Absolutely not what I expected, having seen the musical first, and I wonder how many parents accidentally get this for their <i>Wicked</i>-obsessed child who is way to young for it - note that this isn't a criticism of the book nor of its author, I just find it funny.

On to the book, so. A lot of its dialogues read like theater, which I enjoyed but took some time getting used to, as the style in general. It is quite bleak overall, meant (to continue on the theater track) as a tragedy. The issue with that is that it is hard to appreciate a tragedy when you don't get attached to its characters, and here even wanting to sympathise with Elphaba proves difficult at times, while others (like plotlines) come in and out of the frame before you have had time to enjoy them.

All in all, it is well-written, I liked that it spanned decades, and I do recognise the fascinating task attempted by the author. It did leave me unsatisfied as everything crashes (not even really together) for the final act, but I am curious as to where the sequels will take me.