Review
Thank you so much to Hodder for granting me early access to this title for a review via Netgally.
Kingdom of the Wicked was one of my most anticipated reads this year, the plot is intriguing, the cover is, frankly, amazing and there was a lot of noise around it. Maniscalco has a devoted following thanks to her Stalking Jack the Ripper series (one I have yet to read) and comes highly recommended from all sides. I was ready to dip my toes in the Maniscalco pool.
And Kingdom of the Wicked did not disappoint. While I didn’t absolutely love it, I really enjoyed it. The premise was a supernatural feast and perfect for an October read. Maniscalco brings a simple yet moreish narrative style, introducing characters with ease and opening the story naturally.
This was another book I read incredibly quickly, although I certainly felt a lull 2/3rds of the way in. I found a lot of things just happened far too easily for my liking and I wanted more detailed explanations.
That being said, I did still really enjoy it. The plot was clever and it brought me a fresh tale of witches and demons – I live in hope that book two will give us the smut that was just teased in this one! Emilia started as a demure character who gradually came out of her shell, the death of her more outgoing sister seeming to push her to grow up a bit. I loved how sure of herself she became and it was refreshing to read about her insecurities throughout.
In terms of plot, the narrative was fast paced and interesting. It kept me guessing and I was invested in the murder mystery aspect of it. Supernatural murder mysteries work so well – give me more! The descriptions Maniscalco uses really get you invested, I could practically smell the food the characters were cooking – I love italian food, it’s all so tasty and every time it was discussed in the book I was practically salivating while mentally searching my cupboards for all the ingredients!
Kingdom of the Wicked definitely left me in a bit of a food hangover if not a book one. While I experienced that lull, it quickly picked itself back up and by the end I was desperately in need of book two. Such a shame I’ve got god knows how long to wait for it!
Feed Me Fiction 