I love stories that have to do with the seven deadly sins, so I ate the right up. I was hoping it would be a stand-alone when I first picked it up, but now I’m fully invested in Emilia’s story and I cannot wait for book two.

WOW this book was so fun and so fast paced...once you got through the first half. I'm not certain that my enjoyment of this book was worth the slowness of the first half. I almost DNF'd it. The second half was super fun and super enjoyable. I loved the writing style and most of the characters. However, I really disliked some of the decisions the main character made, which made the book slightly less enjoyable to read.

You'll love this slow-burn tale if you are interested in supernatural mysteries and protagonists being attracted to the absolute worst/best person for them. In this book, Emilia, a witch of Italian descent, forgets her love of the kitchen and anything else to pursue her twin sister's killer, Vittoria. However, she also has to navigate the case without drawing human attention because she's a witch AND avoid the Wicked-- princes of hell who represent the 7 deadly sins but avoids being cheesy. I really enjoyed the deep POV from this first-person perspective, though I have to say Nonna is my favorite character.

I kind of love that this book drops you into the middle of a magic system without really giving much context or backstory, and lets you work things out on your own. More writers who assume their readers are clever, please!

This was a really good character book. Its success hinges on its readers caring what happens to the characters. And A LOT happens to the characters. They are well developed with unique traits one and all. I particularly liked how the Wicked were portrayed; Maniscalco could have been lazy and bought into the stereotypical representations of each of the princes, but she didn't, and the book is better for it.

I also really appreciated how she so genuinely and accurately depicts grief. One of the main characters experiences a horrific loss and spends the rest of the book coping with that loss in any way she can. Readers go through many different stages of grief with her, and may even recognize it themselves at one stage or another.

I am really looking forward to the next installment.

Hmmm the book was definitely far from bad. The world was so well-constructed and the allover atmosphere was perfect for this time of year.
That being said, it seems to lack whatever it was that made Stalking Jack The Ripper so addictive as a series. I feel like the characters needed a bit more fleshing out and context as I failed to relate and feel for them.

I feel as though Maniscalco's writing just isn’t for me. I tried a sample of her first published novel but never felt eager enough to continue.

Seeing so many people end up loving that series, I thought I would give this new story a try.

I ended up having to DNF it. It’s just a case of it’s not you, it’s me. There’s nothing wrong with her writing style per se, it’s just not to my personal taste. I may pick this up again and give it another try. If that happens, I will change my review and rating to reflect my feelings at that time.

Kingdom of the Wicked is the first novel in Kerri Maniscalco's newest series. Following Emilia, a young witch searching for whoever or whatever killed her twin sister. She had always been told stories of the Kingdom of the Wicked and princes of Hell. After using dark magic to conjure a demon to help her find who murdered her sister, she conjures Wrath one of the princes of Hell.

The story continues with meeting the other princes of Hell, learning more about Emilia's family and the intentions of the characters.

I liked the character of Emilia, she is innocent and doesn't have a lot of knowledge of the Wicked besides from the stories during her childhood. She knows some magic but makes mistakes. She does seem hotheaded but it's understandable considering her sisters death, but in some moments she did strange things and could be annoying.

Wrath, while likeable does remind me of Thomas Cresswell from Maniscalco's Stalking Jack the Ripper series. While his character is well written, I do think Maniscalco has practice writing that type of character from her other books.

I did really like the setting and the story of the Kingdom of the Wicked. The plot was intriguing but the mystery was easy to figure out. I did guess what happened to Vittoria instantly after Emilia found her body.

Overall, I would give this novel ⭐⭐⭐✯ (3.5) review. I did enjoy the novel as a whole, I didn't care for it being left on a cliffhanger but I would read the next books. I enjoyed the characters but they did have their moments I thought were downfalls to their character development but I liked the plot and excited to see where the story goes.

This novel was published on October 27, 2020

Thank you Jimmy Patterson and NetGalley for ARC in exchange for a honest review! 💛

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

I love a good dark read so basically all of Kerri Maniscalco's books have either been read by me or are on my list to read. This one instantly attracted me because it seemed a bit different than other fantasies I have read and I was not disappointed! I also love twins in books, for some reason, so that was just an added bonus. I'm really excited to see the next installment of this one because the first one really left me wanting more. I can't wait to see the world and more of the magic system. This also drew on the Sicilian culture, which is one I'm only passingly familiar with so it was fun to read a book that introduced me to new cultures and values. I will admit that I do want to re-read this one because I was kind of not in the mood for it when I read it and that's why it ended up being four stars instead of five. Had I been in the mood, I'm sure I would have fallen instantly in love.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Twins Emilia and Victoria have been warned from childhood to always be aware of the Wicked, the seven deadly princes who despise witches, just like the girls. Their grandmother warns them never to remove their protective amulets, but as they get older, they become more bold and daring. Emilia was changed when their amulets were joined, but never told a soul about the powers she seemingly developed. However, when her beloved sister Victoria is found dead, and her heart torn out, Emilia wants nothing more than revenge, and will stop at nothing to get it - not even at using dark magic and summoning one of the most wicked princes, Wrath. Now that her and Wrath are joined by the summoning, Emilia finds that she is uncovering more than just a simple murder at hand, and dark forces are working to ensure that witches are killed, and that the ancient curse is never broken.

This book was simply phenomenal. I mean, I loved Kerri's Stalking Jack the Ripper series, and was a little apprehensive that her newest series wouldn't live up to expectations, but it by far surpassed them. I adored Emilia in a way that was neigh on unheard of. She was like Audrey Rose, in her strong and feisty way, but there was another side to her that I loved. The way she cared for her family, and wanted to help anyone she could was admirable, but it was her quiet strength, and the way she dealt with her many interactions with various demon princes that cemented my love for her. Out of the seven princes, four are spoken about in hushed tones amongst witches, and Wrath is one of the worst. As soon as he is summoned, he's anger personified, but we see a sort of vulnerable-ness to him with Emilia, and their relationship is one anyone would be hard pressed not to swoon over. It's definitely a enemies to lovers relationship, and I found myself wanting more and more of them. As soon as I reached the final page, I nearly screamed knowing I'll have to wait to see more of them, and it'll definitely be a struggle with that cliff hanger.

The plot was out of this world. Set in a 19th century Italian backdrop, the descriptions were lyrical, and I was transported into the scenery as I read. The mentions of food made me so hungry, and I wish I had something to snack on at my side. Honestly, the book went places I could never have expected. The murders of the witches were gruesome, and though I had some inkling of the culprit, the multitude of plot lines and arcs running simultaneously, all culminating in the epic conclusion, made the book simply a page turner. If I hadn't had to sleep and go to work, I would've stayed up and read it in one sitting. I need book 2, like yesterday, and can't wait for everyone else to read Kingdom of the Wicked.

For those who know me, or who are regular readers of my blog, you will know that Kerri Maniscalco became one of my favourite authors of all time after I read the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. There was something about her writing that kept pulling me in, and I loved every single character that she wrote. Even though I was sad about the story of Audrey Rose Wadsworth coming to a close, hearing that Maniscalco had a new series coming out that had to do with witches and Princes of Hell was just *chefs kiss*.

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.

I actually listened to Kingdom of the Wicked on audiobook as they seem to be my go-to way of consuming novels at the moment! The narrator - Marisa Calin - is one of my favourite audiobook narrators of all time and has narrated all of Maniscalco's books such as Daughter of the Pirate King.

Whilst reading this, I couldn't help but compare Emilia to Audrey Rose, and Wrath to Thomas Cresswell... I know that they're completely different books BUT I COULDN'T HELP IT! I'm sorry! I really tried not to be biased because Cresswell is a fave of mine but Wrath? Wrath came *so so* close. He was a stereotypical YA bad boy with his sarcastic lines, being tall, dark and handsome, with tattoos and all that jazz. I never seem to get tired of that trope, to be honest.



“You always have the power of choice, even when those choices seem limited. Never forget that.”

- Kerri Maniscalco, Kingdom of the Wicked




Another trope that I will never tire of? Enemies to lovers. Never ever ever will I get bored of it. The way that Emilia hated Wrath at first, and just couldn't stand to be near him, the disgust she felt whenever she looked at him was just brilliantly written, and the way that their relationship slowly developed over the course of the novel into something that was special and magical just made me jealous.

One of the things that I LOVED about this book was the food. The novel is set in Italy so of course, Italian food was at the heart of this book which made me crave pasta every single time I read this book. The descriptions of the cheese, the bruschetta, the parmesan, the pesto... YYUUUMMMMM. I was in heaven. Italian food is one of my favourites and being able to read about Emilia and her family making different dishes was one of the highlights of this book for me. I also loved the fact that Emilia made a small dessert dish for Wrath and at first he was a stuck up Prince and gave it the side-eye... but then he tried it... and then he became a food lover as well, trying different dishes when he was out with Emilia. It made me love him more.



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

- Kerri Maniscalco, Kingdom of the Wicked




As much as I loved the darkness of the book (with all the death and ripped out hearts), I have to say, I had a very good idea of who the killer was. It wasn't obvious, to begin with, but then things didn't feel right with this particular character, so I knew it had to be them. I don't know whether this is because I read a lot of books that have a mystery element to them, or whether it was just obvious, though.

The reason why I gave this 4.5 stars and not 5 was because of the ending. It was good! Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it wasn't what I wanted and it made me slightly sad. However, we do have a. second book, so hopefully, that will be able to put my heart back together again!

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This book is just wow!

The setting on the island of Sicily makes the book feel even more claustrophobic. The relationship between the main character and her family is just sublime.

The author just has a way of making you feel something and it happens over and over again.

Girls are going missing on the island, their only connection? They are all witches. When Emelia's sister Vittoria is violently murdered in the local monastery, the grieving sister will go to any length to solve the crime, even putting her morals and her life on the line.

The seven princes of hell may not be as trapped in the underworld as the girl's nonna led them to believe, danger creeps ever closer. Will Emelia be able to solve the crime before she pays too high a price?

I cant put my finger on what exactly made this book incredible for me, so I'll try to gather my thoughts and explain, lol!

Maniscalco has a way of writing that's enveloping, it feels as though you're in the scene with the characters - she should write for film, it's that good. I LOVED the characters, although I did find the character Wraith to be a bit boring to begin with - there should have been more rage or something, I can't put my finger on it.

Overall though, I adored this book, there was just something dark, seductive and addictive about it. It feels like you're right there in the thick of the action with the characters and that's something that's always a winner for me!

Thank you so much to Hachette for providing a review copy.

From Goodreads
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…

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book. My opinions are my own.

I was very excited to read this book! It's about witches and demons and myths about the seven princes of hell. I love it when these supernatural elements are interweaved with our own world. This book started off quite ominously and I was pretty much hooked from the start!

Emilia and Vittoria are twins, both witches. Their grandmother has warned them about the seven princes of hell and the dangers of going outside in the dark since they were little girls. They never truly believed these tales... Until one of them is murdered. Desperate for vengeance, Emilia seeks to find out the truth about what happened. To help her, she summons one of the princes of hell, Wrath. They must work together to find the real killer and solve an ancient prophecy in the meantime.

The premise of this book was so, so good. It started off very well and I was immediately sucked into the story, wanting to find out more about these princes and the myths about them. I think Emilia's grief was portrayed well, I could really feel the shock when she found her sister and how horrible it felt when Emilia was in her room, alone, everything still the same and yet irrevocably different. I could feel her anger and need for vengeance, too.

Some things however didn't sit so well with me. There was a hint of a love story unfolding between Emilia and Wrath. At first they hated each other, but they learned to respect one another. It's just that in the same scene where it seemed they found each other, Emilia also decides that she can't trust him. I mean, she's been saying she can't trust him from the beginning, so why did she jump him to begin with? Her character just feels a little inconsistent in her choices, not just romantically but in general.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will pick up the second book when it comes out!

Oh my gosh this book, I could not stop reading. I have read Kerri Maniscalco books before and this one met my expectations. This one was filled with adventure, action and magic! Plus the cover is just perfect for it. I have to buy it. Yup I will buy it.

The summary is listed up above. I am not going to repeat it. I just want to express how I felt and what jumped out at me while reading this amazing story.

The beginning was a little slow but gave me a background on Emilia and her sister. I enjoyed the stories that Emila’s grandmother passed down to her and her sister tied to magic, witches and demons. As I continued to read on and on waiting for the book to kick up some action, I eventually got my wish! I was hooked! I could literally feel Emilia’s emotions in everything from being innocent, to sadness, to revenge, to being bold, to feeling lust and desire, and feeling strength to kick butt! It was awesome, so awesome. I wanted to know what was going to happen next for Emilia with each page I turned. There were twists and turns that kept my attention. I could not stop reading it.

Emilia, she goes on adventure to find her sister’s killer which ends up having lots of things happening. One heck of a roller-coaster! You should have seen me turning the pages to wanting to know. Now some of the creatures that show up in this story are pretty freaky. I could picture them appearing before my eyes and I would be running away unless I had power to take them down. (I can dream can’t I?) Some of the other characters in this story are related to magic such as Wrath and his brothers. My my..the story gets more interesting!

Wrath shows up. Damn! The way he and Emilia just talk just sends sparks. Anyone else feel that? These two just connected. I cannot explain it. Maybe it’s enemies to friend thing to sweet on each other thing? I do not know. I thought at first they were just using each other, but my hunch told me there could be more? I could be wrong. The way the story ended, it could go either way.

Anyways, the way Wrath conducted himself was interesting because he did come across as a demon and yet was particular about clothes. He is a clothes snob? I loved that! Will he be particular about clothes in the next book? I was still trying to figure him out and is still trying to figure him out. What was his next move?

I have to wait for the next book. I want it now. Anyone else feel that way? What did you think of this story when you read it? Would you want to be Emilia? If you read the book, do you think her decision at the end was worth it?

FYI: the mention of food in the book sounded soooo yummy while I was reading it. I actually craved for Italian food. Maybe I should order some take out one day.

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

I have recently been in such a witchy mood and this book had me right from the start! I loved the Italian world and how magic was so seamlessly drawn through it. It felt so real.

The characters were so great! I loved the Emilia and Wrath scenes and want more of them together. Their banter really gave me life.

The end though. What was THAT!! I need the next book now because I have too many questions and not enough answers!!

So confession: I love Sicily. I went there to study Italian. So when I started reading this and realized that the author got Sicily so right, I was already in.

What kept me in, though, were the characters and their story. I found myself falling in love with all the characters and hoping against hope that things would be okay.

The story is dark, intriguing and well written.

Well worth the read.

Looking forward to the next book in the series!

*ARC via Net Galley

Kingdom of the Wicked is the perfect Halloween read that we've been waiting for, with magic, a Prince of Hell, and a creepy murder mystery.

At times I felt the story was a bit more complex than it needed to be, almost as though the author was trying a little too hard. But I absolutely loved the storyline, and thoroughly enjoyed the main character. It was a fun ride, and I can't wait for the sequel!

I seriously Don't know what to think about this book. Did I like it or not? it was actually very intriging, I liked the characters, the twin witch sisters that are separated by a tragic event. I liked Emilia, with her vengeful heart and I liked wrath, that brought a very sexy romantic twist to the story. I have to say that the end had me wondering what the next installment would have for us, and if i wanted to read more. very confusing

4.5/5 (but more 5 than 4) :D

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I haven’t read from the writer yet, but I really want to and I know I’ll love the other series! So when the publisher accepted my request through NetGalley, I was so happy.
The protagonist of the book is Emilia. Together with his twin sister, they were witches. Their grandmothers warned them of the Malvagris, the seven princes of Hell. Emilia never believed in their existence until one day someone starts to murder witches, and Emilia had to think through what she believes.
I loved the book from the first moment. Loved the cooking, and the dark atmosphere was my favorite. If there are mistakes in a book, but I like its atmosphere/ world, I can overlook its mistakes. This is what happened here too. I loved the dark atmosphere of the book, and next to it the Italian life and food… Perfect. I really liked the writer’s style, too. I also adored the world. The demons and princes were interesting, I liked the witches, that the witches conjured with the help of plants and other objects, and they had almost no power in themselves, and I also really liked that religion had a lot of power.
I found a few mistakes in the story. The beginning is quite a world-building. I have heard from many people that they were bored at the beginning. I loved the beginning, maybe between 50-70% started to get a little boring. Besides, a few parts were predictable. I already knew who the killer was after the first murder was mentioned. I liked the story anyway, although there was a couple of logical mistakes.
The characters were not outstanding to me. I would have been interested in Vittoria, sometimes I didn't know what to do about Emilia. I liked a lot of cooking in the beginning, unfortunately much less appears later. Emilia had almost no strength, I would have been happier if she had been much more badass. The main “love interest” was interesting. I usually fall for the good guys, but I was a fan of him. But I didn't found out what team he plays, what was his motivation. Maybe I felt he was too “good”, but since I couldn’t figure out what he was doing, I still wait with this conclusion :D
I can’t wait for the sequel, I really loved it. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read.

Hungarian review:
Rettentően vártam ezt a könyvet! Nem olvastam még az írónőtől, de nagyon akarok, és tudom, hogy imádni fogom a másik sorozatát! Így, amikor NetGalley-n keresztül a kiadó elfogadta a jelentkezésemet, ugráltam örömömben.
A könyv főszereplője Emilia. Ikertestvérével együtt boszorkányok, akiket nagyanyjuk egész elétében a Malvagrik, a Pokol hét hercegétől, és a démonoktól óvott. Emilia sosem hitt a létezésükben, mígnem egyszer csak valaki hallott boszorkányok sorát hagyja maga után, és Emiliának végig kell gondolni hogy miben is hisz.
A könyv már az első pillanattól megfogott. Emilia imád főzni, és mellé a könyv sötét hangulata engem kilóra megvett. Ha egy könyvben vannak hibák, de a hangulata/világa nagyon bejön, akkor el tudok nézni neki hibákat. Itt is ez történt. Imádtam a könyv sötét hangulatát, mellé pedig az olasz élet és ételek… Tökéletes. Az írónő stílusa is nagyon bejött. Világ is nagyon tetszett. A démonok és a hercegek érdekesek voltak, tetszett a boszokrányok, hogy inkább növények és egyéb tárgyak segítségével varázsolnak a boszik, és magában nincs szinte semmi hatalmuk, ezenkívül az is nagyon tetszett, hogy a háttérben mégis sokat számított a vallás is.
Amibe bele tudok kötni az a történet. Az eleje eléggé világfelépítés. Sokaktól hallottam, hogy unták. Nekem bejött a legeleje, talán 50-70% között kezdten unni egy kicsit. Kicsit nehezen ment. Ezenkívül kiszámítható volt pár rész. A gyilkost az első gyilkosság említése után már tudtam, hogy kicsoda. Amúgy tetszett a történet, bár volt pár logikai baki.
A karakterek számomra nem voltak kiemlkedőek. Engem Vittoria érdekelt volna, Emiliával néha nem tudtam mit kezdeni. Tetszett elejében a sok főzés, sajnos később sokkal kevesebbet jelenik meg. Emiliának szinte semmi ereje volt, örültem volna ha sokkal badass-ebb lett volna. A fő „love intrest” nekem bejött. Általában a jó fiúkra bukom, de ő eléggé bejött. Mint akrakter, én nem tudtam átlátni. Talán túl „jónak” éreztem, de mivel nem tudtam átlátni, hogy mit miért csinál, ezzel a konklúzióval még várnék :D
Alig várom a következő részt, nagyon imádtam. Köszönöm a kiadónak, hogy lehetőséget adott, hogy elolvassam. Mostmár nagyon ideje lenne, elolvasni a másik sorozatát is az írónőn

Kingdom of the Wicked is a darker fantasy story about witches, demons, and black magic. It follows Emilia as she seeks vengeance on the death of her twin sister. She meets one of the Princes of Hell, Wrath. Despite the scary stories she's been told about Hell, Emilia is torn about whether Wrath is truly aiming for the same goal as she is in finding the murderer. The story is rich with plot and there is so much world-building. I found myself really immersed in the story and really enjoying the tensions building between our two characters. There were times when the plot was a bit predictable, yet often times it took on twists and turns that I never expected. A really good read, and I'm itching to get my hands on the next book!

Kingdom of the Wicked was everything I hoped it would be. The moment I saw the cover and read the description I knew I was going to love it.
I enjoyed the incorporation of the seven deadly sins as the princes of Hell. We didn't get to meet all of them but at the moment all I care about is Wrath. He was honestly one of my favorite things about this book. Well, him and the world-building. It was exquisite.

Emilia is a great female lead. I admit, some of her actions were questionable but I admired her determination to find her sister's killer and prevent any more witches from being brutally murdered. Despite her immense grief, her quest for vengeance gives her purpose. Putting her fears aside, she summons a demon but gets more than she bargained for when said demon turns out to be a prince of Hell. A prince of Hell that she unwittingly binds herself to...
Can I just say that I loved Emilia and Wrath's interactions? Maybe I'm a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers romance but I'm rooting for them to somehow find a way to be together.
Speaking of romance, there is very little here and that's okay. I appreciated the slow-build of chemistry because they are after all enemies. Emilia has been raised her whole life to fear the Wicked so despite how charming Wrath could seem at times, I'm glad this wasn't a case of insta-love.

About the mystery, Murder mysteries are great but I had my suspicions about who the culprit was and ended up being correct. It didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story though.

My main complaint (which isn't a true complaint at all) is that ending on a cliffhanger like that is torture! I hate that we have to wait until next year but I'm incredibly excited to see how book 2 plays out.

Full of magic, murder, delicious food and a dash of romance Kingdom of the Wicked is a dark, spooky read that was perfect for October (or fall)!