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.
Emilia and her twin sister, Vittoria, are strega—witches that secretly live alongside humans on the island of Sicily. Since birth, they have been taught white magic and the lore of the denizens of the underworld by their Nonna. For the twins, these stories always were more fantastical than real life. All this changes when Emilia finds her sister brutally mutilated and murdered. Driven by insatiable vengeance, Emilia begins hunting for her sister’s murderer. She soon discovers that other young witches have met a similar fate throughout the island of Sicily. In her search for the serial killer, she turns to dark magic and accidentally summons one of the Wicked, a prince of Hell. All her life, Nonna has warned her to beware the princes of Hell, for they will steal her heart and soul. Unfortunately, those warnings were in vain. Emilia decides to team up with the prince of Hell, Wrath, that she summoned. Together, they hunt for the entity that is killing young witches. As they search for the truth, Emilia discovers nothing is as it seems with the Wicked and the stories she grew up with only tell one side of a complex tale of love and loss.
Kerri Mansicalco’s Kingdom of the Wicked is the first book in the Kingdom of the Wicked series, and is well written enemies to lovers novel. Emilia is at first reserved, obedient, and a bit boring. Once she decides to hunt down the serial killer, she transforms into a fiery, relentless young woman that will stop at nothing to bring down the monster hunting young witches. Wrath is enigmatic; he’s dark and mysterious yet considerate and loyal. Kerri Maniscalco does an excellent job at showing how grief and pain can be honed into a weapon for justice. I especially enjoyed the world building in this novel. The deadly sins represent different households of hell, and the princes of each house are the embodiment of that sin. Maniscalco’s version of hell isn’t that traditional fire and brimstone—it’s more like a different realm. There were many twists and turns I did not expect, and the cliffhanger at the end of the novel is tantalizing. I look forward to continuing this series, and solving the mysteries alongside Emilia. If you enjoy slow burn enemies to lovers books, Kerri Mansicalco’s Kingdom of the Wicked is worth checking out.
- Katie, Reference Librarian