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books_in_derry's review against another edition
dark
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
stace_elizabeth's review against another edition
4.0
I always love when fantasy books add a bit of mystery, and this had lots!
It was engaging and interesting to read.
Caution: it has some dark themes and some demonic/witchy vibes.
It was engaging and interesting to read.
Caution: it has some dark themes and some demonic/witchy vibes.
claud_ost's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book was idk not bad but also not great. It was very medium. I felt as is some information was randomly thrown in at times that didn’t make the most sense making it hard put the pieces of the mystery together.
I did however, enjoy Emilia’s character. I liked how she progress someone who was afraid to someone others should be afraid of. I also loved the family aspect in this book. Even though Victoria’s death was only a few chapters in it made me tearful due to the story semblance of family love the book portrays. This book had some plot twists I saw coming (the prince summoned being the one standing over Victoria's dead body, Envy being the mastermind, Emilia becoming prides bride) and some I did not see coming (Antonio being the murder and working along Envy who he think is an angle, devil horns being the cornicellos). I also felt like some information was quite random/i felt like the connect wasn’t explained well enough like Dominico being a shape shifter aligning with Greed. I did enjoy the backstory of the prophecy and Nonnas connection to it however, I felt like it ever changing was a bit confusing). Lastly, I did enjoy Wrath as a character from the very first summoning I knew he was gonna be the love interest and I do love it!! I also enjoy the princes manners quiet a bit!
sdloomer's review against another edition
3.0
Rating this three stars doesn't feel like doing this enough justice; there were more parts that I truly enjoyed than not, but some (especially the end) that I couldn't reconcile with, thus the rating.
This would have been closer to four stars, maybe even five, if not for these issues: pacing, character relevance, and, to get a little specific, the whole reveal of Vittoria's killer in just a few pages near the very end, left a very bland taste in my mouth despite the book's solid beginning and (most of the) middle.
Important action sequences and reveals were cut down to maybe four or five paragraphs at most, while introspection--important for character development, I understand--was turned all the way up to eleven to make for increasingly long internal monologues in situations that didn't make sense and slowed the plot way down. Days and weeks pass in single sentences, jerking the reader from one time to the next without any real reason, and while I understand this is sometimes necessary, this happened several times throughout the book.
During my most disappointing part of the entire book, the reveal of Vittoria's murderer and subsequently the ending, it occurred to me that a lot of the supernatural characters--Wrath and the Umbra demon and Envy and such--were unnecessary. If you replaced any of them with a human counterpart, the plot would have been the same. The buildup and clues that led to the reveal were eventually a red herring, and although it was a twist I didn't exactly see coming, it completely illegitimated any of these so-called 'clues'. The killer's motive was weak and ultimately barely related to what the rest of the novel was trying to moving forward with, and it completely baffled me as to why it ended this way. It made finding the murderer seem like a minor side-quest instead of a major plot point.
I hope book two is rather better in this case, as the beginning of this one was so, so good (along with all the descriptions of the food!), and because I'm still going to read it when it comes out. Please, please, please do Vittoria some real justice there, because she deserves it!
This would have been closer to four stars, maybe even five, if not for these issues: pacing, character relevance, and, to get a little specific, the whole reveal of Vittoria's killer in just a few pages near the very end, left a very bland taste in my mouth despite the book's solid beginning and (most of the) middle.
Important action sequences and reveals were cut down to maybe four or five paragraphs at most, while introspection--important for character development, I understand--was turned all the way up to eleven to make for increasingly long internal monologues in situations that didn't make sense and slowed the plot way down. Days and weeks pass in single sentences, jerking the reader from one time to the next without any real reason, and while I understand this is sometimes necessary, this happened several times throughout the book.
During my most disappointing part of the entire book, the reveal of Vittoria's murderer and subsequently the ending, it occurred to me that a lot of the supernatural characters--Wrath and the Umbra demon and Envy and such--were unnecessary. If you replaced any of them with a human counterpart, the plot would have been the same. The buildup and clues that led to the reveal were eventually a red herring, and although it was a twist I didn't exactly see coming, it completely illegitimated any of these so-called 'clues'. The killer's motive was weak and ultimately barely related to what the rest of the novel was trying to moving forward with, and it completely baffled me as to why it ended this way. It made finding the murderer seem like a minor side-quest instead of a major plot point.
I hope book two is rather better in this case, as the beginning of this one was so, so good (along with all the descriptions of the food!), and because I'm still going to read it when it comes out. Please, please, please do Vittoria some real justice there, because she deserves it!
lindee_e's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aaqvx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
honestly i'm still not sure how to feel about kingdom of the wicked. like i'm intrigued enough to read the next book but i don't really like or care about any of them
malintoria's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
marzie_21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
emmylouh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5