Thank you NetGalley for the eARC! So, it’s safe to say that I super loved this book. It was exactly what I needed to read in October and I didn’t even know it. Just give me all of the sexy demons and vengeful witches and spooky atmospheres, because I am here. For. It. Pacing problems aside, this book gave me a high stakes, unique, and spooky plot and well developed characters that I completely fell in love with. Also, as a side note, I never expected to be so deeply attracted to personifications of sin, but like, yes please. CANNOT wait for the sequel. Full review on my blog: Thriftyniftynerd.wordpress.com

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced reader's copy for review.

Kingdom of the Wicked was phenomenal. The prose was beautiful, the characters shined, and the magic felt as real as if it were happening right in front of me. The beginning set up the relationship between twin sisters Emilia and Vittoria and showed the readers how close they were. I felt as though I were experiencing loss right along with Emilia when she discovers her twin sister's body in a monastery. Her grief sends her on a quest for vengeance, which is ultimately how she finds herself summoning a demon, aka a Prince of Hell. Known as the Wicked, these seven brothers are the embodiment of sin. What she finds in her search for her sister's murderer is much more and she is quickly thrown deeper into the world of the Wicked, where her life and the lives of her family are soon put at risk. I would've devoured this book, but the middle portion dragged on, though I could not put my finger on exactly why. However, the beginning and ending had me gripped in the novel's talons and I could not pry myself away for anything. This is the perfect read for Halloween, and readers who enjoy the macabre, supernatural, witches, and beautiful writing will want to look no further because this book is sure to be a hit. Fans of young adult and the supernatural will devour Kingdom of the Wicked when it hits store shelves on October 27th.

How do I talk about this book without giving away spoilers? Kingdom of the Wicked is the quintessential read for autumn. It’s daring. It’s spooky. It’s dark and twisted. Kerri Maniscalco has created a masterpiece. The world comes to life on the page. It sinks it’s claws into you. Emilia and Wrath are two extraordinary characters who dance around each other with biting lines. This book stays with you long after you finished the last sentence. It leaves you hungering for the next installment.

I was excited for Kingdom of the Wicked once I learned about Kerri Maniscalco writing it. I enjoyed the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, so I was happy to learn she had a new book coming out. Kingdom of the Wicked is a murder mystery with drops of fantasy, witchcraft, and magic. The synopsis intrigued me. I love murder mysteries and I love YA fantasy so this seemed like the perfect read to start October off with.

Kerri Maniscalco writes a dark story following the main character Emilia as she searches for her twin’s murderer. KOTW started off slow for my taste, though it was easy to read, as with all of Maniscalco’s other books. I loved the setting, Sicily, Italy. The descriptions are wonderfully written, instantaneously transporting you across the seas. Even the mention and descriptions of the food were enough to make my mouth water. I was unsure of the time period that the story takes place. I did receive an unedited version of this book, so maybe the time period is explained in the final edit. After a few pages, I realized it must be set somewhere in the 1800s. The fantasy aspect of the story is dark and fascinating. But I wanted to know more about the witchcraft, the history of the witches, and the demonology that is part of the plot. There’s just enough explanation about old rituals and curses that help us along with what’s happening. But I think I needed more background to fully understand everything that was occurring. Then again, maybe this was done on purpose to leave more room in the next book.

There are two main characters in KOTW: Emilia and Wrath. At first, I found Emilia to be a typical timid teen. But once her sister Vittoria is murdered, she turns into someone set on vengeance. She decides to go above and beyond to find and put a stop to this murderer who not only killed Vittoria but is also killing other witches around town. When Emilia began to play detective, that’s when she started to annoy me. She was driven but made rash decisions which led to her biting off more than she could chew. Honestly, I would’ve liked to see more of her witch characteristics. And I would’ve liked for her to be smarter in her choices.

I liked Wrath more. I wish there was more of him throughout the book. He was likable and had great banter with Emilia. His arrogance was something to get used to, but then again, he is one of the seven princes of Hell so I guess his attitude was to be expected.

There was a lack of character development within both characters. I didn’t buy into the enemies-to-lovers trope between Wrath and Emilia; it was underwhelming. They spent so much time fighting and arguing, it was hard to see their underlying feelings for each other. It was hard to picture a romance brewing between them. I hope this is rectified in book two; I would like to see a budding relationship between the two of them.

I felt like not much happened plot-wise. There are so many questions needing to be answered. The answers we get just lead to more questions. Everything that was revealed was only partially revealed, maybe to come to full circle in the next installments. But it’s enough to keep a reader interested.

Overall, Kingdom of the Wicked was fine; I just wanted more. It’s a solid story that just needed a little more development. I’m still curious to see what may happen next. So I’ll be keeping a lookout for part two.

Wow Kerri has done it again! This was mysterious, beautiful, full of intrigue and dynamic characters. Its dark like her other series but with a. Much more supernatural presence. She has a way with storytelling that immerses you so deeply, I read this in one setting and can't wait to get a hardcopy. Thankyou so much to Netgalley for allowing me an ARC. Absolutely incredible!

What a fun, exciting read this was!
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book, but it blew me away completely. The writing was sharp and easy to get into and I couldn't stop reading until I finished the the whole story. Not just because of the writing, but because of the fast-paced, exciting storytelling, the compelling characters and the intriguing world they live in.

From the very first page on I was enthralled by the creativity with which Maniscalco paints her picture. I loved the Italian setting, I loved the cultural details. I loved her world full of demons and witches and werewolves and vampires, of myths come to life. The protagonist Emilia is endearing, sympathetic and relatable, and most of all she's not perfect. She is brave, but also scared. She is full of love and also full of hate. She feels raw emotions that are not always of the good, soft kind - her anger can be felt by the reader, the vengeance in her heart spills over the pages of the book. And all these oh so ugly feelings make sense, make her an actual person. I adore her and cannot wait to see where her story takes her. Wrath is just as fascinating. In many ways he is exactly how one imagines a demonic prince that serves as a love interest too, but he still manages to surprise, to challenge, to make the reader wonder. I cannot say where his true loyalties lie and who he really is, and that makes me want to read on, find out more. The romance between them is subtle and deliciously slow burn. It could go either way at this point and the ambiguity is thrilling. The side characters are more or less interesting as well, with Nonna being a special mention that I hope gets fleshed out even more in the next book.

The twists of the story did not always surprise me, and I don't necessarily like when a book ends in a cliffhanger of such proportions. The forced lack of closure would, in my opinion, simply not be needed to convince the reader to pick up the next book because the world, the characters and the story are compelling enough.

reviews on several websites will be added on publication day.

Well about 57 percent of the way in i kind of lost momentum the details seemed to be extremely repetitive and i just couldnt get over how simple things happening needed to be repeated more than once. I ultimately did not finish but i wanted to love it so bad, It seemed more of a middle school read and maybe would reverberate better with a younger reader.

Emilia and Vittoria are witches that live secretly among humans. Vittoria ends up being murdered and found by Emilia. Emilia then summons wrath a prince from hell to help her find who murdered her sister and why Other Demon princes are then summoned and Emilia meets them to try and figure out why her sister was murdered.

This book was okay. At the beginning, I thought it had a lot of potential, but has I passed the 1/3 mark, I started to get a bit bored.

Overall, this is a book I'm pretty conflicted about. I didn't particularly care for the characters or the romance and I found the plot to be lacking. There were parts where it was a struggle to get through the book and I wasn't intrigued by the story.

This book definitely has some positives, though. I think the strongest part of the story would be the incredible atmosphere that the author has created. As someone with Italian family, I found the setting to be very interesting. I also really liked the witchy elements of the story, which were my favourite part.

As much as this book disappointed me, I do think that I read it at the right time and that this is the perfect book to read in October. It's not really spooky, but it's definitely dark. While I don't think this book is necessarily for me and I doubt I'll buy a finished copy, I think that there are a lot of people who will absolutely love it.

Kingdom of the Wicked was one of my most anticipated releases for 2020 and it didn’t disappoint.

Kerrie Maniscalco writing style is just amazing she has away with immersing you into her stories.
Princes of Hell, Witches,Shapeshifters and Witch Hunters you get all this and yet you don’t miss out on anything.
I like how Kerrie Maniscalco added the Sven deadly sins in with the Princes of Hell I haven’t read anything like it before (in my opinion)

Emilia is a strong MC but she can get annoying at times, but just like every girl/witch does she compares herself to others especial her sister.

If you loved/liked her Stalking Jack the Ripper series or even if you didn’t like i still would say please go pick this up when it comes out because you won’t regret it.

"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 had never read Maniscalo's other books and did not have many expectations for the book other than my sister raving about how amazing it was. This book absolutely enthralled me. Usually, books about witches aren't my favorite, but the added element of the demons came together to make an intriguing world of magic and the supernatural that blew me away. I loved the concept of using the 7 deadly sins to create princes of the underworld and showing how those "deadly sins" hold influence over people. Kingdom of the Wicked will have you up all night, turning pages as you follow Emilia along the mystery of what happened to her sister. With the help of Wrath, the dreamy prince of Hell that you know you shouldn't fall for but you will anyways, Emilia embarks on an adventure of betrayal that will have her questioning everything that she knows and holds dear to her heart. I highly recommend Kingdom of the Wicked to any fantasy lover who finds themselves drawn to the antagonist. I enjoyed this arc so much that I immediately preordered the B&N edition and I cannot wait until the sequel.

Great gothic read that keeps you on edge until the very end! This is a enchanting, dark and magical that you will not want.to put down! I can't wait for the next book in this series to come out! Warning, there is a cliffhanger at the end!

Emilia and twin Vittoria grew up with a close family. Their Nona teaching they everything there their is to know about life and cooking. They all work in the Sicilian family restaurant and the food talk is on point.

Emilia and Vittoria are both witches whom secretly live amongst humans at peace. Until tragically Vittoria is murdered. Emilia becomes consumed with grief and vows to avenge her sisters life and make the murdered pay with their own life.

Insert Wrath (swoon) one of the wicked princes whom her Nona has warmed her about her whole life. Enemies from the start their relationship shifts while they are searching for answers. He claims to be on her side but the wicked are known for their lies.

For all my ACOTAR and Ninth House lovers or anyone that loves good cooking! The tension and scandal is real! This book ended on such a freaking cliff hangover that I cannot wait for the second book already.

I fell in love with The Stalking Jack The Ripper series so I wasn't sure if I would feel the same way about entering a new world of characters and stories. After finishing this book, I am counting down the days until the next book in the series comes out.

I absolutely love the dark themes that surround this story. We follow the life of twin witches that grew up hearing stories about the demons and monsters that go bump in the night only to find out that they weren't fiction at all. One of them gets in with the wrong crowd and leaves the other to figure out why while having to trust a demon to help her along the way. But what's in it for him? You need to read this book. I am so excited that it is a series and I can't rave about it enough.

Honestly what more could you want from a gothic read in October than demons, witches, and a hellish love? After reading the 'Stalking Jack the Ripper' series by this author I was willing to read anything she wrote in the future. When the announcement came that we were going to be getting a dark witch and demon filled series I immediately put the release date on all of my calendars and requested an advanced copy of the book so I could dive in as quickly as I could. Thanks to Netgalley I was able to receive that advanced copy and confirm that this book was almost everything I wanted.

Strong female characters, check. Hot demon princes, check. Murder, check. Sinister deals, check. Character development felt real with everyone but the emotions that Emilia dealt with during the loss of her sister and meeting the princes had me feeling like I was the one enduring everything. I enjoyed how instead of sticking with her assumption that she was a "good" witch, Emilia embraced the darkness she felt after her sisters death and did what she thought was necessary to avenge her. I do wish we could have gotten a little more information or background on Nonna so we could know exactly how certain objects became obtained and how she was so knowledgeable about things that were happening but I suspect we will get more of a background in the next installment.

While I flew through the entire book and was engrossed throughout, I did feel like the ending was a little abrupt. I expected there to be a little more between Emilia and Wrath as far as a relationship throughout the book and I also expected there to be more tension between them at the very end after everything was accepted. I know that there will be more information given to us with future books and I am looking forward to reading everything else this author comes out with. Once again I would like to throw a huge thank you out to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review my most anticipated book of 2020! Don't forget to go pick your copy up at your local bookstore on 10/27/2020!

“A twig is just a bit of broken wood until it has been sharpened into a spear. Grief carved me in half. And fury honed the pieces into a weapon. Now it was time to unleash it.”

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One word to describe this book: wicked!

Very aptly named, this novel follows Emilia, a witch living in Sicily in the 19th century. Torn between the pans and ovens of her family restaurant and a dangerous underworld made of invisible demons, hellish princes and other creatures of the night that she always dismissed as old superstitions, our heroine will have to finally take up arms and, coupled with an unlikely (but very handsome) ally, dig around the city of Palermo to solve a string of gruesome murders and try to stop an ancient prophecy from bringing literal Hell on earth.

Kerri Maniscalco’s beautiful and flowing writing once again manages to paint a very vivid picture of a Palermo that, under a layer of minutely described mouth-watering delicacies, hides a world where magic comes to life and gorgeous personifications of the seven deadly sins roam its streets looking for the soul of their next victim to free themselves from an age old curse.

The first part having set time and place in abundant detail, the plot picks up quite dramatically with the murder that finally pushes Emilia to take matters in her own hands and try to solve it herself, which in turn opens her to a whole new world that she had only imagined before. From this point onwards, the story never lags, twists and shocking revelations follow one another until the big finale which, though in my opinion slightly too rushed, definitely leaves you eager for more.

Along with great characterization, the protagonist’s interactions with her erstwhile enemy the Prince of Wrath are one of the biggest selling points of the novel. Between constant bickering, that starts off as outright rivalry and later develops into angst-filled steamy exchanges, and the continued discovery of one another, the dialogue is either going to put a smile on your face (when you’re not laughing outright) or make you snort in frustration at the ill timed interruptions. One thing is for certain, though: those two have a Hell of a chemistry (pun intended).

Overall, the combination of compelling characters and a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout, paired with an engaging yet unpretentious writing style makes for a really quick highly entertaining read that brings together all the seasonal spooky elements of a paranormal fantasy with a dark, historical setting, while the constant references to traditional Sicilian food and drinks provide the perfect respite from the grim mystery plotline.

A sidenote on the Italian language used in the book. As an Italian myself, I did appreciate the numerous Italian words that were sprinkled throughout the novel, yet I couldn’t help but notice the various mistakes which took me out of the story a bit, but I’m sure would be overlooked completely by a non-native speaker and will hopefully be fixed in the final copies.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to review Kigdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco!

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria live a double life, running their family restaurant with their human parents, and keeping their Witch heritage a secret from the towns people, with their Grandmother. The humans in their town are less than accepting of the witches, despite the 13 families being spread-out within their community.
When Emilia's sister Vittoria is brutally murdered, Emilia embraces her vengefulness and begins a journey into the dark depths of her heritage to find the reason her sister was murdered and why other young witches are having their hearts ripped from their chests.
The line between dark and light is blurred when Emilia summons a Prince of Hell, Wrath, believing he is the one who murdered her sister, and binds him to her for protection. Emilia must decide who to trust and which unspoken truths to believe as the four princes of Hell strive to complete or dismantle the prophecy that she was born into.

I am giving this book a full 5 stars! It was EXCELLENT!
The betrayal Emilia feels and the confusion surrounding her feelings toward Wrath are up and down and heart wrenching and I LOVE IT! Wrath is the angry bad boy who will somehow make it out on top (I hope, please, please, please). The conclusion was a huge cliff hanger and there are so many possibilities for where Emilia has pushed her plan towards (because clearly she's made herself a plan).
There's some pretty strong family bonds and betrayals that were unexpected.
I highly recommend this book and will be keeping and eye out for the second one!!

Title: Kingdom of the Wicked
Author: Kerri Maniacalco (@kerrimaniscalco )
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson Books (@jimmypattersonbooks )
Publishing Date: 10/27/20
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️

“There are seven demon princes but only four di Carlo’s should fear: Wrath, Greed, Envy and Pride. One will crave your blood. One will capture your heart. One will steal your soul. And one will take your life.”

After the death of her twin sister, Vittoria, Emilia vows she will do anything to bring her murderer to justice. In the process she summons a demon prince from hell, Wrath, despite her grandmother’s warnings. Wrath claims to be on her side but can she let go of all the things her Nonna has told her about the wicked in order to figure out what is happening to the world around her.

Emilia lives in Palermo, Italy, at a time when witches are treated as evil being and “burned at the stake”. Her family, as many other have live in secret in order to avoid detection. She has always been warned about the evils of the world, the Malgavi. She was a shy, timid girl, who dreamed of marrying the boy she grew up with. Now she has had to leave all her dreams in order to keep her family safe. She is intelligent, determined and brave.
Wrath is a demon, who is interested in bringing the murderer of Vittoria to justice for his own reasons.(authors have to stop making “evil” characters hot you make me question my morals.)

Their witty banter and crazy adventures really made the story interesting. This book will have you wanting more at every turn of the page(or click of the button). There is romance, there is witchcraft, and adventure.
Definitely a top book for class A spooky season!

I received this book from the publisher via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

#kingdomofthewicked #kerrimaniscalco #halloweenvibes #witches #demons #murder #youngadult #ya #yafantasy #fantasy #spookyseason #howtosummonademon #gold #wrath #blackcandle #grimoire #spellsandpotions

If I had to summarise this book in two words, I would say: SINFULLY GOOD.

I am so thankful to Jimmy Patterson for giving me the opportunity to read Kingdom of the Wicked before its release on October 27th (mark your calendars if you haven't already)

Dark and mysterious from the prologue until the very end, this thrilling murder mystery quest will send chills down your spine and keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters and the setting are so very well written, I felt like I was right there beside Emilia, exploring the streets of Palermo, seeking vengeance.

Also prepare yourselves to add another name to your list of swoon-worthy book boyfriends because Prince Wrath does not disappoint. I adored the constant rivalry and bickering between him and Emilia. It comes so naturally for them and puts a smile on your face when they get sarcastic with each other.

Another VERY important thing about this book is that it will make you HUNGRY. And no, I don't mean hungry for more action (though I must admit I need the sequel as soon as possible), but Kerri really doesn't hold back on the food descriptions and will have your mouth watering and stomach rumbling so make sure you have snacks.

Easily one of my favourite books this year and a 5/5

The premise was promising and I got some things I expected to find in this book. However, some things weren't that good.

The thing that impacted my final rating the most was lack of depth in some characters and a rushed/not very clear ending. Maybe this was supposed to be resolved in the next book, but it made the ending not that intense as I expected it to be.

I feel like this series has a lot of potential fot the next book(s), but this one was a little disappointing in the end.

This was such a great YA fantasy to get me into the Halloween spirit. Witchy and eery at times without turning me into a scaredy-cat. I really enjoyed the Italian culture and the use of language in the story. Emilia is a talented cook and Maniscalco often described in detail the mouth-watering Italian food her family makes. I got hungry just reading about it!

When I read the synopsis and saw the words “Prince from Hell,” I immediately knew I would like the romance because I mean come on that sounds…well wicked in the best way. Also, if you’re looking for an enemies-to-lovers trope, well then look no further. Also, I just love that Emilia is one of those characters that gets told to “stay put” a lot but always does the complete opposite, either out of spite or because she wants to make things more interesting. I love a female character who waits for no one to go after what she wants. Wrath is interesting because he is one of those morally grey characters who is supposed to be evil incarnate but you read about him more and think maybe he has a soul?

This book also reminded me of Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning a little because it also features a vengeful character trying to solve her sister’s murder. I love that the plot of actually find the mystery behind the murders wasn’t overpowered by the romance. I was torn at the ending and oh gosh I need the next book now please!