Book Review: Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco

"In hatred we were united."

Song that Reminds me of this Book:

FAM. THIS BOOK!

If you recall, in my review for Kerri Maniscalco's Kingdom of the Cursed, the first installment of this series, I gave it a three out of five stars. I had some issues with that book. Such as Emilia's character. For a witch, she barely used magic except for her cornicello. And when she summoned Wrath, the demon Prince of War.

There were a lot of issues I had with the plot. Some things were too obvious. Other things didn't make sense. The food scenes were too long. The only reason I read Kingdom of the Cursed is because I bought it months ago.

But, fam. 😭 I'm so glad I read it.

Synopsis:

One Sister.

Two sinful princes.

Infinite deception with a side of revenge...

Welcome to Hell.

On a mission to avenge her beloved sister, Emilia has traveled to the Seven Circles and sold her soul to become Queen of the Wicked, with the enigmatic Prince of Wrath by her side. But the first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. Because the longer Emilia resides in Hell, that seductive world of vice, the clearer it becomes that nothing is what it seems. Even Wrath, her onetime ally, may be keeping secrets about his true nature. And soon Emilia finds herself trapped between Wrath and his even more wicked brother, the Prince of Pride, king of demons.

Faced with backstabbing courtiers, luxurious palaces, dazzling galas, and conflicting clues about what truly happened to her sister, Emilia finds herself on a mission to unlock the mysteries of her own past and uncover the answers she craves. As long as her sins don't catch up to her first...

Alright, so, right off the bat, the synopsis doesn't exactly line up with the actual plot of the book. The whole "two sinful princes" thing doesn't sit right with me. The two princes in question are Wrath and Pride.

At the end of Kingdom of the Wicked, Emilia agrees to sell her soul to marry Pride, the devil. However, she has feelings for Wrath. We all know this. So it gives off love triangle vibes according to the synopsis. We only meet Pride once in the last quarter or so of the book. The story mainly follows Wrath and Emilia, with Emilia's occasional worry about wanting to be with Wrath when she agreed to marry Pride. It's a common them in the book.

Listen, I'm team Wrath. He's charming, funny, and not afraid to be blunt or act on his word. Emilia clearly needs that in her life.

Character Development

Guys, Emilia's character isn't that dumb anymore! 😂 She uses more magic, which is addressed in this book as to why it was barely present in the last book. She isn't completely food obsessed. And she speaks out! She finally speaks her mind. We see how her fury of her sister's death changes her and it is so good. It was written very well. Her character in this book reminds me a lot of Jude Duarte from The Cruel Prince and I love that series.

We see her interact with other characters, especially the other Princes. She creates plots and schemes and is completely vulnerable in her fears, which makes her so much more human in this book.

Wrath, he just continues to be perfect. But there are so many twists! The end got me shaking and almost crying and I was so happy with how things panned out for him. I could easily connect the dots from earlier in the book and the last book, which I love. And, guys, he's so sweet sometimes. Like, I can't tell you how many times my heart melted.

Plot

The plot was intricate, but easy to understand. I loved watching everything connect from start to finish. Seeing the story unfold in Kingdom of the Cursed and Kingdom of the Wicked. So many questions were answered. So many things were revealed that just elevates the plot in the first book. I so badly want to reread the first book with all the knowledge I have now and watch the story unfold again.

My Rating

This book easily gets a ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 stars from me. I loved this book so much more than the last one. The character development was on point. The plot was epic. I loved it.

I know this book got so many mixed reviews, much like the last, but that's how every book is, right? That's what good art is. It isn't supposed to be perfect. As long as it strikes conversation and teaches some sort of moral lessons.

If you hated the last book, I recommend you at least give this one a shot. I'm so glad I did. And if you don't want to, that's okay too. That's your decision. (But I hoped I changed your mind even a little 😂). The third book comes out in September of this year and I'm definitely going to buy it. I need to see what happens next.

Have you read either of these books? If so, what did you think of it? Let me know! Let's start a conversation.