I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


Kerri Maniscalco's newest series starts off with Kingdom of the Wicked and you can expect demons, witches, magic, vampires, murder, mystery, and mayhem among the other delights in this dark and enchanting tale! Here we have something that borders between Faustus and Beauty and the Beast but with an added murder mystery! This is sure to be a book to haunt you (in all the best possible ways) until its very end!

This book...whoa, you guys! Just whoa! I expected yet another engaging murder mystery from Kerri with a dynamic duo who may or may not kill one another before the night was through, but I wasn't expecting such a twisted and dynamic plot to evolve along with it! Just whoa!

Emilia and her twin sister, Vittoria are witches in secret, along with their family. It's a time when witches are killed for practicing magic and "consorting with the devil" yet that's not exactly how Emilia's magic works, nor her family's. Things were happy and content...until the murders started happening. Two young girls are brutally killed, and then the next victim is Vittoria, and Emilia's world shatters. Emilia had come across a young man standing over her sister's body who seemingly disappeared afterwards.

She's determined to uncover the truth behind her sister's murder. Not only finding out the whodunit, but to also figure out the secrets Vittoria had been keeping, dark and dangerous secrets...ones that involve demon summoning. When Emilia finds out the spell to summon the demon her sister was possibly summoning as well, she is astonished when the man who stood over her dead body appears.

Wrath is a demon, but not just any demon, a demon prince of one of the realms in hell. He offers an enticing deal to Emilia, if she agrees to a bond between them, one that will lend her protection, he will help her find her sister's killer. But Emilia is a not a witch to be trifled with, she knows demons are not to be trusted and they twist their words to their benefit.

But when more demons start popping up and more murders start happening, she relents that it's better the devil you know, than the one you don't.

This book was positively gripping! In simplest of terms it's darkly enchanting! A witch and a demon! Eep!! While there's no love lost between these two, there's definitely something there! Which also sounds familiar, right? Lol. Wrath is one secretive guy, and he chooses his words carefully, so much so that you can't find the lie within the truth. He's very misleading and oh my goodness, I'm dying to know what's going on in this guy's head! There's always these linger looks, the way he acts like he wants to protect Emilia, yet she can't help but think he has ulterior motives.

The mystery does get resolved in this one and it was pretty astonishing! I mean, I started to make my suspicions and was proven correct, but I couldn't get the reasoning down pat other than generalities. But the story is far from over after this revelation and it gets totally twisted after that. I'll admit I got a bit confused with references to the different princes and the devil himself. At times it read like they were one and the same. And then that final chapter reallllly threw me through a loop! Like what just happened?! I mean I suspected a teeny part of it, but other than the most basic element of the situation everything else was positively mind-blowing!

Kingdom of the Wicked is a dark and mysterious tale that will hold you spellbound! It's a tale filled with dark deals and sinister secrets. Add in a slightly forbidden romance and you have a simply unputdownable read in your hands! Kingdom of the Wicked is a book you will want to devour in one sitting, so set aside some time to enjoy this one to its fullest!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars


Kingdom of the Wicked releases October 27, 2020

I tried really hard to finish this book but I ended up giving up around 30%. The idea sounded amazing but it just wasn't for me.

*I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher Jimmy Patterson Books in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely adored the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco so I was very excited when I heard she was starting a new series. I am over the moon that I was able to review this early! Thank you Netgalley and Jimmy Patterson Books.

I was totally unprepared for this book! I was completely and utterly spellbound, and drawn in from the very first page. A beautiful witch, a demon prince, and an Italian backdrop, who could ask for more?!

The story begins with a family in Palermo, Sicily that runs a popular restaurant called the Sea & Vine. I could totally relate to this family, their love and affection for each other, and the phrases used by Nonna, the main character’s grandmother. I had an Italian American grandmother and an Italian great grandmother that was from Sicily, and the descriptions of Nonna cooking with Emilia and Vittoria just made me feel so happy, and it felt like home. The twins help their parents and Nonna with all the cooking and the cleaning at the restaurant. The thing that makes this family different though, is that Emilia and her twin, Vittoria, are witches that live secretly among humans. They have been told since they were little girls to always wear their amulets, or cornicello, and to beware the Malvagi.

Vittoria does not show for dinner service at the restaurant one night, and Emilia finds her body completely desecrated. Emilia is completely devastated, goes out looking for vengeance, and doesn’t care what the consequences are. She uses dark magic to summon one of the Malvagi, or seven princes of hell. In comes Wrath, the demon prince who chooses duty over pleasure. Their fates become intertwined and Emilia gets pulled into Wrath’s investigation of the murders of women on the island.

I loved Emilia Di Carlo, and watching her character throughout the journey. After the loss of her sister, she goes through so much, but she keeps fighting. She’s so smart and so fierce! I completely fell for the sexy demon Prince Wrath! I always seem to fall for the bad boys, lol. I highly enjoyed the witty banter between him and Emilia.

If you’re looking for something deliciously wicked, then look no further! I suggest that you preorder/library request/add to your TBR as soon as possible. You are not going to want to miss this one! Now to wait for the sequel with bated breath.

**I received this book from netgalley in exchange for a review**
"Of course. One must always have good manners while ripping the hearts from their enemies."†

I love Kerri Maniscalco, so this is one of my most anticipated releases of the year (have multiple copies pre-ordered). I really enjoyed myself while reading it. I think Maniscalco managed to build a really creative version of something that's been done a lot of times (hell princes). As usual with her writing, the book is filled with witty banter, super dark happenings, betrayals, etc. AKA all of my favorite things. OOH, and such a gorgeous spooky cover. <3

Early in the novel, I do think things seemed to almost fall into place a bit too easily (for example, answers just dropped into Emilia's lap and obstacles were easily defeated). Some of the dialogue and actions of the main characters didn't quite seem to fit in well with what have been considered appropriate the time period. Also, several super private conversations were held in crowded spaces. Wrath continuously called Emilia "witch" in public, which would have probably gotten her burnt at the stake.

My only real issue (which lost it a star), is that I predicated LITERALLY every single plot twist. I am not the type to catch on to every single twist in that way, but from start to finish I was calling things from almost the moment we met characters. In fact, I'm fairly certain I know the NEXT plot twist coming (in book 2).

Either way, it was fun read and I can't wait to read the next two books in the trilogy!

†check against final text

I loved this book so much! As soon as I put the book down I wanted the next one! I have so many question bubbling over in my head and I’m so excited to see what happens next for Emilia!

This is the perfect Halloween book - full of witchy black magic, a brooding prince of hell, and a spooky murder mystery.

I really love seeing KM's creativity shine through in this story. With her SJTR series, there's only so much originality that can seen because it's based on historical events. But with this unique magic system and the different classes of witches and demons, I think it shows a much more interesting side of KMs' writing. It's still just as easy to devour as ever, but I found it to be a lot more entertaining.

My only critique would be the cliff hanger. I hate when authors have to rely on them to convince a reader to pick up the next book because it creates a lack of closure, but oh well. I have at least a year until the next book comes out, so I'm sure I will get over by then. :P