Wow wow wow wow. Kerri Maniscalco doesn't even need to take my money because I will be throwing it at her.

I forgot the last time I read a whole book straight without any distractions. The world-building, characters, and Italian settings were a feast for the senses (as Kirkus said) and I can not believe she had the AUDACITY to leave us hanging.

I think the romance was perfect; there was only a hint but it was enough in that it wouldn't go overboard. The best thing about Kerri's work is that she always leaves room for more character development. I see a lot of other authors who word barf onto their characters so that in the second book we can't learn anything new out of them, their romance becomes boring and flat. Not for these perfect, amazing, feisty characters! Wow, I loved Kerri's portrayal of Emilia and how she grew from the nice twin to the vengeful witch. Amazing. AMAZING.

There was never a dull moment. Kerri is an expert at making sure there are no bland filler chapters, but she also paces her action scenes very well, so it doesn't feel like I'm reading a whole year in a chapter.

BUT NOT THIS BOOK. MY GOD. I think I read this arc more than 4 times. There a lot of little hints that might (fingers crossed) allude to the second book. I had a little tantrum reading this book knowing I will have to wait till 2021 or later for the next.

I recieved this free eARC from NetGalley for a review. All opinions are my own.

This book though. I took my time reading it because I did not want it to end and I now have to wait till 2021 at least for the next book in the series.

We follow Emilia and her need for revenge in this story. Emilia has a twin sister who is murdered and she doesn't know who did it. Through out this story we follow Emilia's pursuit to try and find her sisters killer and avenge her death. Along the way, we find out about the Wicked and the Princes of Hell, and how witches, like Emilia, do not mix with them. There is romance in the most unexpected ways, banter, humor, and intense moments through this entire story and you will not want to put it down.

Before reading this story, I read Maniscalco's Stalking Jack the Ripper and Hunting Prince Dracula (I haven't finsihed the other two because I am not ready to be done with that series. I am taking my time with it), and I am in love with those stories, so I was nervous going into this book because I wanted to love it just as much. Kerri Maniscalco did not disapoint. I was engaged the entire time I was reading the book.

I think my favorite thing about this book is the banter in it. I found myself laughing outloud when it popped up. Emilia and Wrath, one of the Princes of Hell, are an unlikely duo that just work even though they aren't supposed to. They know how to jab at each other and get on each other's nerves but still work together. Maniscalco really knows how to write these fun, bantery realtionships and I am here for it.

I really, really loved this book and will be buying a phyiscal copy once it comes out. I can already see this book being turned into a TV series. I am totally getting some Vampire Diaries/The Originals vibes and could see some of the actors playing characters in an adaption here. Daniel Gillies as Wrath... Yes please.

Book rate: 5/5 stars

“I wanted him to be the shining prince of this nightmare.”
•
First of all let me just say that I’m Italian and that every time I found an Italian word I just felt like home 😂. This book was so good and so dark. Emilia is such a lovely young woman when her twin is murder. At that point, the only thing she can think about is revenge. Well, revenge and that stunning, very evil, demon that is helping her uncover the murder. I am quite proud to say that I guessed correctly, but I was really intrigued by Emilia’s investigation and her approach to dark arts. She has always considered herself a witch of the light, her Nonna has always warned her and her sister about the payments required by dark magic, but as time goes Emilia realizes she would do everything to protect the people she loves. This book is a perfect example to show how loss and grief can change people, not always in a bead way... sometimes you just understand you are strong than you’d have imagined. The story is dark but there is still space for romance and I couldn’t help but falling in love with Wrath and I can’t believe his feelings for Emilia has been all but a pretense! Finally, let me warn you that you’ll get very hungry while reading this; Sicilian foods are described with such accuracy that now I just want to fly there and spend all my time in restaurants!

Amazing book!! It was a very well rounded well planed story with characters so well written they could be your friends. It opens a world to you that you may have never thought of before.

**3.5 Stars**

I like where this series is headed but that potential can’t impact my rating for this introduction.

“Kingdom of the Wicked” dives into a world of magic and mayhem as twin sisters manage their craft under the direction of their grandmother and stay weary of demons and their masters who happen to be the 7 Princes of Hell. When tragedy befalls the family Emilia makes a dangerous bargain with one such prince and will stop at nothing to uncover which monster is slaughtering witches and how to prevent herself from being next.

I’ll begin with what I enjoyed the most being that of our main character Emilia she is very much the Sally Owen to her twin sisters Gillian from ‘Practical Magic’ in that she cares about learning how to be a witch and following the rules though when the tides shift she is willing to get her hands dirty in order to right each wrong that comes her family’s way. She is strong and foolish making mistakes and paying for them but all of her actions are fueled by her desire to bring about justice and I can’t fault her for that.

The Princes of Hell are also a lot of fun while each embody their sins we get to see how they play in the human world being both smart and dangerous gearing up for a war that is fast approaching and though we don’t meet them all, I’m confident that those yet to visit will be just as fearsome.

My biggest struggle is that of the way the mythology and world building is given to the readers. It’s very clear that a lot has to be shared with us in order to amp up the threats and explain some of the magical elements but the overall execution of this leaves much to be desired. Had we focused more on the witches and their ties to Hell and the human world and slowly teased in that of the monsters and Princes as we moved forward, especially given that ending, I think it would have worked better. What we have is a lot of dialogue back and forth that slows down the plot as they do the classic I’ll explain this to the reader through character A despite the fact that that character should be aware of at least part of this given how they grew up

Not a bad beginning but one I think could have benefitted from a more narrow focus giving time to the characters and the foreshadowing of the fight to come but I will say I’m loving the taste of Hades/Persephone even if it doesn’t fully deliver.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Kingdom of the Wicked was such a sinfully good book full of demon princes, witch magic and a secret curse hidden away for centuries.

Emilia and her twin Vittoria seem like typical girls to everyone in their village. They help run the family restaurant, one dreaming of new food concoctions to try and of expanding the restaurant one day while the other is such a joyous soul captivating the love of everyone she meets. They seem like typical young girls, except for the whole they’re witches and they have to hide themselves from Malvagi (Princes of Hell). It all seems like superstitious nonsense until one day it isn’t and Vittoria ends up dead.

I loved Emilia immediately. She is okay fading into the background while her twin takes the spotlight, content to read at home or experiment at the family restaurant. Vittoria’s death changes her though and we get to see this amazing development in her. She steps up determined to find her sister’s killer no matter the cost. While still a tad naive in the ways of the Wicked Emilia is a fast learner and while she makes mistakes she’s still an incredibly strong young woman. I admired her determination and how she approached situations.

The Princes of Hell were downright terrifying yet simultaneously swoony as hell. Pun intended. Each the personification of sin itself. I loved when a new one showed up on the scene. Wrath, Greed, Envy, Lust and finally Pride, the real devil. Yes they’re bad and you should avoid them but gosh dang it we love our bad boys. The bad boy that’s only good for you trope (if it’s not a thing it should be).

While Emilia isn’t easily swayed by looks lines did get a tad blurred with Wrath. The romance was so swoony that at times it was hard to remember that Wrath was an actual Prince of Hell, the bad guy. I don’t want to give too much away here but the ending between them was quite the steamy yet rude awakening.

While overall I really loved this book and binged it in one sitting, there were a couple issues I had with it. The magic system was never really explained. Emilia seemed naive in the ways of Magic, sheltered almost, but then could pull a spell out of nowhere it seemed at times. So we truly don’t know her experience level with magic, it’s not really explained and that bugged me just a tad at times. My other complaint was how rushed the ending felt. It actually jumped around a bit, to the point where I thought I’d missed a paragraph or even a page about a scene change. It just didn’t seem to fit with how the rest of the book had been written, the pacing felt extremely off and made it a tad confusing.

The ending was brutal, leaving us with some big unanswered questions. It also ended up taking a turn that I somewhat expected but ended up discarding halfway through the book. I do still have some theories though about Wrath, Pride, the curse and how Emilia will fit into it all. A year seems so far though and I’m way too excited to explore the Kingdom of the Wicked.

Review to be posted to blog 10/19 & crossposted to GR and Amazon.


Ultimately, this ended up being a it's-not-you-it's-me situation. I didn't hate the story but I also didn't love it either

Recommended for fans of witchy reads, delicious food descriptions, and dark atmospheres.

Maniscalco manages to build this world that you effortlessly slip into. The food (seriously loved the descriptions of food), the atmosphere (beautiful blend of historical and occult), and familial love are rich and jump right off of the page.

The world building was fascinating. You get to see the witch/magical side of this world and the demon side as well.

The romance is perfect for those who enjoy morally grey characters and the enemies to not-quite-lovers trope. I was so looking forward to the banter I grew to love in the SJTR series. It didn't come through for me but that might because we are still only in book 1 in a series

The bottom line? Not for me but perfect for readers who love witchy reads.

I am slowly starting to really love and be addicted to the fantasy genre and this only cements the decision. Can we just talk about the cover for a second? Wow! It just draws you in and it's creepy AF. I love the relationship between Emilia and Vittoria, and the pain Emilia feels after her twin's death. She does everything in her power to seek vengeance, even if it meant tapping into her dark magic that they both swore off. Then she meets Wrath, OMG!!! Plus the delicious food !! YUM!

This was a page turner from cover to cover and my brain was like. "WTF just happened? Did that happen?" MIND BLOWN! I recommend this 100000000000%. If you are not into fantasy books, let this one convince one you. perfect book to get in the mood for Halloween.

Thanks to Netgalley, Kerri Maniscalco and Jimmy Patterson Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait for publication to own a hard copy because the cover is gorgeous.

Available: 10/27/20

So many emotions....
This book was wonderfully atmospheric, and whisked the reader away to a setting that was both deliciously dark, and beautifully light. I loved that this book was set in Sicily, because the island setting and the beautiful descriptions of the oceans, markets and mouth watering food, created a perfect balance with the darkness of demon summoning witches. It was a perfect end of summer and into fall read.

I have read most of the the JTR series, also by Maniscalco, and this book was definitely a bit darker. Audrey Rose is fierce, but also filled with humor and curiosity. Emilia di Carlo is smart, strong, resourceful, and going through some s***. While I thought the author once again provided a compelling mystery that I couldn't wait to solve, I did miss some of the humor from the JTR series. There was definitely still some, but not as much. This book feels darker, more urgent and a bit sexier. I also love that, once again, Maniscalco gives us a strong, imperfect main character that does not apologize for who she is, or what she wants, and does not need to be saved by anyone but herself.

I feel like the world building was lovely, but somewhat clumsy at the beginning of the book. It took me several chapters in to get truly invested in the characters, and to understand what was going on. I also thought the last few chapters seemed a bit rushed, however, full disclosure, I was tearing through them to find out what was going to happen, so I probably rushed it even more (that's how you know the story is good!).

I really enjoyed this book and it took me by surprise, because it was not what I was expecting. It was well written, sexy, full of magic and dark pleasures. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to read this book, especially at the perfect time of the year. I will be not so patiently waiting for the next in the series.

I have received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Kerri Maniscalco has created the perfect addition to your Halloween TBR pile! Spooky, sexy and what a cliff-hanger! Once the characters cast their magic spell on you - you won't be able to put this one down. Not only will the cover look cool on your coffee table this October - but the story she's brewing is quite bewitching!

Emilia & Vittoria are twin witches and also part of an ancient prophecy - they will either stop the gates of hell from breaking down or bring about the end of the world by unleashing the devil. To keep this review spoiler free, I can't say any more! If you like star-crossed romance - it's in there. Supernatural characters - in there. Murder mystery, high-stakes adventure, conspiracy plots - it's all there! The pace is quick and the chapters fly by.

Set in an alt-fantasy version of Italy (not modern day), the supernatural world Maniscalco has created is the gift that keeps on giving. Shapeshifters, werewolves and demons of various kinds were all just touched on in this first installment. She has barely scratched the surface of where the possible characters and plots could go from here. By the final chapter you'll consider selling your soul for the sequels!

I'm a huge Maniscalco fan! Love her writing and the stories she spins! I was super excited to see what type of new book she would bring to the table after I finished the Stalking Jack the Ripper series! And she did not disappoint!

This was a page-turning world that had me glued to the story at page 1! I loved the twin bone between Emilia and Vittoria! And also the food and the family! Emilia was a strong character and when she met Wrath, I just knew things were going to get awesomer!

Wrath was the kind of book guy I like, where you don't know if he's hiding secrets or not but you love him regardless! I wanted to pinch Emilia at times and tell her to just go hug and kiss Wrath, but I understand why it would be hard to trust a prince demon of Hell! There chemistry and bickering was just excellent!

But seriously, I highly recommend to read this book! And yes, there is a dreaded cliffhanger, one that will leave you yearning for book 2, which is a great thing!

Kingdom of the Wicked follows Emilia di Carlo as she tries to find out what lead to her sister’s murder, who killed her and why.
Emilia leads a pretty normal life, well if you can call being a witch call normal. She loves cooking, coming up with new recipes and spend time with her twin, Vittoria. But one night Vittoria doesn’t come home for dinner. Emilia, in her desperation to find out what happened to her, goes to find her. What she finds will change her life for good. She finds her sister’s desecrated body, her heart torn out. She is devastated and seeks revenge.
She is even willing to use dark magic to find the killer.
What she didn’t expect is to old legends to be true. The seven Wicked Princes of Hell are as real as they come. Wrath is one of them. He is wicked too. And hot. And arrogant as Hell.
They must team up if they want to find out what happened to Vittoria and other girls who share her fate.

Emilia is a kind, strong girl who realizes she is so much more than she thought. I liked her, enjoyed watching as she grew stronger and stronger, more confident in herself and her power.
Wrath is a mystery. He is someone I want to get to know better. When I thought that now I finally know what drives him, he did something and I was lost again.

The ending...cliffhanger. I wanted to hurl my ipad to the wall and scream and scream until I got my hands on the next book.

The pacing was a little slow but I enjoyed the story enough so the pacing didn’t bother me too much.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

”It is a hell in its own way. Giving someone ultimate pleasure, only to rip it from them before they fully grasp it."

Witches, demon princes, murders, oh my! Kerri Maniscalco is the Queen of mysteries and I can’t get enough!

I loved that this book took place in Italy. Sicilian witches, witch hunters, secret shapeshifters, the world building was truly amazing.

We learn about and meet a few demon princes and I was instantly Intrigued by each one. The way their personalities matched their title was perfectly written! Wraith has me at hello! I mean we all love the mysterious, brooding, sarcastic “bad boy”, or in this case demon prince..

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Emilia’s. I found her a bit annoying at times but she did start to grow on me a bit towards the end.

The reveal at the end was a bit predictable, and I guessed it early on in the story but I still enjoyed the overall mystery and I still have so many questions. Did she? Is he really? Wait huh? But I thought?? Haha I’m already needing book 2!

4/5 stars!

After the death of her twin sister, a young which vows to do everything she can to bring her sisters murderer to justice. She will go to any links even if it means summoning the very evil that she has been warned about since she was a child.

Kingdom of the wicked sucked me in from the very first chapter. I fell in love with the sisters, their relationship reminding me of my own with my three sisters. The whole premise of the story is so unique and thrilling. The twists and turns captured me and left me saying “just one more chapter” over and over again.
Don’t even get me started on the demon prince wrath (excuse me while I try to summon my own prince of darkness). I am always a sucker for a bad boy who possibly could be good…well, as good as a prince of hell could be.
I can’t express enough how much I recommend this book. I completely freaked out when I finished it. Cliffhanger endings are a delicious torture, and I don’t know how I’m going to possibly survive waiting until the next book is released.

Kingdom of the Wicked was absolutely outstanding. Emilia Di Carlo has grown up hearing stories from her Nonna about the Wicked, demon princes who seek to devour and destroy witches like herself and her twin sister, Vittoria. But Emilia has never paid much mind to these tales, that is, until she finds a dark and mysterious man crouching over her twin sister's murdered body and tasting her blood. Overwhelmed by her grief, Emilia vows to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of who murdered her sister and achieve justice, even if it means making a deal with a demon prince and resorting to dark magic.
I am a huge fan of Kerri Maniscalco's writing and her previous series, and I'll admit it was weird at first to see her writing about characters other than my beloved Audrey Rose and Thomas Cresswell, but I soon got over it. Now, Emilia Di Carlo is my new obsession. I adored how Emilia harnessed her grief and turned it into power and determination to figure out what happened to her sister and to uncover the plot behind the murder of witches in her part of Sicily. I adored the dynamic between her and Wrath (who is sexy af, by the way) and how they went from enemies to lovers (kinda) to enemies and back and forth. The attraction and steam between these two was to die for. The worldbuilding of both Sicily and the power structures of the Kingdom of the Wicked was impeccable. I really enjoyed getting to meet Wrath and his fellow demon princes (Lust, Greed, Envy, Pride) and really enjoyed how their powers worked and seeing their wickedness. All of this lent a sense of horror and suspense to this novel that made it very atmospheric. With Emilia and Wrath, we see complex and morally grey characters at their best. The mystery at the heart of this book is fast-moving and really engrossed me. Everybody had an agenda and everybody was a suspect and I didn't know what to expect. There were times reading this book where my heart was racing whether it be from a twist or a development in the mystery, and I truly hated having to put the book down. Kingdom of the Wicked at its heart is about the bond between family, and the lines one girl is willing to cross in order to bring justice to her sisters' murderer. It's also about the spot of wickedness in each of us, and the choice we have to make to either let it devour us, or empower us. Kingdom of the Wicked now stands as one of my favorite reads this year and I can't wait to see where Emilia's story goes.

**Review will be posted to my blog on October 12, 2020**

Thank you to JIMMY Patterson and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

My Attention: engrossed

World Building: 19th century Sicily, there are practicing witches, there are hot Princes of Hell, scary demons, a murderer on the loose, and so much FOOD

Writing Style: a quick moving story, great dialogue

Bringing the Heat: 🔥🔥

Crazy in Love: slow burn in hell…ha!

Creativity: this whole story is dark and delicious

Mood: witchy

Triggers: violence, gore, rituals, death

My Takeaway: Hooking up with a Prince of Hell might be a bad idea…but it sounds pretty hot.

I LIKED:
*Let’s start with aesthetics – the cover is to die for. A pre-Halloween publication date? A cover like that and this story has witches and demons? Come on! It is perfection.

*Speaking of witches and demons…whew! Emilia and Vittoria are twins and have been learning witchcraft since they were born. Their Nonna is the one who taught them all the spells they know and how the Malgavi will return to collect on a blood debt. As far as these Princes from Hell, they are exactly as Nonna said they would be: Trouble.

*The setting of Sicily is fantastic and made me crave all kinds of pasta and cheese ALL week. I felt like I was there, or I wished I was. I wanted to be eating at the Sea & Vine and tasting Nonna’s delicious meals.

*This story is dark and doesn’t shy away from gore. Someone is murdering girls and ripping their hearts out of their chests! Ugh…but why? There is a mystery. Emilia and a hell prince named Wrath is trying to put the pieces together to find out who it is before another girl dies.

*Wrath and Emilia’s growing relationship is an enemies to lovers romance- or should I say…we shall see if they ever become lovers? They are enemies but start working together. Their dialogue is fun since they drive each other crazy.

Random Notes:
*At times I thought this book was going into New Adult territory – it totally could with the hotness factor of the Princes and Emilia’s scandalous thoughts about one in particular haha.

*I wanted this to be fast paced because of the danger at every corner that Emilia was being exposed to but at times, the mystery (and this is a personal thing for me – always happens with mysteries)…made it go a bit too slow for me at times.

*There is a cliffhanger.

Final Thoughts:
Kingdom of the Wicked is the perfect book to read for fall! It has danger, gore, hot Princes and food…so much good food. I loved the family and community bond Emilia has in her home town. I could feel the warmth of her Nonna’s love and glares! We get a little bit of everything in this story and it is quite entertaining. This book will put you in a very witchy mood.

The premise of this book was very intriguing and I enjoyed the descriptions of food and cooking. However, overall the pacing was too slow for me and I will not continue with the series because of this.

This is not my typical genre but I absolutely adored it. I cannot wait for the next book to see what happens!

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Kingdom of the Wicked in exchange for an honest review!

What a deliciously witchy read! After her sister's murdered, Emilia decides to hunt down her killer. Unfortunately for her, she's not as well versed in dark magic as she'd like to believe and accidentally ends up binding herself to the literal embodiment of one of the 7 deadly sins. The d r a m a.

Maniscalco spins such an immersive, beautiful world full of dark magic, sins, and a healthy dose of Italian cuisine all building up to an ending that will drive me insane until the next book comes out.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


Kerri Maniscalco's newest series starts off with Kingdom of the Wicked and you can expect demons, witches, magic, vampires, murder, mystery, and mayhem among the other delights in this dark and enchanting tale! Here we have something that borders between Faustus and Beauty and the Beast but with an added murder mystery! This is sure to be a book to haunt you (in all the best possible ways) until its very end!

This book...whoa, you guys! Just whoa! I expected yet another engaging murder mystery from Kerri with a dynamic duo who may or may not kill one another before the night was through, but I wasn't expecting such a twisted and dynamic plot to evolve along with it! Just whoa!

Emilia and her twin sister, Vittoria are witches in secret, along with their family. It's a time when witches are killed for practicing magic and "consorting with the devil" yet that's not exactly how Emilia's magic works, nor her family's. Things were happy and content...until the murders started happening. Two young girls are brutally killed, and then the next victim is Vittoria, and Emilia's world shatters. Emilia had come across a young man standing over her sister's body who seemingly disappeared afterwards.

She's determined to uncover the truth behind her sister's murder. Not only finding out the whodunit, but to also figure out the secrets Vittoria had been keeping, dark and dangerous secrets...ones that involve demon summoning. When Emilia finds out the spell to summon the demon her sister was possibly summoning as well, she is astonished when the man who stood over her dead body appears.

Wrath is a demon, but not just any demon, a demon prince of one of the realms in hell. He offers an enticing deal to Emilia, if she agrees to a bond between them, one that will lend her protection, he will help her find her sister's killer. But Emilia is a not a witch to be trifled with, she knows demons are not to be trusted and they twist their words to their benefit.

But when more demons start popping up and more murders start happening, she relents that it's better the devil you know, than the one you don't.

This book was positively gripping! In simplest of terms it's darkly enchanting! A witch and a demon! Eep!! While there's no love lost between these two, there's definitely something there! Which also sounds familiar, right? Lol. Wrath is one secretive guy, and he chooses his words carefully, so much so that you can't find the lie within the truth. He's very misleading and oh my goodness, I'm dying to know what's going on in this guy's head! There's always these linger looks, the way he acts like he wants to protect Emilia, yet she can't help but think he has ulterior motives.

The mystery does get resolved in this one and it was pretty astonishing! I mean, I started to make my suspicions and was proven correct, but I couldn't get the reasoning down pat other than generalities. But the story is far from over after this revelation and it gets totally twisted after that. I'll admit I got a bit confused with references to the different princes and the devil himself. At times it read like they were one and the same. And then that final chapter reallllly threw me through a loop! Like what just happened?! I mean I suspected a teeny part of it, but other than the most basic element of the situation everything else was positively mind-blowing!

Kingdom of the Wicked is a dark and mysterious tale that will hold you spellbound! It's a tale filled with dark deals and sinister secrets. Add in a slightly forbidden romance and you have a simply unputdownable read in your hands! Kingdom of the Wicked is a book you will want to devour in one sitting, so set aside some time to enjoy this one to its fullest!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars


Kingdom of the Wicked releases October 27, 2020