Prophecies, power, and curses come out to play when court is held in hell. Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco is a gripping continuation of the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy, where we are once again brought back to a hunt for answers in a place where nothing is what it seems.
Genres: Paranormal FantasyPublisher: Jimmy Patterson
Publication Date: October 5th 2021
Source: Owned
Format: Audible / Physical Copy
After selling her soul to become Queen of the Wicked, Emilia travels to the Seven Circles with the enigmatic Prince of Wrath, where she’s introduced to a seductive world of vice.
She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge her beloved sister, Vittoria… even if that means accepting the hand of the Prince of Pride, the king of demons.
The first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. With back-stabbing princes, luxurious palaces, mysterious party invitations, and conflicting clues about who really killed her twin, Emilia finds herself more alone than ever before. Can she even trust Wrath, her one-time ally in the mortal world… or is he keeping dangerous secrets about his true nature?
Emilia will be tested in every way as she seeks a series of magical objects that will unlock the clues of her past and the answers she craves…
One sister.
Two sinful princes.
Infinite deception with a side of revenge… Welcome to Hell.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper Kerri Maniscalco comes the sizzling, sweepingly romantic sequel to Kingdom of the Wicked!
“Tell me,” he whispered, his voice sliding like silk over my flushed skin. “What?” My own voice came out breathless. “I am your favorite sin.”
This is why I should never read things as soon as they come out, because now I have the worst book hangover imaginable and I can’t rectify it for another year! Kerri Maniscalco chose violence with her second installment to the Kingdom of the Wicked series. Picking up right where the first book left off, we are knee deep in this new world and just like above secrets and curses run deeper than the surface.
I can’t contain how much I enjoyed this novel, the amount of Emilia and Wrath content I was blessed with undoubtedly cleared my acne and revived my crops; not to mention the entrance of some new characters (HELLO ANIR!) and exploration of others that made me giddy with every page turn. Honestly, this was a great sophomore novel and one I was deeply obsessed with as I ravaged my way though. Maniscalco didn’t hold back with her signature lyrical prose and spellbinding storytelling. I loved getting a chance to dive deeper in Wrath’s world and the life he leads. In the first book we got to see Emilia in her world and her element (some what) but now, the tables have turned and we are completely in Wrath’s domain–and I am. Here. For. It!
“Of course. There is nothing more dangerous than a woman who owns who she is and apologizes to no one.”
There was some solid development happening in this novel, and not just for character but also for the overall plot and world building. I loved all the foreshadowing and hints that Maniscalco weaves in and out of the story to make the plot that much more richer. I do feel though that this book felt more like a filler novel in preparation for the final installment than a book that could hold its own. There was so much development and clue dropping within the story that at times the pacing would slow down in favor for that information I have no doubt will come into play later. I didn’t mind this so much because I knew it was needed and also it gave me something to look forward to with the third novel. One thing that did irk me the most though, and the reason this isn’t a five star read, is because of the non-answers/beating around the bush and Emilia’s constant poor communication skills. At first I didn’t mind them because I knew why, but the same methods were used over and over again to the point where I got really annoyed with them after a time. We come to find out the reasoning for a portion of this near the end, but the damage was done to my emotions and I couldn’t forgive all of it.
Overall though, I highly enjoyed this one! It made me feel so many different emotions, and with Maniscalco’s writing style I was transported into another world and another life where I didn’t want things to end (looking at you cliffhanger!). There isn’t much I can say that doesn’t give anything away, but if you are looking for a great upper YA fantasy that delivers in more ways than one–this trilogy is your ticket! Kingdom of the Cursed has put Kerri Maniscalco has an auto-buy author for me, and I am scowering the interwebs for any information I can find for the third book! 10/10 would recommend!
Huge shout out to Jamsu @ Jamsu Dreams for buddy reading this with me! Can’t wait for our next read! If you are interested in reading her thoughts on the book, click HERE for her review!
Previous Book Reviews In The Series:
[…] I was so exited for this book and I started buddy reading this with Sam @ Fictionally Sam almost immediately. You can read her review here. […]