An avid fan of the musical, the novel was a deeper dive into to many concepts touched on in the musical. I enjoyed the third person- multiple perspectives, as it allowed me to get to know some lesser characters, such as Boq, a small part in the musical, who was Elphaba's ( The wicked witch of the west) childhood playmate. One thing that was explored more in the musical was Elphaba and Glinda's friendship. The book did not touch on Glinda much after they went to the Emerald City together, and Elphaba became a sort of rebel. Glinda remained the good little society girl after this. One thing I thought about while reading this book was what Elphaba did to be branded "The Wicked Witch of The West. ***SPOILER WARNING**** I learned that Elphaba murdered someone; some may say that it was justified, some may say that was irrational, But, paraphrasing a line in the book, "the true nature of evil is that it remains hidden." I also thought about how women, in history and today, have been branded as "Witches" because of them being different, or not thinking the way others tell them to. Well, it is obvious that Elphaba is different because of her green skin. It is also true that she thinks differently. She believes and fights for things others may not. Overall this book explored the true nature of evil by flipping a classic on its head. I look forward to reading the other three books in this series.
Note: This is an ADULT novel. It is rated 18+ for a reason. There are suggestive topics. It isn't an 18+ romance novel though. I would say 12 year olds can read it, but judge for yourself.
