Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is a fantasy book written by Gregory Maguire. The story reveals Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) life before Dorothy kills her and her sister. The story starts with Elphaba's mother being unfaithful to her husband and sleeping around with a stranger. Her mother gives birth to a “green monster” shortly after a giant clock, the Time Dragon, moves into their town. As the story progresses, it follows Elphaba through her college years at Shiz, a prestigious university in Oz. While at Shiz, Elphaba rooms with Glinda, whom she doesn't get along with at first, and Glinda's Nanny in the dormitory. After the two friends leave Shiz and go out to the real world of Oz, things go crazy.

People who are looking for a good “romantic” fantasy book, which focuses on the importance of friendship and disappointments of the betrayal of those who you thought you were close to. There are not many flaws in this book except you DEFINITELY have to watch the Wizard of Oz before you read this book to understand it. The book, however, was an amazing read. I feel that if you want to read something that will pull you in as soon as you pick it up then, read Wicked.