Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco Series: Kingdom of the Wicked #1
Published by Jimmy Patterson Books (10.27.2020)
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook, 372 pages
Length: 12 hours, 6 minutes
Narrator: Marisa Calin
Source: Library
Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself...
And an intoxicating romance.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.
Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked—princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...
My thoughts
This was actually my second time reading this book, because to be honest I didn’t remember much of anything about it the first time I read it, oops. I did really enjoy it though, and I enjoyed it the second time through as well! I love the Italian setting and culture in this book – it made me SO HUNGRY!! Lmao! The world in this book is so atmospheric and magical. I really enjoyed the stories of the Wicked (princes of hell!) and the magic of the Strega (witches), and the entire magic system itself. There’s something enchanting about it that just draws you in.
I also love our main character, Emilia. She’s super fierce and doesn’t flinch when things get tough. Her love for her sister is the driving point of this book – she does anything and everything she has to do to find her sister’s killer. Speaking of that, I enjoyed the mystery aspect, too! I love a good mystery/thriller and seeing pieces of a mystery slowly fall into place.
I’m not usually one for dark, dangerous, and broody bad boys, but I loved Wrath too! Plus ya’ll know that the enemies to lovers trope is my FAVE! I usually hate the bad boy trope because the romance in those books border on abusive, but this one isn’t like that. (To be completely honest, I’m actually surprised I liked Wrath and the romance as much as I did!) Even though Wrath is a Prince of Hell, and obviously dangerous, he was always respectful with Emilia. The romance was nice and steamy with that slow burn that I love so much! I’m not usually a fan of romance in general, but this one really worked for me.
Okay, so I have suspicions. View Spoiler »
I’m interested to see where things go in book 2!
Overall Assessment
Plot: 4/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 4/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
World-building: 5/5
Pace: 4.5/5
Feels: 3/5
Narration: 4.5/5
Cover: 4.5/5
Overall rating: 4/5
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