Kingdom of the Cursed
Kingdom of the Wicked #2
By Kerri Maniscalco
TheStory
Following Wrath’s betrayal, Emilia enters the realm of Hell with him by her side. Apart from the tension, both romantic and angry, there is still the mysteries of Vittoria’s death, the curse, the King of Hell, etc. etc. etc. Since everyone seems to be unwilling, or unable, to give Emilia any direct answers, it's up to her to solve the riddles herself.
TheReview
That’s the basic gist of it. Lots of mysteries. Lots of tension.
And I enjoyed every minute of it.
When I started book two, I was still a little confused as to whether or not Emilia had officially agreed to become Pride’s consort or if it was just an agreement to agree. I also didn’t really understand hwy she was SO upset about Wrath’s “betrayal.” I mean, I get it a little, but they both sort of had the same goal, so I don’t get why she was so hurt.
On top of my confusion, I was a little lost. I love a good mystery and not really knowing what exactly is the truth, but there were just a lot of mysteries. I felt that some of those mysteries were confusing in and of themselves. Rather than the answers being vague and unknowable, the questions themselves seemed to be vague. Not always, but some of the time.
I recommend reading slowly and paying attention because the payoff is so worth it.
Emilia certainly has a lot of theories about things. Deep and descriptive theories. Theories that I don’t really understand how she came to conclude, but conclude she did!
As far as Wrath’s intentions, Emilia is pretty stupid. She kept on thinking everything is some sort of motive for Pride when Wrath clearly had something else at stake in all of this. I didn’t expect her to think he had her “best interests at heart” or anything but at least she should have understood that he’s so motivated to get her to his brother that everything wasn’t clearly pointing elsewhere.
That’s not a spoiler… it’s been 100% obvious since the second half of book one. Something sus was going on with Wrath. He can’t answer a question directly to save his life. He is a DEMON and yet is still gentle with her. He allied with her. So on and so forth. It. Was. Clear.
I made up a lot of theories throughout the whole book. Of which, some were correct. But Emilia’s theories were outlandish and far fetched. And, In my opinion, she basically came to those conclusions with next to no evidence to back them (except maybe one thing that one person said at one time).
At about 3/4 of the way through, I was starting to feel like there were too many questions and no answers. A lot of theorizing from Emilia. And no direct truth from anyone. That being said, there was a payoff at the end. A lot (but not all) of the questions and confusion is cleared up.
As a side note (and it is a side note, even in the book), the romantic tension is definitely there, but it is wholly secondary to everything that is going on in Hell. It reads more like a mystery than a good romance.
I liked it that way. It was really meant to be a journey you are going on with the characters - confusion, questions, tension and all. So if you’re looking for a mystery laced with a smattering of romance and tension, this one is for you!
P.S. I never need another description of Hell ever again. Why are there two whole pages describing a room? A page describing an art piece? Three pages about the land? Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic but my goodness, I got the point the first time. Hell is gorgeous. Move it along.
FavoriteQuotes
“I will not appear weak for you to maintain strength.”
“Keep doing that, and I’m going to damn all the deities.”
ProminentTropes
Enemies to Lovers
Morally Grey MMC
Slow Burn
Witch x Demon
The Chosen One
Mystery
Forced Proximity
TheRating
Storyline: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Side Characters: 4/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Overall: 📘📘📘📘
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (definitely there but not frequent and not overly descriptive)
Kingdom of the Wicked Series
Kingdom of the Wicked
Kingdom of the Wicked #1
Kingdom of the Cursed
Kingdom of the Wicked #2
Kingdom of the Feared
Kingdom of the Wicked #3
