Reading With Tyler

, , , , , , , , ,

Review: Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Published

on

Name: Kingdom of the Wicked
Series: Kingdom of the Wicked #1
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Publisher: Hodderscape
Format: Kindle
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Mystery
Noted Tropes: Enemies to Lovers
Steam or Spice: None?

Rating:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Synopsis: Goodreads

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…

Review:

Ever since I read White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L Armentrout I have wanted more Prince of Hell action! And Kerri Maniscalco decided to bring the Seven Deadly Sins into the picture… which, ever since Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I have wanted to read more that included the Seven Deadly Sins. Yet I never found anything to scratch these itches. Till now.

I really enjoyed Kerri Maniscalco’s writing – the family she created as the FMC’s whilst not perfect was kind of perfect for that fact? The parents of the girls were both clearly active in their lives, but it was their protective Grandmother who was teaching them about their magic and the dangers that they needed to be aware of…. sort of anyway. The Grandmother was somewhat annoying, though I didn’t think that until a good portion of the way through the book when certain events happened that I couldn’t help but think could have been avoided if the Grandmother was a bit less herself…

But the girls I mentioned are twins, one of which is our FMC – Emilia (love the name!). We follow her as she finds her sister Vittoria brutally murdered and Emilia vows to find whoever did this to her sister and make them pay. Whilst trying to make sense of anything that happened and the small clues she finds herself, she ends up summoning Wrath – a Prince of Hell – and binding him in a protection spell (lucky her). It seems that Wrath is willing to help Emilia figure out what happened to her sister, but as the summary suggests, all was not as it seemed.

I really liked the story. I was excited for the who done it aspect and I was even getting interested in the plot that was being hinted at by various characters! So why didn’t I love Kingdom of the Wicked? I’m not sure if I’ve just come to want more from my FMC and MMC, but Wrath didn’t quite hit the nail for me. I suppose in a YA there is only so much violence that an MMC can commit before we start dancing on the fine lines between YA and NA but still… He just left a little something to be desired…

Emilia I liked enough and I absolutely want and need to know more about how the heck she is planning on doing well… anything in the next book following the ending of this one… But much like Wrath, she isn’t all that memorable. Perhaps it was because we stared to get the glimmers of a romance and I was hyped for it because genuinely loved these two together… but it just didn’t quite happen. Ahh I don’t know. They just weren’t the best FMC/MMC I’ve read lately. I suppose that’s what it boils down to…

Did I have a good time while reading it? Yes. Were the vibes right? Almost, totally. Will I be continuing the series? Yes I will. It just wasn’t quite 5 star, or even 4 star material when I found myself just wanting more. Maybe Kingdom of the Wicked was more of a build up book than an unputdownable book… but I will continue the series in order to find out.

“You always have the power of choice, even when those choices seem limited. Never forget that.”

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

One response to “Review: Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco”

  1. January Wrap Up – Reading With Tyler

    […] Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco – Already available – 3.5 ⭐Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – Already available – 5 ⭐Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent – Already available – 5 ⭐ (part of the 6⭐ club) – 🌶 City of Ruin by Charissa Weaks – Already available – 3.5 ⭐ – 🌶 Shadow & Storms by Helen Scheruer – Already available – 5 ⭐ (part of the 6 ⭐ club) – 🌶 Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L Wang – Already available – 5 ⭐The Plea by Steve Cavanagh – Already available – 5 ⭐The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown – Already available – 3 ⭐Once Upon a Broke Heart by Stephanie Garber – Available 5th February – 3 ⭐Belladonna by Adalyn Grace – Available 7th February – 4 ⭐Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros – Available 11th February – 5 ⭐ (part of the 6⭐ club) – 🌶 To Bleed a Crystal Bloom by Sarah A. Parker – Available 13th February – 2.5 ⭐ – 🌶 Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas – Available 15th February – 4.5⭐Pestielence by Laura Thalassa – Available 19th February – 4⭐ – 🌶 […]

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

Hello,

I’m Tyler-Rose

I’m rediscovering my love and enjoyment of reading and I’m inviting you along with me! I’ll be posting reviews predominently! But there will be posts talking about TBRs and Read-A-Thons / Reading Challenges as well!

Join me as I pick up my next read, curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and venture into my next story!

Let’s connect

Instagram Posts

So, I went through my books read this year and realised that not only was I having rating regrets on a few books, but also that there were many months this year where I read a lot of excellent reads! As a result, picking the best and worst book of the month came down to ratings first, and what stuck with me second. Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber was described as an adult Caraval - and I adored Caraval so naturally I was hyped for this release. Then the reviews came out which made me nervous… I put it off until I drew it for a TBR prompt and then accidentally ended up buddy reading it with a friend. I had an excellent time doing so. Here’s the thing, there are so many books releasing next year, and there is no way I have heard about them all or have them all on this list… but this list are the ones I either have on preorder or reminders set to buy them (because I can’t keep surprising myself with these preorders that you have to pay for later!!). Oh it feels GOOD to have actually read book 2 in this trilogy! When I picked to reread Storm and Fury I knew I needed to actually continue the trilogy and finish it this time, so naturally I’m really pleased to have prioritised that and read Rage and Ruin!

Recent posts