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…
Most romantasy starts with the romance. This one starts with a body, and that's the smartest thing about it. The plot is a murder investigation, with women dying across the island, and the demon prince is a complication rather than the main event.
The setting does a lot of the work. Palermo comes alive through a family restaurant and food writing detailed enough to make you hungry, and the atmosphere is lush and the prose lyrical. The heroine divides readers. Some see a grief-driven anti-hero, others a passive teen who second-guesses herself. The banter with Wrath is the other big draw. The romance stays slow-burn and restrained, with tension and kisses rather than spice, while the murders supply the real heat.
The book wins readers over with sensory writing, a brisk mystery and a cliffhanger built to make you grab book two. Common Sense Media found it fast-paced with strong worldbuilding. A dissenting reader found the heroine passive and the male lead barely present.
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19 books in catalog
Dark atmospheric worldbuilding and high-stakes romance define a prominent corner of modern young adult and adult fantasy fiction. Kerri Maniscalco established her reputation with bestselling young adult gothic mysteries before expanding into seductive adult fantasy romances set in dark, mythic realms. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages and have gathered a vast worldwide readership.
Raised in a semi-haunted house in New York's Hudson Valley outside New York City, Maniscalco developed an early fascination with gothic environments and atmospheric storytelling. She attended college in New York City, studying Fine Art before transferring to the Fashion Institute of Technology to study Communication Design. In her spare time, she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with family and friends, and drinks tea while discussing life's finer points with her cats.
Maniscalco launched her publishing career with the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling Stalking Jack the Ripper quartet, a young adult gothic mystery series comprising Stalking Jack the Ripper, Hunting Prince Dracula, Escaping from Houdini, and Capturing the Devil. She achieved further international recognition with her bestselling Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy, set in dark fantasy historical Italy. Expanding into adult fantasy romance, she introduced her Prince of Sin series with the instant New York Times bestseller Throne of the Fallen, followed by Throne of Secrets.
Maniscalco's writing combines gothic murder mysteries with passionate romantic arcs, emphasizing dark settings, high tension, and intricate investigation. Her narratives frequently explore themes of witchcraft, demonic princes, moral ambiguity, and family bonds, often enriched with lush culinary details and historical atmosphere.
Kingdom of the Wicked
