Audiobook Review: West of Wicked

 

No one is safe on the yellow brick road.

This program features multicast narration.

Dorothy Gale doesn’t know where she came from. At the age of five, she was dropped on Em and Henry’s doorstep while a terrible storm rolled across the Kansas prairie. Now as an adult, Dorothy has made the most of her life on the farm. But when a cyclone tears through the night, ripping her, her dog, and the farmhouse away, Dorothy wakes to find herself far from home in the strange, cursed land of Oz.

Desperate to find her way back, Dorothy takes the advice of the Witch of the North and sets off on the yellow brick road to find a wizard…with a warning to avoid forest monsters, heartless mercenaries, and wicked witches. It isn’t long before Dorothy encounters the dark side of Oz, stumbling on a man beaten and bloody, tied to a pole in a cornfield. Not unlike the scarecrows on the Kansas farm.

With no memories, the mysterious stranger joins Dorothy. Rook is ridiculously handsome, endlessly charming, and somehow understands Dorothy in a way no one ever has. But when they cross paths with the infamous Tinman and his axe, Rook proves he may be hiding his own secrets.

Nothing and no one is what they seem in the cursed land of Oz…maybe even Dorothy herself.

My Review

This story starts out like the original with Dorothy getting transported to Oz and killing the witch. She encounters the Scarecrow and saves him. He gives her the nickname "Kansas". He goes by the name of "Rook". Together, they try to make sense of what happened and what Oz is all about. 

The make their way to see the Wizard. However, the Wicked Witch is after them. The Tin Man is another main character in the story. A bit of a spark does slowly bloom between Rook and Dorothy. 

I really loved this book. It is a romantasy. So, the focus is more on the storyline and characters than the spicy romance. I am not mad about this. This is because the storyline and characters were so intriguing by themselves that I was fully engaged. In addition, that I felt like this first book was setting up the framework for what will be a very exciting next book; especially after the twist at the end. 

I am hooked and can't wait to read book two. Calling all audiobook fans, as you are going to want to listen to the audiobook. It features a full cast of amazing narrators! Both the Wicked Witch and Glenda would both agree that this book is amazing!