A good book was its own brand of magic, one I could safely indulge in without fear of getting caught by those who hunted. I loved escaping from reality, especially during times of trouble. Stories made everything possible.

This world is so fun and entertaining. The witchy vibes, mystery, demon princes, spells, HOT DEMON PRINCES, feminist messaging, solving a murder, Italian culture in a fantasy setting and the food imagery. I devoured the imagery and beautiful prose. The banter between Amelia and Wrath was so good. I love them and he was hilarious. I love poetic men who have been around since the beginning of time. I think it's my kink. Eternally sexy poetic beings who are a little, if not a lot evil. The fanart of him had me keeling over like how is this fictional man taking me out. Anyways, the vibes were beautiful. I can't wait to see more of this world and more of Amelia and Wrath. I hope she gets meaner and maybe a little smarter but overall amazing vibes. I love witches.

“I do not wish to taint my body with the foulness of human food," I mocked. "But desserts are acceptable.” - Wrath, cannoli lover.

A reckoning awoke in me. The more I gave, the more he returned. We traded kisses like blows. And if this were a fight, I wouldn't know who was winning. I understood why some thought kissing one of the Wicked was addictive. Each time his tongue touched mine, it felt as if the ground beneath me quaked. Like we were a cataclysmic event that shouldn't be.

“Why do villains always wear black?” 
“Better to hide the blood with, witch.” 

His annoyance joined mine in unholy matrimony.

“One day you'll call me death. For now, Wrath will do.” 

Cooking was magic and music combined. The crack of shells, the hiss of pancetta hitting a hot pan, the metallic clang of a whisk beating the side of a bowl, even the rhythmic thwack of a cleaver against a wooden cutting board.

Grief carved me in half. And fury honed the pieces into a weapon. Now it was time to unleash it.

This book is the CW of YA. It wouldn’t surprise me if this became a CW series, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Just…no. First 1/2 I was interested and it quickly became a muddled mess of a FMC that was reckless beyond belief and a messy as fuck timeline. Also there is no spice (not that a good book needs one) but for booktok to scream of the “spice” in this book….there is one make out scene. ONE. Just do yourself a favor and skip this one. 

It had such a strong start and then things pittered out. The love felt instant and really the main characters didn’t interact much. However when they did I think they had good enough banter. I’m going to read the next book because I feel the story has potential. 

A solid read/listen. I really enjoy the way the author has clearly done her research on witchcraft or is possibly a practitioner herself. I'll have to look it up and update.

Emilia being 18 is both fitting and frustratingly accurate. At that age, it feels like the world is yours to explore, and it's time to make your mark in the world. Emilia was ready to take over the family business, debut her recipes and make the restaurant more successful than ever until she got caught up in dark plots of murder, betrayal, and the princes of Hell. 

More than once though, I wanted to shake her. That age is also terrible for being stubborn and bull-headed, and she had that in spades. Her own beliefs were shaken to their core, and I understand it's a shock, but she needed to start questioning things a lot sooner. I forgot how invincible 18 year olds think they are; make them witches and it's 10x worse. By all rights, Emilia should have died at least 3 times and should have accepted help way sooner.

Wrath is still hard to pin, but there is clearly more to him than what was shown, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him. 

Solid characterization, and I was not expecting who the murderer was. Emilia will be a force to be reckoned with. 

One thing I like about the audiobook is that it does feel more immersive. The background music during some of the more intense scenes really draws you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. 

TL;DR: Emilia is an oblivious 18yr old witch who gets in way over her head, but it's not her fault no one would tell her the truth. Hell is so not ready. 

🇳🇱: een prachtig boek. Ik heb hem in drie dagen uitgelezen en ik moet zeggen dat ik er goed doorheen vloog. Van het moment dat toorn in beeld kwam was ik verkocht, wat een heerlijke man.

ik vond het jammer dat hij zo veranderde op het einde. Al weet je natuurlijk nooit wat de ware aard is van de prinsen....

Ik vond de bijnamen heks en demon erg aandoenlijk, omdat het zo goed paste binnen het verhaal. Het waren koosnaampjes, die de nodige haat bevatte. Er was veel spanning, al vond ik die wat voorspelbaar. Ik kreeg bij dit boek geen vijf sterren gevoel wat ik erg jammer vond, omdat ik dit wel hoopte vanwege de prachtige special edition.  De schrijfwijze is goed. In het begin werd ik wel wat verward door de italiaanse termen en bijnamen. Later heb je door wie ze ermee bedoelen. Ook de personages waren heel goed neergezet, je voelt echt goed met ze mee. De schrijfster zet heel mooi de karakter van de personages neer. Ook laat ze heel goed zien dat je niet iedereen kan vertrouwen. 

 Al met al een leuk fantasie boek en ik kan niet wachten op deel twee.