Firstly, want to say that I received Elphie: A Wicked Childhood free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review! I received an electronic ARC (advanced reader copy) and read it fairly quickly!
Elphie, is a prequel to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked series of books. I am a huge Maguire fan so was super excited when I read about how he would be publishing another book in the Wicked series! (Elphie will be published on March 25, 2025.) Elphaba, or Elphie, as she is called in this book is known later in life as the Wicked Witch of the West. She is green, can’t handle water, and talks to Animals, mainly flying monkeys. As you can guess by the title, this book is about Elphie’s childhood, and the majority takes place from her infancy to when she’s thirteen. Elphaba was odd even as a child, born with pointed teeth, and ignored by her mother. And even as a child, she had an affinity with both animals and Animals alike. She is the oldest of her mother’s three children and like any older sibling, doesn’t really care too much for her younger siblings, especially since she has been charged with taking care of them.

Stars: 4/5
It had been a while since I last read a Maguire book, but it was easy to get into the flow of his prose and narration. One thing I love about him as an author is that he often uses antiquated words along with the words he created just for his worlds. It makes it feel more authentic somehow.
My favorite aspect of this novel is the characterization of Elphie and her siblings. We see even as children who they’ll shape up to be as adults. Elphie is charged with watching her siblings, gets little love or attention to herself. Nessa is what some would call a white lotus, using her weaknesses to her advantage. Shell is an overactive and slightly rude little boy with far more energy than Nanny can keep up with. Considering we don’t get all that much into how they grew up, it was interesting to see. And as a reader, I really felt for Elphie wanting to stay in the jungles and forests because at least her green skin fits in there, among the trees and brush. And we also get to see her “wicked” tendencies. (No, that’s not a spoiler since Wicked is basically a household name and you probably know at least the basic plot!)
With all his books, I found Elphie hard to put down when I picked it up! So if you like retellings and remixes of stories you know, I would check it out!
Do you like retellings? A fan of Maguire? Have a book rec for me? Let me know in the comments!
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