West of Wicked by Nikki St. Crowe

I picked up another romantasy this week, West of Wicked, since The Shadows That Listen hadn’t fully hit the mark for me. With West of Wicked, I found this to be a really interesting take on the Wizard of Oz but still didn’t hit it out of the park for me. That being said it might be more dark fantasy romance than romantasy? There is a distinction, however subtle it may be.

Dorothy wasn’t born in Kansas. She was found by Aunt Em and Uncle Henry and doesn’t have a memory of her childhood. Her life is comfortable but restrained. The best way out of her Aunt and Uncle’s house is by marrying her neighbor Edward, a prospect she knows she should love but doesn’t. She dreams of more and wants more, but the thought of leaving her Aunt and Uncle behind is something she can’t bring herself to do. She knows they need her.

When a tornado descends on her home, Dorothy and her dog Toto are swept away to another world and Dorothy must immediately defend herself from someone who is trying to kill her. Someone she later finds out was the Witch of the East. The Witch of the East was hated for her evil ways and is one of the four Cardinal witches that won’t be missed. Dorothy is awed as a savior, being told she is a witch herself, but all Dorothy wants is to go home.

She takes the yellow brick road at the advice of the residents of Oz but meets a lot of strangers, like Rook, who she found hanging in a field like a scarecrow. A man who has lost his memories and joins her as she searches for her way home and he searches for answers.

While I enjoyed the world building of this book and the pacing, the romance aspect of it felt rushed and just didn’t work for me. The twists were a bit predictable to me, but I still enjoyed them. I will read the second because I want to see what happens next. Overall, this is a good read and I love Oz retellings but this just wasn’t a new favorite for me.