Hello and welcome to another review, bookworms! I am so excited to talk to you guys about Kingdom of the Wicked! But first I would like to thank Jimmy Paterson Books for giving me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Kingdom of the Wicked comes out this October 27th!
Set in Sicily, Italy, Kingdom of the Wicked follows Emilia, a witch who lives in secret with her twin and family who run a renowned restaurant. All is well, until she finds her sister murdered and torn apart. Filled with grief and anger, Emilia will stop at nothing to find the killer, even if it means using dark magic, or teaming up with Wrath, one of the seven demon princes of hell to solve the mystery. Danger and darkness lurk at every corner, but who can Emilia trust? As many of you know, Kerri Maniscalco wrote one of my all time favourite series, Stalking Jack the Ripper. So when I found out that she was writing another series, I was so excited and eager to get my hands on it. Being part Sicilian myself, the setting of the book really intrigued me! When books are set in Italy they are usually centred in Rome so seeing a small Italian island was a fun change! The writing is definitely atmospheric. Kerri paints a tale of darkness and shadow that keeps you interested throughout. At some points I felt that the gravity/danger of the situations that Emilia was in weren't completely shown. I knew that she could get seriously hurt but I found that I didn't feel a sense of urgency or alarm. The bits of Italian and latin words throughout the book were something I had a lot of fun with! It immerses you in the culture, and since I had a bit of background I already knew about certain things like arancini (rice balls). The element of the family restaurant was also super entertaining! I would have loved to see more of the restaurant and maybe more scenes with Emilia cooking. When food was described, my mouth was definitely watering! All of the dishes sounded amazing. Emilia was an intriguing character to read about, unlike other protagonists I've read from, she didn't shy away from her anger and sorrow, but embraced them, which was a refreshing aspect of her character. I found that in the case of Vittoria, Emilia's sister, I didn't have a chance to really grow to love her before she was found dead. In terms of her death, I felt more empathy toward's Emilia than I felt upset about the actual death itself. On the other hand, Wrath was a really interesting character. The concept of having seven demon princes of Hell was very unique and unlike anything I've read before. I hope in future books that we will continue to learn more about the inner workings of Hell and the magic system. Speaking of the magic system, I found that it was well developed and I understood it very well. One comment I would have about Wrath is that I wish we got to see more of him! One aspect that I loved from Stalking Jack the Ripper was the amazing romance! And while we did get romance in this book, I think that seeing more of Wrath would have definitely let that blossom into something like the SJTR series. The end reveal of the killer was a little bit of a let down for me, I wasn't hugely surprised with who it was and I wish I had a little bit more background. The final chapter leaves us on a big cliffhanger which opens up so many possibilities for what the sequel may hold. I look forward to seeing more of these characters and the adventures to come for them! I will definitely be continuing with the series (as I mentioned, cliffhanger!). For everyone looking for a spooky demon and witch story this Halloween, I recommend Kingdom of the Wicked! I gave this book 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. That's a wrap on my ARC review for Kingdom of the Wicked! I hope you enjoyed it! Who's your favourite wicked character or villain? Let me know in the comments below!
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AuthorPaige is a bookstagrammer and blogger who loves all things bookish. From fantasy to mystery she can’t get enough! She’s always ready to recommend you a book and she can talk about her favourites all day. When she’s not reading, you can find her watching Marvel movies, playing video games, and taking bookstagram photos. Visit her on Instagram and Twitter for more updates. CategoriesArchives
April 2024
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