Kingdom of the Wicked

Kerri Maniscalco first came to light with her brilliant Stalking Jack the Ripper series. With Kingdom of the Wicked, she continues to provide fabulously strong and independent heroines alongside a sexy sidekick but this time with a kick of fantasy instead of science. And let me say that the addition of magic and the sultry demons are a VERY welcome addition.

Emilia is the most fantastic of heroines. Learning to stand on her own cognizance after years following in her twin’s shadow, we see not only her strength and her strong morality but also her vulnerability. Anger and grief may fuel her mission in the beginning, but as she becomes more comfortable with breaking her self-imposed mold, you see her grow into someone whose intelligence show more and strength of character will take her far. It is an intriguing character development, especially as it makes her more attractive to the demons she was taught to avoid.

Let’s speak of those demons for a minute. Ms. Maniscalco knows how to write sexy characters, but I think she has outdone herself with the seven princes. Seven princes of hell with each one representing/manifesting one of the seven deadly sins means seven times to create characters who you should fear but who you really want to meet. Thankfully, I feel as if we only scratch the surface when it comes to the princes and their machinations, so the next books in the series mean plenty of time to spend with these gorgeous but deadly minions of hell.

Kingdom of the Wicked is the first book in a series, so there are the requisite world-building and character introduction. Yet, Ms. Maniscalco avoids the tedium that such things can bring, melding both into her story so that we are learning while the story unfolds. All this means is that Kingdom of the Wicked is a story that grabs your attention with its luscious descriptions of food and holds it with its even more delicious descriptions of deadly princes of hell while watching Emilia learn her way among this treacherous new world. The cliffhanger ending is sufficiently annoying and enigmatic as to leave you wanting more. I am really excited to see where Ms. Maniscalco takes the series next! show less

I don't know how I'm going to survive waiting for the next book. The story just grabbed a hold and completely immersed me in this world of witches, demons, and all sorts of supernatural creatures.

Emilia Di Carlos' family runs a small restaurant in Italy. They are witches living in secret, descendants of a goddess. When two witches are murdered, there are rumors of The Malvagi returning to earth. They are demon princes who stalk the night searching for something that was stolen from the devil. When her twin Vittoria ends up murdered, quiet, shy Emilia ends up on a mission to find her sister's killer. She ends up working with Wrath, one of the seven ruling princes of Hell to find the murderer.

At the heart it is a murder mystery. It is show more compelling watching Emilia try to navigate a dark realm and figure out who she can trust. Wrath is...Wrath. Getting to know more about him through his actions is pretty engrossing and I can’t wait to see more of him. Along the way Emilia learns more about the Wicked and about old legends and prophecies and even till the end you are worried about what is going to happen. The book did not end on a cliffhanger but it certainly ended in a way that you will be invested in the next book.

Kerri Maniscalco writes in such a way that every scene from cooking in a kitchen, to scary night walks through catacombs, and wandering through graveyards...everything is vividly and beautifully described. The book is atmospheric and It sucks you right in. The description of simple things such as lavender sprigs hung over a mantle to the smell of herbs bring you right into the story. Sometimes it feels like you can hear the paragraphs.

Overall this is the perfect book to read with Halloween coming up, and as a bonus Kerri Maniscalco has a playlist for this on her website and it’s cool to listen to. I received this as an e-ARC but after I finished I pre-ordered a physical copy. That’s how much I liked it.

Special thanks to NetGalley and JIMMY PATTERSON for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review. show less

Mystery combines with witches, demons, and curses to form a tale, which is darkly beautiful and sinfully dangerous.

Although they help their family run a restaurant in Sicily, Emilia and her twin sister aren't humans. They are witches, born in a special bloodline and constantly hiding from those who would do them harm. Their strongest charms are the pair of necklaces around their necks. They never remove them or allow them to touch because their Nonna claims that doing so would bring Hell to Earth. Not that they completely believe Nonna's tales. But when Emilia finds the body of her sister sacrificed with the heart ripped out of her and a man licking her blood, Emilia is determined not to let the murder go despite the warnings of show more approaching evil and eternal fires. But even Nonna and the others aren't aware of the true scope of terror about to be released.

From the very first page, this book grabs and refuses to let go. Emilia and her sister are a wonderful pair—love each other fiercely but yet have their own personalities and secrets. And their Nonna is simply a treat. When this group appears in the delicious setting of red wine, oranges, tomatoes, fresh bread and spices, it's hard not to want to get lost in their world. The author paints a rich culture and family scene before allowing the darker contrast to settle in. And then, the hook is so deep, that it was impossible to put this one down.

This is a world of magic and secrets...of monks chanting while dangerous creatures lurk in the shadows, promising to fulfil every heart's desires but with terrible costs. Lies weave with half-truths and trust is a commodity which no one can afford. And it was simply fun to join Emilia as she heads so determined from one cursed situation to the next, but not encountering anything with simplicity or direct results. The evil is twisted and cunning and has a long term goal. It creates a tight weave and made it hard to guess what would happen next. Even when the book ends, it's unclear if it's for good or worse.

I also found it intriguing that the seven demon princes (the ones in this book are all super hot and amazing, of course) each carry simple names like Lust, Wrath, Greed and such. The author allows the temptations to flow free, and it's understandable why they have an allure, and yet, it's clear that each one is deadly and has their own scheme in place. It's simply a wonderful mix, which shows how hard it is to resist sins.

My only complaint is that book two won't be out until next year because I would have snatched it up already and been lost in the next stage of this adventure. In other words, I enjoyed this one. show less

Kingdom of the Wicked felt like a little guilty pleasure. It had it all:
- Sassy, stubborn female MC with a well of untapped power? CHECK!
- a slow burn that might end up fizzling before it had time to mature... possibly sent reeling right back into the realm of Hate? CHECK!
- Loads of yummy food talk? Check!
- Begrudging respect --> profound deceit (that was easy to suss out early on)? Check!
- World developement that sucks you in and manages to have you believing in supernatural places/beings/objects? Check!!
- Realistic characters (for better or worse)? Check!
- Character(s) so complex, and yummily gray that you can't help but fall for them... AHEM, Wrath!CHECK!!
- Succinct, solid writing? Check!
- Great pacing with little to no slogging? show more Check!
- A cliffhanger ending that leaves you lusting, fiending, craving for more? DOUBLE CHECK!!

For some reason I feel the Twin bond so deeply you'd think I had one of my own but alas, no second half here (unless you count my handsome, yet surly, crank of a husband). It feels so inviolable that thinking of it being (traumatically) severed, and one twin having to navigate life without their other half, seems like utter desolation. Our MC, Eliana turned out to be a rash beast in lambs' clothing... an easily provoked, overconfident, rage feuled monster looking for Revenge... at any cost... the payment due would most likely be the ultimate price, the one that can only be paid in full with the relinquishing of your very own Soul. Sounds dramatic right?? It is, and it's worth every minute spent living in this world beside these odious, deliciously duplicitous, insidious, perfidious (and loads more -ious adjectives) characters.

Overall:

I really enjoyed this book! There is a tame, non Sexy-Time scene that is steamy for about 3 seconds but otherwise the book is suitable for teens through geriatrics. The rest of the story has good old Witches, Sapeshifters, Demons, Vampires, Holy men et al...

AND that ending... wow!! I need book #2 in my life STAT!!

If you like Fantastical Magical Realism infused with a variety of preternaturally occult elements culminating in a well thought out Cliffy then this book is for you!

~ Enjoy

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *** show less

Oh boy. I was really hoping this book would turn out to be like Twilight but with medieval magic and witches.

Good lord was this bad. Worse than Twilight. Not only was the plot nonsensical and the main characters blundering idiots at best, but nothing happened and nothing was resolved.

The premise of this book is that the main characters sister is killed, thereby putting her twin in danger. By the end of the book, the “actual” killer is not found, the twin has agreed to be queen of Hell, and at no point does she consult her family about any of this despite occupying the same residence as them.

The entire novel consists of the heroine deciding she is going to figure out once and for all what is going on, setting out into the Sicilian show more night, and getting sidetracked by some random magical occurrence she just happens to stumble upon. The actual mystery is only solved in the last 20 pages.

So, if you really want to read this book, I suggest tucking in for the prologue, chapter 1, and the final 20 pages and you should be up to speed! show less

Witches, Demons, Curses, Religion, Dead Bodies and Mediterranean Food Delights. I don’t know which held my attention more the story or the glorious foods. Just wait, you’ll see.
This is my 4th book from this author. She loves strong women who don’t follow societies rules and limits well. This one stared a witch, one whose family owns a restaurant, a Mediterranean month watering one. The story follows Emilia, a young witch who finds her twin sister’s body deep in a church with a man dipping his fingers into her open chest and he’s tasting her blood. There are rumors, ancient stories and and lot of danger as to what is going on. Someone is killing witches, the why and who are a tricky thing. Emilia will do anything to find the show more killer, and does unleashing Wrath. Nothing comes easy, nothing comes without cost, nothing is as it seems.
Oh this was fun. I really loved the characters, they all fit so well into their parts. They were written well I felt I knew even the smallest one without a long backstory. Wrath, my favorite naughty character. I was left gasping, that ending ! I can’t get my hands on the next book fast enough, well right after I eat my cannoli. :P
I received a copy from the publishers for an honest review show less

I. Adore. Wrath. That is all...

Well, ok, I guess I can say more. I was highly anticipating this book and I read it while I was also reading a few other things to try to finish off the year at 100. So this is one that I will most definitely be rereading before I start the second in the series. Which, can we just say WHYYY is it still so far away?!

This was a fantastic supernatural book, where I was always questioning who is the actual villain and should I be more suspicious of this character? There was one character that I was definitely suspicious of from the start, and for good reason - but I won't say anything more about that.

Just know that Kerri once again wrapped these fantastic characters into a story that leaves you both show more satisfied and wanting more, and maybe even a little bit miffed at the end. I can't wait to see how the story continues... show less