e-Audio, 12:06:28
Narrated by: Marisa Calin
Release Date: October 27, 2020
Published by: Hachette Book Group
Read from: December 1-4, 2020
Kingdom of the Wicked, #1
Source: Library
TW: Death, Violence
For fans of: Mystery, Foodie Favorites, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Witches, YATwo 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 THOUGHTS*
This book was everything I needed at the moment. a murder mystery, a forbidden love, a super twisted ending. Definitely surprised me with a lot of what happened. I knew Maniscalco would deliver, but I didn’t know she would DELIVER.
Emilia and her sister are streghe trying to avoid people and persecution. One night, her sister missed dinner and Emilia goes to find her. She finds her murdered. She vows to find out who did it and why. To figure it out, she gets the help of one of the Wicked Princes of Hell. Just when he thought it was good, everything changes.
Man, Maniscalco knows how to write a mystery doesn’t she? Cuz man, I was hooked! I felt it started off a little slow before the Wicked got there, but when he did….. Man, it got GOOD. So good. The plot was so twisted so I don’t want to say too much about it, but just know you won’t guess who did it.
I also liked that there were more than just the witches in this one. I’m not a huge fan of witchy books, but the additions of demons was good enough for me. But as I read it, I soon found out there was also vampires, and werewolves, and all. Just that fact made it so much more better for me.
As for the audio, it was GREAT. It was more like a production. I have not heard an audio with background music and all. And if you listen to audio books, you know that the special effects can make the audio. And this one really made it better. The narrator was great too, because really, the different voices and the way she performed them, it was golden. I really liked it.
The ending was the biggest WTF moment for me. It definitely opens up a world of possibilities for Book 2. Although I’m not sure who it’s going to be about, what’s going to happen where she is, or what, But I’m super interested. It’s going to be a long wait until we get to the next.
The fact that I liked this was no surprise. As a huge fan of Maniscalco, I knew I would. And to those that are on the fence about her newest, please give it a shot. SJTR is still my fave (girl power and all) but that doesn’t mean this one isn’t good. Give it a shot and tell me what you think!
Overall, I give this
Oh happy you enjoyed this one and happy that the audio was a winner. I’m always wary of audiobooks that deal with fantasy elements but that’s also the only time I have to read!