This is an extremely confused book. Not necessarily confusing: it is not terribly hard to follow the plot, even though it twists and turns like a snake in death throws. But the author doesn't seem to be able to decide what the book is. Is it a pastiche? A comedy? Social satire? Social diatribe? A thriller, following the "One D$%#ed Thing After Another" school? There is some humour, butr it doesn't get developed. There is some outrage, but it doesn't get maintained. Therefore, it's hard to say that there is any point. And, by the end, it's really hard to care.

I’m as tired as Dorothy was walking for weeks on the Yellow Brick Road after reading this book, and nowhere near as excited. I was incredibly impressed at what I learned about the Yellow Brick Road itself – the politics surrounding its existence, the lands it travels through and those it does not, and the famous city at its end – but unlike Dorothy, all the people I met along the way were boring, difficult to understand, without motivation, and emotionless. Wicked is a beautiful world, but there’s nobody home.

Like many, I read this book because I enjoyed the musical. There are many differences between the two: mainly that the musical tied all the events together in a way that made sense and was actually relatable. The prose here is weak, and the events show some promise at first, but never build to anything substantial. There are way too many loose ends at the end of the story as well, things that are hinted at all through the book, but never actually answered.

I was quite excited to read this book after I saw Wicked but I must say that I was a little disappointed in the actual book. I found it difficult to read in some places as it was a little bogged down and the pacing seemed off. For a time I didn't know if I would actually finish the book.

I loved this book. It was a bit slow at times but overall a great interpretation of the classic Wizard of Oz tale from the Wicked Witch's point of view.

While I loved the idea of hearing a classic tale from another point of view, that was the only enjoyable part of the story. It was difficult to get into for most of the book and then the ending felt rushed.

The book's plot occurs in three sections. The first section is beyond boring. The second section is better, but not great. The third is the only part I actually enjoyed. With as popular as the musical is, I was so expecting this to be a great read, but it really wasn't. Hands down, the worst book I've read in my 26 years of life.

The ending felt a bit rushed, a lot of subplots and minor characters were built up incredibly well, only to be dropped out of the blue, which was slightly disappointing. Still, a captivating piece of fiction.

The plot of Wicked is an concept, but is contrived and disjunctive. There are religious themes throughout the book, but too complex or inconsistent to be thought-provoking. Maguire fills the book with rampant examples of deus ex machina, and the death of the Witch feels contrived. I do not recommend reading this book.

i thought this book would be so much better, because the play was amazing, but the book was terribly boring