The Kingdom of Wicked has a cool title and cover, but it was the author who attracted my attention, because it is Kerri Maniscalco, the author of Stalking Jack The Ripper Series. Emilia Maria Di Carlo is the main character in this first person point of view magical series. Straight away, the book launches you into Palermo, Sicily. She and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe, witches who live in hiding from people and witch hunters alike. Together with her grandmother Nonna Maria, they serve food in Sea & Vine, a family-run restaurant.
Do not read this book if you are on a diet or if you are hungry. The words will smell divine if your mind can conjure up mouth watering cannolis and pastas. Emillia loves to bake, her preferred dish in the restaurant is the sweets. She is a down-to-earth girl who thinks logically, a complete opposite of her sister Vittoria. Vittoria is more daring and likes to push the boundaries.
Until Vittoria was found murdered, and Emilia threw caution to the wind. One thing leads to another, and Emilia ends up meeting the Prince of Wrath. This is probably as far as I would go in terms of summary for the series. The fun part of the book starts around book 2. Book 1 is more like an introduction to the characters at play.
Book 2: Kingdom of the Cursed
I read the first two books in one go, because I was a year too late for the bandwagon. I count myself lucky because I hate cliffhangers. Emilia and Prince Wrath picks up where they left off in book one. For this icy blue number, the skull wears a crown and hints at the progress of the series. In Kingdom of Cursed, Emilia finds out that the Seven Princes are cursed, and she is a key to unbreaking it.
Everyone knows something, but everyone may not tell her what. It is not only frustrating for her; it is frustrating everyone, including me, the reader. Emilia finds out a lot of things in the second book, but all of them points to her past, and the mystery deepens. The hook sinks deeper. By now, I’m aching for the series to be over, but there are balls to attend and people to kill…
Kingdom of the Feared: Finale
By Kingdom of the Feared, the cover changes into a skull with pretty rose gold flowers and ruby eyes. This last book for the Kingdom of the Wicked series actually has a few untied ends. I suspect the author will write a novella to satisfy my curiosity. I hope so. Anyway, if you have been following the first two, you will know the inspiration behind this last number.
Does the book need to be in a series? Probably not, but it is good to see the author’s growth. Emilia keeps unearthing secrets that Wrath is not trying to hide, but simply unable to tell. Some things are better if you dig them up yourself, I suppose. She gets plenty of hints and directions from Princes of Hell, mainly for their own benefit.
A story of “finding my sister’s killer and avenge her!” somehow turns into a journey of self- discovery and betrayal. I am not a fan of multiple plot lines, because there are a lot of holes when you have too many plotlines. But I shall overlook them as it is meant for ages 14 and up.
HANG ON!
14 and up?
Kingdom of Wicked has pretty steamy scenes though. Are you sure that this is teen friendly? Although it is not explicit, it is pretty obvious what they are doing in some chapters. While I am no prude, if you are buying this for a teenager, just be warned about the gore and the non-graphical sex scenes.
Verdict
The books are easy to read, although I would skim when the descriptions get too long. Kingdom of Wicked can be wordy at times with the fillers, but it breaks up the pace a little. I enjoy roaming around Palermo and Hell with Emilia, as the author does not describe the same place more than twice. I suspect that there will be another book to tie up some loose ends, but the Kingdom of Wicked, Kingdom of Cursed and Kingdom of Feared should be read in order so you can follow the story.
I enjoyed it, but I am not sure if I will reread the book. Kerri’s skill as a writer has improved immensely since the Jack the Ripper series. I will look forward to her next series in the future.
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