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SYNOPSIS: 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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BOOK REVIEW
You will like this if you like:
~ Witches
~ vivid descriptions of food
~ murder mystery
To Note: Graphic description of victim of murder
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing Style: 4.5/5
Personal Enjoyment: 4 /5
Overall Rating: 16.5 /20
This book started great, we are immediately thrust into a chilling recounting of devils, dark princes and curses. Maniscalco has the ability to evoke an eerie atmospheric setting with ease. However as the story unfolds , personally for me that gets lost. It veers more into the murder mystery element of the story. Which I actually preferred as spooky is not normally my thing. I loved that Emilia was more than capable of investigating and following leads herself, even though it meant Wrath, the Prince from Hell and his help was often redundant at times as a result. Which was a shame as his broody, menacing self was quite entertaining and I would have liked to have seen him more involved.
In fact the whole cast of characters were really interesting, From Nonna to Claudia, Emilia's friend. We also meet other Princes of Hell, but not in much detail. I hope we get to know more about them as the series progresses.
I really enjoy Maniscalco's writing style, it is easily digestible and hugely entertaining, my main criticism is that it felt rushed, and the ending was a bit abrupt, it felt like as soon as the murderer is unmasked we are are swiftly moving onto what is clearly being set up as the overall series arc. The last few chapters there is a lot of misdirection and muddying of the plot that ends with a cliff hanger. Though not one of my favourite plot devices, I am sufficiently invested now that I will be picking up book two. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining read, I loved the history and world building around the Strega (witches) and Princes of Hell. I am intrigued by a few of the loose threads Maniscalco has left us and I am fascinated about how they will be wrapped up in subsequent books. Would definitely recommend.
Kingdom of the wicked will be released on: 27th Oct. 2020