I had to look back into my Goodreads, but it was Spring 2021 when I’ve read Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco for the first time. I can’t remember whether I wrote a review back then. If so, then it’s lost for good. This winter, the Dutch translation of this book got published and I wanted to reread it in my native language. Back then, it got me out of a reading slump and I wondered if I still had that same excitement whilst rereading it now.
About the book
- Title: Kingdom of the Wicked
- Author: Kerri Maniscalco
- Series: Kingdom of the Wicked #1
- Publication date: October 27, 2020
- Publisher: Jimmy Patterson Books
- ISBN: 9780316428460
- Number of pages: 372
- Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…
And an intoxicating romance.
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…
My review
My expectations
When diving into this book the first time back in 2021, I barely had any clue what this would be all about. I had tried reading Stalking Jack the Ripper by this author, but I had to DNF it. Twice. When I started reading Kingdom of the Wicked however, I felt myself enjoying it much much more. I was in quite a reading slump back then and struggled especially with YA books. This one however, got me hooked and I was out of my slump. I expected to enjoy it still the same now as I did back then. Unfortunately, I did not.
Characters
To be fair, I liked Emilia at first. She is not extremely extraordinary, but she was sufferable. She still is, but compared to other main characters she doesn’t leave much of an impression. She felt very dull now and I think it’s the evolution of both my reading taste/experience and the genres. Also, I think – without even realizing – I still had a book hangover from Fourth Wing like so many others. Nevertheless, Emilia knows what she wants and what she stands for in her mission to seek revenge for her sister’s murder. However, she annoyed me and some of her actions where outright stupid. Prince Wrath however was more sufferable, he acted like how a demon should act. Still, the chemistry is there, but I just couldn’t connect to it really now.
Writing
Compared to other books, the writing felt just okay and quite ordinary. It’s not standing out at all. I believe this really has to do with the evolving of the YA genre lately and the fact I’ve read more different fantasy as well. It’s not bad, just okay. I again flew through the story in a breeze and therefore it is really accessible to YA readers. The second book in this series is more NA though.
Plot
Unfortunately, the plot felt really weak compared to my first read. It’s not that I had a bad time, but I felt myself getting dragged into a minor reading slump. I felt less interested in and intrigued by Emilia’s mission and her encounters with some princes from hell. It’s a lot of building up (which is logical and needed), but sometimes the story lost its pace. However, I still recommend you to not read this book on an empty stomach. Emilia’s family owns a restaurant and all the mentioning of Italian food made my mouth water. The change in atmosphere was done properly, from a lighter mood in the kitchen to serious and tense stuff with Wrath.
Final thoughts
It’s not that I had a bad time rereading Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco, but I definitely enjoyed the book less after two years. It felt all plain and simple and it just didn’t give me that excited feeling anymore. There have been so many better books released in the meantime and the genre developed so much that I felt a translation of this story came a little too late. Thankfully many Dutch readers are still enthousiastic, but they are reading the story for the first time. To be honest, it works quite well, except for several mistakes. I wonder how I will enjoy Kingdom of the Cursed in Dutch as I found this book almost insufferable in English. To support the publisher, I’ve already pre-ordered a copy. Well, to be conintued in fall or winter.
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