The book follows twin sisters, raised by their grandmother to fear dark magic and the wicked princes of hell, as they are brought into a world of murder, witch hunters, dark princes, deadly spells and vengeance. I don't want to say too much about this fast paced YA fantasy as I think it is better to go into this book without knowing too much.

I loved the setting of Italy along with the mouthwatering descriptions of food and I enjoyed the supernatural elements and dark magic - it was darker than I thought it would be. I think the main aspect of this book that I enjoyed, along with the fast pace, was the atmosphere which was perfect for October. However, I do have a few issues such as the main character...I didn't like the constant inner monologue of the main character and her decisions didn't make sense at times - she was quite frustrating as a character! I also thought it was quite predictable, although despite the flaws, it was a very entertaining and atmospheric read that I'd definitely recommend if you like YA fantasy.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I am impressed. I loved how the 7 deadly sins were brought to life. Emilia was a great female lead, and Wrath was fantastic.
The plot was fresh and intriguing. The characters were awesome (love Nonna). I love the setting also. Having a fantasy set in a real location was new for me and I really enjoyed that.

I ended the book hoping that there’s a second one in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this for honest feedback!

Characters - 7/10
I'm going to start off by saying that I really enjoyed this book. However, I do have a few issues, so we'll delve into those first. I liked Emilia, but at times I found her to be a little dumb and naive. She goes around in circles a lot, and it gets very tedious. I do like her humour though, and I hope she gets more development in the next book.

I don't want to place any kind of expectation on Emilia, but I want her to be the ultimate villain of this series. Maniscalco has a way of writing characters that really makes you wonder. Considering the ending of this book, I hope we get some reverse character development.

I liked Wrath, he's just way too one dimensional for me. We get a single throwaway line about his past, and I need to delve into that more. He can be a very complex character and I hope we get more of his background in the next book.

We definitely did not see enough of Vittoria in the beginning of the book. I didn't feel the bond between her and Emilia, and I really wonder if we'll get some more of her character in the next book.

Atmosphere - 8/10
The atmosphere was really creepy, which makes this book the perfect Halloween read. Also, there are witches. I loved Maniscalco's descriptions of food and magic, but I needed more from the worldbuilding. I was constantly confused about the time period. The book reads really modern, and I think it's supposed to be set in the 1900s? There's not enough going on in the background and Maniscalco could have put more research into the time period and the location.

Writing - 8/10
I love Maniscalco's writing. I've loved it since I first read the SJTR series. Her descriptions are so good and she has this way of pulling you into the book. I could not put this book down at one stage, and that's what I've come to expect from Maniscalco.

Plot - 8/10
It takes the plot a while to get started, but once it gets going it does not stop. I will say that this is not a complex mystery to solve, and very little setup is actually done for the reveal of the killer. The plot also goes in circles a lot, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. At some point, I was breathless because the plot kept moving so fast and I loved it.

Intrigue - 9/10
Obviously, I couldn't put this book down. And I need the second book ASAP.

Logic - 9/10
The magic system was one of my favourite parts of the book. I loved the snippets from the Di Carlo Grimoire at the beginning of each chapter. It really added to the world and made the magic easy to understand. The way Hell and Demons are bound to something as simple as having good manners is really creative and I cannot wait to see more of Hell in the next book.

Enjoyment - 9/10
It's pretty clear that I enjoyed this book, so here are some of my favourite quotes from the book!

"Perhaps he was memorizing my size for a coffin."

"Man had a funny way of blaming the devil for things he did not like."

CAWPILE = 8.2/10

Everyone who knows me knows how much I absolutely LOVE the Stalking Jack the Ripper series.
Honestly, the best YA series I have read in ages. And with being absolutely in love with those series (and Thomas) I had high hopes for Kingdom of the Wicked. But at the same time was afraid it could never live up to my expectations.

Now did this book grab me as much as Stalking Jack the Ripper did? Not yet.
I'm saying "yet" as I have read the JTR series in one go, and sort of judged them as a whole instead of book by book.
And this is obviously only the beginning of a new series.

I was hooked though and where my sister immediately knew who killed Emilia's sister, I... was a bit more clueless hahaha
But even besides that, I absolutely LOVE Kerri's writing style. The setting/world and characters she creates are all kinds of magical. And the mention of all the food, did I mention the food?!

I really, really loved this book.

The ONLY little downside is.... the ending. Don't do that to me please. I now need to know what happens next and I can not wait for the second book to be released (it better be soon as I don't like to be kept waiting hahaha)

I received an ebook ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge fan of Kerri Maniscalco's previous works, I had some higher standards that I was hoping this book would meet, and it certainly did!

The story follows Emilia, a vengeful witch looking to solve her twin sister's brutal murder, a feat which may bring out the dark magic she was always taught to avoid.

Then Emilia meets one of the wicked princes of Hell, Wrath, who claims to also want to solve the mysterious murders of not only her sister but of other witches in the area as well. Emilia knows not whether to trust or be cautious of Wrath, because a prince of hell certainly has his own dark secrets.

While the story in general started a bit slow in my opinion, it quickly gained pace until it seemed like Emilia was facing a foe at every turn. The world Maniscalco created is amazing as well. You can almost smell and taste the food described in Emilia's family restaurant. There are demons and shape shifters, witches and werewolves, princes of Hell and the Devil himself. A wonderfully dark, captivating story that has left me eager for more! Looking forward to the next installment of the series very much!

My expectations were awfully high going into this, I’m not gonna lie. Did it live up to them? Yes and no.

In Kingdom of the Wicked we follow 18 year-old Emilia di Carlo, who is the complete opposite to her twin sister Vittoria. Where Vittoria is bold, fierce and outright reckless, Emilia is calm, collected and overly cautious. So what do they have in common other than their looks? They’re witches.

But when witches start showing up dead and Vittoria becomes a victim of this unknown murderer, Emilia’s life gives a full twist. Her overly cautious self becomes a thing of the past as she vows to solve her twin’s murder and avenge her death, no matter the cost. We’re then thrown into a story of curses and prophecies, dark magic and secret diaries, demons and blood debts, the seven Princes of Hell and the devil himself.

It was a great book, that’s 4 stars shining up there and it earned every one of them. For one, the world-building was flawless. I loved that it took place in Italy and food and culture were brought into it, I did not once forget we were in Sicily. The magic system was awesome too and like nothing I’ve read before, which was refreshing.

And then there’s the romance. I’ve read enough YA to be able to spot the love interest the moment they walk into the story, and this was no different. But I didn’t care because he was my favorite character of the whole story and I love me a good enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance. (I got Rhys and Feyre vibes here and there, you’ll understand me when you read it.) Also, I’m calling it a romance but nothing really happened because it’s building up for the next books (or at least I hope so) and I love that. However, the constant hot and cold from Emilia’s side did bother me a little. I get that it’s difficult for her to trust him because of who and what he is and it’s true that he sometimes hides things from her and that rightfully pisses her off, but all he really does is protect her.

My issue with this book is that everything was very predictable and somewhere near the ending it all started to feel rushed, which might very well have been dealt with by the time this is published, but I read what I read. I also didn’t get the full-on hate in that reunion at the end. Bottom line, I didn't feel as invested and connected to the story as I hoped I would.

Overall, it was a wonderful book. I had minor issues with it but I loved the story it told and the world-building was absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait for the sequel to come because I sense big character (and romance) development coming!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Jimmy Patterson for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

First of all, I really love the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, so when I found out that Kerri Maniscalco will release another book featuring a serial murder. Why would I say no to that? So I made sure it goes straight to my TBR list. And thank you, NetGalley and Jimmy Patterson, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Emilia and her journey to uncover the story behind her sister's murder and to hold someone accountable for what they did to her sister and several other witches. I enjoy the two main character's journey so much. The book put me on edge every single chapter. I kept guessing and created my own theory. I also guessed the murderer and their motive right, and that fact doesn't disappoint me. But somewhere near the ending, it started to feel rushed. Like, everything happened all at once and ended abruptly; it left me no time to process anything. I have to read the last two chapters twice to make sure that I understand correctly.

I was not sure how many people would get hooked from the prologue because that's not the case for me. But because I have faith in Kerri Maniscalco, I kept going. The introduction was written fairly well, but I got captivated by the story when the conflict starts. And I love the climax; I got to feel many things then. But as I stated before, the resolution felt rushed, and I'm not satisfied with it. Maybe because there will be a second book, it was made like that, but I still think it could've been done better.

Emilia is definitely an interesting character. I love watching her personality grow, fueled by her grief. As for Wrath, I still can't decide whether I like him or not. He's unpredictable, and sometimes that frustrates me. I hope to watch his character grows in the next book. I wish the author would explore more of the relationship in Emilia's family. I failed to connect with their bond. I usually have a strong feeling towards a sibling relationship, but I didn't feel that here.

I do like her writing style in this book, but I keep comparing it to SJTR, and honestly, I love the latter much more. It's so easy to read. Most of the time, I'd have difficulty understanding the first few chapters of a fantasy book (in terms of the world-building), but it didn't happen here, so that's a huge point for her.

Kingdom of the Wicked is a gripping story that'll make you unable to put down the book. If you're already a fan of Kerri Maniscalco's books, then this book is perfect for you. But even if you haven't read her books, but you love historical fiction/thriller/fantasy books, make sure to pick this book for your October reads!

Good story, it did take me a minute to get hooked on it but once I did I was all in. I’d be at work thinking of just being done so I could go home and read. Would have give better stars if it hooked me from the start but I still enjoyed it.

Oh my goodness! I’m already salivating for the next book! What a deliciously dark and sexy read! I loved the world building and characters and can’t wait for the next installment!

The Kingdom of the Wicked has me all twisted up in my feelings and giddy with the direction that I foresee this series going. Oh-my-goodness-y’all. For real, this book. I predict the fandom of this series to be massive, it is that good. And the characters are pure gold perfection.

Kerri Maniscalo is a crazy talented writer, seriously. And her world building for this series is off the charts. Her characters, are just - yes! I’m in love, y’all, so totally stupid in love with this new series. And the cover. Can we take a moment to drool over the masterpiece of the cover? It ties so flawlessly into the story and it’s so gorgeous!

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are witches, taught from childhood that there is a curse that can open the gates of hell and bring the very Princes of Hell into the world. No spoilers, but from the beginning you know death is chasing Vittoria and when it comes a knocking, it’s drenched in blood, trauma and a burning seed of revenge and vengeance that grows inside Emilia that will reshape the entirety of Emilia’s life, magic. . .and love.

Emilia is an interesting sort, in the beginning I was a little bummed that we weren’t going to be in Vittoria’s headspace, as she seemed to be the more reckless and outgoing of the two. And then, Maniscalo flips the script and all of a sudden I couldn’t get enough of the evolution, power and disaster of Emilia’s journey and character growth.

The Wicked, or the dark deliciously twisted and wonderfully decadent, Princes of Hell are something to behold and let me just say that from the moment Wrath makes his appearance, even in the midst of the horrific-ness of the scene, I felt the inkling of butterflies. When he fully comes into the story, I went into complete and utter grinning madness. Wrath is deliciously delightful and I adored each and every scene stealing moment that he was on the page.

From the very get go, I knew in my gut that this book was going to be a race against hell. As Emilia free falls into the anger of the brutal mysterious murder of Vittoria, the secrets of her death, the details of a curse that has been sewn into the girls lives from the beginning and the overall crazy awesomeness of the magical system and the dark magic itself, I knew I was a goner. I was cozily wrapped up in every delicious word of this novel.

This book is one that I loved, and is definitely one of my favorite reads of this dumpster fire we call 2020. Thank goodness I was able to escape the insanity for a few days while I squirreled away in Emilia’s world with demons, and magic, and hell, oh, my! I can’t wait to see what happens next, that cliffhanger ending had me feeling all sorts of things, mostly just excited to see what Kerri Maniscalo does next. Grab this on release day and read it, I think you’ll love it too!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely incredible. Holy crap. This is hands-down one of the best YA titles of the fall. It rocked my socks off.

**Review will be published October 23rd**

YOU DON’T KNOW IT YET, BUT YOU NEED THIS BOOK.

I don’t even know how to start this review, I LOVED this book y’all! I enjoyed Maniscalco’s first series, Stalking Jack the Ripper, but mainly for Thomas Cresswell. Seriously, don’t ask me what I think about Audrey Rose. That being said, it made me initially nervous to read this because I worried for the main character again.

And I can say, for at least this first book, I am wrong. I adored Emilia as the main protagonist. She was bold and fierce. Made her own decisions based on what she knew and was told, and yeah, maybe ran off into danger a time or two, but what heroine doesn’t? Emilia was the missing puzzle piece I needed to love this.

Enter in, our Prince of Hell, WRATH. Ohhhh can Maniscalco right a love interest amazingly well. I feel a solidified new book boyfriend coming in over the course of this series. I loved the banter and enemies to lovers dynamic. Being forced to work together to solve witch murders led to some close knit and quiet scenes that I JUST CAN’T HANDLE. Part of his character is left very open-ended and I will sit here anxiously waiting to know if some of my thoughts/assumptions are true.

May be wondering why the half-star take down? For one of the characters involved I could spot from a mile away that they were one of the villains. I didn’t like how quick that was to pick out from the get-go. What I did love was meeting all of Wrath’s brothers. Who knew I was so interested in the Princes from hell? All so cunning and manipulative. Filled with arrogance and doing as they please. Couldn’t help myself, I loved them (and hated them, ya know) too.

There’s a lot of action, heat, and mystery involved here. I was absolutely entrenched in this Italian backdrop atmosphere. It fit this story well and only increased my adoration. Give me book two ASAP.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult paranormal fantasy romance
Language: very little
Romance: kisses / make-outs; a scene where characters are undressed, but that’s as far as it goes
Violence: murder, torture, animal attacks, physical altercations
Content warnings: loss of a loved one

This book was dark and magical and seductive and I loved it so much!

This book is a murder mystery with magic and demons and it is dark and bloody and the perfect spooky read. I absolutely loved this book and I was completely hooked by the first chapter. I loved the whole atmosphere of this book and how it showed the dark side of people.

“Find forgiveness and acceptance in your heart, or darkness will seep in and destroy you.”

The main character, Emilia, goes down a dark path of vengeance when she discovers her sister murdered and will go to any lengths to find the killer, even making a deal with the devil himself. I loved how conflicted she was from wanting to find who murdered her sister to also seeing there is more to her sisters death and wanting to find out what her secrets her sister had been hiding and to do that while working with a Prince from Hell. I really liked her character and how driven she was and how she overcame her fears to find her sisters killer.

“Vengeance was now a part of me, as real and necessary as my heart or lungs.”

I also loved how passionate she was for cooking and worked in the family restaurant. We got so many incredible food references and it just had me drooling over everything and I do not recommend reading this book on an empty stomach! I just wanted to try everything that she would cook, I loved how vivid the descriptions were too and could practically smell the food cooking.

The descriptions throughout the book were really vivid and created a dark and creepy atmosphere where you really felt for the life of Emilia on several occasions in this book especially as we see what lurks in the shadows. The terrifying creatures released from hell and other dangerous creatures and that doesn’t even include the other Princes from Hell that we meet. There is no one truly good person in this book which made all the characters complex and intriguing.

“Lethal, Beautiful. Wholly untouchable.”

The most intriguing character in this book was Wrath who is a literal Prince of Hell and yet I couldn’t help but like him. Kerri did a great job creating a complex character who we know isn’t good but we can’t help but root for too, especially as he is usually the type of character I don’t like! While he is unable to lie to Emilia due to her summoning him, he still withholds information from her and has his own ulterior motives and then there is the intense chemistry between him and Emilia which becomes more and more electric as the story progresses.

I loved the bickering and tension building throughout the book between the two of them and while it’s clear they both have some sort of feelings they both have their own motivations too which of course complicates matters. I am really intrigued to see what will happen between the two of them in the next book.

“In the end, the monster we feared didn’t come from hell. He came from privilege.”

This book had me intrigued from the beginning and while I was able to figure out some twists there was some that took me by surprise and I really loved the whole eerie atmosphere of this book. The ending of the book left me instantly needing the sequel so I am really looking forward to reading what will be next!

Thank you Netgalley & JIMMY Patterson for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I had fun reading Kingdom of Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. This is a story about vengeance and what a seemingly kind, good-hearted girl is willing to do to avenge her twin's murder. Let’s start at the beginning. We have twin girls, Emilia and Vittoria, who are raised on stories of witches and The Wicked (the Princes of Hell). The girls spend years thinking their Nonna is telling them scary stories to scare them. Then tragedy hits and Emilia is forced to face the loss of her twin, as well as her worst fears.

The plot is complicated and, at times, keeping it all straight is overwhelming. I wish more time spent on the backstory of the family magic, as I enjoyed hearing about that aspect of this world.

What worked for me:

-The setting!!! I love me some Italian and the authentic and beautiful backdrop of Sicily was a dream for me. And the food, can we just talk about the food for a minute? The food descriptions were incredible and made me so hungry. I do wish that Maniscalco had included even more details about the island. Sometimes it felt like Emilia was moving through the city so fast that I couldn’t get a clear picture of what was around her.

-LUST – We meet 4 of the princes of hell and Lust stood out for me. We only meet him for a few minutes, but the interaction leaves a mark on Emilia in a way none of the others do. And for me, that says a lot since her love interest did not leave a mark until later. His power is so much more than that “you’ll crave sex until you lose your mind”, way. The prince forces you to feel so much happiness and joy, and when he rips it away, it is devastating, leaving you a hollow shell of the person you used to me. Emilia’s meeting with Lust and the after-effects was one of my favorite scenes.

What didn’t work for me:

-Wrath: Emilia’s love interest is a confusing character and sometimes that can work but I don’t know if it did here… When we meet Wrath he’s angry because he’s summoned by a witch who obviously doesn’t know what she’s doing. Makes sense, I’m with you. THEN he proceeds to “fall” for the girl who asks so many questions it’s infuriating? On top of that, Emilia treats him horribly and he allows it? She binds them, which forces Wrath to keep her safe or he’d lose some of his power (for a time being), but I don’t see how a Prince from HELL, especially WRATH, would allow an 18-year-old girl to walk all over him. I did enjoy some of the banter between these two. Although the constant reminder that they hate each other, even as they are flirting with feelings, became too much. I’m not sold on these two, however, I’m very interested to see where things will go.

-The Mystery/The Ending – The mystery of who’s behind Vittoria’s murder is obvious from the start, which was disappointing. Then you have the rushed ending. I mean the climax hits and before you have a chance to catch your breath it’s over. I finished the book and said, “What?”, and not in an exciting way. It ended and I had to go back and read the last 3-4 chapters because I felt like I missed something. For those of you who don’t like cliffhangers, surprise, there’s a large cliff at the end of this one.

Possible Spoiler Ahead:



For me, the hardest thing to get over was their Nonna hiding everything from the twins.

At one-point Wrath says, “…By not studying all power, you’ve closed off options. Not honing each weapon in your arsenal is a poor strategy on your part… If your grandmother is against you learning to defend yourself, it’d start asking questions.”

Those words stuck out to me. Why didn’t Nonna prepare the girls???

I understand that Emilia needed to make mistakes. I understand that she needed to be in the dark on some things. BUT I will not accept that their Nonna thought she was doing what was “best for them” by NOT preparing them for WAR! That, to me, was the biggest problem with the story and with a lot of fantasy novels.

By keeping the girls in the dark not only did it cost Vittoria her life, it put Emilia’s life in constant danger (I get that was the point), but most importantly it made Emilia weak. She had to rely on other people to protect her, and that cliché or troupe, or whatever you want to call it, is old. Instead of making her weak, I wanted Emilia to be strong!

Overall, I would say, I wish the time Maniscalco put into describing the food, would have also been spent on the characters and more of the setting and plot details. I was craving more all around. All this said, I honestly can’t wait to read the next book because I’m hoping we get to see the Emilia I wanted to see in Kingdom of the Wicked.

Hello Gemmies! I have an exciting book review to share with you today. Please note: I received a digital ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco is the first book in the Kingdom Of The Wicked series. This is a fabulous new YA historical fantasy novel. It's no secret that I adore Kerri Maniscalco and her Stalking Jack The Ripper series. Well folks....she has done it again! I enjoyed Kingdom of the Wicked so much! Kerri Maniscalco's creativity really shines through in this book. The world building is lush, detailed, and complex. It felt very dimensional with all the different houses, names, places, creatures, events, and food. Oh the food! Trigger warning this book contains full on food porn! If you aren't hungry when you start reading, you will be by the time you are done! I enjoyed the overall aesthetic, writing style, and the imagery depicted throughout Kingdom of the Wicked. The representation of the seven deadly sins as houses of hell was extremely imaginative. The setting is atmospheric and the people in this version of Sicily are full of so much history and legends that I can see this series going on for a very long time. I loved all of the different creatures and their power structures. I hope we get to see more werewolves and vampires in future books.

Kingdom of The Wicked is also a well written character driven story. The story unfolds from our main protagonist Emilia's point of view. Emilia is dealing with the grief of loosing her twin sister while coming to terms with her growing power. Emilia was likable and relatable, although I do wish she would have thought things through a little bit more before she reacted. Now lets talk about Wrath.....mega hot tortured Demon. And the chemistry between Emilia and Wrath... full on blazing fire hot. I have to take a minute to mention Emilia's family's Trattotia. The restaurant is almost its own character and acts as a wonderful backdrop for precious family moments as well as lots of delicious food and drinks.

Kingdom of the Wicked is full of action and feels appropriately paced. I like that there was a mystery mixed in with all of the fantasy and paranormal action. It added an extra level of depth to the story. Kingdom of the Wicked also contains everything I love about fantasy... enemies to reluctant friends, murder, magic, demonic creatures, yummy food, morally grey characters, and a lush detailed world. I am looking forward to reading more stories set in this universe. I have one major complaint....Kerri Maniscalco how dare you leave me with a cliff hanger?!?!??!?! OMG I need book two immediately and book one isn't even out yet! What am I going to do now?

If you are a fan of witches, black magic, frenemies, mystery, food, vengeance, prophecies, and creatures of all kinds, then go read this book. Published by Jimmy Patterson Books, Kingdom of the Wicked is available for pre- order from all major booksellers. I give Kingdom of the Wicked 4 out of 5 gems. I cannot wait to read more stories in this series. Happy Reading!

OMG THIS BOOK!!!! I seriously could not put it down! The food! The mystery!

WRATH!!!

Highly, highly, recommend!!

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are witches, and their life depends on them keeping that a secret and also never taking off an amulet which is said to protect them. Emilia is the brasher of the two while Vittoria is the soft-spoken sweet one. Unfortunately… we don’t get to see much of Vittoria because the novel centers on Emilia trying to solve the mystery involving Vittoria’s murder.
Kerri Maniscalco created a highly atmospheric setting, using descriptions that brought life to the novel, but sometimes these dragged on, losing me because they weren’t essential to the plot or story.

When we meet the next character, Wrath, one of seven princes of hell, things pick up a little more. I wanted more when it came to their interactions. To me, Emilia and Wrath didn’t true grow until the last few chapters, and then it was only dangled in front of us. I hope there is more to their development in the second book.

Largely, this was a solid 3.5 savvy crowns for me. I enjoyed it; it kept me fairly engaged, but when it comes down to it, I wanted more depth as far as character interactions/development went. Especially when romance is promised… there was very little of that.

I need the sequel now!

I was so lucky to snag myself an eARC of Kingdom of the Wicked, thanks to the publisher. I had been super excited about reading this novel from the moment Kerri Maniscalco posted the announcement on Instagram.

Set in 19th Century Palermo, the story follows the di Carlo twins, Emilia and Vittoria. They're just your average teenage girls; except for the fact that they're witches. All their lives, they've been warned against The Wicked - Demon princes of hell by their Nonna. The twins work at their family restaurant, Sea & Vine. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service, and Emilia, on her quest to locate her sister, finds her body. It's been desecrated - her heart is missing.

Emilia vows vengance on the person responsible for her sister's death. Enter Wrath, one of the demon princes Emilia has been warned about her whole life. Claiming to be on Emilia's side, Wrath has been tasked by the Devil himself to hunt down the killer responsible for the deaths of three women on the island of Sicily, of which Vittoria was the most recent. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems.

I absolutely loved this book. It felt very cozy for me. It might have to do with the fact that it's set in Italy, and the mention of the food, the smells, just feel instantly like home for me. It might also be the fact that I live for books about witches and demons and intrigue. It might even be the fact that I've loved everything that Kerri Maniscalco has written so far, and her writing style is a comfortable place for me.

I loved the characters. They're all well rounded, but I'll admit that Wrath is probably my favourite. He's your typical bad guy, arrogant and sexy, but he's also a demon prince of Hell so you expect nothing less. The way that he and Emilia interact is great and I really enjoyed their banter.

It's clear that Kerri did her research about the place she was writing about and was really able to bring to life the city to life. It was wonderful to read about places that you can still visit today, such as Castello della Zisa, and I loved the fact that she took the time to discuss the food, too.

Although demons and witches are not a new concept, the way that Kerri worked their narrative together felt different from your average story. Each twist and turn that the narrative took made me question what I already knew from other worlds and their lore.

The only drawback of reading this book as an eARC is that I now have to wait for the next book, and I really can't wait. 5/5 from me, and I cannot wait to get my physical copy when this book goes on sale!

I got accepted to read an early release of this book. I have been waiting ages for this to be available and I am ecstatic that Netgalley granted me this free copy in exchange of my honest review.

Synopsis from GoodReads:

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 strega – 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.

“…. Which was ridiculous since death didn’t discriminate between paradise and hell…”

About the book: The book introduces us to Sicily back in 1800 I think. I was not a 100% sure on the time frame. Its not very clear from the book but I am guessing around that time. We meet the Dicarlo? Family. A family of strega or ad we call them witches. As back in the 1800 they are hiding and obviously cannot let anyone know that they are witches of fear of being murdered and burned alive, by the Holy Church and people who fear them. I found the book ti be well written. It is easy to read and I especially enjoyed the occasional Italian in the speech. Made it feel more authentic, even though I don’t speak Italian other then: grazie.

Characters: The book follows Emilia’s perspectives and we learn everything through her eyes and experiences. The book has a lot of string female characters and it was empowering to read about how they over come the challenges set in the book. At the beginning Emilia is very naive if I can say. From childhood they have heard stories of the wicked “Malvagi” the ruler of hell -Pride. They were told it fear them and to stay away from them. So of course when her sister dies by being involved in the dark arts; Emilia without hesitation dips in and bonds herself to Wrath. One of the 7 princes of hell. To be honest I did like Emilia’s character. She did come a long way throughout the book. I liked her grandma Nona as well. She definitely been a surprise of badass 🙂 On the other hand, the Malvagi princes are very interesting. We spent a lot, and I mean a lot of time describing how bloody irresistible Wrath’s abs and perfect body is…. I could have done with less really. It was almost a bit too much….. However, I did enjoy getting to know some of the princes: Wrath, Greed, Lust and Envy mainly. We did meet Pride but very superficially. I am sure we will meet more of them in the next books to come. Through the book we see how much each character develops and the friendship they build and the enemies they get.

“….There are seven demon prices, but only four Di Carlos should fear:Wrath, Greed, Envy and Pride. One will crave your blood. One will capture your heart. One will steal your soul. And on will take your life….”

Plots & Twist: There were definitely parts in this book that I did not see coming and ended up shouting and hyperventilating as I was reading it. However, I guess one of the main twists in the book is quite predictable. I mean it will be a triology I think it is very self explanatory of what will happen…….

Conclusion: This books is an amazingly written adventure and I pretty much loved every page of it. One thing I was slightly disappointed with was the lack of magic in the book, but I guess they had to build up the story line First to then explore further into the magical part. Another thing I struggles with and this is probably the main reason why the book lost half a star is that Emilia is a witch, and I get it that she was almost shielded her whole life, however, when something happens she just freezes and is unable to think of anything else. She blocked and forgets everything. Like: Someone is literally bleeding out in front of you and she could not think a spell or even to move to do anything. It bothered me. But as I said I guess they had to build up the character to give her the journey and development.

I have quite liked the witch elements of the book; the moon, crystals plants and how the earth is all connected. As mentioned above I did enjoy the story line and getting to know the characters even though the plot has been predictable. It was still a very Good and enjoyable read. Definitely perfect for October.

A dark, atmospheric tale of witches, demon princes & vengeance. I really enjoyed this book. Within the first few chapters I was hooked, feeling a connection with our main character Emilia. Maniscalco’s writing is easy to delve into and kept me reading because I HAD TO KNOW what was going to happen next! If you are looking for a chilling October read with dark magic and the supernatural... you must give this a read!