“Remember this: Nothing is written in the stars. Not these stars, nor any others. No one controls your destiny.”

Like many others, I became obsessed with *Wicked* after watching the movie. Ever since then, I've been playing the movie soundtrack every morning right after I wake up. It’s a bit insane!

And so, here I am. I’m glad I went in knowing that the movie and musical were only loosely based on the book, so I was open to the differences. The tone of the book is quite different as well—it's bleak, violent, and oddly sexual. Ahem, “dragon-snaking.” 

However, I enjoyed learning more about Elphaba's childhood and Glinda's thought process, which were not fully explored in the musical. Boq is quite charming in the book, too.

That said, the pacing is terrible. It jumps unexpectedly, and suddenly, seven years have gone by.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read!