Kingdom of the Wicked
Kerri Maniscalco
I hoped the kingdom of the wicked was ready for a vengeful queen —Emilia di Carolo
By Haley Giguère
★★★
Written on November 15, 2022
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 restaurant in Sicily. 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—who are 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 a series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems… —As stated on the book’s back cover
Two Sisters
One brutal murder
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…
And an intoxicating romance
Kingdom of the Wicked is a Young Adult fantasy novel intended for readers aged from 14 to 16. The novel is filled with suspense, mystery, plot twists and lots of betrayal. Kingdom of the Wicked is the first in a trilogy followed by Kingdom of the Cursed and Kingdom of the Feared. Kingdom of the Wicked is the opener. It explains the backstory of the main character and develops the plot and mystery for the rest of the series. The novel is a slow burn romance with an enemies to lovers trope. However, enemies to lovers cannot go without betrayal. The mystery of Kingdom of the Wicked explores many possible suspects, the true culprit being someone a reader never would expect. The mystery, plot twists and betrayal are what make the book so captivating.
Kingdom of the Wicked was a captivating read, however, it was difficult to get into. The main plot started to develop a few chapters in. Even then, it wasn’t interesting until halfway through the book. The first half of the novel was long to read and didn’t include many big, exciting events or plot development. However, the second half of the book was a page-turner and extremely interesting. The plot of the mystery was intriguing and had me guessing at all the possible suspects. Throughout the novel, when clues would unravel, it was incredibly easy to get swept up in the mystery. Personally, I thought Kingdom of the Wicked was going to be an amazing read, and unfortunately I was disappointed by the beginning. Although it took a while to develop, I still recommend this book. The ending, and the plot were incredible to read and the fantasy aspect with the witches and the Princes of Hell were such a creative initiative. The romance in the novel was mainly banter and romantic tension building the character’s relationship for the next book. Having only read Kingdom of the Wicked, I am immensely excited to read the rest of the series. The ending of the book opened so many possible outcomes for the next book. Kingdom of the Wicked deserves a three star rating due to the fact that the first half of the novel was a two or 3 star read while the second half was worth five stars.
— Article caption quoted by Wrath {Kingdom of the Wicked}
— Cover image from Bookstacked
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