Son of a Witch - Gregory Maguire

Son of a Witch was just as good as Wicked, but this time there were dragons, which marked it slightly higher in my books! It was also slightly gorier than the first novel in the series, which I liked if I'm going to be honest. It wasn't quite horror, but it was edging upon it, talking about the mysterious 'scrapings' and bloodshed.
 

In Son of a Witch, Liir questions his parenthood - is Elphaba his mother or not? - tries to find Nor again, and gets attacked by dragons, leaving him in a coma. From then he meets Candle and Trism, forming a love triangle that gets rather complex at times owing to his confused feelings for them both. The ending was ambiguous, and I need answers! Does Liir ever find Nor? What happened to Candle and Trism, where did they go? Who does he choose between the two? Is peace ever restored to Oz? I'm very intrigued, and am currently reading A Lion Among Men.

I really liked the character Liir, as he's developed a lot since Wicked, from a small chubby boy to a brave soldier and deserter, trying to find his way in the world. His relationship with Candle and Trism interested me, as I never knew which one he loved more. On one hand he slept with Trism twice of his own free will, and it seemed he had quite a loving relationship with him, but on the other hand he had a daughter with Candle and feels responsible for that... To be honest I prefer him with Trism, as with Candle, he was raped by her and guilt-tripped into looking after their baby; he didn't really have a choice with her, whereas he could have balked out of his relationship with Trism - which could have got him in a lot of trouble - but stood by his side the whole time.
If any fans of the Wicked Years are reading this, what did you think of the relationship between Candle and Liir? It said that he loved her, but I always saw it as a bit forced and abrupt, seeing as she was the one that rescued him from a coma. I'm undecided whether I like Candle or not.

I'm looking forward to finding out the answers in the next two books, but then again I'll be sad about finishing them!

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Recently I have fallen under the wicked spell of Gregory Maguire's Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, to the point where I was feeling lost when I'd finished the book. It was so lucid and imaginative that I literally felt like I was there in the strange land of Oz by Elphaba's side!

Whilst I couldn't even begin to describe the synopsis (so much happens, and in places it is completely different from the musical), I can just say that it follows the life of Elphaba as she grows up, goes to Shiz academy, meets Glinda and all her other friends, and leaves school because of political troubles in Oz. She tries hard to get social justice for Animals after the death of Professor Dillamond, and becomes something of a terrorist as she grows up and rebels against the all-powerful Wizard. Elphaba seems to not have a place she can call home in Oz, and wanders from place to place, even becoming like a nun at one point, until her unfortunate death from the sweet, clueless, and rather dumb Dorothy. These are just the bare outlines, as there are so many characters that we get to learn about and love, and so many lands and provinces of Oz that are lushly described, that it is hard for me to pinpoint and describe my love for just one of them! All I can say is that the genre is fantasy for adults, and it completely warps the story of the Wizard of Oz, perhaps for the better.

I liked the way all aspects of relationships were considered in Wicked, rather than just straight-forward, straight relationships. I was pleasantly surprised that there were rather a lot of gay, lesbian and bisexual characters, as most of the books I have read mostly overlook LGBT people, whereas Wicked had all sorts of relationships - as they say, it takes all sorts to make a world (especially a world as fantastic and strange as Oz)! The relationship between Frex, Melena and Turtle Heart was especially interesting, and I also liked to believe that there was a hint of something between Elphaba and Glinda, even if Fiyero was the love of Elphaba's life.
The mentions of fashions in this book was glorious, especially Glinda in her bright frills and bustles. I'd quite like to make some costume designs based on some of the descriptions in this story. 
Another thing I admired was how complex the world of religion and politics was in Oz. My head was spinning, it was so complicated, though I do mean this in the best way possible.

I loved the character of Elphaba even more than I did in the musical, and perhaps liked Glinda a little less than I did in the musical - funny how these things change. Elphaba is snarky and ultra confident despite her unusual skin colour, and I just love her wit and courage, as well as the fact that she was also capable of love for family and friends - usually characters of her description are seen as cold and unfeeling, yet I got quite a lot of vibes of passion and warmth from her, even towards people that she sees as annoying or inferior.
Glinda is snobby and mean at first towards her roommate Elphaba, but they soon become great friends. She is seen as kind and gentle, but rather superficial and selfish, especially towards the end of the novel. This made me like her a little less, though she still remains one of my favourites.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can hardly wait to read the rest of the series at some point! My New Year's resolution is to read more this year.

London 2015: Hampton Court and Wicked

It's been a dream of mine to go to Hampton Court one day, the home of Henry VIII and his six wives, ever since I learned about the Tudors in Year 5. There are so many interesting stories that stem from the place, and not to mention the stunning interiors and rich, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, history.

There were live performances from the Tudor age to the Baroque age (including one where Henry VIII came out of nowhere and I giggled like a madwoman taking his photo, although he were the real thing!), and many opportunities to see those famous portraits and paintings of the Royal family! Although I'm a massive Tudor fan, the interiors and people from the later ages captivated me slightly more. Powdered wigs is all I can say!

I shan't go into too much detail as it's documented in my journal and I can't be bothered writing it out again. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves, but sadly there were some areas where either photography was forbidden (the chapel, my favourite room) or my photos turned out blurred due to the poor light.

"OMG it's the King!" *flails*

There were so many amazing Georgian outfits made from paper!

After Hampton Court and shopping, we went to see the Wicked musical! It was AMAZING!!! No photos sadly, but lots of memories. The costume design was enough to make me want to cry from joy, and the big history nerd in me was obsessing over the brilliant details in the Emerald City folk costumes.
The costumes, vibrant colours (especially the acid green) and the understandable story were fantastic, not to mention very funny! So funny the way they twisted - if that's the right word - the Wizard of Oz to make this story.