Book Review: Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
“Kingdom of the Wicked” by Kerri Maniscalco is about a streghe (witch) named Emilia who were warned about the seven princes of Hell since Emilia and her twin sister were young. Emilia’s sister is killed, which leads Emilia to seek vengeance towards her sister’s killer which leads her to one of the princes of Hell- Wrath- and begins working with him to find her sister while a forbidden romance brews between the two.
I was apprehensive to read this book at first, as much as I can remember. I have not read a book about witches and I was skeptical on how much I would really enjoy it. I put off reading it for quite a while, choosing to read other books that I knew I would be interested in. However, this book has been highly recommended to me and I have seen countless people claiming it to be an amazing read, and loving the book. I decided I would give it a try and I have to say I did not love it as I hoped I would have.
I was indifferent throughout the book; I could not figure out if I enjoyed it, or if I did not like it. I was sort of in between. As much as I loved the concept the writing felt flat, and I just couldn’t connect with the characters, nor did I feel like the characters were written in such a way that made you feel like they were real, or chemistry with each other. Throughout the book Emilia spoke often on how she was angry and wanted vengeance for her beloved sister Vittoria. While that emotion was clearly expressed, she described the anger she felt to be massive, but her actions seemed to counteract it and downplay the anger she was supposed to have.
The overall plot of the story is interesting. I love the idea of bringing sins to life, I find it to be an interesting concept of what the sins would be like as a living being rather than just an act that some may do. In this book we get introduced to Wrath, Greed, Envy, Lust and mentions of Pride. You can expect to read a good amount on Wrath since he is the main male lead in this book, and while Greed, Envy and Lust make appearances they aren’t as frequent as Wrath. I am looking forward to meeting the other princes, assuming they will be in the next book that is expected to be released Oct. 5, 2021 titled “Kingdom of the Cursed.” I am hoping we get to know Greed, Envy and Lust more as well.
On the subject of the title of the book, I feel that it should be switched with the second book. Hell is often referred to as the Kingdom of the Wicked, but throughout the first book they never visit or appear in Hell, they reside in Sicily, and from the plot of the second book they will be mentioned visiting Hell. The first book has many references towards a curse that serves as a base for the plot of the first book. Perhaps after the second book it may make sense why she has titled the books as she did, but as far as I see at this moment, the titles would have made more sense to switch the two.
If you are looking for a book that will be enticing and draw you in, one that pulls on your emotions and feels connected to the book, “Kingdom of the Wicked’’ is not it. This book feels more of a story to wash your palette from a book that plays on your emotions. It is the sort of book that you can sit down and read just because you simply feel like reading without worrying of a painful heartbreak, or of any high emotions.
I did find the main character to be different. While most heroines are written as powerful, fearless and the only one who can solve everything, Emilia was the opposite. She seemed rather a normal witch who was thrust into this mess after losing her sister. I found that to be refreshing, she went into things without plans, just on a whim in hopes she is going to be successful. Emilia showed he was scared more often than not, there were times she had no idea what to do, and having her written that way was captivating. While the writing itself was not as tasteful as I would like, the way Emilia was written made up for it. The normalcy of her character made it feel a bit more real than. I have noticed in books written by Maniscalco she tends to write her female leads as more of an “average” character than the superstar heroine.
The first book ended in a way that seemed rather abrupt. Most books end with cliffhangers, and while “Kingdom of the Wicked” ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger, it felt like it was cut off rather than the ending. I believe one of the biggest parts that makes a good book is the way the book is ended, and this one didn’t seem to have a strong ending. The next book is assumingly to take place in Hell or as they call it in the Kingdom of the Wicked.
While I was somewhat disappointed that I did not love the book as much as everyone who recommended it claimed I would, the question of whether I plan to read the second book once it comes out; Most definitely. While I did not feel invested in the characters and saw the plot as flat, I am curious to where the story will end up and if by chance I may love the second book that will cause me to be invested into this series. I am having faith that this next book will pick up the series and allow me to be consumed as many others have seemed to be with the first one, but only time will tell.
