This is such an amazing book, I just couldn’t put it down. The characters were all so interesting and complex!

I can’t wait for the next instalment, I really don’t know how it will end!

*Thanks to Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I am almost disappointed that I got to read this book a month early because now I have to wait even longer for the next book.

Kerri Maniscalco delivered another fantastic book that is equally if not better than her Jack the Ripper series. The plot is fast paced. I could not put this book down.

I love that this book incorporates the seven deadly sins, specifically Wrath, Lust, Envy, and Greed - each of them playing a role in Emilia's search to find her sister's murderer. I love how Maniscalco manages to include how their specific sin influences Emilia, especially Wrath, as he continues to fuel her anger and vengeance to find her sister's killer. She includes a fascinating tale with curses and false myths of the witches above and the princes of Hell below. While I do think there is a lot of foreshadowing that leads to some predictions of the end of the story, there is still enough of the unknown to make you want to finish the book and find out what happens next.

I highly recommend this book and I am hoping it is not a four book series because I don't think I can wait a year for each book to come out!

Emilia and Vitorria are witches that live among regular people. One night, Emilia finds the dead body of her twin sister, and she sets out to find answers. She’s determined to make someone pay for this horrific tragedy. Following the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, I had really high expectations for this book. They were fulfilled! This is a great read that I did not want to end! This book draws the reader in and answers the questions at just the right time. This is a great fall, spooky read with plenty of depth. I would highly recommend to fans of YA/supernatural books!

This was such a good book! I originally wanted to read it because of the cover. The story did not disappoint!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

<i> *Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*</i>

<b>3.5 stars</b>

Set in Sicily in the 19th century, Kingdom of the Wicked focuses on Emilia and her family, who are Streghe, witches practicing undercover. When young witches start to be hunted down and brutally murdered, and the princes of hell, known as Malvagi, or the Wicked, walking the earth. Emilia has to decide who to trust and how to defend herself in trying to unravel her twin sister's murder.

I did enjoy the plot, but the writing style took me a little getting used to somehow (this is my first book by Maniscalo). Overall enjoyable, but the world could have used a touch more development! I did really like the creepy, eerie atmosphere of this, and the references to folklore.

I did quite enjoy Wrath as a character, and definitely look forward to finding out more about him! I also feel like Emilia has a lot of potential, and I look forward to seeing her character develop after that ending especially.

On a side note - the food descriptions were absolutely on point - they genuinely made me hungry!

I will definitely be picking up the sequel, as it has piqued my interest!

I NEED BOOK TWO NOOOOOOW!!!!!!!

This started of slow for me. I almost gave up, but then at 20% I was HOOKED. This was such a fun, engrossing fantasy. I love reading stories about witches and demons and all those spells!
I never knew I'd be rooting for a prince of hell and crushing on a fictional character so much, haha.

I have already pre-ordered two special editions of this book!! I can't wait until book two, hopefully sooner rather than later!

Thank you so much to Jimmy Patterson publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“It’s funny … Why can’t I find evidence to support you claims of innocence?”
“Are you asking me to comment on your own perceived incompetence?”

I think it’s impossible to avoid comparing Kingdom of The Wicked to Stalking Jack the Ripper, but I’m pleased to share that Kingdom of the Wicked brings out everything we’ve come to love from Kerri Maniscalco. While SJTR had Audrey terrified over the death of young women in her city, here Emilia stumbles onto the mutilated corpse of her own sister. This time we have a literal demon who is a literal prince and is obsessed with sweets and fashion. Look me in the eye and tell me this isn’t an escalation of Thomas Cresswell, who is described as a devilish prince at least twice every book. Still, Thomas and Audrey were pretty much always working together even if he got on her nerves a bit; Wrath is Emilia’s actual enemy, which just makes the enemies to lovers trope way more … intense.
And instead of a subtle undercurrent of dark sorcery we’re treated to a full blow explosion of fantasy. While the forensic angle of SJTR definitely made it stand out, Kerri makes the relatively more common fantasy tropes work as well. The genre allows her to unleash the darkness that all her readers love her for. However, unlike Thomas, Wrath actually isn’t human. He’s immortal and supernaturally gifted, which just makes him lord over Emilia. She is constantly getting into trouble and he’s always there to save the day. Emilia’s idea of being courageous is defying the rules that Wrath sets in place for her protection. And then she’s needlessly cruel to him after he saves her time and time again. Wrath doesn’t make mistakes. He isn’t mean or rude to her, except for a few extreme circumstances. Opposites attract doesn’t mean one is powerful and kind while the other is bumbling and rude. While I’m sure this wasn’t the intention, Emilia’s mood swings and inability to remain civil or logical was … annoying. If it happened a few times, it would be totally natural; but she just loses her temper and/or mind far too often. Basically, for a variety of reasons, I just couldn’t invest myself in either Emilia or Wrath. Also, twins are my weakness, but I still have nothing to say about Vittoria, which is just sad.
And none of this touches on the actual plot. I will not lie and say that I 100% followed the plot of any of the SJTR books, but this was a bit much. There are seven whole princes of Hell, along with their henchmen, Emilia’s family, friends, townspeople in general, mythical characters from folklore, complicated spells and magical objects. Not to mention the abundance of Latin and Italian being tossed around (okay, “tossed around” is an exaggeration, but it really didn’t help with my confusion). The twist ending definitely caught me off guard, but it was very on brand for Kerri! However, the cliffhanger at the end was a no-go, especially because the endings of each of the SJTR books were so perfect.
Overall, Kingdom of the Wicked turned the dial way up on the darkness and the enemies-to-lovers, but it ended up losing some of the simplicity and sweetness that gave SJTR its charm (at least for me). Still, this is a great read for Spooky Season, layered with deception and betrayal and dark forces galore.

It's not a surprise that I loved this book.

It was absolutely amazing and I find myself struggling to find the words to describe it. Kerri's writing is just simply everything to and for me, I love how she tells her stories. While I am partial and attached to SJTR, I was excited to see her new venture. And it didn't disappoint.

Being a witch myself, I can say that the verbiage used in this is accurate and I can tell that Kerri put a lot of work into the research for this title. It was unique, interesting, and I can't wait to read this book again, it was that good. The characters felt like they floated off the page and I could imagine myself in the story.

I’m in pain! I’m dying to learn what’s gonna happen next! Arggggggggkkkk! Yes, if you google “drunk and angry damsel in distress”, you may see my bloody face right now! I just finished this fascinating, heart throbbing, riveting , addictive story and after reading the last words as like an addict I wanted to get more literature intake. I’m honestly craving for the next book now!

The things I fell hard for:

A witch and a demon’s sizzling, pant melting chemistry : they’re like gasoline and fire! They will be end of each other! Yes, Emilia and Wrath (the name of the sin and household he represents, we still don’t know his real name so we gotta wait for the next book) are one of the hottest couple with undeniable amazing chemistry you enjoy to read.

A serial killer theme who is targeting the witches: The killer’s one of the victims is unfortunately the twin sister Vittoria of our heroine and narrator Emilia!

The Sicilian trattoria and those mouth watering recipes Emilia’s family shares and cooks during the book: OMG! I already ate three cannolis and barely hold myself to say the catchy famous quote: “keep the gun, take the cannoli!” Emilia’s family own this special family trattoria and they cook ancient Italian meals with pouring their skillful art and magical power into them!

Creative world building: 7 deadly sins represent different households of hell and those 7 princess can travel through different realms. After Wrath, it seems like Lust is my favorite sinful prince!

Enemies to reluctant partners theme: after losing her twin sister, Emilia wants to find out the perpetrator by deciphering the dark magic spell her sister put at her diary. As soon as she realizes her sister summoned an evil, she followed the same way but as soon as hot as hell, charismatic, coolest evil Wrath appears, she finds at their bound is more intense and eternal that she’d ever imagined.

Quick summary: A serial killer targeting witches. Emilia seems like more introvert, book smart, obedient girl of the family as her adventurous, bold, brave, straightforward twin Vittoria completely opposite of her. But after her sister is murdered, she turns into vengeful, angry, hot blooded witch who stops being cautious, getting more risks including summoning a demon and letting him be her partner to find the identity of the killer who is responsible from those murders. But this means one of the seven evil princes must be behind those vicious crimes!

The cliffhanger at the end makes you jumpy because you want to know what’s gonna happen next immediately! Well, I cannot wait to read the next book! I’m already sold! This is such a great start for the series!

Special thanks to NetGalley and JIMMY PATTERSON for sharing this digital review copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
I loved it so much!!!

Solid 4.5/5

Oh my. This was a sumptuous treat. This story is atmospheric, dark and seductively wicked. If you want witchery, princes of Hell, eviscerations, Italian cuisine you can practically smell, and some whodunnit thrown in the mix, you've come to the right place. I enjoyed this a lot. This is definitely the first book of a series - that ending!! You do get a little bit of answer thrown your way for a bit of satisfaction at the end, but there is definitely a lot more to this story and I'll be hanging out for it!

Oh my goodness! What a wild ride. From the start, I couldn’t put this book down. Witches, Demons, Princes of the Underworld. It was like a dark, twisted fairy tale.
The writing is impeccable; so much detail in each line, but not enough to feel like the author was just spouting information here and there. The plot flowed beautifully and I could feel myself wondering what happens next.
Now I’ll be waiting rather impatiently for the next book.

after giving up on maniscalco's jack the ripper series, i decided to give this a try after being pulled in by the cover and description. this book was pleasantly surprising, i'm still on the fence as to whether or not i really like the way maniscalco develops characters and worldbuilds, but it was a solid effort.

It's been a while since I read a book that utilised a more traditional approach to witchcraft and this definitely filled that void in my life. It beings with two sisters, Emilia and Vittoria, who are witches that live secretly among humans. Emilia is good with cooking and spices, Vittoria is good with perfumes. Emilia spends her evenings working in her family's restaurant, whilst Vittoria ventures out after dark, mixing with all kinds of dark magic. When Emilia finds Vittoria murdered, she will stop at nothing to find out who did it and why.

I really liked Emilia's character - she was fun to read due to her passionate and fiery nature. I liked her interactions with the 7 Princes of Hell, and how she grew more hard and fierce as the book progressed. The setting is also beautiful - the descriptions of food were some of the best I've read. The plot is good, but I wasn't really a fan of the cliffhanger because now I have to wait to see what happens. It does suitably change the circumstances which should mean for a second book that covers a lot of new ground, so I am excited for that.

Overall this was fun to read. I enjoyed the magic, witches and demons, and I look forward to reading more about Emilia. More romance next time please!

I really enjoyed this book! I already thought I would enjoy it, having enjoyed the stalking jack the ripper series. I wish it hadn't finished on such a cliff hanger though, it's frustrating knowing I'll have to wait so long to know what happens next

*Thank you to Kerri Maniscalco, JIMMY books and Net galley for providing me with a EARC of "Kingdom of the Wicked" in exchange for an honest review.* This was good book,although fair warning : with all the food descriptions, def definitely have a snack handy. My favorite character has to be Wrath( of course I like the Bad Boy/Demon.) I think fans of Kerri's Stalking Jack the Ripper series will be pleased with with Kingdom of the Wicked. I can also see this appealing to fans of Holly Black's Cruel Prince series.

<i>Thank you to Jimmy Patterson Books and also to Netgalley for my physical and my eARC of this book!</i>

So I absolutely loved this book and that probably doesn't come as a surprise since Kerri Maniscalco is one of my favorite authors. And with her writing not only murder mystery but also fantasy/paranormal murder mysteries... I am absolutely here for this.

So there are these twins. Something happened when they were younger and they have secrets from each other while also being as close as twins can be. Not only that, but they are apart of a witch family that runs a restaurant (I love this). They both have these necklaces that they sore to their crazy grandma they would never take off. LOL, jokes on them because grandma isn't crazy and they should have listened.

Fast forward and a twin is murdered (SOBS) and the other one is out for vengeance. Little did she know that her fate was going to be tied up with The Wicked (The Seven Dead Sins turned The Seven Princes of Hell). In order for her to find out what happened to her sister, she has to lean a hand to a Prince..

Okay so I have a high obsession with with seven deadly sins? I think it is due to that episode of America's Next Top Model where they dressed up as the seven deadly sins in coffins and my morbid heart thought that was so cool. So while I was reading this I was also looking up and watching that episode. The Seven Princes of Hell (The Wicked) are vastly different than seven models dressing up tho. They bring out their "deadly sin" in whoever is around, they have secrets and grudges held against each other and one in particular is a new book boyfriend (whoops).

I loved the characters in this. I related to Emilia (the, er, not murdered twin) so much, because I already know if anything happened to my sister I would raise hell. So her obsession with finding out what happened to her sister and willingness to do whatever it takes was relatable.

The setting was spectacular. Kerri plays to her strengths and still has the historical fiction setting. The whole witches are the enemies of The Wicked was such a twist for me because usually witches and demons go hand and hand.

Beware of a cliffhanger tho! Super hate that I have to wait on the next book, but it also just gets me more excited. Like I honestly didn't see that ending coming as it was happening? And some pages were on the verge of getting steamy (fans self).

And the necklace the twins have? Yeah I'll be ordering on of those.

I loved it. This is a 2020 fav!

After devouring the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, I was so excited about this book! Unfortunately, I found it to be a very slow build and it took a long time to get going.

The characters weren't particularly engaging and some of the relationships felt forced. However, the world building was good with an interesting magic system and a well constructed history.

The plot did really pick up at the end and I'll certainly be picking up the sequel, but it wasn't quite the book I had hoped for!

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

I finished this book so fast...I think I read it faster than ACOTAR. The unique magic system with all the witches and demons really ties the story together and is also one of the main reasons why I love fantasy because you get to see a different take on how the authors choose to create their worlds. Emilia and Wrath are both so amazing and I love the sister dynamic between Emilia and Vittoria with the twin bone. The murder mystery plot is also kept me very engaged I hope there will be another book soon!

Thank you to NetGalley for approving my request to read Kingdom of the Wicked in exchange for an honest review.

Kingdom of the Wicked is the perfect read for all your witchy needs. There’s sisterly love, betrayal, hot princes of hell, and an overprotective grandma… I mean what more can you want? Kerri dazzles the audience with a self-reliant and strong main character that is willing to go to the ends of the earth to get what she wants. She might even sell her soul to a prince of hell for any kind of information…

The only critique I have is the fact that the whole story is in Emilia’s point of view and the thoughts that invade her mind are unrelenting and a little repetitive. Pages will go by and there’s no actual dialogue, just Emilia’s thoughts. I still enjoyed this book and gave it 5 stars for the beautiful banter, the strength of Emilia, and Prince Wrath… of course!

Don’t dive into this book if you want a story of romance. This is not it. It’s definitely building into a series where the romance is very slow burn… and honestly I don’t know if anything is “romantic” about the main relationship... maybe more of a straight up "sexual tension" situation, but there is definitely something there! As someone who thrives on fantasy romances, I still loved this book and everything about it so definitely give it a try when it comes out!!

I met Kerri Maniscalco's pen thanks to Stalking Jack the Ripper. A magnetic writing, which immediately fascinated me.
When I saw the Kingdom of the Wicked review request available, I knew it had to be mine!
Surplus that convinced me to read it? It is set in Italy, specifically in 19th century Sicily.

Everything revolves around a family of witches who live secretly among humans. The family is made up of two twin sisters: the first, Vittoria, is the loudest and most reckless, while the second, Emilia, is the calm one, who thinks before acting. She likes to stay at home reading and certainly not out solving witch murder cases.
But when one of the victims is her sister Vittoria, Emilia demands revenge.
She begins the investigation to find the culprit, dabbling in the dark arts and alliances with demonic princes.

One of these principles is Wrath (there are seven demonic princes and each of them has the name of one of the seven deadly sins). He is the classic arrogant and powerful protagonist who will make you fall in love and end up in a jujube soup (I have a soft spot for her male protagonists, as it happened with Thomas Creswell).

Emilia and Wrath can't stand each other, but in my opinion this is what makes the story more interesting!

The books are really super intriguing! Murder and magic give that extra pinch to the story.
As for the magic, the theme is not very deep, but I didn't think much of it.
Another fact that I loved? The escalations in Italian. When I found "vaffanculo a chi t'è morto", there I decreed the Maniscalco one of my favorite authors!
I am Italian and sincerely finding a part of Italy in one of the books of a super established author, makes me a little bit proud.

The Kingdom of the Wicked is a must to read. If you loved the Stalking Jack The Ripper series, you will undoubtedly love this one too.

Arc privided by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.