Emilia, a Sicilian witch, finds her twin sister Vittoria viciously murdered. On her quest to discover the culprit, she ends up working with one of the Wicked she's been taught to fear, all her life.

Gripping from the prologue, with a sense of foreboding, when the bad thing happens that sets everything in motion, you already love the protagonist. Maniscalco's characters are always instant love affairs for me. This story presents a great mythology that except for witches, includes demons and bargains and curses, oh my!

'A twig was just a bit of broken wood until it had been sharpened into a spear" is a great analogy for the protagonist's journey. When something bad happens you can either hide in yourself or evolve. Emilia chooses to take action and she grows into a brave and suddenly bold young woman. Realizing your inner strength is a main theme here.

Gifting us with a chilling atmosphere and a multilayered mystery to solve (we already know the author is excellent at that), the imagery here sets the pages 'alive'. With a deliciously dark cat and mouse tone, where Emilia is the mouse to more than one unexpected cat.

If only there hadn't been those too abrupt changes between the endings and beginnings of some of the chapters and some unnecessarily confusing parts, this would of been a 5 star read for me. Confusing because things are implied that have happened without us 'seeing' them or haven't been clarified well enough.

But you cannot deny this is an intriguing and compelling story. Also Wrath is such a pleasure to read. Love his and Emilia's smirk-worthy tolerance of each other. As things progress the story just keep dishing up new surprises and I loved that. This ends with everything on the line and us clamoring for the next book which promises to be explosive.

Emilia and Vittoria are witches and twin sisters who have been raised on their Nonna’s stories of demons and the ways they must always protect themselves from them. Emilia is too busy working in the family restaurant, pouring her heart and soul into cooking to really put much stick into her Nonna’s old stories. But when Vittoria doesn’t come home one night, Emilia discovers her body, with a mysterious stranger standing over her. Determined to avenge her sisters death, she goes looking for answers and finds more than she bargained for. Going against everything her Nonna has ever earned her about, she summons one of the Princes of Hell in an attempt to discover the truth about who is responsible for her sisters death.

This book was everything I wanted from a book about witches. It was eerily atmospheric and Kerri’s words flowed like water. I swear magic was swirling off these pages. Prince of Hell, Wrath was just…well, look, we’re all going to want our own Prince of Hell now, ok? Is he morally grey? Or is he just grey? We’re not sure. Emilie was just the right mix of strong and smart, if a little naive at first. I loved the way she took time to mourn her sister then became a vengeful force to be reckoned with.

This was the type of book I didn’t want to rush through, but couldn’t stop reading. I felt like it was whispering to me in the dark everytime I put it down. I am quite happy to hand over my soul for book two immediately.

||KINGDOM OF THE WICKED||

A mystery of a cold-blooded murder, vengeance and the start of a hell-bending romance.

Witches are in hiding, spread out within Sicily, avoiding human suspicion. Practicing their magic in secret and warning their kin of devils and demons, but a murderer is now on the hunt, taking witches one by one, warning the end of a peaceful era. Old secrets arise of blood debts and devil bargains.

Emilia never would’ve ever thought that shed ever meet a demon prince, a Wicked, summoning him from hell, but would rather be thinking up new recipes, reading steamy romances and dreaming about opening her own restaurant. She had always been sceptical of the demon tales her grandmother told her, always favouring facts over fantasies, but things changed. She had changed.

The poor girl would not catch a break (someone please give her a drink, a massage, and a huge hug). Rejecting herself to any happiness, focusing only on her sister’s murder, blaming herself for loosing her. It was heart-wrenching.

Trusting anyone is hard, anyone being the culprit to killing Vittoria and together she and the demon, put aside their differences and work together to unearth the murderer, hell bent on seeking revenge on her sister’s killer

Now comes Wrath. My heart thrashed when he appeared, a nightmare, a devilish (and unfairly) handsome demon (please stop, I have enough book crushes as it is). I would sell my soul for him. He wanted to be all cold and heartless but seriously failed when it came to Emilia. Hear me squealing. UGH THE BANTER, the silent yearning. Every one of their encounters and scenes made me laugh so hard, I had to stop reading and recollect myself. But he is so frustratingly confusing sometimes, you never know whose side he’s on and it kills me. All I want is Emilia and Wrath to be together but NO, I have to deal with all this torture

At times it was so fast- paced that I felt like I missed out on something, but that was most likely just me getting used to the writing after reading a hefty, long and descriptive as heck book, though eventually I got invested instantly a couple chapters in (after a certain someone was summoned). After that I was flying though it and I could not stop. The plot kept building, pulling me under with every time and the FOOD, gosh reading this made me crave so many things, it was horrible.

That ending was just…. LIKE WHY. I don’t have the patience to wait for the next book. I NEED IT NOW.I NEED ANSWERS. This book had me hooked and I am so glad we have another book to delve deeper into Hell.

||RECEIVED FROM NET-GALLEY AND PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE OF AN HONEST REVIEW||

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

The storyline follows the protagonist Emilia, who loves her family and taking care of the family-owned Sicilian restaurant alongside her twin sister Vittoria. Their grandmother is superstitious, or so they thought. Warning them of the dangers of the Princes of Hell and keeping their secret of being witches from any unsuspecting humans. When Vittoria doesn’t show for dinner service one evening, Emilia becomes worried and searches for her in the nearby monastery, where she had seen her the previous night. Finding her murdered in a long-forgotten catacomb, with her heart missing, Vittoria isn’t the first witch to die in recent weeks and she won’t be the last.

Emilia sets out on a quest for vengeance, where only the death of her sisters’ murderer will satisfy her desire for revenge. The search is not an easy one and forces Emilia into the company of the dreaded Princes of Hell, but she is desperate enough to ask for their help, even though her grandmother warned of dire consequences.

In comes the gorgeous Wrath, one of the seven Princes, offering to help Emilia as he has been tasked with finding out who has been murdering the witches. But all is not what it seems…

This was a hugely anticipated read for me. The synopsis completely and utterly wowed me, I knew I had to read it, and I was not disappointed. Kerri is a well known and loved author, her previous series has a lot of love, I truly think that Kingdom of the Wicked will receive just as much love and more.

Kingdom is written in such a way that it grabs you from the very get-go and doesn’t release you until the end, an addictive easy read that anyone who loves fantasy will surely love. Be prepared you will get hungry whilst reading this, my advice is to stock up on Italian ingredients because you’ll want to eat all of the food described.

“There are seven demon princes, but only four di Carlos should fear: Wrath, Greed, Envy, and Pride. One will crave your blood. One will capture your heart. One will steal your soul. And one will take your life.”

Kingdom of the Wicked follows Emilia and Vittoria, they are identical twins, best friends and also witches, living in secret among the humans. Throughout their childhoods, the twins have been told countless stories about the evils of the 7 princes of hell and given warnings about using dark magic by their Nonna. One night Vittoria fails to return home, when Emilia goes out in search of her twin she finds the unthinkable.. Vittoria has been murdered and a strange, well dressed man is with her body. The man quickly flees but not before she gets a good look at him. Emilia vows to get revenge and find this man who she thinks is responsible for the brutal murder. In order to get that vengeance, she turns to the dark side and decides to summon a demon.. only she’s not really sure what she’s doing and accidentally summons a prince of hell- Wrath. Not only does she summon him, she somehow manages to bind them.

This was my first time reading anything by this author, but it won’t be my last. I loved her writing style, the characters , the atmosphere and all the little details she included that made this such a great book. oh and of course I have to mention how stunning the cover is. I will be buying a copy for my bookshelves as soon as it is released!

My favourite character was Wrath (I think he seems to be everyone’s favourite!), I can’t wait to see more from him in book 2, as well as meet some of the princes we didn’t get to see.

The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars was because I guessed who the murderer was within the first couple of chapters of the book but so not let that put you off. I would highly recommend this book.


Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Emilia and Vittoria are twins and best friends. They are also Strega - witches. Forced into hiding due to the fear of persecution, the Strega operate under cover, hidden from the rest of the world. When one night Vittoria does not turn up for her shift in the family restaurant, fear for her safety starts to grow. Emilia soon discovers her sisters body, which has be horrifically brutalised. Emilia will make it her mission to discover who murdered her sister and why. Even if that means using dark magic to do it.

What I liked about this book

The concept of the demonic embodiments of the seven deadly sins running the underworld was intriguing. Only some of them are introduced in this book which hopefully means we will meet them in the next one.
The story is well paced. There isn't really a lull in the action as there is always something happening.
Kerry Maniscalco's writing flows well and is easy to follow.
Kingdom of the Wicked is set in Italy. There are Italian words and phrases sprinkled throughout the narrative, this adds a level of culture to the feel of the story.
What I didn't like

The culprit was pretty obvious from quite early on
I was a bit confused about the when the story was meant to be set.
I love the the idea of witches and any book which has been centered around them is always going to catch my eye. Plus I loved Kerri Maniscalco's other works. These two things combined drew me towards Kingdom of the Wicked and I was not disappointed. I can't wait till the release of book 2 to find out what turn this series will take.

4.2
✮✮✮✮✬

Emelia and Vittoria are the MCs and Vittoria is the one who's left to solve her sister's mysterious death and finds out there were more secrets Vittoria's been keeping.

Wrath , one of the demons in the world building , is summoned and bound to Emelia . Their interactions are downright hilarious.

“Maybe I can’t kill you, but I’ll find other ways to make you suffer.”

“Trust me, your very presence is accomplishing that.”

The setting of the book is in 19th century Italian island , so the local characters play a big part in the book. They're nosy , gossipy , everything you've seen neighbors do.

I've received this book from NetGalley and Hodders books in exchange of my honest review. This has not affected my opinions.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping novel

vittoria and emilia are twins they are also witches...

but one night vittoria is found..dead...murdered and emilias life is never the same again

hunting for her killer emilia brings forth a demon ...wrath one of the brother demons that she and vittoria have been warned about all her life...

and through her spell emialia has plunged her world and her life into peril

will she survive and find out who killed her sister

my first book by this author and it wont be my last...kept me on the edge of my seat and i lost sleep reading late into the night

I have literally just finished this incredible book, and I absolutley need the next one as soon as possible. I had so much fun with this deliciously dark story of devils, demons and witches.
I have had a deep love for all things magical and this book will stay with me for such a long time.

Twin witches, sacrifices, murder, curses, intrigue and smoking hot princes of hell. I mean, seriosukey. What is there not to love?

The way this book was written kept me reading, and I was super reluctant to even put it down. What a fantastic book.

Read this as soon as you can. You will not regret it.

What a brilliant story by a brilliant author! I love the Jack the Ripper series and when I heard that Maniscalco will have her new work out soon I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.
The only thing I have a problem with is the cover. It is goegeous, but it freaks me out at the same time. I'm not a fan of snakes.
Kingdom of the Wicked is the perfect autumn read. You have witches, demons, and a spooky-ish vibe surrounding it.
Emilia is a well written complex character I was able to connect with quite easily. The only minus I could give the opot is the twist at the end regarding a soecific other which I sensed early in the story.
I recommend this beauty to you all! It will be worth your time.

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱🍂

💀𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 @ 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 💀 Looking for a spooky fall read with dark magic, a murder mystery, a Italy setting with a italian food, an enemies to lovers romance, and a hot prince of hell 😚 look no further!

“One day you might beg me to kiss you. You might hate it. Or you might love it. But the temptation will surge through those magical veins of yours, obliterating all common sense. You’ll want me to save you from the endless torment by giving you everything you love to loathe. And when I do, you’ll thirst for more”

This novel brought me back to live like a breathe of fresh air! Honestly, I can say that ,even with tropy scenes, this story was so delicious to read 🎃 This was my first read from this author but I am devoted to her writing style, not too fancy but elegant.
Characters are indeed my jam, and like most of the books that I love, these characters where incredibly well written, super deep and entertaining. Our MC, Emilia, was such a badass without having to constantly rely on her powers and that is my favourite kind of strong 💪🏻 being confidence of your powers contrary to be powerfull was a big driving factor of the story. And 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁!
There was not a single moment where I felt disappointed or where I wanted to put the book down. The 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺 of this book was 100% perfect! The ending ate me away and I cannot sleep without reading the next novel 🤐🤐
Now the best part? Character dialogue and relationship. The sisterly bond was truly too amazing to describe. The family scenes made my heart melt, even if few. And then....the spin put on “evil” not being just evil and being given a personality by the way of a hot prince of hell 😈 My my. It was more than good. It was so much fun. The romance, the sexual tension but then the pure friendship that enemies formed, just read this please!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Thank you Netgalley and the author for my e-ARC 😍

“I believe I am powerful, therefore I am.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kingdom of the Wicked follows the story of Emilia and her twin Vittoria, witches hiding in plain sight amongst humans. From a young age, the girls have been taught by their Nonna that dark magic is bad, that they should never interact with evil, with the Devil. However, when Vittoria is brutally murdered, Emilia finds herself turning to the darkness to find her answers. She suddenly finds herself with Wrath, one of the Princes of Hell, by her side. Wrath claims to be on her side, wanting to assist Emilia. However, when it comes to the Wicked who she has been warned against her entire life, nothing is as it seems. Can Emilia find her sister’s killer without releasing the Devil himself into her world?

Emilia is just *chef’s kiss* She’s real, her emotions spiralling all over the place in her grief. I love that she’s true to her ideals and virtues, that she focuses on her lessons and is independent enough to follow her heart - even if it lands her in trouble. Being split from someone she was so close to - her twin!! - must be incredibly difficult and I loved the way her character tackled in. The way Emilia is written is brilliant and engaging because she experiences a whole plethora of emotions that any normal person would feel. Some fantasy books have the heroine forget her pain and focus on being angry and vengeful. Here, we get to see Emilia’s low moments alongside her anger and her happiness which I personally really loved.

Wrath... oh, dear Wrath. You’ve had me feeling rather conflicted. I mean, he’s a demon - a Prince of Hell - and yet I almost want to grab him and squash his cheeks! He’s mysterious and clever and bloody stubborn, but I really enjoy that about him. I never felt bored reading scenes with him because he forever surprised me. That’s a sign of a good character...

I’m a big fan on Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper series. So, from the moment I saw this book I was excited. I leapt at the chance to request it on NetGalley and I am forever grateful I was blessed with this e-ARC because I am once again BLOWN AWAY by her writing. I love that elements of real life and lore are brought into her writing because it gives a sense of grounding to the story. There are points where we can recognise something real and further enjoy the fantasy and adventure we’re being fed.

Overall, Kingdom of the Wicked is a culmination of magic, sin, mystery and determination. I am so excited to see what happens next - Emilia is going to send shockwaves across the worlds and I am LIVING FOR IT.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you Net Gallery for giving me the arc copy for this book!
It was everything I was looking for and even more!
Emilia and Wrath are going to be my favourite characters of all time. For sure my hate to love favourite evolution 😍
I love the fact that is set in Sicily and This book is really addicted.
I mean murders, witches, princes of hell.. what more do you need ?
I need the second book now !!!! And that final I was screaming

The Kingdom of the Wicked started out quite strong. Emilia and Victoria are witches, brought up practicing simple protection charms and listening to stories of demons of hell. The premise and setting of this book are quite unique and stand out among the numerous witchy books coming out this season.

For starters, the story is set in Sicily, Italy (cue mouth watering food descriptions🤤) and NOT in US or UK, which in itself is a refreshing change. In spite of being witches, Emilia and Victoria are very normal 18-year olds who scoff at stories of demons and curses and love spending time at their family restaurant Sea and Vine. AND THE FOOODDD….if you are a foodie like me and especially if you love Italian food (I mean, who doesn’t?), DO NOT READ THIS BOOK EMPTY STOMACH. You will be drooling in no time!

The plot is a whodunnit combined with enemies to lovers romance. The whodunnit started out well…there were a good number of suspects and little to clues. However, as the story progressed, it got kinda haphazard. Things began happening for no reason AT ALL – monsters appearing for no apparent reason, attacks on loved ones accepted like an everyday occurrence, characters making an appearance and leaving without a second mention. A LOT was happening, but most of it did not end up contributing to the overall plot in a significant way. I know it might seem like I am blabbering and none of this might be making sense, because it is difficult to convey without giving away anything. Basically, there were a lot of plot elements which were interesting individually but did not come together effectively in the overall story.

The romance bit of it was interesting….but predictable. There is a lot of bickering between Wrath and Emilia which is fun to read and outright hilarious considering Wrath is supposed to be a literal demon from hell. I would have loved to see more depth to this relationship though, considering so much of it was about pretense and keeping your real motivations hidden. There was a lot of dialogue and very little emotional detailing which made it seem a bit shallow for me.

Emilia’s character was the driving force of the book. Her character transforms from a quiet and shy girl-next-door to a fiesty witch willing to go any length to avenge her twin. Sometimes naive and sometimes fiery, she is quite easy to like. I love reading about sibling relationships in books, and though we do not get to see a lot of it in this book, even the few chapters were delightful to read. Wrath remains an enigma for the most part, and I am STILL not sure whether or not to trust him. I definitely expected him to be a bit more…demonic…i guess? So that remains to be seen.

The book ends on a wicked cliffhanger. Although I was not a big fan of this first book of the trilogy, it does sound like the second book is going to be more interesting, so I will definitely want to read it.

✨Kingdom of the Wicked✨

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley, Kerri Maniscalco and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an e-arc of this book.
✨
Description:
Kingdom of the Wicked is the enthralling new fantasy novel from Kerri Maniscalco. This book follows Emilia, a witch who secretly lives among humans with her family and twin sister Vittoria. Emilia has dreams of creating. New recipes and one day taking over their family restaurant when one night she finds her twins body. Emilia vows to do everything in her power to find the killer, including working with her sworn enemy. Emilia soon finds that many secrets have been kept from her and they are starting to unravel and nothing is as it seems.
✨
Ratings (out of 5)
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fantasy: 🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♀️
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️

Review:
I was so excited going into this book after seeing it dominating my instagram feed and when I was approved for it I was ecstatic. I haven’t read the authors other work yet but something about the cover drew me to it and when I read the description I was sold. Having no expectations other than knowing it is a highly anticipated release, I found myself utterly bewitched.

The Emilia we meet in the beginning reminded me a lot of myself (apart from having witchy powers, which I’m totally jealous of) she was easily relatable. The character progression throughout the novel was outstanding and accurately depicts how grief can change a person and lead you down a path you once thought you would never tread.

There wasn’t much romance in this book but what there was, was well written. it feels like it’s building up to a great love story. Whilst there is attraction and some instances of romance, it isn’t at the forefront of the story and didn’t overshadow the plot which I LOVED. That being said, it didn’t stop me falling in love with a handsome Demon Prince called Wrath and adding yet another to my book boyfriend list.

I loved that this story incorporated multiple fantasy/mythical creatures and wasn’t limited. This is a book that will keep you guessing. You’ll be addicted. The need to keep reading will gnaw away at you, that’s if you even manage to put the book down. The storyline despite having a few dark points was exciting and utterly enthralling. The plot twists leave you guessing and questioning everything.

Overall this is a book I’d highly recommend to my fellow fantasy lovers and now I am preparing to (im)patiently wait for book two! I can’t wait to see what happens next with Emilia and Wrath, and I hope we get to see Nonna again too! This book is the perfect spooky read for this time of year!

*E-Arc received from the publisher, via net gallery, in exchange for a honest review *

Kingdom of wicked is one of my favourite reads this year. It's a perfect moody, witchy read for this time of year. I love the concept that the seven deadly sins have in this book, each of them being a Prince of hell. I'm a massive fan of the murder mystery and fantasy genres so throw them together and I go this perfect mix. The tension between the 2 main characters was perfect and with a bit of betrayel, I cant wait to see where their relationship goes in the next book.

And that cliffhanger of an ending too.. I cant wait for book 2. One of the easiest 5 stars I've given.

Wow what an incredible book! Kingdom of the Wicked follows Emilia, a witch or a ‘streghe’, as she sails on a path of vengeance to find her sister’s killer and put a stop to them. We follow the main character as she teams up with one of the princes of Hell, Wrath, as she faces opposing forces consisting of demons and witch hunters.

This book was utter perfection. It was everything that I hoped it’d be and more. As a fan of Kerri Maniscalco’s first series, Stalking Jack the Ripper, I was thoroughly excited for her new series especially as this is set in 19th century Italy - one of my favourite places to read about. It was extremely well written, full of suspense, and it was highly atmospheric. This is perfect for the fall/Halloween season as it gives off spooky and dark vibes. The imagery and descriptions are so beautiful in this book and help bring the story to life so effortlessly. Also all of the food descriptions made me super hungry throughout the course of the book and now all I want is Italian food!

Overall this was an amazing book and I’m so grateful to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for a change to read this earlier. I cannot wait for the sequel!

This was a book that was difficult to put down! The characters were superb and story just kept you guessing right up until the last page. 10/10 would recommend.

I received a free ARC of the book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and to Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity.

Having read and loved the Victorian mystery series, Stalking Jack the Ripper, I was excited to see what Kerri Maniscalco would come up with next. I wasn’t disappointed. This book is a murder mystery wrapped up in dark witchcraft, and devilry, with a pretty, bow ribbon of historic Sicilian culture on top.

First page, map showing the seven circles of Hell. Each circle is occupied by the house of a deadly sin. The whole is called the Kingdom of the Wicked. We’re going to Hell! 😮

Emilia and her twin Vittoria are witches. Their family owns a renowned restaurant in Palermo. All of their lives their Nonna has warned them about the danger from the evil Princes of Hell also know as the Wicked. Emilia never really believed her until Vittoria is murdered and her body mutilated. Driven by a vengeful rage Emilia embraces the dark arts to find her sister’s murderer. In the process she discovers that the Princes of Hell are not only real, but right there in Palermo and Hell is leaking demons.

Even without the dedication at the beginning, it is clear from the loving descriptions of Emilia’s family restaurant, and the food they serve, that this is something very close to Maniscalco’s own heart. The contrast between this loving family and the gentle creation of food that was almost an art form, with the horrors elsewhere in the town are stark. It highlights the changes in Emilia herself over the course of the book. Emilia changes from being a soft-hearted girl who cares deeply for everyone around her, to being a mistrustful and hard-nosed person, who will do anything she needs to. It is a change I found somewhat unpalatable, and I wasn’t sure I liked her by the end.

With Hallowe’en coming up, the Kingdom of the Wicked is the perfect creepy read to put you in the mood for thrills and chills, and possibly for a plate of gourmet Italian food. The garlic will keep the vampires away too, so - bonus!

Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I wasn’t ready for this, and I wasn’t ready for that ending. I had to re-read the last chapter to make sure I didn’t miss anything and if I got it right. I think I was in shock for a couple of hours.

Anyway, it’s official, Kerri Maniscalco took my soul away with this book.

I read only the first two books of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, and I was already impressed with the outstanding details of Maniscalco’s descriptions and research of real facts and locations. With Kingdom of the Wicked, I was more impressed with the detailed representation and references to southern Italian culture and traditions. I am not sure why a few readers complained about cultural appropriation, but as an Italian, Emilia felt authentic and her grandma persona reminded me so much of my nonna. Also, I absolutely loved the fact that many scenes in this story take place in The Capuchin Monastery and how she was able to bring on the paper its spooky atmosphere. I visited that place when I was 13, and I still remember how eerie and creepy it was (also I will never forget those mummified bodies!). This book refreshed my memories. Moreover, the descriptions of the food will make you so damn hungry!

On top of food descriptions, the world created by the writer is so fascinating. In this 19th century Sicily, you have witch families who need to keep their powers secret. Another subterranean world is filled with wicked devils and their houses. And to make the plot even more intriguing, you have a series of murders to investigate, a killer to find and demons, doomed prophecies and spells. Every devil we have the chance to encounter in the first book was terrifying, with his own traits and characteristics, and I can’t wait to meet the rest of them in book two.

Definitely, this world has so much potential and there is so much to disclose and explore. The plot is so fast-paced and action packed, I seriously devoured it. The banter between the main character Emilia and Wrath cracked me up. Their relationship is the perfect representation of enemies to lovers trope. It’s brilliantly written, and it’s one of those books that I can’t actually wait to re-read.

It will make you hungry, and it will also make you angry with that last chapter, but if you enjoy mystery murders, witches and devil stories, romance, well… this book offers it all. It’s also worth reading it just to follow the main character, Emilia, she is strong, relatable and it’s an intriguing journey of self-discovery and revenge. This is my new book obsession.