Review: West of Wicked by Nikki St. Crowe

West of Wicked by Nikki St. Crowe

Series: The Great and Terrible Land #1

Publication date: April 14th, 2026

Pages: 310

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

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.

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Story:

I am one of the rare few who have never watched the Wizard of Oz. I know the bare bones story behind it though so it was easy to see some similarities between this retelling and that one to make sure the differences were also noticed. While in the original story, Dorothy finds herself in Oz and longing to get home. She seeks out the Wizard in hopes that she may return home to her aunt and uncle. The same can be said about this story however there are modernized situations that the original Dorothy would have gasped at in horror. The kind tinman who longed to have a heart now has been turned into an oil addicted mercenary who truly acts like he has no heart. The scarecrow who didn't have a brain, turns out to have been tortured and suffering from a case of amnesia. I saw how the author twisted the story in their retelling to make it more fascinating and more mature than its predecessor. I liked the way the story went even if the main character was equally as cringe as their representation. The only shortcoming I found in the story is in not being able to vibe with the main character like I would have liked. Not connecting with your lead can make the story not quite as enjoyable as it would have been otherwise.

Characters:

• Dorothy - Why does she have to be so utterly clueless? I don't even know what else to say about Dorothy. I am still on the fence with her. But I think she shows a little bit of promise and I am anxious to see what role she plays in the plot of the story. I would love if she developed a healthy dose of grit as betrayals and dishonesty become known.

• Rook - I did not buy his entire good guy persona from the very beginning. I feel that he was hiding something but that Dorothy was so trusting that she wasn't even going to question it much. She wanted to believe that the hot man that seemed so intrigued by her was along for the ride and willing to help her with the hope of also helping himself. But there was something about him that made me squint suspiciously. I didn't really like him and I couldn't figure out way.

• Tinman - I don't know why I liked the Tinman so much. He was vicious and really encompassed the whole not having a heart thing. He was willing to hurt whoever he had to to get what he wanted in the end. I want to see him and Dorothy combine forces against Rook and find some sort of romantic ties. Wouldn't t be nice to see the Tinman find his heart in that of Dorothy? Maybe that is too predictable. I liked that he had grit and I want to see just how dangerous he can become.

Writing:

The writing was really well done. It is one major reason I kept reading when I may have normally dismissed the book after not developing some sort of bond with the female lead. The word usage as mature and intelligent without delving too far into drivel. I like the descriptive terms the author used for each of her characters and made it easy for me to picture them within my mind. The world she established was described so even the most uncreative thinkers can see the landscape laid out before them. I would expect nothing less from Nikki St. Crowe though.

Overall:

As far as Wizard of Oz retellings, this was a good one. I like the world and some of the characters. But I would have liked if it wasn't as predictable as it was. The big bad reveal at the end was already realized by me the moment they stepped onto the scene. I think the gasp of surprise that was hoped for was missing and I would have loved to have been thrown for a loop instead of just having my own suspicions confirmed. I want to see more from Dorothy as a character and really want to find out more about the Tinman as he was by far the most fascinating character.