasn't super crazy about was the obscure plotline... Her father Frex is searching for Turtle Heart's family (Turtle Heart is from Wicked if you haven't read it) to atone for his own family's sins. And as he searches out Turtle Heart's relatives, he drags his family along. But the plot is Frex's more than it's Elphie's... She's just along for the ride.

And while I can't tell you where this story ends, if you have read Wicked you know where it begins. I think this is an excellent companion novel to the story that gave it its start.

This book is definitely one for die-hard fans of the Wicked series. It’s more of a slow, introspective dive into Elphaba's childhood, giving some backstory and filling in gaps from the original novels. While that could be really satisfying for some, I personally found it hard to stay engaged. The writing style is dense and a bit scattered, and at times, it feels like the narrative is more focused on musing about the world than actually telling a cohesive story.

I was expecting more plot, especially for a prequel that promises to flesh out the backstory of such a beloved character. Unfortunately, the pacing was quite slow, and not much really happened until much later in the book. There are moments where you start to see hints of the Elphaba we know, but they’re buried in a lot of overly descriptive, sometimes confusing prose that made it hard to connect. I think the complexity of the writing and the lack of a strong narrative thread would make it a tough read for anyone who isn’t already deeply invested in this universe.

That said, fans of the series who are looking for more context and character development might appreciate the book for what it is—more of a reflective piece than an action-packed prequel. But for me, it didn’t quite hit the mark. I’d give it 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3, because while I didn’t enjoy it much, I can see how it might appeal to more dedicated readers of the Wicked saga.

Well, I was not enough of a Wicked fan to enjoy this book. I remember liking the original when I read it years ago, but this was incredibly tough to wade through. There was almost no plot or characterization. It was mostly just a loosely related collection of expository facts about Maguire's version of Oz, along with a bunch of random musings about how children think and act and process information.

I might've been able to tolerate that, but the writing was also incredibly clunky and choppy. Sentences tended to be weirdly repetitive with tons of excessively long words that didn't flow together at all. You're just minding your own business, trying to read a story about a ten year old, and it keeps throwing sentences like "Enmired in the narcissism of youth, she has largely lost the capacity of empathetic fungibility that quietly characterizes the younger child." at you.

I only kept going because I got an ARC, but it was a really big challenge to finish this book. If I'd picked it up at the library or something, I probably would've DNFed 50 pages in or so.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I read Wicked years ago and found this one to be just as good. Mr. Maguire has a particular tone to his writing that makes it almost nostalgic, and I really loved seeing the start of the story that we all know and love. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

I love Maguire's style of writing and I could read what he writes forever!
In this story we learn more about Elphaba. Basically, after her birth to her teen years. Maquire provides the backdrop to the most notorious villian in all of history. The story highlights the death of Elphie's mother, her siblings and her father's obsession with making amends, clearly portraying her as your everyday young woman. It's not perfect. But I loved it and I am off to read old Maguire books right now! #gregorymaguire #elphie #elphaba
#williammorrow

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to ARC read Elphie!! Let me start with this, I love Wicked with every fiber of my being and cried when I got the notification that I was approved for this arc read. This writing style was not one that I typically am drawn towards but it was easy to comprehend. This was everything that I needed regarding Elphies childhood. Especially with the new movie coming out soon, so many questions were answered.

I read 30% into it and couldn't get into it. I expected a little bit more than what it got. I sill continue to read it but for now I will be putting it down.

I wanted to like this one, really I did. Huge fan of the first book (even reread it in preparation for this one) and the musical. But this just…isn’t it. This book doesn’t really add anything to the original story, and the characters don’t “feel” like themselves (with the exception of Nanny, who is the only one who feels familiar). One of the few books I’ve read that I was glad was on the shorter side. Sorry, Elphaba 😞

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have been a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz my whole life! Seriously my favorite! I also love the musical Wicked. So when I saw a book about the early life of Elphaba I was beyond excited and really hoped to be chosen to read it! I loved the author's version of Elphie's childhood. It kept me entertained and wanting to know more. I thought it was clever how he worked in things we know that Elphaba the witch uses/has as an adult like the mirror and crystal ball. I also liked the idea of her having a connection to animals when she was young. This definitely helps to explain her relationship with the monkeys later. I also liked learning about the different groups of people in Oz, the different areas of the country and her family! This book really gave insight into young Elphie's life and what made her her in older age. Great book! I truly enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. This was a fun read for fans of Wicked. Parts were slow but it was an interesting take on Elphie and Nessa's backstories. I enjoyed reading about their family, why Elphie is green, and the relationship between the sisters.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I knew this would either be a stellar read or a meh read...it was a meh for me.

This was a charming look at Elphie’s childhood. Unfortunately, I struggled a lot with the writing style. There was a lot of flourishes added to each sentence and it made the text fairly difficult to get through. I think it took away from an otherwise engaging story line. Every description has a poetic flourish, to the extent I get taken out of the story by the writing. I think this will be a love it or leave it book for many people, largely due to the writing style.

To begin with, let me preface this by saying while I have never read the first book, I do absolutely love the story of Elphaba.
This book tells the story of Elphaba at ages throughout her childhood before she eventually makes her way to Shiz University and begins the story we all know and love.
Since I have not read the first book, I’m unsure if this is a common theme or not, but I found the writing extremely difficult to follow and written in a way that adds flourish to each sentence. This is not something I’m particularly fond of and I found it frustrating trying to essentially read between the lines and translate what each sentence intended purpose was. It overall made the book quite difficult to get through and took me a lot longer to read than most other books would.

While I did appreciate learning more about Elphaba before her time at Shiz, I just wish I had an easier time following what was happening.

Overall, the story is interesting and I enjoyed getting to know each character more and while it wasn’t a favorite book of mine, I do appreciate the opportunity to read it in advance!!