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rinku's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Kingdom of the Wicked gets barely 2.5 stars from me because of the interesting setting and general premise. The characters were too stereotypical for my taste, and the story is not really clear.
Emilia is a witch living in historic Sicily. Her sister Vittoria gets murdered, and she summons a demon prince which her grandmother has always warned her about. For most of the time in this book, we just spend the time with Emilia and Wrath which was just a bit boring and not engaging. This can work but not with uninteresting characters like those two are. The storytelling wasn’t great either. Conflicts could be solved quickly if the characters just talked to each other, and some things are just not well explained so that there were a lot of moments where I didn’t know what was happening. Like for example I didn’t understand why no one said anything about Emilia being gone for like two weeks, and I didn’t even know where she’s been. Emilia also apparently cares a lot for a grandma but doesn’t even visit her when she’s injured ?
Besides this, this novel had one of my least favourite tropes, the ”we’re suddenly engaged!” trope. It also irritated me that there were randomly some kind of vampires . Towards the end, the deus ex machine moments became more frequent, and it was so obvious who the murderer was.
Like I’ve mentioned, I really liked the Italian and Sicily setting but for quite some time, I wasn’t sure whether this book was contemporary or historical since there were not enough descriptions. Besides this, the timeline and universe were a bit hard for me to grasp. In contrast, the atmosphere created was quite nice and especially her feelings after her sister’s death were depicted so well.
I don’t have too much to say about the characters. Emilia is an okay protagonist, but she felt a bit stereotypical to me. Her love interest Wrath is of course muscular and has dark hair. The side characters are in part not well characterized, I think we don’t hear her parents say one word. Besides this, it annoys me that there are of course only demon princes but not princesses.
Kingdom of the Wicked is probably most interesting for those people that focus on the romance aspects of romantasy. The fantasy elements were unfortunately underdeveloped, just like the story and the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Animal death and Sexual content
organizedxchaos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Violence
dwarrowdams's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Interesting start to the series: a little thin on character development; but it set up a lot of things that I’m interested to see shake out in future books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder
jacks_beloved's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was an absolute feast for me during my reading slump era, which has been prevailing over my life for as long as I can remember. The Kingdom of the Wicked was everything I was hoping it would be, and honestly, more. The pacing was fast and engaging. The mystery element was such that I couldn't put the book down even if I wanted to. The storyline of this book was all I could think about during my waking hours, and sometimes it even encompassed my dreams. The world-building by the author was absolutely amazing and the way she introduced us to the Princes of Hell and slowly immersed us deeper into the Kingdom of the Wicked (literally) had me on my toes, and on the edge of my seat. I can say with firm assurance that I was not bored for a single second.
The only reason I'm not giving this book a perfect rating is because I feel that the writing didn't flow so smoothly and sometimes it was difficult to keep up with where the author was taking us, because it seemed like she expected the reader to already have some idea about her vision. Secondly, I didn't feel the chemistry between Wrath and Emilia, and I feel their character exploration was comprised amidst the fast-moving story.
Overall, however, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, since it's rapidly carved it's way into my heart (pun) as one of my favourite fantasies of all times.
The only reason I'm not giving this book a perfect rating is because I feel that the writing didn't flow so smoothly and sometimes it was difficult to keep up with where the author was taking us, because it seemed like she expected the reader to already have some idea about her vision. Secondly, I didn't feel the chemistry between Wrath and Emilia, and I feel their character exploration was comprised amidst the fast-moving story.
Overall, however, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, since it's rapidly carved it's way into my heart (pun) as one of my favourite fantasies of all times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gore and Grief
Minor: Vomit
gingerlaura's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book had all the right ingredients but lacked one major thing: world building. After reading this I still don't know the names of all the 7 princes of Hell, what era this book takes place in, what witches and demons are actually capable of, how the magic truly works...
Disappointed. That's what I am, because I was ready to love this book. The beginning started out strong, I was genuinely creeped out. And then I got bored for the rest of it.
The writing wasn't necessarily bad but there was just nothing interesting happening in this book. I also didn't really care for the characters, I thought Vittoria was the most interesting but she was dead throughout most of this book, so I guess that says enough. It just all felt like one big filler book for what's to come, if that makes sense.
I do think the idea of the story is interesting, and I get the picture the author is trying to paint but it didn't turn out quite that well. That doesn't mean I hated this book, it was just meh. Like I said, disappointing.
I don't think I'll be reading the rest of this trilogy, seeing the reviews it doesn't age that well, especially the last book in the trilogy. But by all means do pick this up if you like romantacy, you might like this more than I did.
Disappointed. That's what I am, because I was ready to love this book. The beginning started out strong, I was genuinely creeped out. And then I got bored for the rest of it.
The writing wasn't necessarily bad but there was just nothing interesting happening in this book. I also didn't really care for the characters, I thought Vittoria was the most interesting but she was dead throughout most of this book, so I guess that says enough. It just all felt like one big filler book for what's to come, if that makes sense.
I do think the idea of the story is interesting, and I get the picture the author is trying to paint but it didn't turn out quite that well. That doesn't mean I hated this book, it was just meh. Like I said, disappointing.
I don't think I'll be reading the rest of this trilogy, seeing the reviews it doesn't age that well, especially the last book in the trilogy. But by all means do pick this up if you like romantacy, you might like this more than I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Vomit
thecrazycatlady's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This first book is an electrifying journey into a world where dark magic and ancient secrets collide. With richly drawn characters and a gripping plot, Kerri Maniscalco weaves a spellbinding tale that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The intricate world-building and vivid descriptions immerse you in the sights, sounds, and smells of historical Sicily, while the complex relationships and unexpected twists keep you guessing until the very end. Whether you're a fan of mystery, romance, or the supernatural, "Kingdom of the Wicked" delivers an unforgettable reading experience that will leave you eagerly anticipating the next installment. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a thrilling escape into a world of magic and intrigue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
siobhanreads's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
kiara_bilyk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
coincidental's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
kelseyfontaine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don’t normally read fantasy, but this is what my book club chose, so it’s my first read.
Even though it’s not what I gravitate toward, I really enjoyed the book overall. I’m normally a romance reader, so I would’ve loved to see some more banter/enemies-to-lovers stuff between Emilia and Wrath, but I can get behind keeping the integrity of the story.
There were some parts of the book that confused me a bit, and required me to reread past parts to fully understand what was going on. I chalk it up to being new to magic-based writing, so it was hard for me to keep track of in my head. But, I absolutely loved the setting everything was placed in and fell even more in love with Sicily (and Italian food)!
While it’s not my normal read, I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out what else is in store for Emilia.
Even though it’s not what I gravitate toward, I really enjoyed the book overall. I’m normally a romance reader, so I would’ve loved to see some more banter/enemies-to-lovers stuff between Emilia and Wrath, but I can get behind keeping the integrity of the story.
There were some parts of the book that confused me a bit, and required me to reread past parts to fully understand what was going on. I chalk it up to being new to magic-based writing, so it was hard for me to keep track of in my head. But, I absolutely loved the setting everything was placed in and fell even more in love with Sicily (and Italian food)!
While it’s not my normal read, I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out what else is in store for Emilia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Violence and Grief