SPORTOCHICK’S MUSINGS: The reader will love the intrigue behind the storyline, the vivid written descriptions of the scenery, the clothes description that the characters wear, and the creativity of the storyline.

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West of Wicked
Part of Great and Terrible Land
by Nikki St. Crowe

Narrated by Amy Hall; Connor Crais; Ellie Gossage; Samantha Brentmoor; Sean Masters; Shane East; Stella Hunter

Pub Date Apr 14 2026
Macmillan Audio

DESCRIPTION

No one is safe on the yellow brick road.

Dorothy Gale doesn’t know where she came from. She has only the vaguest memory of her life before landing in the dull, gray world of the vast Kansas prairie.

Then a cyclone rips through the night and carries her, her dog, and the farmhouse somewhere a lot farther than Dorothy imagined. She’s in a strange land that’s apparently cursed, shrouded in shadow. And to get home, Dorothy needs to seek out a wizard, following a treacherous path and watch out for a never-ending list of dangers: forest beasts, witches, a cursed mercenary, and perhaps most dangerous of all, the wizard himself.

Nikki St. Crowe vividly reimagines the world of the Wizard of Oz, where the villain gets the girl…and the girl gets the power.

REVIEW

Narrators Amy Hall; Connor Crais; Ellie Gossage; Samantha Brentmoor; Sean Masters; Shane East; Stella Hunter did a fabulous job with seamless interactions that made the audio book amazing tom listen to.

Storyline

Hands down, this retelling of Wicked/Wizard of Oz is the best I’ve ever read/listened to. The reader will love the intrigue behind the storyline, the vivid written descriptions of the scenery, the clothes description that the characters wear, and the creativity of the storyline. You’ll be drawn into the book so deeply that you won’t want to stop reading/listening till the very end.

The dramatic ending was completely unexpected and not at all what I anticipated. I did have an inkling about Rook because something about him felt off throughout the story, so the reveal wasn’t entirely surprising. Yet author Nikki St. Crowe skillfully keeps his true identity and motives hidden, making the twist both satisfying and shocking. It was one of those endings that makes you rethink everything you’ve read.

The Tin Man, on the other hand, shocked me in the best way. My opinion of him changed gradually as the story progressed, and by the end I was thinking, whoa, I did not see that coming. His character was brilliantly written and added so much depth to the story.

You will enjoy it. I think you should read it. Are you going to? I give this 5+ stars. It’s that good.

I received this book for free from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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