Kingdom of the Wicked
Emilia wants revenge on the witch who cursed her family, but to get it she must make a deal with the Prince of Demons himself. Together they must solve the mystery behind her family's curse, all while resisting a dangerous attraction that neither of them expected. It's dark Italian folklore meets enemies-to-lovers with real teeth.
Everything You Need to Know About Kingdom of the Wicked
Emilia di Carlo is a witch living in secret in nineteenth-century Sicily, where her kind are hunted by humans who fear them and demons who want their blood. She runs a restaurant with her twin sister Vittoria, keeps her head down, and follows her grandmother's rules: never reveal what you are, never use dark magic, and stay away from the Wicked, the seven demon princes of Hell.
When Vittoria is found murdered , her body bearing the marks of a dark ritual. Emilia breaks every rule. She summons Wrath, one of the seven princes, to help find her sister's killer. He is exactly what his name suggests: cold, controlled, and radiating a fury that makes the air vibrate. He is also the last person she should trust, and possibly the only one who can help.
The investigation pulls Emilia into the demon underworld, where the seven princes are locked in their own power struggle and human witches are currency. Someone is murdering witches according to an ancient ritual tied to the gates of Hell, and Vittoria's death was not random, it was the first move in a game that has been planned for centuries.
Emilia's magic is stronger than she knew, darker than she was told, and connected to the demon princes in ways her grandmother never explained. The deeper she goes, the more she realises that the line between witch and demon, between good and wicked, is not where she was taught it was.
The Sicilian setting is rich and specific, the food, the markets, the churches, the heat. Maniscalco uses the sensory details of southern Italy to ground the supernatural elements in something tactile and real.
Wrath is a standout love interest. He is not charming or playful , he is intense, territorial, and operates on a completely different moral framework than Emilia. The tension between them works because it is rooted in genuine cultural and species differences, not just attraction.
The mystery structure is well executed. The witch murders follow a pattern tied to biblical and occult mythology, and Maniscalco reveals the connections at a pace that keeps you guessing without withholding too much.
The food. Maniscalco writes food scenes the way romance authors write love scenes, with attention, desire, and sensory detail. The Italian cuisine is practically a character.
The magic system blends Italian folk magic with demonology in original ways. Emilia's power feels dangerous and seductive, which mirrors her relationship with Wrath.
Murder and crime scene descriptions (witches found ritually killed). Violence throughout. A twin's murder drives the plot. Dark magic and demonic summoning. Themes of religious persecution of witches. Manipulation and deception by supernatural entities. Moderate sexual tension (the spice escalates significantly in later books). A character's understanding of her own identity is systematically dismantled. Historical setting includes period-appropriate misogyny.
Vittoria's death is not what it seems. She was involved with the demon princes before her death, possibly willingly. The ritual that killed her may have been something she participated in or even orchestrated. This revelation transforms her from victim to player and reframes the entire mystery.
Emilia's identity is the series' long game. She is not just a human witch, she has demon blood, tied to the original sin that separated the witches from the Wicked. Her power responds to Wrath not just because of attraction but because of an ancient connection.
Wrath's true motivations are complex. He is bound by rules that prevent him from telling Emilia the full truth, which creates frustration for both the character and the reader. His anger is not at Emilia , it is at the constraints that keep him from protecting her openly.
The gates of Hell are weakening. Each witch murder corresponds to a seal, and someone is systematically opening them. The endgame is not just murder, it is the potential merging of the demon world with the mortal world.
Kingdom of the Wicked is the first book in the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy. Followed by Kingdom of the Cursed and Kingdom of the Feared. The spice and scope escalate significantly across the series. Read in order.
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Reviews aggregated from 4 platforms across the romantasy community
View on Goodreads →Goodreads Reviews
“Kerri Maniscalco created pure magic. The romance is intoxicating and the plot twists left me speechless.”
ManiscalcoFan
“Kerri Maniscalco created pure magic. The romance is intoxicating and the plot twists left me speechless.”
ManiscalcoFan
BookTok Reviews
“KINGDOM OF THE WICKED IS SO GOOD. Prince of Pride had me fanning myself.”
BookTok Community
“KINGDOM OF THE WICKED IS SO GOOD. Prince of Pride had me fanning myself.”
BookTok Community
Reddit Reviews
“Darker tone with excellent world-building and a morally gray demon prince. Worth the hype.”
r/romantasy
“Darker tone with excellent world-building and a morally gray demon prince. Worth the hype.”
r/romantasy
Amazon Reviews
“The spice, the mystery, the slow burn with the demon prince. Absolutely stunning.”
SpicyReader
“The spice, the mystery, the slow burn with the demon prince. Absolutely stunning.”
SpicyReader
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