West of Wicked - Nikki St Crowe

This retelling was such a unique and fun take on a familiar story. It keeps enough of the original Wizard of Oz elements to feel recognizable, but twists them into something darker and completely its own.

Just like in the original, Dorothy’s main goal is simple: she just wants to get home. But everything around that feels heavier. Toto is still there as the loyal companion, but he comes across as more intuitive, almost like he understands more than he should.

Scarecrow, or Rook, has no memory, but the way he is drawn to Dorothy is kind of dreamy. He can’t seem to let her out of his sight, always needing to know where she is. And it’s not one-sided. Dorothy is just as tied to him, constantly searching for him, like they’re both anchored to each other without fully understanding why.

Then there’s Tin Man. There’s clearly something driving him, even if we don’t fully know what it is yet. He comes across as dangerous, no question about it, but there’s also this underlying feeling that there’s more to his story. Like we’re only seeing part of who he really is.

What stood out most to me was how the characters handled everything thrown at them. There’s growth, but it’s not overly dramatic or forced. It’s more about their ability to push through, adapt, and keep going even when things get overwhelming. That resilience really carried the story.

The pacing worked well, and the retelling itself kept things interesting the entire time. But nothing could have prepared me for the ending. It was intense, a lot happened, and it genuinely left me sitting there like… wait, what just happened? It also makes it clear that this story is far from over.

The audiobook experience deserves its own moment because it was honestly astounding. Every character has their own narrator, which gives each of them a distinct voice and personality. It made it easy to connect with who was speaking and made the experience even more immersive. I received this as an ALC and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

I would rather write a new story with you, word by word, page by page.