Atlantic County Library System

UnCovered review by Elizabeth Sausto, ACLS Galloway Branch

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco is unlike anything I had ever read before. The story is set in 19th century Palermo, Sicily, where witches live secretly among ordinary humans. One of these witches- a young woman named Emilia- helps run her family’s restaurant alongside her twin sister, Vittoria. Then, one night, Emilia finds her twin brutally murdered. Driven by vengeance, Emilia goes so far as to summon a demon in order to find her sister’s killer, only to accidentally call upon Wrath, one the Wicked- princes of Hell she has only heard about in cautionary tales. Together, these unlikely allies must work together to solve not only Vittoria’s murder but a series of killings on the island.

The dynamic between the two main characters, Emilia and Wrath, is fascinating yet complicated. Though Emilia knows she shouldn’t trust a demon, let alone one of the Wicked, she can’t help but feel drawn to him, especially after he saves her life. At the same time, Emilia knows that Wrath has his own reasons for allying himself with her. This is not only because Emilia has bound Wrath to her with magic, but because the demon is trying to secure his own freedom from Hell.

Things only become more complicated when Emilia confronts other members of the Wicked, Wrath’s brothers, who each represent the seven deadly sins. They are cunning and cruel, so Emilia knows that Wrath is no different, yet he seems to treat her with a grudging sort of respect that has nothing to do with magic…

On a different note, being of Italian descent and the daughter of a former sous chef, I was very drawn to the Italian words that are used on and off in this novel and also the intoxicating descriptions of food that appear throughout the story. Since Emilia’s family runs a restaurant, Italian dishes are often brought up, and the details of the various meals were enough to make my mouth water. These depictions of Italian cuisine were a nice interlude from the darkness that permeates most of the story.

All and all, Kingdom of the Wicked was a thrilling read. I had never read a mystery before, and this novel was a brilliant first outing for me into the genre. It is the first of a series, so I am anxious to see how Emilia’s quest proceeds in the book’s sequel, which is set to be released later this year.