This is my first book from Kerri Maniscalco and it is definitely not my last.

We start, where all good stories do, with an all-knowing grandmother passing on her traditions to her twin grandchildren. In this instance, Nonna just happens to be passing on the knowledge of the Malvagi- 7 Demon Princes of Hell with a stern warning- protect yourself and hide.

I love the juxtaposition between Emilia the quiet bookworm and Vittoria the social butterfly. Their love and friendship and more so their shared secrets transcend the familial bond to something more intense. Having this brutally ripped away has spawned a bowel of hate and revenge so deep within Emilia that she does the unthinkable.

Kingdom of the Wicked is an epic murder mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat. It is an excellent representation of the “grey areas” where the world is not necessarily black or white but comfortably in between. Kerri has woven a powerful tale about the power of sacrifice, the beauty of love and family, and the true price of doing the right thing.

I love that despite the severity and dark mood clouding the novel, Kerri has managed to incorporate brief moments of comedic relief that humanize Wrath- the wicked prince of hell and sheds light on different aspects of his personality. The pairing and journey of Emilia and Wrath was highly enjoyable and engaging. Their interactions were fraught with sexual tension and rimmed with unspoken danger.

Things that were a bit concerning for me was how the author wrote Emilia, her progression seemed a bit rushed especially the disparity between her fear of the princes yet her bold manner in dealing and even outwitting them. This coupled with her desire to be more like Vittoria and using this as justification to run headfirst into dangerous life-threatening situations was another red flag. There was also a greater need for clarity on the true intent of Wrath, the prophecy, and the princes of hell and their true purposes which were clouded in mystery. (hence 4 and not 5 starts)

I have the utmost faith that these unanswered questions will be revealed in her followup novel. Especially seeing as that ending nearly made me fall off my chair. Holy mother of a cliffhanger !!!!!!

Despite these small details, I thoroughly enjoyed the Kingdom of the Wicked and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Review posted on my blog: https://jessicareadsit.wordpress.com/

Get ready for dark witchy vibes, enemy lovers, the seven deadly sins, and a taste of Italy. This book feels like it was designed with Maas loving readers in mind quite often, but I just never quite clicked with it the way that I do with a Sarah J. Maas book...

Principium: I began reading this book with both high hopes and sadly with somewhat high expectations... I’ve seen nothing but positive reception to it, so I felt that I would most likely love it warts and all. And at the beginning I felt that that would be correct. The setting of the stage was very well done. It was atmospheric and well-written, and I felt I’d be in for a story that didn’t end up being what I read here. I loved the feeling of a loving family and all of the Italian culture and food. The witch and curse aspect sparked my interest immensely until it didn’t.

The Characters/Relationships: This was definitely an aspect of the book that fell incredibly flat for me. With the exception of Emilia’s relationship with her Nonna, I felt incredibly disconnected from all of the relationships. And the characters just never came to life for me. I honestly felt like I was watching someone else read this book or something, and I think if I’d been able to connect at all with any of the characters that wouldn’t have been the case.

The Mystery: I love a good mystery, and again, i feel that if I’d been able to get sucked in by this aspect, I’d have been able to jive with the book better. Sadly, this also fell incredibly flat for me. I guessed the culprit early on, which was super disappointing not because I guessed right, but because so little effort seemed to have been put into this character. I almost wish that solving a mystery hadn’t been a part of the plot, and as a Nancy Drew super fan, I feel that that speaks a lot to the enjoyability of this mystery.

The Ending: I will say that I cruised through this book, it was a very quick read despite my not loving it. Getting to the end did feel like an accomplishment more than anything else though unfortunately. I would have much preferred to have loved this book, but by the end I was kind of just ready to be finished with it... And while the cliffhanger ending will be sure to hook many readers, I think that this is probably the point at which I will getting off of this train.

In closing, I want to say my most favorite aspect of this book is the food! It really made me hungry for a delicious, authentic Italian meal, and that was really, really pleasant while reading. I think if you want to be where the characters are that’s never a bad thing! I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book, though I do think that a lot of readers are going to absolutely love it, but I would say that if you’re a fan of Sarah J. Maas books, enjoy reading about lovers who hate each other, like stories about witches, and love really delicious food descriptions, this might just be the book for you!

4.5 // 5 stars

This book is the perfect embodiment of spooky season.

Okay guys so Kerri Maniscalco's other series, Stalking Jack the Ripper, is one of my all-time favorites. After reading the first book in her newest series, I can firmly say that, not only was she one of my favorite authors anyway, she's now become one of my auto-buy authors.

I was truly and wholly obsessed with this book while reading. I started it at around midnight (stupid me) and read 75% of it before I forced myself to go to bed. Initially I only wanted to get to 20% and then I just couldn't. stop. reading. I was sucked in and held captive by this book.

This entire book was so intriguing and spooky. I was getting literal chills while reading parts of it. I'm not someone who typically reaches for scary books (not that Kerri's books are overly scary or horror novels...I'm just a scaredy cat) and yet I absolutely love it when Kerri's books give me the spooks. It was the same with her previous series and I'm glad to see it continue with this new trilogy. Honestly everything about this book was intriguing for me. The characters, the magic, the lore, the setting...all of it captured my attention. Also, the descriptions of food had me drooling.

I'd say my favorite part of the book was, as usual, the characters. I'm just a sucker for well-developed, passionate characters (and we even had one of my favorite character tropes in this book). I loved our main character and she was so fun to read from. She's going through an incredibly tough time with the murder of her sister and I think a lot of people discount her grief. Some other reviews I've seen mention that sometimes she mad bad decisions but her sister just died? I thought that her actions in response to such painful grief were actually pretty realistic (as realistic as magic can be, that is). I also really liked Wrath. He was such an intriguing character and his banter with Emilia was top tier quality (but that's all I'm going to say on that so that I don't spoil anything).

Without spoiling, I'll just say that the ending was not what I expected at all. I am so excited for the next book because I just need to know where this story is going after that. I will say that after the long buildup throughout the novel and huge mysteries, I felt like the ending was a bit quick even if it was explosive. I just would have liked to see it fleshed out in more detail.

Overall, I really loved this book. I am so excited for my physical copies to come in the mail and I can't wait for everyone else to read this book! I can only hope that the wait for the sequel will pass by quickly because I am dying to return to this world already.

Devastated after the loss of her twin sister, young Emilia (one of the streghe witches) is set upon a dark path of vengeance laced with murder, forbidden magic, and buried secrets. It’s on this journey of retribution, where she meets one of the Wicked: Wrath. A self-righteous, broody prince of hell. The demon claims to be on Emilia’s side, but can she really trust him? After all, when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems. . .

Kingdom of the Wicked follows two twin witch sisters, Emilia and Vittoria. One night after Vittoria failed to appear for dinner, Emilia finds her sister murdered. Emilia is determined to find out who murdered her sister, and seeks revenge. She discovers that her sister may have been involved with The Wicked, the seven princes of Hell. When Emilia has to rely on one of the princes, Wrath, for help, things get crazy.

Emilia was a wonderful character. I related to her close relationship to her sister, and to her feelings of being willing to do anything to avenge her. Emilia is determined, stubborn, and refuses to rely on anyone but herself. Wrath, the demon prince, is mysterious, dark, and seductive. I loved the witty encounters between Emilia and Wrath throughout the story.

The writing was atmospheric and I loved how the author used her historical fiction and mystery writing strengths and folded in dark magic and lore. The descriptions of the food were also incredible and made me hungry quite a few times while reading.

Overall, this story was everything I was looking for in regards to a witchy/demonic fall read.

I received an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Set in Italy, this historical fiction, forbidden romance with a touch of magic introduces an incredible main character who finds herself pushing the boundaries of herself (leaving me striving for more for myself too). The food descriptions just speak to my soul. All around this was just a fantastic read with intrigue that leaves me hanging desperate for more. Never have I wanted multiple perspectives in a story more than I did reading this. I desperately want to know every though Wrath has. I just know I'm missing all the clues and hopefully a reread helps enlighten me even more. I'm trying to so hard to sleuth and I just know I'm failing. Do yourself a favor and pick up this perfect fall read.

I am very torn on this novel. I’m giving is 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review. I’m nearly equally divided on good and bad points for this novel. *Contains spoilers*

The biggest good point is that this story has real potential The idea of the Princes and the witches and what I think is the relationship between Hell and the novel’s world Is very interesting. I’d definitely like to know more. I want to know what’s going to happen, what has happened to get us here and a whole bunch more background on the many characters. The relationship between the sisters is very well done. I got a real sense of how close they were and why Emilia is so determined to figure out what happened to her.

I’m torn on Emilia. She sort of realizes that she doesn’t know anything, but she plunges in anyway. That would have worked just fine if she didn’t keep running after something only for it to be a dead end over and over. By the end I was sure I knew absolutely nothing, but it wasn’t frustrating, I just didn’t care. I’d been jerked around a lot but it didn’t feel like jerking, just minor tugs in different directions. I was just hoping for it to end and that I’d be given any clear information then.

I am still very confused about the setting. Other than being in Palermo, Italy, I have questions on the time period. At first I thought this was set in modern day Italy in the real world but now I’m not so sure. At times it seems to jump to a medieval-ish setting. At others, certain attitudes suggest it’s modern. My best guess is that this is a completely made up world that has elements of both, but that’s not satisfying. I wish there’d been a bit more information and description about where and when we are; about the wider world.

The magic system is also so vague. I have no idea who can do what and why. Emilia starts with certain minor powers and that sort of makes sense. I could accept that until she just keeps being able to do more stuff, but nothing actually seems to be useful. She is completely ineffectual half the time and a super power the other half. It was confusing and combined with everything else, boring.

All the Princes she meets are evil, scary and obviously bad, except Wrath. He’s obviously supposed to be the love interest. Some elements of the relationship make sense; the slow burn and the way they only sort of like each other by the end. There were a lot of well done interactions. Yet, he doesn’t ever seem to scare her. She reminds herself to be scared, but he never acts like his brothers. He never uses his powers against her and he’s “too cute to be terrifying”. It read as odd.

I hate cliffhangers and the way this ended was nicely set up for the sequel. But the denouement was so predictable. I guessed that villain right away. Despite all the twists and turns it wasn’t convincing. It was just annoying. It felt Like a whole bunch of filler to lengthen the novel.

It had its good points and I enjoyed reading it, but it was a bit disappointing. Not sure if I’ll read the sequel, but probably.

You had me at a world filled with magical witches and demon princes! I was not disappointed! I could feel the gothic vibes of the world Kerri created in Kingdom of the Wicked and now I'm so ready to find out what Hell looks like!

Emilia finds her sister Vittoria murdered and is now on a quest to find out what got her killed. Emilia is such a great main character. Being very close to my sister helped me to relate to Emilia's deep need to avenge her sister. She is a risk taker from the beginning when she fearlessly summons a demon. She definitely got a bit more than she bargained for though when she realizes the demon she summoned turns out to be Wrath, a prince of Hell himself. As Emilia uncovers each new clue she discovers the person responsible for killing her sister may be closer than she realized. She's stubborn despite her fear when she finds herself face to face with more than one demon prince and each time she encounters them she learns something new about herself in the process.

Wrath. Oh goodness he's swoony. He is mysteriously handsome and you know you shouldn't trust him but you can't help yourself because he's so dreamy. He is bound to protect Emilia but little does she know just how deeply that bond goes. Wrath is full of secrets that lead to a very surprising ending. I can't wait to see where this dark romance will lead to in the book.

I loved every minute of this wild ride and I am sad I have to wait so long to find out what happens next because the ending was jaw dropping! Emilia also grows so much from beginning to end and I'm curious to see what the next journey has in store for her! I definitely recommend this one to anyone and everyone! It's delightfully dark and delicious!

This is my favorite book. I have had favorite authors, favorite series, but never a favorite book. As in, a singular novel that I adore so much I already want to re-read it (and tbh, I hate re-reading books). However, Kerri Maniscalco blew me away with her newest novel Kingdom of the Wicked.

This book is set in Sicily in a past time (I think maybe 19th century?) and follows Emilia, a young witch, in her quest for revenge. It has some religious elements, amazing food descriptions, magic, and demons! Oh, and a romance I actually really love?!

Emilia and her family work together in a restaurant, and while Emilia is content to help or read a book in her room, her twin prefers to be out and about. Vittoria wants to party, to live her life out from under their grandmother’s watchful eyes! Or so they thought…

However, a string of murders (all witches) becomes more personal when Emilia finds the body of her sister in a place she never ventured before, and with a man standing over her. Another witch dead, but now the killer has more to worry about than getting caught. Emilia grieves but ultimately chooses revenge, and in doing so finds out about her sister’s secret life. Will Emilia be able to catch the killer before another witch dies? Will she be able to uncover all her sister’s secrets? And will she be able to resist the handsome, teasing demon prince that she is now working with?

Now, before I saw everything I loved about this book, I think it’s only fair that a share a few things that I know will bother some people. Those being historical facts. I am not big on history, I don’t know much about anywhere nor do I remember anything from my History classes in school. However, I have seen a few other reviews that mention some inaccurate details that ended up bothering them throughout the whole story. I can’t say what they are because I never noticed, but if this is something that bothers you, just be aware (I can’t find the reviews anymore, otherwise I would link them). Also, there is a moment when someone cuts their arm to offer a blood sacrifice, so if you don’t like any self-harm, again be warned.

What I loved about this book, is everything. I really like Emilia, though I know some people don’t like her. I found her to be strong, independent, cunning (she was able to trick a demon into giving more information), resourceful, and determined. Instead of giving up on everything after Vittoria died, she decided to summon a demon Prince (though not necessarily on purpose), make a deal with him, and survive meeting his brothers (I think she met Envy, Greed, Lust, and obviously Wrath). She can be pretty helpless in some situations, but she learns from them.

I also adore Wrath. I am sad that we don’t get to know him as well as we know Emilia, but I still like his character. He is powerful, secretive, handsome, playful, and he is one of those bad guys that makes you forget they are bad because they treat the MC so nicely (respectfully? politely? idk, he is nice to her when he could easily kill her). He is also loyal. Once Emilia starts to believe in the tails of the Wicked that her Grandmother always warned her and Vittoria about, she starts to suspect Wrath’s brother’s. He refuses to believe her though, and so they follow other trails to get more information.

Their romance on the other hand… It’s the main reason I want to re-read this book! I love their interactions. They start off barely tolerating each other, with Emilia trying to get as much out of him as possible while he is also enlightening her to what she actually just did by summoning him and attempting to form a contract with him. The more they work together, the more they banter and become more comfortable together. Wrath protects her (he even attempts teaching her about her powers/fighting at one point) and Emilia feeds him human food, clothes him, and brings him entertainment. I just love their dynamic. I obviously knew they would fall in love when he was first introduced, but I never expected to be so invested in their story together.

The magic is also well done, in my opinion. A witch’s power rely on her ability to speak. If she loses her voice, she loses her power. I thought that was pretty interesting. I also really like how the author explored how magic is magic and the opinion that ‘if you don’t explore all sides of magic, are you really a witch?’. It starts with dark magic being taboo, and those who practice it are people you shouldn’t hang out with, to using any and all magic to protect those you love and to fight the evil threating everyone. Emilia encounters many different kinds of magic, and I enjoyed seeing them all.

The mystery aspect is a little wanting, though. Emilia has her suspects but can’t really interrogate them since they are demon Princes, so she has to rely on Wrath to help her get more information. Sure she meets two of his brothers and gets a little bit of information from them, but no real evidence. So she follows Wrath to new leads, but for the most part they are dead ends. They only find out who is behind it when that person comes out and says it. I still enjoyed it, because we meet a variety of characters, see Emilia struggle with some moral decisions, and we see how Emilia and Wrath get closer with each step, but if you want to read this for the mystery… You might be disappointed.

Overall, I adore this book! As soon as I get my finished copy (of course I pre-ordered it), I will be re-reading it! I recommend reading this for anyone who likes Kerri Maniscalco, romance, demons/witches, and magic.

*I received a free digital copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review*

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“If I cannot bend the will of Heaven, I shall move Hell.”

Kingdom of the Wicked is the newest book from Kerri Maniscalco, author of the bestselling Stalking Jack the Ripper series.

KotW tells the story of twin witches Emilia and Vittoria. After Vittoria is brutally murdered, Emilia begins her quest for vengeance, but soon finds herself delving deeper into the dark reality of the warnings her Nonna spoke of as a child. Kerri once again delivered relatable characters, insightful prose, and an intriguing plot. As a twin myself, this book interested me from the first time I read the summary.

When I read the description, I’ll admit I was a little worried it would be a stereotypical “7 deadly sins” trope, but it wasn’t at all. It was dark and twisty, while still managing to be captivating and alluring (and mouthwatering).

Emilia at first struggles to come to grips that the “scary stories” her Nonna told her and her sister as children were actually true, and it’s such a relatable struggle. I also have a soft spot for Emilia’s intense questioning and stubbornness. She never backed down, even when faced with near certain death at times.

Wrath was a typical morally gray demon bad boy, yet so much more at the same time. His disdain for ugly clothes and his love for cannoli humanized him in a way that made it easy to forget he’s technically one of the bad guys.

Nonna was kind of a iffy character for me. I know she thought she was protecting the twins by not telling them the whole truth, but I always disagree with that (even though it admittedly makes for a good story). It was good to see her finally give in and answer Emilia’s questions eventually, but I think it was too little too late for all to be forgiven.

While the time period was a bit ambiguous, it worked for the fantasy/supernatural aspect. The excerpts from the family grimoire at the beginning of each chapter really helped develop the magic system in the world without resulting in overbearing descriptions in the story itself.

Don’t even get me started on the food descriptions.... I had to stop reading at one point and go make something to eat because everything sounded so good and I couldn’t focus on the actual plot for dreaming about making and eating food with Emilia. Very well done! This little tidbit added so much to Emilia’s character and made me love her even more.

The end of this book was full of twists, some I saw coming and some I honestly didn’t, which is always awesome to get! It was wonderful and left me wanting to read the next book RIGHT NOW.

Kingdom of the Wicked will be released on October 27th and if it’s not already on your pre-order list... it should be. Trust me.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Jimmy Patterson Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

||KINGDOM OF THE WICKED||

A mystery of a cold-blooded murder, vengeance and the start of a hell-bending romance.

Witches are in hiding, spread out within Sicily, avoiding human suspicion. Practicing their magic in secret and warning their kin of devils and demons, but a murderer is now on the hunt, taking witches one by one, warning the end of a peaceful era. Old secrets arise of blood debts and devil bargains.

Emilia never would’ve ever thought that shed ever meet a demon prince, a Wicked, summoning him from hell, but would rather be thinking up new recipes, reading steamy romances and dreaming about opening her own restaurant. She had always been sceptical of the demon tales her grandmother told her, always favouring facts over fantasies, but things changed. She had changed.

The poor girl would not catch a break (someone please give her a drink, a massage, and a huge hug). Rejecting herself to any happiness, focusing only on her sister’s murder, blaming herself for loosing her. It was heart-wrenching.


Trusting anyone is hard, anyone being the culprit to killing Vittoria and together she and the demon, put aside their differences and work together to unearth the murderer, hell bent on seeking revenge on her sister’s killer

Now comes Wrath. My heart thrashed when he appeared, a nightmare, a devilish (and unfairly) handsome demon (please stop, I have enough book crushes as it is). I would sell my soul for him. He wanted to be all cold and heartless but seriously failed when it came to Emilia. Hear me squealing. UGH THE BANTER, the silent yearning. Every one of their encounters and scenes made me laugh so hard, I had to stop reading and recollect myself. But he is so frustratingly confusing sometimes, you never know whose side he’s on and it kills me. All I want is Emilia and Wrath to be together but NO, I have to deal with all this torture

At times it was so fast- paced that I felt like I missed out on something, but that was most likely just me getting used to the writing after reading a hefty, long and descriptive as heck book, though eventually I got invested instantly a couple chapters in (after a certain someone was summoned). After that I was flying though it and I could not stop. The plot kept building, pulling me under with every time and the FOOD, gosh reading this made me crave so many things, it was horrible.

That ending was just…. LIKE WHY. I don’t have the patience to wait for the next book. I NEED IT NOW.I NEED ANSWERS. This book had me hooked and I am so glad we have another book to delve deeper into Hell.

-RECEIVED FROM NET-GALLEY AND PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE OF AN HONEST REVIEW-

Spellbinding and Sinful! This book will utterly captive you as it navigates the world of twins
Emilia and Vittoria. They are born witches but the ways that they've been taught are not all there is to their story. It's a bit more thrilling and dangerous then they ever believed it could be. This is rife with chills, twists and things that go bump in the night.

Tragedy strikes and Vittoria dies a violent death that leaves Emilia feeling lost and vengeful. She enters a world that she thinks she knows but she really has no idea what she's in for. When Emilia summons Wrath, everything changes. She doesn't know who to trust and the pull she feels towards the demon prince is both delicious and dangerous. Does he have her best interest at heart, or is he keeping his desires and duties the priority? You'll have to enter this world to find out!

This is seriously one of the best books you’ll read this year! It's a page turner with surprises that will leave you gasping. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't this! Throw all your expectations out the window, this is so much better! I can't wait to read the next book because all of the residents of Hell better watch out! Emilia is coming and she's going to let her vengeance reign!

Thank you NetGalley for the book. I did not think I would like this book as much as I did. The cover is great. The setting is in Italy, which I thought was brilliant. This book was full of mystery, magic, witches, princes of hell, angels, demons, vampires. I really liked the Italian words and food that was added in the book.

Emilia and Vittoria Di Carlos are twin witches from the Palermo coven who live among humans. Their grandmother told them all the stories of legends of hells princes and who to stay away from/watch out for, but Emilia doesn't think the danger is serious until she finds her twin sister dead with her heart ripped from her chest with a shadowed man standing on top of her tasting her blood. The shadowed man drops his dagger as he flees. Emilia wants revenge for her sisters murder, so with the dagger, she summons the demon.

Quote from book: 'There are seven demon princes, but only four di Carlos should fear: Wrath, Greed, Envy, and Pride. One will crave your blood. One will capture your heart. One will steal your soul. and one will take your life.'

The Prince of Wrath, one of hells seven demons, shows up in the containment circle. Wrath is a type of guy that you can't help but like, but you need to remind yourself what he is capable of. He is not a good guy, but the dialogue and chemistry between Wrath and Emilia are obvious and fantastic. It kept me so interested in the book, I couldn't put it down.

There is a legend that involves a witch bride to seal the gates of hell, but that gate is breaking. Demons are able to sneak through the gates and roam the earth. They must be stopped. Emilia evolves from this naïve character to a strong witch whose powers increase. The cliffhanger is great. I can't wait to read the next book.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

The storyline follows the protagonist Emilia, who loves her family and taking care of the family-owned Sicilian restaurant alongside her twin sister Vittoria. Their grandmother is superstitious, or so they thought. Warning them of the dangers of the Princes of Hell and keeping their secret of being witches from any unsuspecting humans. When Vittoria doesn’t show for dinner service one evening, Emilia becomes worried and searches for her in the nearby monastery, where she had seen her the previous night. Finding her murdered in a long-forgotten catacomb, with her heart missing, Vittoria isn’t the first witch to die in recent weeks and she won’t be the last.

Emilia sets out on a quest for vengeance, where only the death of her sisters’ murderer will satisfy her desire for revenge. The search is not an easy one and forces Emilia into the company of the dreaded Princes of Hell, but she is desperate enough to ask for their help, even though her grandmother warned of dire consequences.

In comes the gorgeous Wrath, one of the seven Princes, offering to help Emilia as he has been tasked with finding out who has been murdering the witches. But all is not what it seems…

This was a hugely anticipated read for me. The synopsis completely and utterly wowed me, I knew I had to read it, and I was not disappointed. Kerri is a well known and loved author, her previous series has a lot of love, I truly think that Kingdom of the Wicked will receive just as much love and more.

Kingdom is written in such a way that it grabs you from the very get-go and doesn’t release you until the end, an addictive easy read that anyone who loves fantasy will surely love. Be prepared you will get hungry whilst reading this, my advice is to stock up on Italian ingredients because you’ll want to eat all of the food described.

Kerri Maniscalco once again delivers a fantastic, atmospheric novel that will leave readers wanting more. This story started off a little slow and it took me a bit to get in to it, but once I did, it was really worth it. Maniscalco shines here in a way even more exceptionally than her previous series, perhaps because she wasn't confined by the constraints of historic fiction and could create as she saw fit. This fantasy novel is one that I highly recommend.

Now if there’s one thing miss Kerri Maniscalco is always gonna do...it’s write a good romance. I truly ate this entire book up, so if you’re looking for an atmospheric read filled with witches, hot demon princes, and other paranormal creatures in order to get you into the fall/spooky mood...read this book ASAP.

The first few chapters did take me a while to get into, but as soon as I finally got a hang of the writing and the world, I literally flew through this. I definitely think the story could’ve been paced out a bit better as well, but since I received the physical arc of this book from the publisher, I honestly don’t think it’s gonna be much of an issue in the final copy.

I just KNOW the second book is gonna be everything I need and more...HOW am I supposed to wait to see more of wrath and emilia!?

Actual rating: 4.5/5

"Kingdom of the Wicked" by Kerri Maniscalco is a story about a young woman who's revenge sends her straight into the arms of demons.

Emilia is the quiet twin. Where her sister sneaks out and parties, she stays in with a good book or busies herself coming up with new recipes for their family's trattoria. That is, until she stumbles on Vittoria's body who is the latest victim of a killer targeting Palermo's twelve witching families. Her twin's death and the grief that follows transforms her as she becomes more daring and driven. The more Princes of Hell she encounters, the more her desire for vengeance grows into an all consuming emotion. Even though Vittoria dies early on, Emilia's character is well established enough that the effects of her grief are startling. Her journey is interesting and well done, adding complexity to her character as she struggles to understand and handle her newfound desires. In fact, the closer to Wrath she gets, the more these come out. A subtle way this come out is the clothing, specifically Emilia's outfits. In the beginning, Emilia strives to be comfortable, specifically choosing that quality in her dresses, she also rejects the clothes Wrath offers her because of this. As her determination grows, she turns towards more elaborate and darker outfits.

Wrath is an interesting character. All her life, Emilia's been warned away from the Prince of Hell, but he's never dangerous towards her but, even when she attacks him, he's civil (if a bit sarcastic). The more we get to know him, the more his aloofness hides away a deeper, more complex personality. His growing closeness to Emilia inevitably brings this out as they play off each other. Meanwhile the enemies to friends dynamic they have going on is so deliciously complicated and good.

When it comes to relationships with secondary characters "Kingdom of the Wicked", isn't at the top of its game. Emilia's relationship with her family is very important in the beginning of the book, but the more the book progresses, the more it drops off the radar for no obvious reason. I found that to be disappointing given how much its emphasized early on.

Maniscalco's use of the 1st person POV gives the audience a one sided view of the story. However it also allows her to really centre the plot around Emilia's grief, which works really well. I found the plot to have a good pace, it starts out slow and picks up the pace the closer it gets to the climax, and kept me engaged throughout.
The writing in general is really good. It's full of metaphors and descriptions, but it only adds to the magic of the story as they're not so abundant that they bog down the text. For example, Emilia's family has a restaurant and the cooking features heavily in the first few chapters, helping to build the scene.

I did find the worldbuilding a bit lacking in some respects. The Princes of Hell, and their kingdom is described in detail, with customs and history adding to the world. However, there's very little information on the witching families or how magic works, beyond the interactions between the witches and the demons. I liked what Maniscalco has given us and I wish there had been more, especially given the fact that Emilia is a witch rather than a demon.

All in all, I really enjoyed "Kingdom of the Wicked" by Kerri Maniscalco. It's a fascinating story that I will definitely be continuing in the sequel!

This was the first book I read by Kerri Maniscalco. I've heard amazing things about her books and I was really excited about this one. This was one of my highly anticipated of the year and it did not disappoint.

The writing was so easy to get into. I was really interested from the start. I wanted something intriguing and a little dark and this was perfect. I felt like the story started immediately. I was hooked from the very beginning. I was also really eager to see how this story would unfold and so I just kept reading. I loved how immersed this book made me because I read 200 pages in one go. It was just so easy to read this one in one sitting.

The story was very interesting. I also thought the pace was perfect. I never felt bored because there was always something happening. The further into the story I got, the more I wanted to read. The setting was so atmospheric. I love that everything had a touch of dark to it. This is definitely a perfect read for October! There's also a lot of mentions of food so prepare to be very very hungry.

There was also the intriguing appearance of the seven princes of hell. I love a story that can bring in the seven deadly sins, and Wrath was obviously a favorite. He was broody and a little bit of a cinnamon roll and I loved that. He has a sense of humor from time to time and his fair share of secrets. I also love books with demons so. Emilia was also an interesting character. Wasn't so sure how I felt about her at first but I quickly enjoyed trying to solve the books mystery with her, and I loved watching her grow and fight too. This mystery kept me guessing for a good while and I definitely enjoyed the mystery mixed with fantasy in this one.

I enjoyed this one so much more than I even expected. I guessed a few things that happened but overall I really liked this one. The ending really made me excited for the next book. I hope you'll be picking this book up soon!

Title: Kingdom of the Wicked
Author: Kerri Mansicalco
Pub. Date: October 27, 2020
Rating: 4.5

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to JIMMY Paterson and Book Terminal Tours for the chance to read this early and help promote it! Make sure you check out the other tour stops for Kingdom of the Wicked! If you’re excited for this book, make sure you go pre-order, request at your library and add it on Goodreads!

Where do I begin?
Once again Kerri has me falling in love with the male love interest. I mean, how can you not love Wrath? I think it’s impossible.
With the way this book ends, I can’t even fathom what’s to come next, other than Emilia is going to be raising some hell…
I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ve only just finished the book and I’m still very much caught up in it.
I’ll be perfectly honest – I was a smidge wary going into this book. I’m a huge SJTR fan and that series is one of my all-time favorites. So, my expectations for Kingdom of the Wicked were high and my excitement was through the roof. When I found out that I was going to get a chance to read this early – I freaked out. Like, threw my phone with excitement and just about started. Vibrating with anticipation, anxiousness and excitement.
Kerri really doesn’t disappoint with this book. It’s engaging, keeps you turning the page – I read it in roughly one sitting – so it’s a quick read. Emilia isn’t who I thought she was going to be upon meeting her, and I thoroughly enjoyed her arc in this book. I’m really curious to see what kind of havoc she’s going to reign in book 2.
I really loved the world. I must’ve missed the part in the synopsis that set this book in Italy/Sicily – I’m not complaining, I loved it – but I was a little surprised when I started reading. It was so vibrant and easy to imagine. Though, to be fair, I’ve been to Italy, so I kind of already understood the vibe. I loved the restaurant and the moments of Emilia thinking of recipes. I loved how she viewed the world and how she navigated it – how she was quite to her sister’s louder personality. I also really loved how progressive they are – though that doesn’t feel like the right word...
I wasn’t expecting Vittoria to be so forward, or for Emilia to be. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t have a problem with it. I’m all for Upper YA books. Give me more.
And then there’s Wrath.
Give me a dark prince who is misunderstood by humans and I will instantly fall in love. Hands down.
Hook, line and sunk.
I knew I was going to be done in by Wrath before I even started the book.
I love when dangerous characters – take a Prince of Hell, for example – are very dangerous, but they’re written in such a way that lulls you into a sense of security. Until BAM you’re reminded that oh, they aren’t good…they might appear to be cinnamon rolls, but they really aren’t. They get bonus points for when they’re inexplicably bound to a human and/or develop feelings for said human.
I’m so easily pleased. If an attractive, moody and broody Prince of Hell showed up at my door, I’d be done for. Gone. You’d have to come visit me on my throne in Hell. It would take a shockingly small amount of convincing.
As for the ending – which I enjoyed – I didn’t really expect the big reveal. I thought the book was going to go a different route, so when that character showed their true opinions, I was pretty surprised. And I’ve already said it, but I’m really curious to see what’s going to happen with book 2. I can already tell that Kerri is going to take us on a wild ride, and that we probably shouldn’t discount the length’s Emilia is willing to go to, to avenge her sister.
I definitely recommend picking this up when it comes out – I really don’t think you’re going to want to miss it. It makes you crave Italian food like there’s no tomorrow, but otherwise it’s so good, enjoyable and you get to meet Emilia and Wrath – he alone should be enough to make you pick up this book.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

As seen in Kerri Maniscalco’s other series, Stalking Jack the Ripper, she has a way with writing the first line where it is able to draw me into the story immediately! I am in awe of her writing style. This story flowed very smoothly and I wasn’t confused during any part. I liked the magic system and the world was set in a place I was familiar with. I didn’t have to learn any complicated names or places, which is a plus. I also really liked her creation of the Princes of Hell. Each based on a different sin was very interesting. I also liked that we were able to follow a couple of them throughout the story. I’m looking forward to meeting more in the next book. I think the characters were written very well and both liked and hated them at times (in a good way). I think Emilia, our protagonist, developed well under the circumstance of her sister’s murder. She grew more confident with herself and her powers. Unfortunately, I was able to guess who the murderer was but I still liked the clues and the chase in the story. Lastly, Maniscalco definitely did her research on Italian food, because the whole time I was reading it, I was hungry and craving true Italian food. Great job at making me hungry. Overall this book was insanely good and I’m very excited for the next book.

Rating: 4.5 stars