Kingdom of the Feared

Kingdom of the Feared is the last book in the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy by Kerri Maniscalco, and it hits all the right notes. We get answers. We get closure. Most importantly, we get Emilia and Wrath together.

Ms. Maniscalco loves to torture her readers with a slow-burn romance. The wait is always worth it, but there is agony in the "will they/won't they" aspect of Emilia's and Wrath's relationship. When Ms. Maniscalco finally offers her readers (and her characters) some relief, the scenes are hot, hot, hot. There is an age warning for Kingdom of the Feared for a reason. Between the first novel and the third, the series firmly shifts into the adult fiction category, and I am here for it.

One of the things I love about how Kingdom of show more the Feared ends is that Ms. Maniscalco could revisit the underworld in future stories without readers losing interest. All of the brothers hold secrets, and we know just enough by the end of the trilogy to want to learn more about them. Her next book will focus on Envy, but I'm more interested in Lust and Pride. Those are the stories I want to know, especially as Pride's story feels open-ended as Wrath and Emilia's story comes to a close.

Emilia proves herself to be a worthy partner for Wrath for many reasons, and the romantic part of me can't help but swoon a little at the idea of them being a perfect match. I've always had a soft spot for Wrath, given my tendency toward blind rage. I like that Emilia is a fitting queen for his domain.

I had high hopes for Kingdom of the Feared, and Ms. Maniscalco did not disappoint. She kept me guessing with each new piece of information. I like the smut but appreciate that the story is more than Wrath and Emilia's attraction to one another. Plus, we learn enough about the other brothers to make me want more of their stories. Having published two complete series, Ms. Maniscalco has become one of my favorite authors. I'm excited to see what she has in store for Prince Envy and any other future endeavors! show less

Phrases I wish to never hear again as this book uttered them more than the other two combined (or so it felt):
1. Goddess above
2. Blood and bones

I feel like every reveal was anticlimactic. And there were too many somehow? Some of them felt contrived to the point of distraction. Yet those were the ones that got tied up and bigger revelations were brushed aside. By far, this was my least favorite of the trilogy. But I still enjoyed the series as a whole.

Also, Nonna Maria is hella stupid. Laughably so. But you know… “plot.”

So you’re telling me she lost all her powers, got lied to by people she cared about and her whole life was a lie, got a ton of magic, used it one time, then had to sacrifice all of her magic so Wrath’s curse would be lifted. And she still doesn’t get magic until he just yeets half of it to her and that was apparently something he could have done at any time.

WHY does the woman have to give up her power to a man in so many of these books. WHY can she not just be the baddest b in the room and have everyone else be cool with it. This feels like this series just fizzed out and with how strong it started, it is such a bummer. I know this series plans to spin off into an adult series about some of the other princes but at this exact show more moment, I cannot.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own. show less

Kingdom of the Feared ♦ Kerri Maniscalco | Review

After reading the first two volumes of the trilogy Kingdom of the Wicked, I eagerly picked up Kerri Maniscalco’s Kingdom of the Feared. The book came with twists and turns that I didn’t expect. But unfortunately there were also disappointments, because I expected a lot more from Emilia as a strong protagonist.



Kingdom of the Feared ♦ Kerri Manscalco

Opinion

In Kingdom of the Feared, some questions that came up when reading the first volumes were finally answered, even at the beginning of the book. I really liked that.
Also, the criminal case, which happened in House Greed, which initially seemed so irrelevant, wasn’t that unimportant in the end, although it could certainly have show more worked without it. But it created a bit of tension.

Because Vittoria, Emilia’s sister, became less and less of an enemy, but in order to continue to portray her as a villain, she had to be accused of a crime. Of course, this only reinforced the conspiracies and intrigues between the different houses of sin.

The Prince of Envy surprised me. While I didn’t really like him at the beginning of the book series, I have to say that he had a great character development behind him. That’s why I’m also looking forward to the announced spin-off series, which will appear in the course of the year (2023) and will probably deal with the remaining sinful brothers.

To be honest, what really bothered me was the relationship between Wrath and Emilia. Although Emilia made me more upset. Not only did every encounter between the two end up in sex — don’t get me wrong, I like it when things get hot and spicy — but that was just too much for me. Because sex doesn’t equal romance and love, but that’s what Emilia demands from Wrath, that his whole heart beats only for her. When I then look at all the things he has done for her so far, and she still thinks he doesn’t love her because he can’t say it out loud because of the curse that’s on him, she went through the entire story with a cold closed heart.

It was also disappointing that in Kingdom of the Feared, a book full of sins and vices, the author relied too much on the role of a moralizer for Emilia. Heck, she’s the Goddess of Fury, but all she does is spread forgiveness in the realms of hell. How the heck does this have any connection to her House of Vengeance? Or the House of Wrath she wants to join? It was all totally illogical to me. It wasn’t convincing to me either.

In the end I was satisfied enough to rate the book with 4 stars because the criminal case was interesting. Unraveling the various influences on the curse that hung over Wrath and apparently all the other Princes of Hell was intriguing.

Conclusion

★★★★★

If Maniscalco had relied a little less on sexual acts but more comfortable togetherness between Emilia and Wrath, then I would have been more understanding of her sacrifice as a goddess. But her selfishness in terms to his affection, combined with the whole plot, struck me as unbelievable. Only the breaking of the curse, the subplots and supporting characters could convince me to give Kingdom of the Feared a 4-star rating. Also, the fast pace and very fluid and detailed writing style by Kerri Maniscalco was enjoyable.

But I did miss the explanation within the plot why the book is called Kingdom of the Feared. Neither Emilia nor Vittoria could give me the feeling through their actions why they are so feared.


This review was first published at The Art of Reading. show less

I was sad to complete this series. The plot was richly complex. It contained layers of subplots within the story’s events and character’s actions. I admit I had to start taking notes and use page markers to keep up with the complexities of the plot as they unfold. The story and transformation of Wrath and Emilia concluded beautifully; I hope their characters appear as supporting characters in the Prince of Sin series. I also hope the author will continue to develop Pride’s and Claudia’s story into their own book or within the Prince of Sin series.

To diminish the feud between witches, daemons, shape- shifters, and the Feared, Emilia and Prince Wrath must strategize and deceit those around them. Amid the chaos, attraction between Emilia and Wrath increases. No longer satisfied with only the attraction, Emilia seeks his heart, soul, and love. Something the demon withholds for his protection.

The final book in the Kingdom of the Wicked series is a satisfactory conclusion. Kerri leaves no lose ends, which makes the book drags. Narrator Marisa maintains an airy seductive voice that demonstrates the attrition between Emilia and Wrath.

Kerri does talk about addiction and how it can be used to manipulate ones emotions. Other sensitive topics include: gore, violence, blood, self- harm, show more grief, murder, death, and magical compulsion. show less

Hmm. Not as good as the second book unfortunately. The plot and its twists were a bit out there and it ended on a good but strange note, like I still have unanswered questions. Maybe I missed something or I didn't understand what was going on, but I enjoyed this overall.