What happens when a witch embarks on a quest for vengeance and strikes a bargain with a Prince of Hell? Kerri Maniscalco’s Kingdom of the Wicked, published under Jimmy Patterson Books and the first book of the Kingdom of the Wicked series, is the adventure you are looking for.
From vampires, witches, werewolves, to demons and Princes of Hell, this young adult fantasy, gives any enemies-to-lovers novel a run for its money. It’s gothic, it’s fantasy, and it’s dark with intoxicating romance and easy to follow world-building.
That said, if you are a fan of gothic vibes and romance, don’t miss our One Dark Window Summary and our Wuthering Heights Characters guide. Don’t miss the epitome of romantasy trending on BookTok, and check our summary of Onyx Storm, or start from the beginning with our Fourth Wing Characters Breakdown.
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Let’s dive into this synopsis of Kingdom of the Wicked #1, and as always, spoilers ahead, so read at your own discretion!
Emilia and Vittoria Di Carlo are twin witch sisters, living in Palermo, Sicily. Their Nonna has brought them up with the stories of the Malvagi, the tempestuous and wicked Princes of Hell, representing the seven deadly sins that once roamed Italy freely. Each of them has a cornicello, an amulet around their necks that is supposed to protect them from all evil. Nonna is adamant on her routine; don’t stay out after dark, bless your amulets with soil from a freshly turned grave, bathe your amulets in moonlight, etc. However, as the girls reach adulthood, it’s getting harder and harder to resist temptation.
Blessed with the power of an ancient line of witches, Emilia uses hers to create new gastronomical delights for her family’s traditional Italian restaurant called Sea & Vine. It is on such a night, where the smell of sulfur permeates the air, that her Nonna warns her about venturing in the dark. Vittoria is late and Nonna is losing her mind, but Emilia is sure Vittoria is just fooling around with her latest crush. They are interrupted by Antonio, Emilia’s childhood friend and a fratello in the church; Emilia cooks for them one night per week. Emilia always thought she would end up with Antonio, but he is now a man of the cloth, so she can only desire him from afar.
The time passes and life goes on for both sisters, but the witches in Palermo are stirring after two of them were found dead with their hearts ripped out—Jack the Ripper style. Emilia is back at the monastery, cooking for the brotherhood when an eerie sound distracts her. She goes in search of the sounds and finds a man leaning over a woman’s dead body. She confronts the man, but he flees, dropping his dagger. However, when she realizes the dead witch is her twin sister, Vittoria, Emilia’s world is upended. Grief and dread are all she knows after losing her other half, but the mystery surrounding her sister’s death will not let her rest.
Determined this was no random murder, but has to do with the other lost witches, Emilia digs deeper. She discovers her sister’s diary, along with a poker chip and pages of an ancient grimoire. The pages are a summoning spell, and hungry for answers, she decides to use it. She thinks she is summoning a lesser demon, but she ends up summoning one of the Wicked themselves, the demon Prince of Wrath.
Shocked and scared, she tries to press him for answers. Her spell can only hold him for three days, so she must find what she is looking for during that time. The only thing certain is that Wrath did not kill her sister, but he knows her sister made a deal with his brother, Pride, the Devil himself. Vittoria was to marry Pride, but she was murdered before she could tie the knot. The murdered witches are all Pride's brides-to-be, so why is someone targeting them? To protect her, Wrath offers her a blood pact that will make her a member of his house. Together, they can solve the mystery, but Emilia is too suspicious to accept at first.
Searching for answers, Emilia is visited by Prince Envy, who longs to steal her from Wrath. She also visits a gambling den using the poker chip she found among Vittoria’s things. There she meets Greed, who not only knew Vittoria, but is willing to protect Emilia and her family if she only gives him her cornicello, which apparently is one part of the Horn of Hades—a powerful relic, that can unleash the Devil and Hell. Emilia is more confused than ever, so she turns to the only person she trusts—her Nonna. Her Nonna warns her the Malvagi are back, and she is a Star Witch, coming from a line of witches tasked with guarding the Wicked. But before she can go into more detail, a demon sneaks in and slits the old woman’s throat. Thankfully, she survives.
Determined to get to the bottom of this, Emilia faces the Viperridae, a dangerous being guarding Vittoria’s amulet. She manages to get it, but in the process she gets poisoned and loses her own amulet. Wrath gets to her in time and saves her. He even takes an abandoned castle as his residence, and provides Emilia with her own space to recover and search for her sister’s killer. The murders continue and Emilia is at a crossroads; her feelings for Wrath are confusing and Envy takes Emilia’s family as hostages. She has 24 hours to give over the Horn if she wants to save everyone.
Her despair peaks when she fights with Wrath, who seems to know more than he is letting on. To protect Emilia, Wrath faces Envy, and gets severely injured, but Emilia ends up uniting the Horn, which was part of herself all along. It is revealed that her sister had been trying to break an ancient cursed steeped in dark magic by uniting the Horn and was killed in the process by none other than Antonio and the Brotherhood, fanatic witch hunters.
To stop her kind from being murdered, she meets with Pride and promises to be his wife. The book ends with Wrath, clearly conflicted, leading her to Hell to marry Pride. Kingdom of the Cursed and Kingdom of the Feared have a lot to answer for!
Emilia thinks that chasing after her sister’s murderer despite her Nonna’s advice is a rebellious act of free will, but in reality it is all part of an ancient prophecy. The Horn is part of her and as such, Emilia’s fate has been determined even bore her birth. The real question is if she can defy fate herself. You’ll have to read the next books for that!
Emilia is the quiet twin, a quiet and subdued main character at the beginning of her journey. But her sister’s loss and the grief will lead her to rediscover herself, and turn into a badass that does not hesitate to face the Devil himself. Her thirst for revenge drives her to dangerous paths and even brings her morality to question.
Everyone in the novel seems to be driven by power or lack thereof. The Princes of Hell, the lesser demons, the Brotherhood, and the witches of Palermo crave more power for their kind. Wrath constantly tests Emilia’s willpower by luring her in and letting her decide for herself. At the end, Emilia discovers the power within herself, which will lead her to an even more dangerous quest in the second book.
For hardcore romantasy readers, Kingdom of the Wicked might need some patience, but it is ideal if you are a newbie in romantasy. If you think that’s not your cult of tea, but you like the mystery solving trope, you can check out Maniscalco’s “Stalking Jack the Ripper” series. Log into your Goodreads or any alternative you prefer and start reading!
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No, Kingdom of the Wicked is a YA fantasy romance and does not have particular spice. But the second and third book in the series are considered NA romance and get progressively spicier, with more scenes and more explicit language.
Yes, Kingdom of the Wicked is an enemies to lovers romance. Emilia is a witch taught to fear and stay away from the Malvagi, the Demon Princes of Hell. Her main love interest is the Prince of Wrath, a malevolent demon and her most hated enemy. Their romance is a slow-burn throughout the trilogy.
After her twin sister is brutally murdered, Emilia embarks on a quest for vengeance to uncover her killer. She summons one of the seven Princes of Hell, Prince Wrath, to help her find answers. The key to breaking the ancient curse is inside her. Emilia will be betrothed to the Devil himself to free all supernatural beings.
Always living in her own enchanted little world, Christina discovered the magic that can be hidden within the pages of a book when one dares to take a closer look from a tender age. An avid reader, she is constantly inspired to delve into the secrets woven between the lines and challenges herself to find her own voice amidst the chaos. She is a dedicated fan of the classics, but the supernatural creatures that have tormented readers for years are her kryptonite. The mastery it takes to infuse the author's essence, molded by the era they grew up in to their innermost desires fascinates her. Undoubtedly, putting her passion and knowledge on paper has a mesmerizing allure on her, and following the steps of so many other dreamers before her she wishes to leave her mark in the literary world. Guided by T.S Eliot’s haunting words: “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” she intends to wreak havoc in the minds of her future readers.
