Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco reads like the author's love story to her family and culture. The descriptions are vivid and the essence of food, family, and culture really tie together well. The downside is that these things overshadow a lot of the plot and character development.

Amelia and Wrath are lackluster in their delivery and their relationship leaves a lot to be desired. Their romantic inclinations are poorly executed, rushed, and make it hard to believe they will ever end up together. Amelia's character is wishy washy and makes it hard to determine if she's meant to be a strong heroine or the lovesick Mary-Sue.

The overall plot was "Meh", at best. The murder mystery is predictable, able to be solved by the reader within the first 25 pages, and the side characters have more appeal than the main two.

Overall, I was let down, having been a very big fan of Stalking Jack the Ripper. I was hoping for a stronger lead female, a believable love story, and an interesting plot. Instead what I got was a perfect blend of familial love that overshadowed the storyline and two main characters that are as interesting as a glass of water. I'm very happy that I read Stalking Jack the Ripper first, or I'm afraid I would have never fallen in love with Maniscalco's writing.

I really enjoy Kerri Maniscalco’s writing so was so excited to have the chance to review this and I was not disappointed. The world building is incredible, I really wished I was reading this on a warm summers night. As always I loved the characters and the relationships, Kerri is a pro at flirtatious banter and making her characters lifelike. My only criticism was that I wanted more, I felt some parts could of been explained/developed better and less time spent describing characters movements from one place to the next. While I enjoyed this as it enriched the story, I felt other more important aspect were neglected which the time could of been better spent on. The end left me with a number of questions which I’m hoping book 2 will be able to clear up for me. Overall it was a really enjoyable, immersive read and a great start to a new series.

I loved Kingdom of the Wicked because it's filled with beautiful prose and culture. The plot was fast-paced and the romance was a slow-burn, enemy-to-lovers.

I'd heard such good things about this book and I was so excited to read. I loved the witty voice of the main character, and the swoon worthy romance. I can't wait for book two.

If I had to summarize this series in one sentence, it would be: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

HOLY DEVIL'S TITS THAT WAS AMAZING.
I'm always a little hesitant when I go into a new series of an author whom I've loved a series of prior. I am SO glad how different she made this book compared to Stalking Jack the Ripper. I didn't feel the need to compare at all. It was magnificent!!

In order to seek her revenge, Amelia too must risk dancing with the devil to find her answers. Who killed Victoria? What does the Devil want with her sister? Can she trust Wrath? and what is agenda? We follow Amelia, as she gets to know the sins: especially Envy and Wrath. Can she trust either? Who is the lesser evil (literally)?

Set in an enriched parallel Italy, it's not just Amelia that can find her sister's murderer, but she's the only one willing to go to any length. And she must hurry, because Victoria was only the first.

Authors have got to making devils as sexy as sin (literally, again). How can I tell people I'm in love with the deadly sins in a book? Alas, I regress, Maniscalco treats us to a world where Wiches, Strega, and demons exist, in secret of course. The setting is Italy and we follow a mourning young witch who has lost her twin. She knows it has to do with the devil. But that is all.

The ending left me feeling awful. Of course there had to be a plot twist. Of course Amelia handled it the grace of a kickass witch bent upon revenge. She don't need no man. She don't care if her heart is broke (though I did). If she has to go down, she's going down swinging. (I'm sorry for all the puns, I can't help myself.)


I can only hope for the redemption plot in book 2 for our...swoony not-hero. DON'T FAIL ME KERRI MANISCALCO!!

Out of all the books I've read recently, this is one that I just consumed. I couldn't put it down, and I needed to know what happened next. Loved the atmosphere and the setting, adored the characters, and had a lot of fun reading. I think my one critique was that I wish certain part were fleshed out a little more, I felt like there were just a couple big time-jumps, and would have really loved to have seen the story expanded on.

ITS REALLY GOING TO END LIKE THAT?????? I NEED THE NEXT ONE IMMEDIATELY

"“Love is the most powerful magic. Above all else, remember that. It will always guide you where you need to go.”

Summary
Emilia and her twin Vittoria, are streghe, witches living among the humans in Sicily, helping to run their parents restaurant. One night, Vittoria doesn't show up to dinner and when Emilia goes to investigate, she finds the desecrated body of her twin. Driven by the need for vengence, EMilia will stop at nothing to find out who murdered her sister. Enter Wrath, a Prince of Hell that Emilia has been warned against ever since she was a child. He claims to be on the same side as Emilia, as finding the killer that is hunting young women serves his own agenda. But nothing is ever as it seems with a Prince of Hell.

Review
AAHHHH Kerri Maniscalco does it again!!! I absolutely love this one and devoured it, proving once again that she is one of my favorite authors. The plot was so captivating, and there were so many beautiful quotes interspersed throughout the book that I adored.

The setting was really awesome because I was able to feel immersed in the Sicilian landscape. I especially loved that the family's restaurant was a focal point in the book, and that there was so many descriptions of Sicilian dishes. It honestly made me want to run to my closest Italian restaurant and order everything on the menu!

Family dynamics play such a big role in this book. The twins are especially close to their Nonna, who helps teach them their witch-craft. A large portion of this book deals with grief, as Emilia is reeling from the loss of her twin. This book packs a punch right in the very beginning as Vittoria's death is the plot point that starts this story off. It's built up perfectly so that even though you know it's going to happen, it still kicks you in the gut because of the poignant way Maniscalco is able to build up their sisterly relationship and portray Emilia's devastation.

Similar to her Stalking Jack the Ripper series, there is a central mystery that is driving the plot forward. Emilia and Wrath reluctantly team up once they realize they are working towards the same goal (or are they...?). I loved their dynamic together because they are constantly pushing and pulling and trying to one up each other. There is a constant guessing game of what the other's real motives are.

THE ENDING OF THIS BOOK ABSOLUTELY FLOORED ME. I really really need the next one because it just.....ended.....like that??????????? Such a painfully good cliffhanger. I can't wait to see what Emilia is going to do next because she's proved she's a powerful women and not afraid to use that power.

First of all, I would like to thank Jimmy Patterson Books and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I know that it has been a long time, but due to the COVID pandemic I have been through some difficult situations at home, and those kept me away from the platform.

Now, let’s talk about the book. My expectations for this work were very high because of the author’s previous book series, so I was thrilled when I got the approval for reading it in advance. However, I also have to be honest and admit that even though the general overview of the book is very attractive to the reader, it did take me a lot of effort to finish the story.

The beginning is very slow, it was hard for me to stick to it, and I had to do several pauses in order to push myself to continue. Eventually, the story becomes better and it is easier to become attached to it. I believe this occurs because of the appearance of the male lead, Wrath, and the interaction between him and the female lead, Emilia. If we remember the fantastic duo of Audrey and Thomas from the Stalking Jack the Reaper series, then you know that Maniscalco can create marvelous things.

Nonetheless, once Emilia is on her own again, the story turns sour back again. I feel that there are some important aspects about the personality/construct of this character that just doesn’t work. Emilia’s constant behavior of just keep on questioning and questioning things, or the fact that she somehow “selectively forgets” about a piece of information that ends up being crucial to the plot ends up being exhaustive and tiresome to the reader.

All in all, the book is not bad. You can tell that there has been a lot of research behind everything that the author has constructed. This fantastic world that introduces us to this new kind of mythical underworld has a fair amount of spice to keep you interested, even though sometimes you will feel that there is something missing or misplaced. The ending is indeed a good one, so I have to say that I have confidence in the sequel.

This book was a great journey! The atmosphere, the backstory of the witches, the magic system, the different demons, Wrath... I loved every bit of that. I wanted more. I devoured this book from page 1, I was just taken by this Sicilian journey about witch murders.
However, sometimes I felt some things were a bit messy and confusing. And Emilia was sometimes annoying and her decisions or state of mind didn't always make sense to me. I loved her bookworm personality though. I feel so bad that we saw so little of Vittoria, I felt like she was wild!
Nonetheless, I loved the author's writing, it was compelling, and I enjoyed myself way more than during stalking jack the ripper.
To sum up, I had a great time and I can't wait to read the second book! I've definitely been bewitched!

I wanted to love this because I loved the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. I while I enjoyed Kerri's writing style and description of the setting but I could not stand the heroine and I'm still undecided if I''ill continue the series.

Emilia and her twin Vittoria grew up with tales of witches and demons. Their grandmother raised them to learn about their witch bloodline and magical abilities, and taught them to fear the devil and his seven Wicked princes—because there's nothing more dangerous to a witch and her kind than a demon. And there are no demons more powerful and deadly than the Wicked. After losing her twin sister, Emilia wants to find out the perpetrator by deciphering the dark magic spell her sister put in her diary. As soon as she realizes her sister summoned an evil demon, she follows the same way. Enter: charismatic, cool, evil Wrath appears, and Emilia finds that their bond is more intense and eternal that she’d ever imagined.

Rating is 4.5/5. Let me start off by saying that I am a HUGE Kerri Maniscalco fan. I absolutely adored the entire Stalking Jack the Ripper series and fell in love with her writing style. I was elated to discover that much of her writing style remained through the first book in this new series. This new series follows Emilia in the wake of her sister's murder as she tries to discover who may have killed her beloved sibling. Along the way she meets Wrath who is one of The Wicked, a prince of Hell, who claims to want to help find her sister- but she has been warned against trusting the Princes of Hell- only time will tell if he is to be trusted.

The thing I adore more than anything about Maniscalco's books is the slow burn romance which was definitely present in this novel, it's the kind of burn that makes you want to stay up until all hours of the night reading more and more. As far as my classroom, this is definitely something I would have on the shelves of my classroom library, but not necessarily integrated into the curriculum in any way. If I were to ever teach a creative writing class, however, I would definitely consider this book- or at least portions of it. Her writing is so lyrical and unforgettable my students could definitely learn a thing or two from its lines!

I think this book is perfect for fans of Maniscalco's previous work and for those who love a great dark victorian-esque book about witches!

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I saw the cover of this book and that is what first drew me in it it. Then I read what it was about and twins, witches and Wicked ones. I had to know more about the world. It shows that the bond between twins is so power that it will push a person to do things that would not normally do. That is when Emilia meets one of the Wicked Ones and he claims that he is on her side and he too is here to find the killer behind a series of murders. I found a lot to love about this book and it has me excited to see how the rest of the series will go and if and how we will get to meet the rest of the Wicked Ones.

Kingdom of the Wicked

Oh man, where to start!? How about with food! There is so much food in this book and I was so hungry reading throughout it! Tomatoes, mozzarella, and a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil on bread 🤤 Just believe me when I say that Kerri Maniscalco paints an exquisite picture of food.


The world building and characters in KoTW are outstanding and once again you can envision yourself there.
Dark alleys, the buildings, the streets.. the smells.
This story is filled with love, betrayal, grief and loss; it's written so well and will keep you flipping through the pages to see what happens next!
Also, did I mention there are demons and witches?????


Seriously, I am absolutely delighted to have gotten the opportunity to read Kingdom of the Wicked. Please please read this phenomenal book! Please please read it, it is amazing!!


Thank you Netgalley, Jimmy Patterson Books and Kerri Maniscalco for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Five Stars! ***** Best enjoyed on a fall day when you’re not too hungry or thirsty–there are a lot of super delicious food references in this one, along with some seriously hot love interest moments.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria work in their family’s restaurant in a village located on the coast of Sicily. They are also witches, called strenghe, who live secretly amongst the superstitious populace of their home, carefully avoiding suspicion and the witch hunters that may follow it. Emilia is content in her place in the restaurant’s kitchens where her family creates some of the best loved dishes in the village. That is until she stumbles across her twin sister’s desecrated body in the basement of the local Catholic church, her heart viciously removed from her body. All contentment disappears as vengeance begins to take hold of her heart. In her search for her sister’s killer, she invokes some forbidden magic, accidentally summoning Wrath, one of the very Princes of Hell and part of the court of the Kingdom of the Wicked that she has been warned against since she was a child. However, Wrath, despite being pissed that she has entrapped him, is more than willing to help her. As they delve deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, it seems that Vittoria was not the first witch whose heart has been stolen, and Emilia may be the next target. That is, if Wrath doesn’t steal her heart first.
I loved the setting of this book. It’s not often that a YA is written that sets itself in a Mediterranean country, and just hearing “seaside village in Sicily” invoked visions of weathered brick buildings and cool blue waters. It was the perfectly contrasting backdrop for a dark mystery with a tense, delicious romance. Maniscalco is truly an artist when it comes to building three-dimensional characters with truly deep emotions and motivation for revenge as well as grief, loss, betrayal, and love. I could practically feel the heat coming from my kindle in some scenes and found myself gripping the edges during others.

A mark of a truly good book is how lost you can get in what is happening. When I finally came up for air, I was shivering in my hammock and it was practically morning. That should alone should drill home how good I thought this was, and I am so excited for this October!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown for the advanced copy in exchange for this review ❤

this is a great novel to read during hallwoeen. it was so fun and cool andi really loved it a lot. thanks so much neggalley. you're the very best.

I loved this book! The Seven Deadly Sins personified as wicked (and wickedly attractive) prince demons from Hell? Plus a murder mystery, ancient curse, and food descriptions to die for in a setting that will steal your heart to Italy? That is the book in a nutshell. Oh, and witches. Can't forget about the witches. Kingdom of the Wicked moves quickly. We meet Emilia and her twin Vittoria, both of whom are streghe wrapped up in a prophecy from the time they were born. But when Vittoria is murdered, Emilia will stop at nothing to find her killer, making a bargain with the demon-prince Wrath to help her. But Hell has other ideas and Emilia is plagued by other princes desirous of her loyalty, and her soul. After that cliff hanger, I am not all that sure of where this story is headed but I am definitely up for round two!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maniscalco knows how to come up with a premise that is intriguing. She also writes books that are easy to devour and move at a lightning pace. That being said, this book felt a little emptier than the books in her former series, particularly the first one, "Stalking Jack the Ripper."

This book takes place in Italy, but the time period, as well as the general setting, is pretty nebulous. Dark alleys, stone cobbles, buildings...cannolis...yep. That's about all I recall visualizing as I read it.

There was also an opportunity for some amazing world-building, particularly with the type of magic used by the witches, the different kinds of witches, and the demons who appear throughout the story. Instead, we're kind of left hanging with meager details.

Another thing that lacks fleshing out is the main character herself, Emelia, who we are told is intelligent and cautious, but who acts like a reckless foolish individual without any forethought in regards to her actions. In comparison to the characters she has given us before, this was a letdown. I generally didn't care about Emelia and found her pretty boring.

Overall it was a fun bit of mental junk food, but I'm not sure I'll go for another bite.

Wow I loved this book! Such a fabulous story full of characters that you hate to love.
I'll start with this; I love love loved Wrath, right from the very start his sass and sarcasm was my favourite.
I loved the way this plot unravelled and I honestly couldn't predict what was coming.
The ending of this book left me in shock and wanting more, I cannot wait for another instalment in this amazing story.

I started this book with the idea it was going to be standalone, but around the mid way point, I did quickly understand it couldn't be. I really liked it but there were some things that made me cringe. I'm italian and I'm not used to read italian words in english books, so I was both happy and cringing so bad. They weren't wrong, mind you, but they took me out of the story so many times!
I really liked the food descriptions and smiled a couple of times imagining a demon enjoying cannoli.

Characters 8
Atmosphere 7
Writing style 7,5
Plot 7,5
Intrigue 7,5
Logic 8
Enjoyment 8