If one thing can be said about this book is that it's the perfect choice for fall. If you're into the spooky, halloween-esque vibe of this season, Kingdom of the Wicked is definitely the book you should be reading. It does not only have mysterious and perfectly constructed descriptions of witchcraft and dark magic, but also the setting (Palermo, a few centuries back) gives the story the perfect touch to make it the best choice in anticipation of Halloween.

From the get-go, I was invested in the story of the twins. We have Emilia, our main character that it's a little more reserved and held-back than her sister, the wild and reckless Vittoria. I connected with them instantly and they were great characters we get to know deeply, as well as the bond they have, which is complex and relatable. Along the way, Emilia discovers the many secrets that were actually in between them and that's something we as readers can relate to in real life: most times we never truly get to fully know someone, even if we're very close to them. Another remarkable member of this family was Nonna, who always tries to protect the sisters, but that protection might hurt them in the end because they're unprepared for what the real world holds.

This book talks about the seven Princes of Hell, the most powerful demons in their realm, and we get to know each one of them as the story unravels. The author made each Prince very unique and it was really interesting to see how the connected with the witches (or Strega) and their interactions with Emilia, but especially Wrath. I know for a fact that Kerri Maniscalco creates amazing male protagonists and this time she didn't disappoint. As you can expect from a demon, Wrath is clever and incredibly smart but also has other layers to him that you slowly get to know.

The backstory of the di Carlo witches and of the magical world in general was so well written. Usually, books about witches don't include much background information and many things are left to the reader's imagination, but this isn't the case. Including spells, dangerous bargains, curses and evil objects, Kingdom of the Wicked has a rich worldbuilding where the readers can lose themselves in, and it has the potential to expand and become even greater in the next books.

The food descriptions in the story had me so hungry the entire time. The book brings you closer to the culinary arts from Italy, and her passion for cooking gives Emilia's character more realism and depth. Witch books are usually so invested in the magical side of the plot that they don't tend to give many importance to other things a reader can also enjoy, and this was a detail that I really appreciate was included.

Kingdom of the Wicked is much more than a spooky story. In its pages we see Maniscalco's great ability to create a dark and mysterious world with great detail and complex characters to match. It makes the reader reflect on what someone might be willing to do to avenge the death of a loved one, and the dangerous challenge of not letting yourself get dragged by the darkness while you're at it. I'm really excited to find out what this story will bring next in the sequel!

OMG! Kerri has done it again and I am hooked so bad! That's the problem with ARC's now I'm hooked and there's no hope until a release date of the second installment is available! Emelia and Victtoria are twins and they are different from other witches, they are witches with a little bit more demon blood than regular witches. They listen to their Nonna about the demon princes and things are going good or at least Emelia thinks so. Emilia is the twin that stays on the safe lines, she does what she's supposed to and she loves staying in reading a romance novel. Victtoria is the daring twin, she takes chances and she's adventurous until the unspeakable happens. A few weeks have gone on and there have been witch murders around the area, a couple of towns over but as long as the girls have their necklaces they should be alright, shouldn't they? One night when Emelia is getting her basket that she had left the previous night and then she finds a demon looking over a girl licking the blood off of his fingers, when she scares the demon away she is only to find out that the girl with her heart ripped out is her twin, Victtoria. Since that night everything changed. Fueled by hate and revenge Emelia summons a demon to try to get the answers she seeks but, the demon she summons is Wrath one of the princes of hell, the very demon that was tasting Victtoria's blood that fateful night. After getting over her her inicial shock and learning that he wasnt the one that killed her Emila must team up with Wrath to try to solve the murder of her twin sister and try to figure out what is true and what is not in the legends of why the Pride Prince himself is stuck under ground and what she needs to do next!
Ok, let's talk. I love this author. I read her other series and I absolutely loved them! Now, this series is amazing. I fell in love and finished it in one evening and now...I'm completely and utterly lost thinking and considering every possible twist or turn this book could turn into until the next installment is published! This is AMAZING and yes you should read it!

This might just be my favorite book of all time.

Emilia and her sister Vittoria are twin witches living in Palermo, Sicily. Life is all fun and games until Vittoria turns up brutally murdered with her heart cut out. Turns out someone has been killing witches. But why? Emilia intends to find out. She has turned vengeful after the lost of her sister and she will stop at nothing until she finds the killer and makes them pay. So her brilliant plan includes summoning one of the seven princes of Hell, Wrath, and binding him to her so he is forced to help her solve the mystery. They are mortal enemies but Emilia will cross any line for revenge.

The best way to describe this book was deliciously wicked. I love morally gray characters and this book is full of them. First of all there is Wrath who is literally a prince of Hell so his personality should obviously be evil. But surprisingly he is a lot more well mannered and tolerable than one would think. Then there is Emilia who starts off as a really sweet white witch but slowly becomes twisted by grief and vengeance. Emilia is cunning but still tries to keep to her morals...when she remembers them. I loved both of these main characters so much because they have such an interesting dynamic. They really don't like each other but for some reason they feel some pull to each other. Wrath will do just about anything to get what he wants and Emilia will do just about anything to find her sister's killer. Truly a match made in Hell.

There really isn't too much romance in this book which I loved. The description makes it seem like this book is more of a romance but it really isn't. This is the story about a girl who lost her twin sister and wants nothing more than to make the murderer pay. Romance is the last thing on her mind. That doesn't mean that there isn't some stirrings between certain characters. It was the perfect amount of romance. Not that much but just enough to want more of it.

This book leaves you with a lot of questions but this is a series so that shouldn't be an issue. I'll get my answers eventually. My only critique is that I wish we were told more information and not as kept in the dark. It makes sense though because we follow Emilia who is very much kept in the dark about everything from everyone.

I adored the atmosphere of this book. As a Sicilian (American) named Emily who's family hails from Palermo and always wished she could be a witch you can imagine how much I connected to this book. It was very nostalgic of my culture and it was almost like I could live out a life I always wanted. Well maybe minus the whole summoning demons thing. The food descriptions were incredible and this book made me so hungry. I want nothing more than to go to Sicily right now

I can't wait for the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book if you are on the fence about checking it out. It's definitely worth it.

I was so thrilled to receive an ARC of Kingdom of the Wicked, a book high up on my most anticipated list. Kerri Maniscalco did not disappoint.

Emilia and Vittoria are twins and witches. Their grandma, Nonna, made them necklaces to wear that are never to be touching. The girls don't really take her warning too seriously. Nonna warns about the seven demon princes of hell. She says the ones the family should worry about are Wrath, Greed, Envy, and Pride. Girls start ending up murdered with their hearts missing. When the murders hit close to home, Emilia decides to figure out who the murderer is. She'll even use dark magic if needed. Emilia ends up summoning a demon, Wrath, and he was bound to her. Wrath wants Emilia to make a blood trade, but she rightfully doesn't trust him. However, Wrath has proven to be helpful and Emilia finds that she enjoys his company at times.

Emilia finds out about a curse. The spell would allow the devil to break the curse and travel between realms. The Horn of Hades is a key that locks the gates of Hell. Not only does Emilia want to find the killer, but she now knows she needs to do everything she can to keep the gates of Hell locked. She finds out more about the curse and the Wicked. Emilia finds herself face to face with more demons while she tries to protect her family. None of them can be trusted, but Wrath has been helping her. Emilia needs to figure out if she can believe him or not.

I loved this book and gave it 5 stars. Thank you to James Patterson Presents and Netgalley for my review copy.

Warnings for blood magic/cutting, death, talk of hell, and some gore.

I don't know what to say about this one. In some parts I totally loved it, and in some parts I just wanted to leave it unread.
It was written like a movie. The begining is little slow, and 60% of this book things became interesting. And now I wm hucked and I just can not wait for book two.
Because it was sooo gripping at the end, this is 4 stars.

Advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly couldn't believe that I got accepted for this ARC. I was so happy and I immediately started to read this book. The only downside is that I will have to wait longer for the sequel which I desperately need and will definitely be buying when it gets published.

Kingdom of the Wicked follows Emilia who is a witch. Her twin sister Vittoria is murdered and Emilia is the one who finds her body. During the pursuit of her sister's killer, she gets involved with Wrath. One of the Princes of Hell who she has been warned about her entire life. Emilia doesn't know who she can trust whilst trying to unravel the truth.

The plot of this book was so good. It took about 10% of the book for me to get hooked, and then I didn't want to put the book down. As soon as we are introduced to the mystery of Vittoria's death, the pace increases and the journey that the reader goes on is an enjoyable one. I have read Kerri Maniscalco's other works and I could see how her writing has evolved because there was only a hand full of things which I didn't like or didn't make sense to me. One part I didn't like as much was the ending. It's an open ending that's a cliffhanger but also not at the same time. We got the answers to the mysteries of this book but not the bigger mystery that will most likely span the sequel(s). I wish that we had a clearer ending that wouldn't have to be answered by reading the sequels. Despite this, I really enjoyed this book.

I also really liked the writing of this book. I'm currently on a diet and the descriptions of the food made me so hungry and I started to crave cannoli. I also liked the descriptions of Italy and the dresses that Emilia would wear.

My favourite thing about this book was the relationship between Emilia and Wrath. Wrath was my favourite character. The first thing he ever says in this book made me love him. I also love cold male characters like Wrath, and I liked how I couldn't really understand him or his actions because it only serves himself. Add Wrath with Emilia and there's a good chemistry there. Emilia is attracted to Wrath but she stops herself. She just wants to find out what happened to her sister and maybe save the world and her family in the process.

I liked Emilia, but not as much as Wrath. Emilia is quite a rash character, and there was a few times where she acted out in anger but then had to go back and rectify what she did in a fit of rage once she has calmed down. In addition, to me she didn't appear to be that logical. She didn't do one of the things that most detectives do when someone dies, and sometimes when she was trying to see the parties involved in her sisters death and she would pluck ideas out of nothing. She would also go charging head first into things with little preparation despite knowing the dangers. Despite those things, I still liked accompanying her on her journey.

Overall, I loved this book. This book is on the list of my favourite books this year. I would highly recommend it, especially if you're looking to read something spooky this Halloween season, and I can't wait to pick up the sequel.

“Maybe I can’t kill you, but I’ll find other ways to make you suffer.”
“Trust me, your very presence is accomplishing that.”

I loved this story!
A favourite for this year for sure
It was such a fun read. The interactions between Wrath and Emilia were honestly my favourite thing about this book.

I loved that Emilia, though new to a lot of this stuff, stuck to her guns on her beliefs and what she would do to find her sister. She was someone you could definitely look up to.

Wrath isn't like the other brothers. And you can forget he is even a prince from hell. He had so many layers.

The witchcraft was done perfectly which is always a plus. And I loved this whole story idea as a whole.

I'm so happy I got to read this book and I am already dying for the next one.
Thank you NetGalley

This frickin book yall! I started this at 9pm and did not put it down until I was finished that night because it instantly sucked me in and kept me needing to know what was going to happen next. Wrath is my new favorite book boyfriend that I know I shouldn't love, but im 100% here for him either way. Emilias growth in this story was so amazing to watch and the way Kerri ended the book holy crap like I need the second book so frickin bad! I want to reread this bad boy already, but I'm making myself wait until the audiobook is out to give myself a bit of time with others!

This frickin book yall! I started this at 9pm and did not put it down until I was finished that night because it instantly sucked me in and kept me needing to know what was going to happen next. Wrath is my new favorite book boyfriend that I know I shouldn't love, but im 100% here for him either way. Emilias growth in this story was so amazing to watch and the way Kerri ended the book holy crap like I need the second book so frickin bad! I want to reread this bad boy already, but I'm making myself wait until the audiobook is out to give myself a bit of time with others!

I LOVED Kingdom of the Wicked!

This was overall excellent, and I can't believe I've never read a book by Kerri Maniscalco before.

WHAT I LOVED
- Emilia was such a lovely character to follow. She was very clever, and battled with real human emotions.
- Wrath, of course. I wish we had gotten to see more of him, but I understood why we got what we did.
- All the food! This book made me hungry. I was actually sad that the more Emilia got involved in the mystery, the less she was cooking in her family's kitchen.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
- Sometimes, this book got VERY confusing, just because there are so many webs being woven. The princes are tough to keep apart – Envy and Pride, specifically, I tended to confuse with each other. It clears up over time but can be overwhelming.

Holy Hell...
Give me Witches, give me Devils, give me angst...
I adored everything about this. An intriguing murder mystery that leads straight to Hell.

While trying to solve her twins murder, our MC, Emilia, leads us on a merry chase for clues, all while trying to navigate her new found "friendship" with the devilish Wrath.

I found the characters fun and witty, the magic and myth building easy to follow, and the cliffhanger killer. I can't wait to see what happens next.

This is an amazing read. The writing is beautiful and there were a few chapters that broke my heart beyond repair. It can be a little slow paced at times but other than that I enjoyed this so much and will definitely be rereading at some point.

I went into this not knowing what to expect and came out pretty pleased. I have never read anything from Maniscalco before, so I was a bit nervous going into this as she is a pretty beloved author in the YA community. The aspect of the novel I enjoyed the most was how in tune it was to Italian culture. There were moments between the community within the novel that made me smile - the descriptions of food, the random Italian words and character mannerisms put a smile on my face. I found myself highlighting a lot of aspects of this book that just touched this special place in my heart. The book was also a really fast read. Every time I picked it up, I flew through chapters. My problems with the book really started after the first 100 pages. The plot started to really unfold, but because the world building was a bit confusing, I was really lost. On top of that, I feel like most characters were really underdeveloped so actions and interactions felt especially random. I finished this a couple of minutes ago, and I cannot even tell you what happens in the last 20 pages because it was sped through and convoluted. I would definitely be interested in reading the next in the series because I still enjoyed (what I understood of) the plot, the romance was interesting and the setting really made me feel at home.

This is my first book from Kerri Maniscalco and it is definitely not my last.

We start, where all good stories do, with an all-knowing grandmother passing on her traditions to her twin grandchildren. In this instance, Nonna just happens to be passing on the knowledge of the Malvagi- 7 Demon Princes of Hell with a stern warning- protect yourself and hide.

I love the juxtaposition between Emilia the quiet bookworm and Vittoria the social butterfly. Their love and friendship and more so their shared secrets transcend the familial bond to something more intense. Having this brutally ripped away has spawned a bowel of hate and revenge so deep within Emilia that she does the unthinkable.

Kingdom of the Wicked is an epic murder mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat. It is an excellent representation of the “grey areas” where the world is not necessarily black or white but comfortably in between. Kerri has woven a powerful tale about the power of sacrifice, the beauty of love and family, and the true price of doing the right thing.

I love that despite the severity and dark mood clouding the novel, Kerri has managed to incorporate brief moments of comedic relief that humanize Wrath- the wicked prince of hell and sheds light on different aspects of his personality. The pairing and journey of Emilia and Wrath was highly enjoyable and engaging. Their interactions were fraught with sexual tension and rimmed with unspoken danger.

Things that were a bit concerning for me was how the author wrote Emilia, her progression seemed a bit rushed especially the disparity between her fear of the princes yet her bold manner in dealing and even outwitting them. This coupled with her desire to be more like Vittoria and using this as justification to run headfirst into dangerous life-threatening situations was another red flag. There was also a greater need for clarity on the true intent of Wrath, the prophecy, and the princes of hell and their true purposes which were clouded in mystery. (hence 4 and not 5 starts)

I have the utmost faith that these unanswered questions will be revealed in her followup novel. Especially seeing as that ending nearly made me fall off my chair. Holy mother of a cliffhanger !!!!!!

Despite these small details, I thoroughly enjoyed the Kingdom of the Wicked and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Review posted on my blog: https://jessicareadsit.wordpress.com/

Get ready for dark witchy vibes, enemy lovers, the seven deadly sins, and a taste of Italy. This book feels like it was designed with Maas loving readers in mind quite often, but I just never quite clicked with it the way that I do with a Sarah J. Maas book...

Principium: I began reading this book with both high hopes and sadly with somewhat high expectations... I’ve seen nothing but positive reception to it, so I felt that I would most likely love it warts and all. And at the beginning I felt that that would be correct. The setting of the stage was very well done. It was atmospheric and well-written, and I felt I’d be in for a story that didn’t end up being what I read here. I loved the feeling of a loving family and all of the Italian culture and food. The witch and curse aspect sparked my interest immensely until it didn’t.

The Characters/Relationships: This was definitely an aspect of the book that fell incredibly flat for me. With the exception of Emilia’s relationship with her Nonna, I felt incredibly disconnected from all of the relationships. And the characters just never came to life for me. I honestly felt like I was watching someone else read this book or something, and I think if I’d been able to connect at all with any of the characters that wouldn’t have been the case.

The Mystery: I love a good mystery, and again, i feel that if I’d been able to get sucked in by this aspect, I’d have been able to jive with the book better. Sadly, this also fell incredibly flat for me. I guessed the culprit early on, which was super disappointing not because I guessed right, but because so little effort seemed to have been put into this character. I almost wish that solving a mystery hadn’t been a part of the plot, and as a Nancy Drew super fan, I feel that that speaks a lot to the enjoyability of this mystery.

The Ending: I will say that I cruised through this book, it was a very quick read despite my not loving it. Getting to the end did feel like an accomplishment more than anything else though unfortunately. I would have much preferred to have loved this book, but by the end I was kind of just ready to be finished with it... And while the cliffhanger ending will be sure to hook many readers, I think that this is probably the point at which I will getting off of this train.

In closing, I want to say my most favorite aspect of this book is the food! It really made me hungry for a delicious, authentic Italian meal, and that was really, really pleasant while reading. I think if you want to be where the characters are that’s never a bad thing! I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book, though I do think that a lot of readers are going to absolutely love it, but I would say that if you’re a fan of Sarah J. Maas books, enjoy reading about lovers who hate each other, like stories about witches, and love really delicious food descriptions, this might just be the book for you!

4.5 // 5 stars

This book is the perfect embodiment of spooky season.

Okay guys so Kerri Maniscalco's other series, Stalking Jack the Ripper, is one of my all-time favorites. After reading the first book in her newest series, I can firmly say that, not only was she one of my favorite authors anyway, she's now become one of my auto-buy authors.

I was truly and wholly obsessed with this book while reading. I started it at around midnight (stupid me) and read 75% of it before I forced myself to go to bed. Initially I only wanted to get to 20% and then I just couldn't. stop. reading. I was sucked in and held captive by this book.

This entire book was so intriguing and spooky. I was getting literal chills while reading parts of it. I'm not someone who typically reaches for scary books (not that Kerri's books are overly scary or horror novels...I'm just a scaredy cat) and yet I absolutely love it when Kerri's books give me the spooks. It was the same with her previous series and I'm glad to see it continue with this new trilogy. Honestly everything about this book was intriguing for me. The characters, the magic, the lore, the setting...all of it captured my attention. Also, the descriptions of food had me drooling.

I'd say my favorite part of the book was, as usual, the characters. I'm just a sucker for well-developed, passionate characters (and we even had one of my favorite character tropes in this book). I loved our main character and she was so fun to read from. She's going through an incredibly tough time with the murder of her sister and I think a lot of people discount her grief. Some other reviews I've seen mention that sometimes she mad bad decisions but her sister just died? I thought that her actions in response to such painful grief were actually pretty realistic (as realistic as magic can be, that is). I also really liked Wrath. He was such an intriguing character and his banter with Emilia was top tier quality (but that's all I'm going to say on that so that I don't spoil anything).

Without spoiling, I'll just say that the ending was not what I expected at all. I am so excited for the next book because I just need to know where this story is going after that. I will say that after the long buildup throughout the novel and huge mysteries, I felt like the ending was a bit quick even if it was explosive. I just would have liked to see it fleshed out in more detail.

Overall, I really loved this book. I am so excited for my physical copies to come in the mail and I can't wait for everyone else to read this book! I can only hope that the wait for the sequel will pass by quickly because I am dying to return to this world already.

Devastated after the loss of her twin sister, young Emilia (one of the streghe witches) is set upon a dark path of vengeance laced with murder, forbidden magic, and buried secrets. It’s on this journey of retribution, where she meets one of the Wicked: Wrath. A self-righteous, broody prince of hell. The demon claims to be on Emilia’s side, but can she really trust him? After all, when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems. . .

Kingdom of the Wicked follows two twin witch sisters, Emilia and Vittoria. One night after Vittoria failed to appear for dinner, Emilia finds her sister murdered. Emilia is determined to find out who murdered her sister, and seeks revenge. She discovers that her sister may have been involved with The Wicked, the seven princes of Hell. When Emilia has to rely on one of the princes, Wrath, for help, things get crazy.

Emilia was a wonderful character. I related to her close relationship to her sister, and to her feelings of being willing to do anything to avenge her. Emilia is determined, stubborn, and refuses to rely on anyone but herself. Wrath, the demon prince, is mysterious, dark, and seductive. I loved the witty encounters between Emilia and Wrath throughout the story.

The writing was atmospheric and I loved how the author used her historical fiction and mystery writing strengths and folded in dark magic and lore. The descriptions of the food were also incredible and made me hungry quite a few times while reading.

Overall, this story was everything I was looking for in regards to a witchy/demonic fall read.

I received an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Set in Italy, this historical fiction, forbidden romance with a touch of magic introduces an incredible main character who finds herself pushing the boundaries of herself (leaving me striving for more for myself too). The food descriptions just speak to my soul. All around this was just a fantastic read with intrigue that leaves me hanging desperate for more. Never have I wanted multiple perspectives in a story more than I did reading this. I desperately want to know every though Wrath has. I just know I'm missing all the clues and hopefully a reread helps enlighten me even more. I'm trying to so hard to sleuth and I just know I'm failing. Do yourself a favor and pick up this perfect fall read.

I am very torn on this novel. I’m giving is 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review. I’m nearly equally divided on good and bad points for this novel. *Contains spoilers*

The biggest good point is that this story has real potential The idea of the Princes and the witches and what I think is the relationship between Hell and the novel’s world Is very interesting. I’d definitely like to know more. I want to know what’s going to happen, what has happened to get us here and a whole bunch more background on the many characters. The relationship between the sisters is very well done. I got a real sense of how close they were and why Emilia is so determined to figure out what happened to her.

I’m torn on Emilia. She sort of realizes that she doesn’t know anything, but she plunges in anyway. That would have worked just fine if she didn’t keep running after something only for it to be a dead end over and over. By the end I was sure I knew absolutely nothing, but it wasn’t frustrating, I just didn’t care. I’d been jerked around a lot but it didn’t feel like jerking, just minor tugs in different directions. I was just hoping for it to end and that I’d be given any clear information then.

I am still very confused about the setting. Other than being in Palermo, Italy, I have questions on the time period. At first I thought this was set in modern day Italy in the real world but now I’m not so sure. At times it seems to jump to a medieval-ish setting. At others, certain attitudes suggest it’s modern. My best guess is that this is a completely made up world that has elements of both, but that’s not satisfying. I wish there’d been a bit more information and description about where and when we are; about the wider world.

The magic system is also so vague. I have no idea who can do what and why. Emilia starts with certain minor powers and that sort of makes sense. I could accept that until she just keeps being able to do more stuff, but nothing actually seems to be useful. She is completely ineffectual half the time and a super power the other half. It was confusing and combined with everything else, boring.

All the Princes she meets are evil, scary and obviously bad, except Wrath. He’s obviously supposed to be the love interest. Some elements of the relationship make sense; the slow burn and the way they only sort of like each other by the end. There were a lot of well done interactions. Yet, he doesn’t ever seem to scare her. She reminds herself to be scared, but he never acts like his brothers. He never uses his powers against her and he’s “too cute to be terrifying”. It read as odd.

I hate cliffhangers and the way this ended was nicely set up for the sequel. But the denouement was so predictable. I guessed that villain right away. Despite all the twists and turns it wasn’t convincing. It was just annoying. It felt Like a whole bunch of filler to lengthen the novel.

It had its good points and I enjoyed reading it, but it was a bit disappointing. Not sure if I’ll read the sequel, but probably.