Kingdom of the Wicked

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Balance.
Light and dark.
The sun and moon.
Good and evil.
A snake winding through a bed of wildflowers.
Offering a taste of the most forbidden fruit.
Scales of justice were tipped; a choice hanging there for me to decide.
To right a wrong, or damn us all.

Emilia

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Kingdom of the Wicked 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…

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Kingdom of the Wicked Review

This was my first book from Kerri, I have been debating picking up her Stalking Jack the Ripper series for years. But this book I couldn’t leave on the shelf. Witches living in secret, Princes of Hell, murder and romance, yes please.

This book begins with the 8 year old twins being given their cornicello, special necklaces that are supposed to protect the girls from the Wicked. The Wicked Princes of Hell that is. There are seven princes, but the girls are told that they should only fear four. On this stormy 19th century night, the twins are told to never place their cornicellos together.

The main story takes place ten years later, but we see how that night when they were 8 years old shaped their lives. Both girls are involved with their family restaurant the Sea & Vine, they both are finding and following their dreams, and leading normal lives, all while secretly hiding their witchy power from humans. Vittoria is more adventurous and outgoing, whereas Emilia is more reserved and introverted.

After finding her sister murdered, Emilia is thrust into the heart of the mystery when she makes a deal with a demon when she is desperate. Together, Emilia and Wrath (named after the Hell he rules over, but not his true name) are forced to work together to investigate brutal murders of female witches in the city. Wrath is a great Prince of Hell, Broody, dark, mysterious, in it for himself. Truly a good enemies to lover trope character. But like the synopsis says, nothing with the Wicked is as it seems.

One of my favourite part of this book was all the different locations. Monasteries, Restaurants, Secret gambling dens, caves, beaches, castles, these are all in this books. The other was the food. Don’t read this book without a snack with you because holy the food descriptions were amazing. Makes me wish for a little Italian restaurant with a Nonna cooking family recipes handed down through generations. I also really enjoyed seeing the snippets from the de Carlo grimoire in the beginning of some chapters.

The grief and depression that someone would go through after an event like this was really well portrayed. It showed really well that the weight of sadness can be unbearable alone, especially when your world and future are taken from you. I also think Kerri did a really good job with the different stages of grief, but to also show the reader that there is no wrong way to grieve. It can be sadness and pain, but also anger and revenge.

Overall, I couldn’t put this book down. And I would bet all the money in the world that I will pick up the next one, because this book ended on a perfect cliffhanger that I desperately want to know about. The writing is so easily consumable, the mystery of the murder underlines everything and I really did fall in love with the setting, plot set up for the series and characters.

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About Kerri Maniscalco

Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats.

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More Books by Kerri Maniscalco

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Kingdom of the Wicked Series

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