I was so excited to read this book when I heard about it. I absolutely loved the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and Kerri Maniscalco. I did not like this book as much as her other series but it was still really good!

I really liked the whole idea of the princes from hell and witches. The book was not at all what I was expecting but I liked it more than I thought I would. I really liked Wrath’s character. He’s fairly complex and I never really knew what exactly he wanted. I think he’s very good with Emilia, but she can get very annoying. I understand she’s weary about the princes, but all her trickery and stubbornness towards wrath got annoying.

The only other thing I did not really like was the cliff hanger. It was not going in the direction I thought it would. I’m not a big fan of the Pride situation, but I’m sure it’ll get better in the next book! I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

This was a quick and good read for anyone who likes young adult and enjoyed the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. I’d definitely recommend it!

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me about 25% of the way to be invested in it. The beginning felt slow but also rushed? The main girl was a whiny girl who didn't seem to have anything going for her but a weird revenge plot that didn't fit her sense of self.
The romance was good and I always enjoy a bad boy who only cares for one person trope.
Overall good but takes awhile to get invested.

I didn’t really enjoy this book as much as I’d hoped. I was just extremely bored the whole time. It wasn’t super terrible, I’d read the the next book but won’t keep the book in my personal collection.

This book was everything I needed to satisfy my Halloween loving heart. Seriously, this is the perfect book for October with it's spooky atmosphere, a dark prince and a good old fashion murder mystery. I honestly think that Kerri Maniscalco really showed her creative side with story, more so than with her last series. I look forward to the next one, especially with that cliffhanger!

I know this review is coming super late, but this was one of my favorite books--if not my favorite book--of 2020! Maniscalco does a fantastic job at creating a rich world that I felt I could just sink into. Every mention of food had my stomach growling, and I definitely ordered some Italian food upon finishing this novel. Emilia and Wrath's chemistry was palpable, and I enjoyed each of her interactions with the Princes of Hell. I also really loved the mystery aspect of the novel as I felt it was a good motivator for the plot to push forward. I will say after finishing the book I still found it hard to explain to my friends what exactly it was about, but that just served as more motivation for my friends to go and pick it up themselves. I can't wait to see what the next installment in this series has in store!

This book was just, muah, chefs Kiss. Emilia was a very likable MC I found her very relatable and not at all whiney as some ya MC can be. And may I just give a standing ovation for Wrath, I mean, wow. I am a litteratur confused by the ending, but it must be relaterade to the cliff hänger, spoilers guys. A very autmospheric book and may I also add I am craving every Italien food and drink from this book?
My only sigh in this book is the same problem I had from the authors other series SJTR, that I could guess the murderer from the first introduction.

I recieved this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I loved the idea of this book and there were many good action and thrilling parts but overall the book was dry and left me wondering if i should continue in many parts. I didn't understand many of the pitfalls and I was also very disappointed in the ending. I really felt that there would be something more. I was setting my hopes up and was let down.

Completely adored this book. It didn't beat out Stalking Jack the Ripper but it was close. My full review is at the link below

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJrxmEiAzdU/?igshid=1dup9qqarlzh3

I have been a fan of Kerri’s since her Stalking Jack the Ripper series.

This new endeavor is no less engaging and exhibiting a bit more or a sensual side that held my rapt attention.

I cannot wait for the next Installment of this series.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection and will recommend it to students.

I LOVED this book! I really wasn't a huge fan of "Stalking Jack the Ripper" so I wasn't sure what to expect with this outing from Kerri Maniscalco but I walked away pretty much obsessed. This book has a great description of the devotion between sisters, I love the idea of being so close with someone but still allowing them to have their own secrets and then having to team up with a tasty demon in order to find out what happened to them.

I couldn't put this book down, and I can not wait for the sequel (it's already been pre-ordered). Loved it so much, I did also go out and purchase a physical copy.

This was super interesting and I’m super emotional from the end. Beware the cliffhanger!!!! That was like being brought right up to the edge of a cliff and instead of getting to see the beautiful scenery, you’re pushed off instead. And I don’t know if ya’ll have ever fallen from a bit of a higher distance, but, you don’t get to see anything of worth on your way down!!! That’s what this was like. I was expecting to have at least a little closure, but whoosh!!!!! I’ve been pushed off the edge and will plummet to the ground so I can then wait impatiently for the next installment to come out.

That being said, you’ll notice I’ve still given this four stars. I did that because this is awesome!!! The mystery is riveting and I’m completely thrown by the ending that I did not see coming. Well, technically there is no ending yet, but you know, the close of this book. I really like Emilia as our main character. She’s a little more cautious and careful about her actions, which I like more than I think I would have liked Vittoria being rash and rushing into bad situations.

The dynamic of the brothers is intense and I don’t like making bachelorette comparisons, but this reminded me of the bachelorette, just involving demon princes instead. *****spoiler***** They may not all be actively pursuing Emilia, but the ones she’s met have all made it clear that she would be a valuable asset to any of the demon houses. As in, many super hot demon men vying for her attention. That would be a major yes!!! *****spoiler*****

I am so eager to get my hands on the next installment!!! I have got to see what happens with Emilia!!! Who gets her heart?!?! I recommend this to YA lovers, but just keep a step back from that cliff’s edge. It’s a killer.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jimmy Patterson Publishing for allowing me to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Boy am I glad I gave Kingdom of the Wicked a go! My previous concerns are (mostly) gone! The writing was done well and I didn't have any serious issues. While I liked Maniscalco style and even enjoyed the added extra of cooking and spell recipes, I did have issues with flow. There were times when scenes felt rush (especially the ending), but there were pages of monologue that I just wanted done (nb: I actually listened to this as an audible book, so I'm not sure if it was actually pages but it felt like it!).

The plot not only intrigued me at the beginning, but kept me entertained throughout, despite predicting the murderer fairly early on. Kingdom of the Wicked is a story of vengeance and magic and I could hardly put it down. It is based on a streghe (witches who love secretly with humans) trained in the natural magic who's sister is brutally murdered one evening; a victim in a series of slayings. Devastated, but angry, our protagonist: Emilia sets about using dark magic to find those responsible for her sister's death. Queue trouble and the Princes of Hell: Wrath, Envy, Greed, Lust, and Pride (so far). Summoned for answers, Emilia fumbles her way into a somewhat convenient bargain with Wrath to help and protect her. All while trying to work at her family's restaurant, protect her friends, and seek vengeance. Now I would be remiss not to mention that in Emilia's 18 years she has never before ran into a Prince of Hell, but been warned of their danger - to interact with 5 of 7 within a very short period all of a sudden. It annoyed me. There are also vampires and werewolves and priests and monsters and magic necklaces. There is a lot, but also not a lot - if that makes sense?! The point is: Emilia gets to meet a very attractive Wrath and their chemistry is bellissimo. I love it. Oh I mean, Emilia kind of get's revenge. And a crown, but whatever.

It is the characters that also felt like a vast improvement in Kingdom of the Wicked. Emilia is used to be the quieter twin, more concerned with a new recipe and a good book - but after her sister's murder she turned to darkness fairly quickly. AND I'M ALL HERE FOR IT.

Thanks so much to the publisher for sending over an ARC for this book! (I did read it before the release date, but life happened and I never got around to reviewing til now!)

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books of her Stalking Jack the Ripper series and Italian demon princes got me really excited about what Maniscalco was going to bring next with her new series. I think what ultimately succeeded in this book is the attention to detail Maniscalco gave to the importance of food to the family and the mythological creatures specific to Italian lore. I remember when she was first hyping up this book, those were the two things she was most excited about promoting, and the passion for those topics absolutely shows in her writing. You can tell cooking is a well-loved tradition within her own family, and she's celebrating it here. But to me, I feel like that's where the value of the story stops.

The main plot of the seven demonic princes coming up from the underworld to kill local village girls in a race to acquire their latest queen was convoluted, heavy handed, confusing, and hard to track. I like that they all represent a different deadly sin, and in some ways, how she interpreted the way those sins manifested was quite unique. But on the other hand, when you tease seven demonic princes, you should probably introduce them all in the story over all. I kept waiting for them all to be revealed one by one, and then only half of them really showed up, and when they did, they were pretty hard to identify from one another. The whole situation of each of the princess attempting to drag a girl down to hell to present to the current heir to the throne to garner favour (???) seemed like a step too far when it could've just been "the first brother who acquires a bride gets the throne of hell", which is SPOILER ALERT, kind of exactly what happens in the end anyway.

Another thing I found bothersome that I know some readers also found irritating in Maniscalco's Jack the Ripper series is that the female lead keeps wandering off... at night... on her own... with a serial killer on the loose... and she's the precise demographic of girls he's targeting. Especially when she's explicitly told by her male love interest to keep it cool until he can join her for backup. The women in this novel were promoted as strong female characters, when they were the exact opposite? For being in such a close-knit family, you'd expect them to openly communicate serious issues to one another. The grandmother holds the family secrets and doesn't tell the protagonist pertinent details until the family is in crisis, when these should be things they should know just to survive. So many plot holes could have been spackled over if the grandmother had just dealt with it in the first place instead of witholding information because the plot demanded it.

Overall, I wanted to say I was fully into the hot demon princes, but in the end, I was mostly disappointed. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this reason, so it's a soft 3.5 for me... We'll see if the sequel does more to properly build this world the way it deserves, because there's untapped potential here.

Six months of this book sitting on my GR currently reading shelf, and I finally (finally!!) finished the last eight percent.

I'm gonna be honest and admit that I have a hazy recollection of what's what and who's who by now, and I barely understood the eight percent I read. But honestly? I just wanted this book out of my currently reading shelf. I needed to be done with it.

It's still a toss up whether or not I'll be reading the sequel. It's likely considering the hype but I'm not so sure I'm all that invested in Emilia et al. So I guess we'll just have to see.

I received an e-arc to read and review.

Two stars for the 19th century Sicilian setting, a welcome respite from the hackneyed medieval tropes of the fantasy genre. And that's where my praise ends, because unfortunately, I was bored throughout a majority of this story. It could be a matter of writing style preference, as I detest dialogue driven narratives, and this felt like an exposition dump chapter to chapter with the hero and heroine just hashing out theories and building up lore endlessly in various nondescript rooms.

Emilia is bratty, belligerent, and a poor decision maker of a heroine. Her path leads her to summon a prince of hell, Wrath, who couldn't be more of a gentleman. Seriously. The Prince of Hell, Wrath, was probably one of the most soft-spoken, well-mannered anti-heroes I've ever read. While he's the voice of reason, Emilia is just infuriatingly rash and unreasonable. Their relationship is tepid at best, and honestly, he could do better so I guess it's fine.

The story is a murder mystery with demons and magic galore. But the story arc falls prey to the infamous "I just have a feeling" trope that I can't stand where the protagonist is just led blindly from scene to scene, schlepping the narrative along for reasons unknown. There isn't much in terms of plot development between the setup and the climax, the latter of which was very predictable and made for a very underwhelming confrontation. Like seriously? That's it?

I wanted to love this badly because it's based in Palermo Sicily where my family is from. But unfortunately, the only intriguing aspect of this story was the depiction of the food.

Thank you to netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was SO good. The premise was really interesting and I loved the dynamic between the two main characters. The mystery was good, the romance was good, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Absolutely amazing!! I would give it 100 stars if I could!!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

Thank you Netgalley and to the publisher! It took me awhile to get to this because of life.. but man this was so good. This was my first book by this author after hearing about her other series for ages. I loved the tension, the magic system, the lore behind it, and really just everything. I am so excited for the next book now!!

"I wanted to kick him for being so dangerously breathtaking. His head snapped in my direction, his gaze capturing mine. For a minute, I forgot how to breathe."

This was such an interesting read, it took me by surrise and I enjoyed it so much!It's my first of this author and I'll definitely check her rest books.The characters were a big part of why I loved this story but also the set up was unique and generally it was fast paced.

Two sisters.

One brutal murder.

A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…

And an intoxicating romance.
Should I say more to make you intrigued?? Emilia is a witch who finds her sister dead and swears to find the killer and get revenge.While she look for evidence she finds secrets that her sister has been keeping from her.One of the secrets that she finds out about is that her sister used a demon summoning spell. Emilia tries it out for herself. She summons a demon, expecting it to be a lower-level demon, but instead, she summons a prince demon. Wrath is one of them and he is willing to help her find the killer. Can she trust him?

This is full of plot twists and the characters were unique!I find the story refreshing!Looking forward for the next book.