I NEED BOOK TWO NOOOOOOW!!!!!!!

This started of slow for me. I almost gave up, but then at 20% I was HOOKED. This was such a fun, engrossing fantasy. I love reading stories about witches and demons and all those spells!
I never knew I'd be rooting for a prince of hell and crushing on a fictional character so much, haha.

I have already pre-ordered two special editions of this book!! I can't wait until book two, hopefully sooner rather than later!

Thank you so much to Jimmy Patterson publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“It’s funny … Why can’t I find evidence to support you claims of innocence?”
“Are you asking me to comment on your own perceived incompetence?”

I think it’s impossible to avoid comparing Kingdom of The Wicked to Stalking Jack the Ripper, but I’m pleased to share that Kingdom of the Wicked brings out everything we’ve come to love from Kerri Maniscalco. While SJTR had Audrey terrified over the death of young women in her city, here Emilia stumbles onto the mutilated corpse of her own sister. This time we have a literal demon who is a literal prince and is obsessed with sweets and fashion. Look me in the eye and tell me this isn’t an escalation of Thomas Cresswell, who is described as a devilish prince at least twice every book. Still, Thomas and Audrey were pretty much always working together even if he got on her nerves a bit; Wrath is Emilia’s actual enemy, which just makes the enemies to lovers trope way more … intense.
And instead of a subtle undercurrent of dark sorcery we’re treated to a full blow explosion of fantasy. While the forensic angle of SJTR definitely made it stand out, Kerri makes the relatively more common fantasy tropes work as well. The genre allows her to unleash the darkness that all her readers love her for. However, unlike Thomas, Wrath actually isn’t human. He’s immortal and supernaturally gifted, which just makes him lord over Emilia. She is constantly getting into trouble and he’s always there to save the day. Emilia’s idea of being courageous is defying the rules that Wrath sets in place for her protection. And then she’s needlessly cruel to him after he saves her time and time again. Wrath doesn’t make mistakes. He isn’t mean or rude to her, except for a few extreme circumstances. Opposites attract doesn’t mean one is powerful and kind while the other is bumbling and rude. While I’m sure this wasn’t the intention, Emilia’s mood swings and inability to remain civil or logical was … annoying. If it happened a few times, it would be totally natural; but she just loses her temper and/or mind far too often. Basically, for a variety of reasons, I just couldn’t invest myself in either Emilia or Wrath. Also, twins are my weakness, but I still have nothing to say about Vittoria, which is just sad.
And none of this touches on the actual plot. I will not lie and say that I 100% followed the plot of any of the SJTR books, but this was a bit much. There are seven whole princes of Hell, along with their henchmen, Emilia’s family, friends, townspeople in general, mythical characters from folklore, complicated spells and magical objects. Not to mention the abundance of Latin and Italian being tossed around (okay, “tossed around” is an exaggeration, but it really didn’t help with my confusion). The twist ending definitely caught me off guard, but it was very on brand for Kerri! However, the cliffhanger at the end was a no-go, especially because the endings of each of the SJTR books were so perfect.
Overall, Kingdom of the Wicked turned the dial way up on the darkness and the enemies-to-lovers, but it ended up losing some of the simplicity and sweetness that gave SJTR its charm (at least for me). Still, this is a great read for Spooky Season, layered with deception and betrayal and dark forces galore.

It's not a surprise that I loved this book.

It was absolutely amazing and I find myself struggling to find the words to describe it. Kerri's writing is just simply everything to and for me, I love how she tells her stories. While I am partial and attached to SJTR, I was excited to see her new venture. And it didn't disappoint.

Being a witch myself, I can say that the verbiage used in this is accurate and I can tell that Kerri put a lot of work into the research for this title. It was unique, interesting, and I can't wait to read this book again, it was that good. The characters felt like they floated off the page and I could imagine myself in the story.

I’m in pain! I’m dying to learn what’s gonna happen next! Arggggggggkkkk! Yes, if you google “drunk and angry damsel in distress”, you may see my bloody face right now! I just finished this fascinating, heart throbbing, riveting , addictive story and after reading the last words as like an addict I wanted to get more literature intake. I’m honestly craving for the next book now!

The things I fell hard for:

A witch and a demon’s sizzling, pant melting chemistry : they’re like gasoline and fire! They will be end of each other! Yes, Emilia and Wrath (the name of the sin and household he represents, we still don’t know his real name so we gotta wait for the next book) are one of the hottest couple with undeniable amazing chemistry you enjoy to read.

A serial killer theme who is targeting the witches: The killer’s one of the victims is unfortunately the twin sister Vittoria of our heroine and narrator Emilia!

The Sicilian trattoria and those mouth watering recipes Emilia’s family shares and cooks during the book: OMG! I already ate three cannolis and barely hold myself to say the catchy famous quote: “keep the gun, take the cannoli!” Emilia’s family own this special family trattoria and they cook ancient Italian meals with pouring their skillful art and magical power into them!

Creative world building: 7 deadly sins represent different households of hell and those 7 princess can travel through different realms. After Wrath, it seems like Lust is my favorite sinful prince!

Enemies to reluctant partners theme: after losing her twin sister, Emilia wants to find out the perpetrator by deciphering the dark magic spell her sister put at her diary. As soon as she realizes her sister summoned an evil, she followed the same way but as soon as hot as hell, charismatic, coolest evil Wrath appears, she finds at their bound is more intense and eternal that she’d ever imagined.

Quick summary: A serial killer targeting witches. Emilia seems like more introvert, book smart, obedient girl of the family as her adventurous, bold, brave, straightforward twin Vittoria completely opposite of her. But after her sister is murdered, she turns into vengeful, angry, hot blooded witch who stops being cautious, getting more risks including summoning a demon and letting him be her partner to find the identity of the killer who is responsible from those murders. But this means one of the seven evil princes must be behind those vicious crimes!

The cliffhanger at the end makes you jumpy because you want to know what’s gonna happen next immediately! Well, I cannot wait to read the next book! I’m already sold! This is such a great start for the series!

Special thanks to NetGalley and JIMMY PATTERSON for sharing this digital review copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
I loved it so much!!!

Solid 4.5/5

Oh my. This was a sumptuous treat. This story is atmospheric, dark and seductively wicked. If you want witchery, princes of Hell, eviscerations, Italian cuisine you can practically smell, and some whodunnit thrown in the mix, you've come to the right place. I enjoyed this a lot. This is definitely the first book of a series - that ending!! You do get a little bit of answer thrown your way for a bit of satisfaction at the end, but there is definitely a lot more to this story and I'll be hanging out for it!

Oh my goodness! What a wild ride. From the start, I couldn’t put this book down. Witches, Demons, Princes of the Underworld. It was like a dark, twisted fairy tale.
The writing is impeccable; so much detail in each line, but not enough to feel like the author was just spouting information here and there. The plot flowed beautifully and I could feel myself wondering what happens next.
Now I’ll be waiting rather impatiently for the next book.

after giving up on maniscalco's jack the ripper series, i decided to give this a try after being pulled in by the cover and description. this book was pleasantly surprising, i'm still on the fence as to whether or not i really like the way maniscalco develops characters and worldbuilds, but it was a solid effort.

It's been a while since I read a book that utilised a more traditional approach to witchcraft and this definitely filled that void in my life. It beings with two sisters, Emilia and Vittoria, who are witches that live secretly among humans. Emilia is good with cooking and spices, Vittoria is good with perfumes. Emilia spends her evenings working in her family's restaurant, whilst Vittoria ventures out after dark, mixing with all kinds of dark magic. When Emilia finds Vittoria murdered, she will stop at nothing to find out who did it and why.

I really liked Emilia's character - she was fun to read due to her passionate and fiery nature. I liked her interactions with the 7 Princes of Hell, and how she grew more hard and fierce as the book progressed. The setting is also beautiful - the descriptions of food were some of the best I've read. The plot is good, but I wasn't really a fan of the cliffhanger because now I have to wait to see what happens. It does suitably change the circumstances which should mean for a second book that covers a lot of new ground, so I am excited for that.

Overall this was fun to read. I enjoyed the magic, witches and demons, and I look forward to reading more about Emilia. More romance next time please!

I really enjoyed this book! I already thought I would enjoy it, having enjoyed the stalking jack the ripper series. I wish it hadn't finished on such a cliff hanger though, it's frustrating knowing I'll have to wait so long to know what happens next

*Thank you to Kerri Maniscalco, JIMMY books and Net galley for providing me with a EARC of "Kingdom of the Wicked" in exchange for an honest review.* This was good book,although fair warning : with all the food descriptions, def definitely have a snack handy. My favorite character has to be Wrath( of course I like the Bad Boy/Demon.) I think fans of Kerri's Stalking Jack the Ripper series will be pleased with with Kingdom of the Wicked. I can also see this appealing to fans of Holly Black's Cruel Prince series.

<i>Thank you to Jimmy Patterson Books and also to Netgalley for my physical and my eARC of this book!</i>

So I absolutely loved this book and that probably doesn't come as a surprise since Kerri Maniscalco is one of my favorite authors. And with her writing not only murder mystery but also fantasy/paranormal murder mysteries... I am absolutely here for this.

So there are these twins. Something happened when they were younger and they have secrets from each other while also being as close as twins can be. Not only that, but they are apart of a witch family that runs a restaurant (I love this). They both have these necklaces that they sore to their crazy grandma they would never take off. LOL, jokes on them because grandma isn't crazy and they should have listened.

Fast forward and a twin is murdered (SOBS) and the other one is out for vengeance. Little did she know that her fate was going to be tied up with The Wicked (The Seven Dead Sins turned The Seven Princes of Hell). In order for her to find out what happened to her sister, she has to lean a hand to a Prince..

Okay so I have a high obsession with with seven deadly sins? I think it is due to that episode of America's Next Top Model where they dressed up as the seven deadly sins in coffins and my morbid heart thought that was so cool. So while I was reading this I was also looking up and watching that episode. The Seven Princes of Hell (The Wicked) are vastly different than seven models dressing up tho. They bring out their "deadly sin" in whoever is around, they have secrets and grudges held against each other and one in particular is a new book boyfriend (whoops).

I loved the characters in this. I related to Emilia (the, er, not murdered twin) so much, because I already know if anything happened to my sister I would raise hell. So her obsession with finding out what happened to her sister and willingness to do whatever it takes was relatable.

The setting was spectacular. Kerri plays to her strengths and still has the historical fiction setting. The whole witches are the enemies of The Wicked was such a twist for me because usually witches and demons go hand and hand.

Beware of a cliffhanger tho! Super hate that I have to wait on the next book, but it also just gets me more excited. Like I honestly didn't see that ending coming as it was happening? And some pages were on the verge of getting steamy (fans self).

And the necklace the twins have? Yeah I'll be ordering on of those.

I loved it. This is a 2020 fav!

After devouring the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, I was so excited about this book! Unfortunately, I found it to be a very slow build and it took a long time to get going.

The characters weren't particularly engaging and some of the relationships felt forced. However, the world building was good with an interesting magic system and a well constructed history.

The plot did really pick up at the end and I'll certainly be picking up the sequel, but it wasn't quite the book I had hoped for!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this book so fast...I think I read it faster than ACOTAR. The unique magic system with all the witches and demons really ties the story together and is also one of the main reasons why I love fantasy because you get to see a different take on how the authors choose to create their worlds. Emilia and Wrath are both so amazing and I love the sister dynamic between Emilia and Vittoria with the twin bone. The murder mystery plot is also kept me very engaged I hope there will be another book soon!

Thank you to NetGalley for approving my request to read Kingdom of the Wicked in exchange for an honest review.

Kingdom of the Wicked is the perfect read for all your witchy needs. There’s sisterly love, betrayal, hot princes of hell, and an overprotective grandma… I mean what more can you want? Kerri dazzles the audience with a self-reliant and strong main character that is willing to go to the ends of the earth to get what she wants. She might even sell her soul to a prince of hell for any kind of information…

The only critique I have is the fact that the whole story is in Emilia’s point of view and the thoughts that invade her mind are unrelenting and a little repetitive. Pages will go by and there’s no actual dialogue, just Emilia’s thoughts. I still enjoyed this book and gave it 5 stars for the beautiful banter, the strength of Emilia, and Prince Wrath… of course!

Don’t dive into this book if you want a story of romance. This is not it. It’s definitely building into a series where the romance is very slow burn… and honestly I don’t know if anything is “romantic” about the main relationship... maybe more of a straight up "sexual tension" situation, but there is definitely something there! As someone who thrives on fantasy romances, I still loved this book and everything about it so definitely give it a try when it comes out!!

I met Kerri Maniscalco's pen thanks to Stalking Jack the Ripper. A magnetic writing, which immediately fascinated me.
When I saw the Kingdom of the Wicked review request available, I knew it had to be mine!
Surplus that convinced me to read it? It is set in Italy, specifically in 19th century Sicily.

Everything revolves around a family of witches who live secretly among humans. The family is made up of two twin sisters: the first, Vittoria, is the loudest and most reckless, while the second, Emilia, is the calm one, who thinks before acting. She likes to stay at home reading and certainly not out solving witch murder cases.
But when one of the victims is her sister Vittoria, Emilia demands revenge.
She begins the investigation to find the culprit, dabbling in the dark arts and alliances with demonic princes.

One of these principles is Wrath (there are seven demonic princes and each of them has the name of one of the seven deadly sins). He is the classic arrogant and powerful protagonist who will make you fall in love and end up in a jujube soup (I have a soft spot for her male protagonists, as it happened with Thomas Creswell).

Emilia and Wrath can't stand each other, but in my opinion this is what makes the story more interesting!

The books are really super intriguing! Murder and magic give that extra pinch to the story.
As for the magic, the theme is not very deep, but I didn't think much of it.
Another fact that I loved? The escalations in Italian. When I found "vaffanculo a chi t'è morto", there I decreed the Maniscalco one of my favorite authors!
I am Italian and sincerely finding a part of Italy in one of the books of a super established author, makes me a little bit proud.

The Kingdom of the Wicked is a must to read. If you loved the Stalking Jack The Ripper series, you will undoubtedly love this one too.

Arc privided by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Kerri Maniscalco does such a wonderful job of developing characters. While reading "Kingdom of the Wicked" I willingly followed these characters on their crazy journeys and also enjoyed every second. When witches are involved, I am always up for reading, but not every author has the ability to weave in the magical elements that truly make a great plot when it comes to the witches. Witch storylines are always full of culture, heritage, and rich family history. Connecting these aspects in such ways that the reader is able to still relate to the character is a true art.
I also enjoyed the art of movement throughout the story. From secret doorways, to creepy monasteries, to dark alleys on the way back to the normal homestead, Kerri Maniscalco described every detail so that you truly felt like you were there, on this journey with the characters.
The level of romantic intent was also delicately balanced. Personally, I could have had just a bit more attraction with the characters, but I understand that this is a YA story (*wink *wink). If I were to change anything about this story, it would probably be the ending. It felt a little unraveled for me, and I kind of lost the grasp on the story.

Spoiler alert coming >>>>>>. Don't read the next sentence if you haven't read the story. >>>>>>>>>> Seriously.>>>

Ok, so I don't understand how Wrath dies all of a sudden, and then he's back all of a sudden. I know there was a summoning spell, which didn't appear to work at first, but then somehow he ended up coming back. But then there was not more steamy, hot, or sexy Wrath. It was like he just kind of fell flat at the end. Not sure if it was just me, but that's the only thing I would change.

I will definitely recommend this one to others. I love Kerri Maniscalco's writing style and am so thankful for her ability to share her gift with the literary world.

After the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on anything else by Maniscalco. I was so excited when I saw this title. It looked just as dark and intriguing. I was not disappointed.

The characters throughout Kingdom of the Wicked are witty, relatable, and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed following Emilia’s adventures. She shows great emotions, some critical thinking, and great wit that, even when getting her into trouble, is so much fun to read. Wrath is an enticing leading man. He is dreamy and terrifying all in one and I just couldn’t get enough of him. The other princes were well portrayed and played well into the plot. Some minor characters fell flat, but they played their purpose and were soo forgotten.

The storyline of this novel was pretty clear cut. There has been a murder, now let’s get to the bottom of it. Of course it is not that easy. The twists and turns are well done and, even though I guessed it early on, the final reveal was well deserved. This at times played more into a love/hate romance, but it was a nice break and quickly refocused on the crime at hand.

One thing I was a little disappointed in was the world building. I loved the scenery of Palermo with the church in rule, ladies in finery, and Italian food everywhere. That I could picture. The magical realm needed a little more details for me though. Many “histories” were mentioned throughout the novel as Emilia recounts the stories that Nonna told her. Some are repeated many times over (La Prima’s Curse) but didn’t get any more detailed so did not further the story and become redundant at times. I would have liked to have known more about these stories and more about the magical lines that Emilia and her family are a part of.

As this was the first in a series, hopefully so much more will be revealed in the next installment(s). I looked forward to them so much. I cannot wait to see Emilia’s next steps and how Wrath and the others will react to them. Looking forward to recommending this heavily to my YA patrons!

Thank You NetGalley, Publisher and Author for this gifted copy.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.

Such a Twisty, Tense, Witty book.
The characters I just fell in love with.
And that ending.
Witches usually are not my thing. But Kerri really hit it out if the ball lark with this one.
Amazing

LOVED this book. I know that Maniscalco wrote a very popular series before this book came out, but I've not read that one yet. Well, now I will. Kingdom of the Wicked is fantastic. There's murder, intrigue, and a lot of sassiness. It's bold, and fun, and even a little cute at times, but not in the OMG way. More like, Ok, I see what you're doing here.



It doesn't happen too often that I find a book I wanted to read in one sitting, but this one absolutely falls in that category. Our main character is a witch, dealing with a demon who was summoned here for unknown purposes. We learn about the layers of Hell. We learn about witches, and demons, and sorcery, and oh god, I can't even go on, but it is damn, damn good (no pun intended - okay, maybe a little).



You sort of want the main character to get in on with a demon, and that's where I'll leave you. Pick up this book as soon as it releases. I promise you'll thank me later!



Kingdom of the Wieked publishes 10.27.2020.



5/5 Stars

If you liked Maniscalco's Stalking Jack the Ripper series, you are very likely to like Kingdom of the Wicked as well. It has an interesting premise and the writing is once again very strong. Having the Seven Sins in this book was definitely a cool concept and the characters were interesting to read about.