From Goodreads:
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 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.
- Genres: Fantasy, retellings, romance, romantasy, dark romance, adult
- Series: The Great and Terrible Land #1
- Narrated by: Amy Hall, Connor Crais, Ellie Gossage, Samantha Brentmoor, Sean Masters, Shane East, Stella Hunter
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Format: Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 04-14-26
- Original publication date: April 14, 2026 (310 pages, Hardcover)
- Language: English
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Nikki St. Crowe’s West of Wicked surprised me in the best way. It takes Oz and tilts it just enough to feel strange and dangerous without losing the heart of the story. What pulled me in first was the Scarecrow. He is a man stripped of his memories and left tied to a pole in a cursed cornfield. Dorothy frees him, and the slow build between them feels natural and steady. He tries to understand who he is, and she tries to understand why she cares. Their moments together carry the story.
The Tinman is a mercenary cursed with no heart. He is sharp and unsettling, and every scene with him adds weight to the journey. He never feels like a side character. He feels like someone who could change the direction of the story at any time.
The pacing stays tight. There are chases, close calls, and twists that land at the right time. The world is eerie and strange, but it never drifts into confusion. It feels like Oz, only darker and more grown.
If you enjoy retellings that keep the spirit of the original while giving you something new to hold on to, West of Wicked is worth reading.
From Goodreads:
Nikki St. Crowe is a USA Today and No. 1 Amazon Bestselling Author specializing in dark, spicy romantasy where the villain gets the girl and the girl gets the power.
Nikki considers the start of her professional career to be in the 4th grade when she placed 2nd in a Young Author’s Competition. Back then she crafted stories about magical mansions and lost treasure. She’s since ditched the treasure hunts, but she’ll never give up on the magical mansions (or the morally grey men who inhabit them).
These days, when Nikki isn’t writing or daydreaming about villains, she can either be found in the woods or at home with her husband and daughter.
Nikki St. Crowe – official website
West of Wicked on Amazon
West of Wicked on Audible
West of Wicked on Goodreads
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6 comments
What an interesting twist to an old favorite tale. Thanks for the review, Kymber.
Thank you, Mary. I’m glad you liked the review.
Your review is good but I’ve never been keen on redos of classic stories. It feels lazy. I’ll take a look on Amazon and decide.
Let me know if you read it. I totally get where you’re coming from and honestly, I didn’t know if I would read it either. But when I got the hardcover, it was so beautiful; I’ll admit I judged the book by it’s cover. lol Even the end papers are printed. This review is on the audiobook, but I do have the hardcover, too.
Sounds very interesting, I remember watching the original movie in the 60s!
I’m obssessed with Oz, so this book was right up my alley. lol