Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco is a novel that kept me of the edge of the seat the entire time I was reading it! I loved the characters and the unique setting.

I'm a huge Maniscalco fan! Love her writing and the stories she spins! I was super excited to see what type of new book she would bring to the table after I finished the Stalking Jack the Ripper series! And she did not disappoint!

This was a page-turning world that had me glued to the story at page 1! I loved the twin bone between Emilia and Vittoria! And also the food and the family! Emilia was a strong character and when she met Wrath, I just knew things were going to get awesomer!

Wrath was the kind of book guy I like, where you don't know if he's hiding secrets or not but you love him regardless! I wanted to pinch Emilia at times and tell her to just go hug and kiss Wrath, but I understand why it would be hard to trust a prince demon of Hell! There chemistry and bickering was just excellent!

But seriously, I highly recommend to read this book! And yes, there is a dreaded cliffhanger, one that will leave you yearning for book 2, which is a great thing!

Thank you for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me concerned in the beginning. It started out very slow and dry and there were a few times I had to convince myself not to DNF the book. This was a decision I am proud of though because once this book got good, I couldn't put it down.

The plot in this story was deep, dark, twisted among many other things. It dealy with a topic some people may not want to read about. However, it was done beautifully and this book should be given a chance. The characters in this book were unique and perfect as well. I honestly can't imagine what would happen if the characters had been different.

I have loved all of Kerri Maniscalco's work and I don't think that will change any time soon. She never ceases to amaze me!

*Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Kingdom of the Wicked was one of my most anticipated books of 2020. I loved the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, and was really looking forward to more of Kerri Maniscalo's sharp dialogue and a well layered mystery that has you truly guessing... and, well I did enjoy Kingdom of the Wicked I found the story to be.. maybe missing something?

I wasn't as engaged as I had expected to be. The idea was compelling, the characters were interesting, but about halfway through I started to struggle a bit and by the end I didn't feel that much had actually happened. I also had a bit of confusion of the actual intent of some of the characters.

What i did really love was the family, the restaurant and the way the food preparation was where the family really came together and bonded. I think I am a sucker for a strong family dynamic in a story. I like the way magic and witchcraft was presented in the story, there was a bit of mystery thrown over it which I found worked really well with the tensions of being a witch in that time was like. I thought the character of Wrath was really interesting as well.. but also, a bit irritating. He's so secretive.. you just.. never really know.

Overall I DID enjoy this book. I am hoping that the story picks up in book two and answers some of the questions I had. I look forward to reading the next book.

It's been a while since I last read Kerri Maniscalco (and YA in general) and it was a nice return. Maniscalco has an easy-to-read writing style, and I did enjoy her Stalking Jack the Ripper series, so I was excited to pick up Kingdom of the Wicked (although, admittedly, I didn't realise it was going to be a series when I first requested it).

Set in a (potentially alternate) historical Italy, Emilia has grown up being told the stories of how demons were constantly trying to find their way back into the world. The daughter and granddaughter of a longline of witches who have avoided dark magic, Emilia (and her twin sister) know the stories well, but don't truly believe them, until Emilia finds her sister murdered. Then Emilia sets out to find her sister's murderer and that leads her to meeting Wrath, one of the Princes of Hell, who seems to be helping her, but can she truly trust one of the Wicked?

This was a fun historical-paranormal young adult story. Admittedly, the first 30-40% of the book is a hard read as there's a lot of set-up to be done to establish Emilia's world, but once I passed that mark, it was a really quick, page turning story.  It was nice to see a story set in Italy, although overall, I'm not sure it added anything extra to the book (except to make me hungry for Italian food) - the story itself could have been set anywhere.

As a heroine, Emilia needs to learn new things quickly - she's taken much for granted in her life, including the stories her grandmother told her, and so she's on a steep learning curve for most of the book. She's also not used to being deceived and a big part of the book is her managing the deceptions of the characters around her and learning to get onto the front foot.

Wrath was a delightfully interesting character to read about. One of the Wicked, and a Prince of Hell, he plays a particular role in trying to secure a wife for the Devil, only to get caught up in Emilia's quest for revenge. I wish we'd spent more time with him, and I assume we will in subsequent books.

I enjoyed the demon/devil mythology that has begun to be developed in this first book - demons and angels always fascinate me in stories - so I'll probably continue this series whenever the next book is released.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner at the family's restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin. 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. She finds help in Wrath, a a Wicked prince of Hell, but are his intentions good? There’s so much suspense and many characters to keep you guessing. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ebook arc. This is my honest review.

At first I didn't think I would like this book as much as I did, but it is an entertaining read. I would prefer a little more background about the historical setting, it was a little hard to imagine, and also there were some minor plot holes.
But overall, if you like books about witches, this one is for you. It is a very quick read as you just want to know what will happen next. Some things are clear from the beginning and won't surprise you but the ending.. that will leave you wanting more! And to me, that's the best sign of a good book - you want to continue reading.
Also if you like food, this book could almost serve as a cook book. Or you could take it as an inspiration for your cooking,because many italian recipes were mentioned and sounded very delicious.
Can't wait for Kingdom of the Cursed!

i loved the imagery in this book. everything about the setting, colors, food, smells was wafting off the page. it was a great book but not so much of a mystery. the romance was well done and artfully paced. on the other hand because this was the first book in a new series the world building made some chapters slow. but all in all another gem from the author.

I adored this book. The twists and turns were fun, and I loved the characters and their arcs. The plot was well paced, and it drew me in and kept me entertained.

I almost DNFed this book. The pace was very slow and although Wrath was a beautiful man, it took a little while for him to be likeable. I am curious where Maniscalco will take her story so I might read #2.

An excellent, gripping and highly entertaining story that I couldn't put down.
Great world building and character development, a well developed plot that kept me turning pages.
It's an excellent fantasy story with a mystery side and I'm happy I read it.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

4.5

Wow! This was such a great and outstanding read.

The Wicked Kingdom waves a magical terrifying tale about two twin sisters. We follow the destiny of Emilia that swears to get revenge after her sister is brutally murdered. Being a witch, she summons one of the princes of Hell, Wrath, with whom she starts following the trail of her twin sisters' night of dead. She will stop at no cost.

Emilia is extraordinary. Absolutely a slytherin, she is cunning, vengenful and simply wonderful. I found a lot of myself in her.

I found the whole world building to be simply briliant. I could almost taste the delicious sopreco and dive into those delicious gnochi. I am crazy about books that take a long time to describe food using amazing wording for it.

The romance felt a bit forced for me, but of course I was absolutely obsessed with my lovely golden eyed demon. Yum.

The writing style was also superb and whimsical. A totally different style from the one the author used in Stalking Jack the Ripper. I found the plot to be a bit, umm, all over the place in some parts. Hence why it lost half of a star for me.
That ending was everything. I simply cant wait to read the sequel.

TITLE: Kingdom of the Wicked

AUTHOR: Kerri Maniscalco

SYNOPSIS: 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 streghe – 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…

PUBLISHER: Jimmy Patterson

PUB DATE: 27 Oct 2020

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



I have so many feelings about this book! First, I am a sucker for Maniscalco’s Jack the Ripper series and I knew I was going into this in total fangirl mode. Luckily, I didn’t let me down!



Set in a beautiful Italian city, twin sisters who are streghe, witches, have to fight detection. When one of their love interests joins the church, things get a bit awkward. Emilia soon finds the body of her sister, Vittoria (beautiful damn name btw), the careless risk-taker of the pair. Soon Emilia uses forbidden spells to summon a demon, Wrath, and the sexual tension could be cut with a dagger from House Wrath.

Murders of other witches send the pair on a wild ride of mystery and magic. Kerri creates a Kingdom of the Wicked where seven princes of hell each have their own castles and The Morningstar has a curse upon him. Here the author takes religious theologies and gives us a cool take on the seven deadly sins. The princes aren’t the only ones that want to harm the witches, so as the duo try to stay ahead of the murderer, they also have to avoid being murdered.

I was annoyed by the grandmother, but I assume she is a play on the stubborn Italian woman thing. She was definitely a well-formed person even if she was annoying. Emilia was a bit like Audrey Rose but whinier. I am excited to see where her new role takes her because that cliffhanger was painful! I cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you JIMMY Patterson for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for sending a free copy in exchange for an honest review.


I cannot stress enough how much I loved this book! It’s one of my favorite books of 2020!
Fantasy book? Check.
Romance story? Check.
Murder Mystery? Check.
Black magic? Check.
Brooding prince of hell? Check.
Witch characters? Check.
Amazing world building? Check.

It’s one heck of a book that you will find hard to put down! I highly recommend this to fantasy lovers, dark magic lovers, witch lovers, and mystery lovers though any one can read it! Happy reading, bookworms!

I received this book in ARC form in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a thrilling ride from beginning to end. Wow, what a read. Maniscalco did such a great job with the world building, keeping you in the dark about certain things and feeding you information bit by bit so you kept wanting more, more, more.

I liked Emilia as a main character, especially once the ball got rolling and the story kicked into high-gear, I feel like she was so naive, especially at the beginning, but I think she was rather justified in that regards. And then there's Wrath. I loved him from the beginning, and I loved the way they interacted.

This book was absolutely fantastic and I will most certainly be purchasing myself a physical copy of this book.

If you adore a true gothic heroine, delight in the torture of slow burns, & if the phrase “sexy princes of Hell” appeals, this is the book for you.

This book fell into the trap. The trap of being relevant and on-trend of today. There were so many eye rolls and cringe moments that it was hard to get through. plus that ending? I understand that there needs to be a cliffhanger that makes you want to read the squeal but this was too much. A major main character moral and ideology was changed in the last few pages. we could see it coming and just like a car wreck we could not look away ( and honestly? we didn't want it.) I know book 1s arent supposed to end the HEA but there was no reason for the FU.

*𝙄 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣*

I absolutely loved this book and it was one of my favorite reads this year. Let me start by saying the cover is freaking gorgeous and so visually appealing. The description was attention-catching. The author always does such a great job of world building where you can practically smell the food that the characters are eating, feel the fabrics of the clothing they're wearing, or smell the putrid decay of garbage in the streets they walk. I liked all of her characters, and can't wait to see if the sequel will feature more of the brothers of Hell who, so far, each represent one of the seven deadly sins. Also, she did an amazing job of creating this romance that isn't a romance but feels like a romance but can't be a romance but very could still turn into a romance in the sequel 😆 This definitely a must-read book.

Kingdom of the Wicked is the first book in a new series by Kerri Maniscalco. Released 27th Oct by Hatchette, it's 448 pages (print version) and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a beautifully written brooding NA fantasy novel set in 19th century Sicily. The plot elements may be standard tropes (young witches living hidden among humans, handsome and misunderstood bad boy (ok, demon) romantic interest) but the writing lifts the whole above the average. The author has a gift with descriptive prose and the narrative is compelling and richly rendered. The world building is very skillfully interwoven with real life historical details which add a layer of realism to the fantasy. There are some inconsistencies but they don't overwhelm the storytelling.

There is a significant amount of romantic tension and "bodice ripper" level descriptions (nothing too explicit, but definitely racy). The denouement was as expected and sets up the (nearly certain) second book in the series.

I would recommend this one unhesitatingly to fans of NA paranormal romance. Atmospheric and brooding with handsome demon lad. Three and a half stars rounded up for the quality of the writing.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

KINGDOM OF THE WICKED was a dark and delightful new fantasy world that I can't wait to be immersed in again. There was so much to love about this first installment, but it was truly Emilia and her strength and smarts that stole the show. Though Wrath wasn't half-bad either, but you can never trust a demon.

This book has all the feels of a typical historical murder mystery, but Maniscalco took that one step further and crafted her mystery around witches, propechies, demons, and a delightful band of Princes from Hell. All of those play a central role in the murders that are happening in Emilia's small town, and she is unfortunately dragged into it because of her proximity to a murder victim and her status as a witch. Though even with witchcraft as a weapon, it was ultimately her quick thinking and her capability that helped save her hide quite a few times in this book.

Wrath. Oh, Wrath, Wrath, Wrath. I simultaneously love and hate him. Demons are a tricksy lot, and Princes of Hell are the tricksiest OF ALL. I would love to know what his machinations are and what his true feelings toward Emilia are, but that's going to be a tale for another book. There is a swoony hint of romance happening in this first installment, I can't wait to see how it unfolds in the forthcoming books. Or even if it does because --AGAIN!-- you can't trust those pesky demons.

The only thing(s) that prevented me from giving this the full glorious 5 star treatment was the occasions where Emila couldn't recall spells needed to help her out. Once I could forgive, but it was almost a habit -- when Emilia needed magic the most, she forgot spells. Other than that, it was such a delightfully dark tale and definitely one that I can add to my list of 2020 favorites. 4.5 stars.