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A review by bookwitch
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
I read this already once before and loved it then too. The re-read was just as enjoyable, especially this time as an audio.
Emilia's family are witches. They live and work in Italy, at a family run restaurant. Emilia loves to spend her time cooking with her family, coming up with new recipes and in her spare time, reading romance novels. But Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria have always been warned to keep their cornicellos on them at all times. But they must never be brought together. Other than one time when they were ten, Emilia and her sister listened to their Nonna, and never removed them from their person, or brought them together. But things are rapidly changing, and when Vittoria is found with her heart ripped out of her chest, Emilia will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of her sister's murder, even if that means summoning a demon to help her. What she doesn't count for is accidentally summoning a Prince of demons, instead of a lowly regular one. Not fully understanding the gravity of what shes done, Emilia embarks on a quest to get the answers she needs to make sense of this murder. She receives instead, more questions than answers, and further unravels a curse (or prophecy?) that she was unaware of at the start. Can she trust one of the seven Princes of Hell, to help her find what she is looking for?
I loved both Emilia and Wrath (especially Wrath). The setting was delicious and rich, and though the lore and ultimately the mystery/plot became a little muddled and confusing, I was still all in on this because their (Emilia and Wrath's) dynamic was addicting. I remember upon first read, I immediately bought the next two books before finishing this one, because I knew I wanted to binge the whole thing. That didn't happen at the time, though it is happening now. The audio, though one reader, is well produced with little added music occasionally, and the reader using difference voices for each of the characters. I liked this a lot, and can see myself re-reading this a few times.
Emilia's family are witches. They live and work in Italy, at a family run restaurant. Emilia loves to spend her time cooking with her family, coming up with new recipes and in her spare time, reading romance novels. But Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria have always been warned to keep their cornicellos on them at all times. But they must never be brought together. Other than one time when they were ten, Emilia and her sister listened to their Nonna, and never removed them from their person, or brought them together. But things are rapidly changing, and when Vittoria is found with her heart ripped out of her chest, Emilia will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of her sister's murder, even if that means summoning a demon to help her. What she doesn't count for is accidentally summoning a Prince of demons, instead of a lowly regular one. Not fully understanding the gravity of what shes done, Emilia embarks on a quest to get the answers she needs to make sense of this murder. She receives instead, more questions than answers, and further unravels a curse (or prophecy?) that she was unaware of at the start. Can she trust one of the seven Princes of Hell, to help her find what she is looking for?
I loved both Emilia and Wrath (especially Wrath). The setting was delicious and rich, and though the lore and ultimately the mystery/plot became a little muddled and confusing, I was still all in on this because their (Emilia and Wrath's) dynamic was addicting. I remember upon first read, I immediately bought the next two books before finishing this one, because I knew I wanted to binge the whole thing. That didn't happen at the time, though it is happening now. The audio, though one reader, is well produced with little added music occasionally, and the reader using difference voices for each of the characters. I liked this a lot, and can see myself re-reading this a few times.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Violence and Grief
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol