» Son of a Witch: Volume Two in the Wicked Years

Son of a Witch: Volume Two in the Wicked Years Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Another enchanting Oz story
Comment: This book starts off slowly and, as another reviewer recommended, it helps to re-read 'Wicked' to get a sense of what's going on. The story concerns the emotional and physical growth of Elphaba's son Liir in a post-Wizard, post-Dorothy Oz. Maguire enjoys wordplay and this book made me reach for the dictionary more than once. Liir begins his life as a tabula rasa (blank slate), unsure if he really is Elphaba's son. Glinda makes a notable appearance in this book, as do the familiar characters of Dorothy (coming across as haughty), the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion.

Maguire is a master storyteller and that's why I love his books. He creates memorable characters and storylines that stay with you long after you've put the book down.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Definitely needs some follow-up...
Comment: Possible Spoilers:

I think that too much of the book was spent on Liir's adolescent years, which were slow moving and not that interesting. It isn't until the last 3rd of the novel that it starts to get really good, and by that time you get into the story, it ends quite abruptly. A good sequel can really make up for this book's early short-comings, but without a decent follow-up, then it's quite disappointing. I felt like a lot of the early stuff could've been shortened or skipped over, and instead the story should've continued further down Liir's life instead of ending when he is only 23 years-old. In "Wicked", the book was barely half way through when Elphaba was that age. Not to mention, the whole point of his journey was to find Nor, yet we really aren't given any answers about her other than the fact that she is alive somewhere.

Also, the relationship between Liir and Candle was never fully fleshed out. A potential follow-up to this book would have to give some explanation as to what happened to Candle. She gives birth to his baby, and we see that they have feelings for each other but it's never exactly expressed clearly. They actually never consummate their relationship with consent. Candle is a character with a lot of potential, kind of an opposite female character of Elphaba, who could've used more fleshing out. It also seemed quite strange and sudden that Liir would have a relationship with Trism when he was seemingly read to devote himself to Candle until then. Perhaps he was so deprived as a child that he's willing to fall in love with anyone that's nice to him, but I could never clearly see what was going on there.

If a good sequel can be written, this book could be a great middle volume, but it doesn't really stand alone. There is simply too much that is left open, and the characters just don't seem finished yet, perhaps because the main character is still so young when the story ends.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Still good
Comment: Do you really want to read a book that is better than Wicked? If anybody expects any of the next wicked years to be better than the first they are in for a let down. Son of a Witch is an awesome book but it is a sequel to an amazing book. I think Maguire did the best he could without topping Wicked. Why try to top Wicked when everyone loves it so much? Son of a Witch is a great book with an ending that makes you love Elphaba and her story even more.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Wicked sequel
Comment: This book was good, but not as good as Wicked, of course. I still enjoyed it very much. It is very dark in parts and exciting. I think I did not like it as much as Wicked because I do not find Liir to be a very likeable character, still it was wonderful to be in Oz again and this book left me eager to read "A Lion Among Men".

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful continuation...
Comment: I truly enjoyed Gregory Maguire's "Wicked" and I was thrilled to find out that he had continued on the story of Oz. Son of a Witch was even more exciting to me, because I felt like the action had been tripled, the suspense intensified, and you honestly felt an attachment to the people of Oz.

Some people think it is crazy to get caught up in a fantasy world, but it is hard not to when you read stories like this one. Oz isn't just some fanciful world of lollipop guild children and dancing scarecrows that you remember. Gregory Maguire created a very real, very dark, very honest world that reflects the world that we live in today...

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