The Witch of Maracoor

Another Day #3

by Gregory Maguire

Following a confrontation with her reclusive great-grandfather, the one-time Wizard of Oz, Rainary Ko--the granddaughter of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West--has re-upped in a mission to settle a few scores and right a wrong or two. Her memory and her passions reviving, Rain turns her gaze back to her native Oz. Though the Grimmerie, which she had cast into the sea, retains its arcane power over her, the lover she left behind in Oz proves no less haunting. Traveling companions and arrivistes can befuddle a young witch coming into her own, but Rain marshals a steely determination to stare her troubles in the eye and see who blinks first.

In the Another Day cycle, a lost young woman grows through a cautious adolescence into an adult state of fervor and daring. Enchantment imprisons and it also liberates. Pay heed, pay respect, but above all, pay attention.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Audiobook, Adult, Witches, Retellings

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2023

About the author

Gregory Maguire is an American author, whose novels are revisionist retellings of children's stories (such as L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz into Wicked). He received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University, and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany. He was a professor and co-director at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979-1985. In 1987 he co-founded Children's Literature New England (a non-profit educational charity).

Maguire has served as artist-in-residence at the Blue Mountain Center, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Hambidge Center. He lives in Concord, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaaaaahhhhhh I need another 1000 Oz books from Gregory Maguire. Yes, this book ties up a lot of loose ends, but it still creates and leaves some of its own. I hope he’ll be back in another couple years with a further update on the Ozian political situation, the 45 different gay affairs going on, and all the characters who are going to have to live forever because it’s just a running joke at this point.

Actually, I really feel like he left some things open-ended in a different way than Wicked, where the ending was purposely ambiguous, and the not knowing was the point. This feels like he left some open questions for the purpose of coming back to answer them. I really hope I’m right about that.

[Anna Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this witchiness she endured just a... heightened apprehension of sorrow. The immortal sense of loss. Was it. Was it.

While I thoroughly ate up the previous two entries in the series, weaknesses and all, the Another Day trilogy ends with a muddled whimper that left me wondering why the first book spent so, so much time focusing on the titular Brides of Maracoor and why we got to spend far less time with Rain.

This issue is much more apparent in The Witch of Maracoor, which breezes past plot point after plot point like Rain being pushed by winds on her broom. No story point or character, Rain included, seems to benefit from the way this book speeds through everything.

Unlike the previous two books, I think Maguire's prose was fairly weak here. There were a handful of standout quotes but the book lacked the depth and richness of the previous two entries in favor of speeding us through story beat after story beat.

I didn't mind the thin story of the previous two books because Maguire instead spent time with beautiful introspective prose... here, characters are pushed from point to point so quickly that it leaves no room for any of the prose that marks the previous two books so well.

I feel like Maguire would have been much better off starting the book with Rain already making her journey or nearly ending her journey rather than spending half the book on speeding us through the last bit of Maracoor. Maybe then the rest of the events in the novel could have been properly fleshed out and explored. The almost sparse prose made me feel like an outsider watching through a window instead of being immersed, as I felt with the previous two books.

(In fact, the prose was so much more terse compared to the previous books that I finished this one in two reading sessions... something I've never done with any Maguire book!)

The thinner prose impacts the characters as well as the story.

While Elphaba's abrasiveness feels earned, Rain's does not--especially since she spent much of Book 1 and 2 behaving far more amicably towards others. Sure, points are being made about adolescence, about grief, etc, but they are being made too quickly and sharply to feel like they belong here.

An effect, maybe, of the uneven nature of this trilogy and exceptionally uneven nature of this last book.

In the end, we're left with tons of loose ends and a quick, emotional but ultimately unsatisfying conclusion. I have to wonder if Maguire had a deadline for finishing this off and had to simply get it out.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Witch of Maracoor”, the third novel in Gregory Maguire’s “The Brides of Maracoor” series, continues the journey of Rain Ko, the granddaughter of Elphaba, the Witch of the West. A five-star read from the author of “Wicked”, Maguire’s fairy tale retellings are in a class all their own.

Rainary Ko, finally recovered from her amnesia, vows to return to Oz, to find out what happened to her beloved Tip, who the world now knows as Princess Osma. Since she threw the Grimmerie into the sea, Rain hopes to shake off magic once and for all but the book continues to reappear, desperate to make its presence known. As Rain and her trusted Goose Iskinaary venture through the skies of Maracoor, Rain’s journey leads to one of self-discovery, as she encounters friends and foes along the way.

I have been a fan of Maguire since reading “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West”, and I own (and love) every one of his fairy tale retellings, but Elphaba and her family are by far my favourite Maguire characters. In “Maracoor”, Rain struggles with understanding her magic and the complicated dynamics of her own family, while she aims to set out on her own and find out who she is and what she stands for. The ultimate “coming-of-age” novel except, of course, with flying monkeys, talking Animals and gender-changing magic spells.

“Maracoor” is told in three parts, indicated by beautifully drawn illustrations, which is also pure Maguire. Obviously, the characters in this book are based on those by Frank L. Baum but Maguire manages to bring them to the next level in a creative and delightful way.

Written in Maguire’s beautifully flowing prose, “Maracoor” is the perfect conclusion to the “Another Day” series, although I hope to see more from Rain and her family (maybe the return of Elphaba?) as I am struggling to end my relationship with the characters in this series of novels.

There is no doubt that I will be reading whatever else Maguire delivers, and I’m curious to see which fantasy tale he will bring to life next.

[Rob Underwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should know by now never to fall into the trap with Maguire of having expectations. Few writers shift between 5 star masterpieces and DNF the way Maguire does for me. Considering I gave the Oracle of Maracoor 5 stars this is definitely in the latter for Maguire.

It's like Maguire tired of the Maracoor storyline so he turned Another Day 3 into The Wicked Years 5. I'm not sure if The Witch of Maracoor is intended to be an epilogue to The Wicked Years or the beginning of a new chapter. Regardless the book is a mess. It rushes to tie up the Maracoor storyline in a few pages before focusing the majority of the story back in Oz.

Now that Rain has her memory back she's revealed to be a self centered asshole and a frustrating character to focus on. All the other Another Day characters are either dropped entirely or relegated to cameo appearances.

As an epilogue there are several scenes with original series characters such as Liir, Chistery, Nanny, and others. But with the singular focus on Rain and her unearned self righteous indignation and teen angst even the beautifully written parts can feel like a slog.

[Krystle Rouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to wrap of the series. It makes me want to read more of his books. The cover is lovely!

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could, I'd give The Witch of Maracoor 10/5 stars. It's not without its faults. If I'm being brutally honest, it's the weakest of all the books in the Wicked Years and Another Day series. It felt disjointed and rushed. Events arrived and flew by with little fanfare. The affair between Rain and Lucikles was random and pointless. It was just too damn short for all the plot stuffed into it. But. BUT. I don't care about any of that. Maguire's writing still gives me chills. And I sobbed so many happy tears. And to me, that's worth ALL the stars. I don't know if there'll be more Ozian tales after this. I hope so! There's so much sequel potential, it'd be weird and jarring if that's where Maguire left it. But more importantly, I need more of these characters in my life because they own my whole heart and soul.

[Gabriella (Ferreira) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Gregory Maguire for this beautifully wrapped finale of the adventures of my favorite witch. This is just what I needed!

[Rhiannon Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher




I've not seen many posts about this series, but that doesn't surprise me. A lot of people read Wicked but didn't continue with the rest of The Wicked Years series. The Another Day series picks up years after The Wicked Series with Rainary Ko, Elphaba's granddaughter, and while adventurous, this series isn't as exciting.


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[Greyson Smither · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS. Is the Gregory Maguire I know and love. A strong conclusion to the “Another Day” sequel trilogy of “The Wicked Years.”

To be honest, I did find it a bit of a slog reading “Brides of Maracoor,” and felt similarly about “Oracle of Maracoor” albeit not as much. “Witch of Maracoor” really makes the journey worth it. It’s here we finally understand the trilogy’s direction and conclusion is really about Rain facing her demons and discovering her true sense of self and purpose in an unforgiving world.

What made the early books difficult however, is that
Maguire fancies himself a wordsmith and the prose style walks the line between purple prose and actually digestible writing. “Wicked Years” was a little easier to follow because Oz was familiar, and Maracoor is not. This trilogy is also Rain’s story, and Maguire spends a lot of time developing the world and culture before addressing Rain, the character i’m really here to read about and am interested in.

This trilogy does contain a lot of elements that I really enjoyed in “Wicked” but not the subsequent entries of “The Wicked Years” as a series. Making ”Another Day”, in my opinion, stronger than “The Wicked Years” overall. We finally have that strong and interesting female lead that was present in “Wicked” but lacking in “Out of Oz” and the excellent narrative metaphors seen in “Wicked” also make a return here. I also really enjoyed seeing a ton of character threads begun in “The Wicked Years” come to a conclusion in “The Witch of Maracoor.” Definitely worth picking up if you were a fan of the original series or the wickedly good novel that started it all.

[Daniel Lammin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a curious series, this Another Day trilogy. It never feels necessary to the Wicked Years and never seems to coalesce, but there’s still something alluring about it. Rather than the relative narrative clarity of the Wicked novels, these fall more in line with Maguire’s other books, heady and confounding (complementary) tumbles into classic storytelling traditions. That was clearer in the first book; by this third volume, even that seems to have fallen away.

By the end, it feels more like a coda than a seperate narrative, Maguire clearing out the drawers of his desk to resolve (for himself, more than anything) what happened to the characters still left at the end of Out of Oz. This made the second half of the book the more moving for me - life goes on, there are no endings, we just move into a new phase of personal and societal history. If anything, The Witch of Maracoor reminded me what a complex and breathtaking creation Maguire’s Oz is, a detailed world of geography, race and politics. Rain (like Elphaba) has the choice to participate or reject it, and she’s still caught in that push-and-pull by the end. Nothing is resolved, but in Maguire’s work, resolutions are falsehoods. They aren’t real or honest.

Another Day doesn’t feel like an essential component to The Wicked Years, but it’s an intriguing companion to it. I’m certainly glad I read them.

[Billy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seriously?!
After all of that; the journey to and from Maracoor, to and from Oz; the angst and anger of a late blooming teen who left carnage and chaos in her wake without care or concern; the closing of a trilogy that saw too many pages dedicated to the description of minutiae and pointlessness that never needed telling, never needing to be read. All of that in order to complete the bulk of the story in 121 pages, shrugging the heavy lifting, having spent too many words on what led to an ending that needed far more paper and ink, and that’s the ending?
I kind of enjoyed this trilogy, until I just finished reading this closer. Throughout the telling I was patient as the story was often quick to start, quicker to stop, jolting, disjointed, prone to fits and starts. In this final book, the culmination of the series, apparently the point was to finish fast, to reach the story’s end with descriptions and details wanted but lacking, needed but not provided, the importance of the telling abandoned in a sprint to the finish without a glance at the past to do an ending justice.
Yeah… I’m a bit annoyed.

[Jonathan Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Pseudo-Resolution to a Relatively Short Trilogy

As a fan of Gregory Maguire's Wicked novels, I was certainly eager to return to his universe with the new novels focusing on Elphaba's granddaughter. The first two novels had Rain meeting some interesting new characters and scenarios beyond the known borders of Oz. I did enjoy reading them and was eager to see how things would come to a conclusion in the last novel of the trilogy. This novel attempts to tie up some loose ends, not only from the trilogy story but Rain's Out of Oz story from the Wicked Years series. It is a considerably short novel, focusing more on reconciling with familiar characters than presenting a new plot to Rain's story. There are many loose ends still unresolved, or so it seems, that could suggest another story at some point.

[Janae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy any book by Gregory Maguire but this book felt like it was written as a transitional story between Rain’s life in Moracor to Oz. However I don’t think he’s done with Rain’s story, so I’m hopeful there’s another book forthcoming in this series!

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Suffering a whole life is one way to know you're having a life."

[David A Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

She sat staring at the horizon, which had so much to say, but nothing in a language she could read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, Rain.

Out of Oz was always my favorite of the original Wicked books for the very simple reason that, as a teenager, Rain was the protagonist I loved the most, and the ending of that book always wrenched at me. When the Another Day trilogy started and it was clear that it was going to end with Rain finding her way back to Oz and to Ozma, to complete that story that had originally been left hanging, I admit that it was this ending that I was always looking forward to most. While the Maracoor setting and characters in the previous two books were engaging, that was never really what I was here for. All this to say: I see several reviews disappointed that this book leaves Maracoor behind fairly quickly and that's certainly true. I'm not surprised it ends this way but it does make for a very weird plot construction/structure to the trilogy.

It's not really slow or plotless; physical movement and travel scaffold the story consistently and especially the second and third books - in this one, Rain never stays in one place more than a handful of nights. It feels sometimes restless, and the settings begin to blur into the background a bit as Rain gets closer to home.

As characters and settings and plot devices come and go, Rain's internal understanding of herself is the constant and the primary theme for the trilogy. This becomes challenging at times because she has very little idea what she wants. She can come off as rude, uncaring, indecisive. As many of us, young and otherwise, do when we're struggling with a question that we don't know how to answer.

Rain's question, I think, has something to do with how you move through the world making choices when you know those choice may lead to places you didn't expect - sometimes because of what you've done, and sometimes because of other people's choices that you can't control. Rain ended Out of Oz full of rage that Tip had been taken from her by circumstances neither of them controlled. And as she struggles with that throughout this book, she vacilates between an affected nonchalance and anger at those around her for making choices that they know very well could turn out badly or affect others around them. See her unwillingness to understand Iskinaary fertilizing and bringing the crane eggs along and staying with the group of children they find in the grasslands. Her petulance at Liir's happy homesteaded life with Trism. And, of course, her denial when Thilma confronts her with the consequences of her own affair with Lucikles. I think this is also why, though she complains, she complies with all of the requests made to her as she goes. Depositing the pollen on the island. Reporting back to the monkeys. It's easier than facing the choice she knows she has to make.

Rain wants to know how you can bear making these choices - and, more importantly, how you can let yourself feel them as you do - when you know that the outcome is, at best, unknown. Because if there's an answer, a way to do that, then there can be a reason behind all of the things that have buffeted her in her life. But the answer is: there isn't one. There isn't a way to choose and live with it that isn't just...living. Going on. Sometimes people just choose things. Sometimes there are many reasons they do, and sometimes none at all.

So. The novel ends without much of a plot conclusion and with a lot of open questions. Rain and Ozma are back together, but with no idea where they're going next. Iskinaary may or may not still be ok, raising a group of feral farm children and maybe two crane-goose babies. The flying monkeys might decay further into animals, or maybe Rain will help them prevent that. The tarot cards, which Rain unceremoniously left with the Goose and the kids - maybe they'll fade into nothing, or maybe someone will learn to read them.

But, despite how short this book is and how open the ending is, I do think it reached an emotional wholeness that was satisfying and helped snap the previous books in the trilogy, with all of their wandering and amnesia, into focus for me. When the outcome is unknown, you have to choose something anyway.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't impressed with The Brides of Maracoor, as the brides' world was somewhat interesting but so little happened in the book. Oracle was somewhat of an improvement and I had hopes Maguire would finish strong but he definitely disappointed. This book left me wondering what the point of everything was. Plot points that he spent time building up in the previous books to seem to have importance just...end with a whimper. It left me wondering what the point of this series was.

The first part of this book is basically a wrap-up of the Maracoor story and introduces a female ship captain named Stalta Hipp, and a plague infested island. This storyline was my favorite part of the book. After this, the rest is basically the tour through Oz with reminiscences for fans of his Oz series. The ending was rather unsatisfactory, with many loose ends. I can appreciate some novels with vague endings that leave it to the reader to speculate but this just felt unfinished like Maguire reached the page count he needed and just...stopped.

Overall a somewhat interesting, if pointless ride.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the third book, we join Rain on more adventures. I loved the fast pace in the beginning and the weird happenings throughout. There are new adventures, and we get closure on earlier stories. While not every detail feels entirely relevant, the beauty of fantasy lies in its boundless possibilities.

Reading all three books in one sitting was a fantastic way to fully immerse myself in the beautifully written fantasy world.

Big thanks to William Morrow and author Gregory Maguire for an early copy of the book!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Gregory Maguires books. Period. When I tell people he is one of my all-time favorite authors, I also give them the caveat that his writing style is not for everyone. But they are 100% for me.

When I finished Out of Oz years ago I was defintely left wanting. I wanted to know more about Rain. I wanted to know more about Liir. I wanted to know more about what happened Next. This trilogy has given me that. I enjoyed all three books and I enjoy how this final one ended. Even though, like most of Maguires books and stories, I am still wanting more!!!

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Gregory Maguire, especially his take on Oz. I have to be honest though and say this is my least favorite books by him that I’ve read. Nothing of real substance happened to require this book. What this book covered in 260ish pages could have, and should have, been condensed into 3-4 chapters in the previous book.

[Art Enyedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What disappointment The Witch of Maracoor< turned out to be. The Another Day trilogy started out so intriguingly in The Brides of Maracoor, had some interesting plot points and characterizations in The Oracle of Maracoor but the story thread seemed to be completely lost in this final volume. The biggest question left unanswered was: what was the Fist of Mara? This dangerous relic had been guarded and hidden by the brides for so many years - and it was so desired by the Skedelanders that they launched an invasion to capture it - Maguire might mention the Fist once in this entire book. The reader never learns what the Fist of Mara was, why it was important, or even if it was successfully destroyed. The Fist of Mara is forgotten.

Maguire instead tells us of Rain's wanderings as she returns to Oz. The magical Grimmerie reassembles itself, no worse the wear for having been thrown into the sea, so Rain carries it back to Oz with her. There doesn't seem to be any consequences for Rain trying to destroy the book or returning it. The entire trilogy seems pointless, nothing is accomplished. Maguire has an excellent imagination, he dreams up some interesting events for Rain to encounter - the mysterious cemetery on Ithra Strand, the ship-boarding by the pirates, the weird mermaids that ask Rain to bury one of their dead on land at Great Northern Island, the village of sheep-herding children that have lost their parents, the narrow and dangerous swinging bridge over that chasm - after Rain passes through each of these encounters, they are forgotten and have no effect on Rain or her quest. It is as if Maguire was just creating filler events until he had enough pages to make a novel. There doesn't seem to have been a complete story here; we read about Rain and her adventures, but ultimately nothing really mattered at all.

The most disappointing part for me is that once Rain has recovered her full memories, she turns out to be grumpy, self-absorbed, and irritating. I liked Rain-the-amnesiac in The Brides of Maracoor much better than the Rain-with-her-memories that appeared on these pages. The romps under the blankets with Luckiles seemed out of character from previous Rain. (What was going on Ithra Strand where Iskinaary, then Rain, and finally Luckiles succumbed to a strange lethary that seemed to lead to death - only to have them wake up the next morning without any lasting effect?). It is no wonder that Iskinaary abandons Rain to remain with the village of parentless children.

In The Oracle of Maracoor, a handsome naked god appeared, like a Greek diety, and it seems that the gods would intervene in the affairs of men, yet that is also forgotten. What was that about?

I never got any sense of what the indestructible, seemingly-sentient Grimmerie was doing. It got thrown into the sea, and now that it has been returned to Liir's cottage it is now content??

I expected a different story. I don't know how The Witch of Maracoor should have turned out, but I was unhappy with this rambling tale. I think Maguire can do better. This book has me thinking that I will avoid reading any future works by him, even though this was not a bad book. It just wasn't the right book for me.

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not many authors can claim that their novel became a cultural and global phenomenon, but this is definitely the case with Gregory Maguire. He had already kicked off a nice career of fantasy novels based on famous fairy tales. However, he hit the heights with the release of WICKED.

If you have not heard of WICKED you have been living under a rock for the past two decades. The novel, which dealt with events in L. Frank Baum’s land of Oz well before Dorothy arrived there from Kansas via a twister, was brilliant in concept from start to finish. It was when the story leapt from the page and onto the Broadway stage that WICKED really became the cultural powerhouse it is today. That award-winning musical has been seen by millions and is about to spawn a film version. This notoriety really put Maguire on the map and instilled in him the desire to revisit the land of Oz several more times.

THE WITCH OF MARACOOR is the third in a newly conceived trilogy that continues the tale of Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West. In this instance, it is set in the future following the events in THE WIZARD OF OZ and features a new central character, Rainary ‘Rain’ Ko --- the granddaughter of Elphaba. Over the course of two prior novels we have seen Rain sent on a reluctant journey where she has not only lost sight of what she was seeking but has also lost much of her memory.

With this third entry in the series, we see Rain’s memory not only coming back but the narrative also sets up an eventual return to Oz. With her green skin and witchy powers, Rain has been tabbed the Witch Of Maracoor --- at least until she figures out who she truly is. The name came from her familiar, a goose called Goose or Iskinaary. Rain and Goose are aboard a pirate ship heading for somewhere and realizing the entire time that they are really meant to be heading to their true home.

Rain makes the best of it and befriends others aboard the vessel like Lucikles who appears to have feelings for her. Goose recalls the times being with Rain’s family, including the praise of her departed grand-mother Elphaba. All this comes to a head when Rain eventually returns to Oz and reunite with the father that she had all but completely forgotten. Her father has longed for Rain’s return for over 1 ½ years, yet knows in his heart that she still has things to do and will leave him quickly once again.

Before Rain moves on, she experiences a face-to-face with her late grandmother that is a highlight of the novel. The chat with Elphaba is quite an epiphany for Rain and she even questions Elphaba why she disappeared. Following this revelation, Rain ventures off once again knowing that there is still unfinished business to attend to. It is through this that Rain will finally discover who she is and what it means to be a witch of Oz. THE WITCH OF MARACOOR is like sweet candy for not only fantasy fans but also those who adore anything to do with Oz. Maguire does not disappoint either group and I can only hope this is not his last trip to the wonderful land of Oz.

Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Ginger Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witch of Maracoor is the third book in the Another Day series, which follows the characters from Gregory Maguire's The Wicked Years series that started with the book Wicked. The Witch of Maracoor is Rain's trip back to Oz from Maracoor. Rain is given the title of the Witch of Maracoor by Iskinaary, the goose who accompanied her from Oz to Maracoor. While Iskinaary and Rain are separated about halfway thru the book, the story is really about reconciliation. The Grimmerie makes its way back to Rain after she tried to drown it in the Nonestic Sea. It comes to her in pieces until the entire book is re-assembled. Rain reconnects with her father, Liir, and discovers that Liir has reunited with Trism bon Cavalish, the dragon whisperer.

Rain makes her way to Oz to find Ozma, formerly known as Tip. Ozma is in hiding because of the powerful men who would like to return Shell Thropp to the throne. Ozma and Rain manage to reconnect and leave Oz together. It isn't clear where they are going or how long they intend to be gone. But, it is clear that they are looking for a place to figure out their next steps.

While The Witch of Maracoor is supposed to be the end of the Another Day series, and it does tie up some loose ends, there were a couple of things that were left open. The first is the ending of the book. It reminded me a lot of the end of Son of a Witch, where it is clear that the rain falling on the land of Oz is bringing something new. The second is the vision that Rain has of her grandmother, Elphaba. Nanny seems to hint that Elphaba is still around, but it is hard to know if that was Nanny's mind wandering or if she knows something about what really happened to Elphaba after Dorothy threw the bucket of water on her. Gregory Maguire may intend that to remain a mystery, but I am not sure if the open questions will be left open or if another book may be required to answer a few more questions. For fans of Oz and Elphaba, this book is a must. It is enjoyable and an easy ready.

[Lala · Rating 3 out of 5]

***

Rain and Iskinarry finally leave Maracoor along with several pieces of the Grimmerie, and return to Oz. Rain has fully regained her memories and is willing to face her old life. Rain returns to her home and a sweet reunion with her father, Liir, but Rain is grown now, and prickly with the hardships and disappointments of her life. Uncertain how to move forward without resolving her own romantic tragedy, Rain seeks out Ozma, who was once Tip, to see if the glimmer of the boy she loved still exists in the princess of Oz.

This is the continuation of the Wicked Years I've wanted to read since the first book of this trilogy. There are several returning characters, (it was especially nice to see Liir settled and having a measure of happiness although as always, his relationship with Candle and Trism is ever-evolving and confusing ), and updates on the lives of some of the other characters, as well as the land of Oz itself. However, while all the cameos and returning faces were delightful, the overall story fell a little flat, and while this was the most enjoyable of this spin-off series, the entire trilogy itself seems a little pointless. Except for the optimistic ending, which was both surprising and sweet.

Personal history: Borrowed from library.

Another Day (spin-off from The Wicked Years):
1. The Brides of Maracoor
2. The Oracle of Maracoor

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book at all. I wanted to, I did. I liked the first two books and I like Mr. Maguire's writing style, but I couldn't stand this book. I had to force myself to finish it.

The first half has rain leaving Maracoor and it goes by briefly and when she gets to Oz it seemingly forgotten about with hardly any closure as to what happened there. The second part she is in Oz. Rain acts like an insufferable spoiled brat the whole time. What happened to her with Tip was two years ago as they kept saying and yet she can't get over it even if she is young. Rain of course meets Ozma, formerly Tip, and they runaway together after having a brief conversation. I understand that say they love each other and they want to make it work but it just no. Rain doesn't deserve any of that after everything she has done.

What bothered me the most about this book is that what is the point? To not mop in the past and live your life? I get that but Rain doesn't deserve it. She gave up on her dad, had an affair with a married man treated everyone like garbage and she Ozma still wants to try and make it work because they loved each other when they where literally two different people? I just don't agree with this book at all.

Who knows maybe it is just me, maybe my life experiences are causing me to dislike this book a lot. But I just can't agree with it or even like it.

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes but was let down. By the end of the book I really did not like the main character Rain. And I was disappointed in the ending. I am still a fan though of Gregory Maguire. Not every book can be a 5 star.
Following a confrontation with her reclusive great-grandfather, the onetime Wizard of Oz, Rainary Ko, the granddaughter of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West, has re-upped in a mission to settle a few scores and right a wrong or two. Her memory and her passions reviving, Rain turns her gaze back to her native Oz. While the Grimmerie, which she had cast into the sea, retains its arcane power over her, the lover she left behind in Oz proves no less haunting. Once bewitched, twice bewitching, Rain Ko must consider how to achieve a life less suffused with grief than the one she is enduring.

Traveling such a distance is not without its perils to a young person more or less alone in a strange land. And, by now, Rain has debts to repay. To make good on promises, she must insist on a layover on an island emptied of its human population by a deadly plague. Revived there by love or magic (and is there a difference?), she sustains an assault on the high seas by pirates. The accumulation of her experience awakens within her a certain nascent knowledge and power, which prepares her finally to touch down upon the far shores of Oz and address her own doubts and hesitations.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in Gregory Maguire's Another Day trilogy, The Witch of Maracoor follows Rain, the green granddaughter of Elphaba Thropp, still suffering from amnesia.

The story picks up as Rain departs from her friends who fled the city under siege. Rain journeys across the country, facing her inner demons. She must ultimately make a decision that determines her fate. She regains her memories and returns to Oz with a reassembled Grimmerie — a powerful book Rain lost. Upon her return, Rain decides to reconnect with her father and Ozma — the latter who had previously been a love interest to Rain, abet in another form as the boy Tip.

The final book in the series brings Rain full circle as she faces the emotions she avoided in Out of Oz. This is a classic hero's journey told in an adjacency to the Oz mythos and even the Rain character (through amnesia). This makes it serve as both an interesting read for those who are familiar with the Wicked Years series, as well as ones unfamiliar.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read reviews here for weeks before the book was released in Australia and was worried I wouldn't like it. So many saying Rain is unlikeable. Madness! The story ends with the granddaughter of Elphaba Thropp in a lesbian relationship with Ozma of Oz. My gay eight-year-old self devouring L. Frank Baum's Oz books would be thrilled to think such a thing would happen one day. And I am thrilled! The story is a Maguire story so it takes its time, and is rich in self-pity and self-satisfaction. It is a good story though. Rain is moody, but she's a confused teenager, and her determination to make sense of herself is well-conceived. It is delicious returning to Maguire's Oz, even if we only get the highlights reel in the second half of the book. The places we see and the people we catch up with are worth it. Finding Liir happily settled with Trism was a gift. The moment with Elphaba herself, dazzling! All that was missing here was an appearance by Glinda. But you can't have everything. I hope there are more Maguire-Oz books. There's an allusion to The Emerald City of Oz and the Nome King's invasion near the end. Fingers crossed.

[LeeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I unexpectedly fell in love with this book.

"Maybe every one of us, you too, are mere maggoty pupae behind the hard lacquer of your family ways - your mother tongue, your father silence."

Maguire's real talent is his turn of phrase, his use of words to mean precisely what he wants them to mean. This often reminds me of Lewis Carroll. It didn't work for me in Wicked. But it certainly worked for me here.

There are hints of Baum, of course, and Carroll too. Here and there glimpses of other influences, Tolkien among them. All while Rain is finding herself, and the readers finding ourselves, and Maguire himself, finding a deeper truth.

Rain's concept of ephrarxis? Oh, that's very real. It's my favorite Welsh word: hiraeth. And its German cousin: fernweh. It's that nostalgia, homesickness, longing, for a place you've never been, maybe a place that never was. Such a deep and meaningful concept, at the center of this gorgeous story.

Adding to my favorites list.

[Brianna Cornell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn’t feel like a conclusion to the series; it more so felt like an epilogue detailing Rain’s personal life. There seemed to be no plot—just the reader following Rain casually living her life—watching as she does whatever she wants to depending on her mood. The book has almost nothing to do with Maracoor or the rest of the plot that was laid out in the first two books. I also don’t understand why Lucikles didn’t get a decent character resolution when he has been the second most prominent character throughout the series.

I did really enjoy the first two books and I felt like the end of the second book set this third book up to be an exciting conclusion—but that’s not what I experienced. Although it was fun to see some familiar faces from The Wicked Years series, most of the loose ends that got tied up were things I stopped caring about as a reader a few hundred pages ago. If I re-read the Another Day series in the future, I will be stopping after book two.