Publication: 27th October 2020 – Hodder & Stoughton
Two sisters. One brutal murder. A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…
A new series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper.
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…
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A few months ago, I decided to read Stalking Jack Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco because I kept hearing many good things about the series. After finishing reading it, I quickly bought the other three books in the series and devoured them in about a week. I was completely captured by the author’s writing, the gripping plots, and the fantastic characters she created. So, you can imagine how excited I was to read her new novel, Kingdom of Wicked, and I wasn’t disappointed. Very far from it.
The protagonist of Kingdom of the Wicked is Emilia. She is eighteen years old and she lives in Palermo, Sicily, with her twin sister Vittoria and their family running a successful restaurant. Emilia and Vittoria are witches and they grew up surrounded by their grandmother’s protection spells and her warnings to hide from the Wicked/Malvagi. The Wicked are demon princes who appear human, with red eyes and skin as hard as stone, and they “stalk the night, searching for souls to steal for their king, the devil”. However, when Vittoria is brutally murdered, Emilia wants revenge, even if that means making a deal with the devil:
“Vengeance was now a part of me, as real and necessary as my heart or my lungs.”
The first thing I did after I finished reading Kingdom of the Wicked was to go online and see when the sequel is coming out because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!! Sadly, there isn’t a publication date yet, but I am really looking forward to it. I think it’s impossible not to love this story. The world-building is incredible and there are witches, demon princes, mysterious murders, dubious characters, magic, and delicious food.
The author created rich and extraordinary characters. I especially liked the protagonist, Emilia, and Wrath, the demon prince she summoned. While her twin sister Vittoria was more impulsive and intrepid, Emilia likes to play safe. She likes to cook and experimenting with food, but her sister’s death and her search for the truth and revenge make her fearless and feisty. I loved her relationship with Wrath. Wrath is handsome, mysterious, “his beauty was an affront to what evil ought to look like”, and I enjoyed the chemistry and the witty banter between these two characters.
Kingdom of the Wicked is an addictive and mesmerizing story published by Hodder & Stoughton in October, but I would also like to mention also the beautiful edition created by Fairyloot for their October box.
A huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a proof of the novel.
Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats.
She is the #1 NYT and USA Today bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and the forthcoming Kingdom of the Wicked.
Book After Book 
I absolutely love this cover!
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