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tiana_king's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It had such a strong start and then things pittered out. The love felt instant and really the main characters didn’t interact much. However when they did I think they had good enough banter. I’m going to read the next book because I feel the story has potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Hate crime, and Mental illness
sweetordinary's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you are a fan of a dark mystery filled with self-discovery, love, and adventure, this is a book you need to try. Magic is infused every step of the way.
I love and appreciate the fact that the themes of love, romance, and intimate relationships took a back seat for the main character.
I love and appreciate the fact that the themes of love, romance, and intimate relationships took a back seat for the main character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, Death, Grief, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Confinement and Hate crime
theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, Gore, Violence, Murder, Body horror, Hate crime, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual content, Animal death, Torture, Kidnapping, Cursing, Stalking, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
giulianalb99's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
3⭐️
Empezaré diciendo que este libro no me ha parecido malo, pero es de estos que tienen tanto potencial que la autora lo ha malgastado de una manera increíble.
Creo que lo mejor sería empezar por lo que más me ha gustado, y es que me parece que Kerri Maniscalco tiene una pluma buenísima que ha hecho que me haya leído el libro súper rápido sin ni siquiera darme cuenta de las horas que pasaban. Cuando leí la sinopsis lo quise agregar a mis lecturas porque me pareció una idea estupenda: ¿quién no quiere leer sobre brujas y demonios? Emilia, la protagonista, me ha gustado bastante por lo fuerte y segura que es, al igual que Wrath (que encima tiene tatuajes, qué más se puede pedir). Que esté ambientado en Italia también es un punto a favor del libro, nunca había leído un libro situado allí y me ha encantado.
Como siempre, ahora vengo a hablar de cosas que me han tocado la moral bastante: para empezar, no sé a quién se le ocurrió catalogar este libro como enemies to lovers cuando simplemente se odian porque Emilia es bruja y Wrath un demonio: no hay más razones a porqué son esos supuestos “enemigos” así que, para mí, esto sería más bien un haters to algo porque es que no hay romance casi. Odio cuando no evolucionan como “pareja”, básicamente han ido de odiarse a querer arrancarse la ropa en dos páginas: ¿perdón? No, así no vamos; antes he dicho que la pluma de Maniscalco me parece increíble pero también me parece que hay demasiada información innecesaria: perfectamente podría haberse ahorrado cien páginas o más; sabemos que está ambientada en Italia, como he dicho anteriormente, pero ¿en qué época? ¿tiene eso influencia en el libro? bueno pues aparentemente eso te lo inventas tú, porque nunca se sabe, simplemente das por hecho que es en el siglo XVIII-XIX por cómo se describen las ropas que llevan los personajes, poco más se sabe, y creo que podría haber añadido eso y quitado unas cuantas recetas, que ojo, amo la comida italiana y puedo entender que me quieras explicar algo de su cocina ya que los padres de las gemelas son dueños de un restaurante, pero no hacen falta tantas, me ha quedado claro que les gusta comer, muchas gracias; el libro empieza con las gemelas Emilia y Vittoria siendo inseparables y, de repente, Vittoria está muerta y ni me he enterado. La protagonista da mil vueltas al mismo tema para luego irse por las ramas con otro asunto y luego se vuelve todo un lío porque simplemente este libro está desordenado; tampoco me ha gustado cómo han aparecido los hermanos de Wrath, me ha parecido demasiado fácil la manera en cómo pueden moverse del infierno al mundo de los humanos, y sin hablar de cómo conoce Emilia a Lust, que me ha parecido un capítulo de relleno que no tenía sentido alguno; hay tantas preguntas sin resolver que sé que probablemente no serán resueltas, pero si me pongo a enumerar todo lo que está mal del libro me tiro el mes entero con esta reseña.
Si quieres leer un libro sobre brujas para pasar el rato, este es tu libro, pero no esperes una obra de arte impresionante porque como ya he dicho, este libro tiene un potencial malgastadísimo. Seguramente (100% probable) seguiré con la trilogía, pero ya mis expectativas no son tan altas como las tenía con este.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I’ll start by saying that this book wasn’t bad at all, but it’s one of those that have so much potential that the author just wasted it in an incredible way.
I think the best thing would be to start with what I liked the most, and it seems to me that Kerri Maniscalco has an amazing way of writing that made me read the book super fast without even noticing the hours that passed. When I read the synopsis I wanted to add it to my tbr because the premise looked amazing: who doesn't want to read about witches and demons? I really liked Emilia, the main character, because of how strong and confident she is, just like Wrath (who also has tattoos, what more could I ask for?). The fact that it’s set in Italy is also a point in favor to the book, I’d never read a book set there and I loved it.
As always, now I come to talk about things that have touched my morale a lot: to start with, I don't know who came up with the idea of classifying this book as “enemies to lovers” when they simply hate each other because Emilia is a witch and Wrath is a demon: there is no more reasons why they are those supposed "enemies" so, for me, this would be rather a “haters to something” because there is almost no romance. I hate when they don't evolve as a "couple", they've basically gone from hating each other to wanting to tear each other's clothes off in two pages: sorry? No, that's not how we go; as I said before, Maniscalco's pen seems incredible to me but it also seems that there is too much unnecessary information: it could have perfectly been a hundred pages or more less; we know that it is set in Italy, as I said before, but in what era? Does that influence the book? well, apparently you make it up by yourself because you never know, you simply assume that it is in the 18th-19th century, because of how the clothes worn by the characters are described, little else is known, and I think the author could’ve added that and removed a few recipes: don’t get me wrong, I love Italian food and I can understand that you want to explain something about their cuisine since the parents of the twins own a restaurant, but you don't need that many, it has become clear to me that they like to eat, thank you very much; The book begins with the twins Emilia and Vittoria being inseparable, and suddenly, Vittoria is dead and I didn’t even noticed. The MC goes around the same topic a thousand times and then goes off on another subject and then it becomes a whole mess because this book is just simply messy; I also didn't like how Wrath's brothers appeared, the way in which they can move from hell to the world of humans seemed too easy to me, and not to mention how Emilia meets Lust, which I thought was a filler chapter that it didn't make any sense; there are so many unanswered questions that I know probably won't be answered, but if I start to list everything that's wrong with the book, I'll spend the entire month with this review.
If you want to read a book about witches to pass the time, this is the book for you, but don't expect a masterpiece because as I said, this book has a very much potential. Surely (100% likely) I will continue with the trilogy, but my expectations are not as high as I had it with this one.
Empezaré diciendo que este libro no me ha parecido malo, pero es de estos que tienen tanto potencial que la autora lo ha malgastado de una manera increíble.
Creo que lo mejor sería empezar por lo que más me ha gustado, y es que me parece que Kerri Maniscalco tiene una pluma buenísima que ha hecho que me haya leído el libro súper rápido sin ni siquiera darme cuenta de las horas que pasaban. Cuando leí la sinopsis lo quise agregar a mis lecturas porque me pareció una idea estupenda: ¿quién no quiere leer sobre brujas y demonios? Emilia, la protagonista, me ha gustado bastante por lo fuerte y segura que es, al igual que Wrath (que encima tiene tatuajes, qué más se puede pedir). Que esté ambientado en Italia también es un punto a favor del libro, nunca había leído un libro situado allí y me ha encantado.
Como siempre, ahora vengo a hablar de cosas que me han tocado la moral bastante: para empezar, no sé a quién se le ocurrió catalogar este libro como enemies to lovers cuando simplemente se odian porque Emilia es bruja y Wrath un demonio: no hay más razones a porqué son esos supuestos “enemigos” así que, para mí, esto sería más bien un haters to algo porque es que no hay romance casi. Odio cuando no evolucionan como “pareja”, básicamente han ido de odiarse a querer arrancarse la ropa en dos páginas: ¿perdón? No, así no vamos; antes he dicho que la pluma de Maniscalco me parece increíble pero también me parece que hay demasiada información innecesaria: perfectamente podría haberse ahorrado cien páginas o más; sabemos que está ambientada en Italia, como he dicho anteriormente, pero ¿en qué época? ¿tiene eso influencia en el libro? bueno pues aparentemente eso te lo inventas tú, porque nunca se sabe, simplemente das por hecho que es en el siglo XVIII-XIX por cómo se describen las ropas que llevan los personajes, poco más se sabe, y creo que podría haber añadido eso y quitado unas cuantas recetas, que ojo, amo la comida italiana y puedo entender que me quieras explicar algo de su cocina ya que los padres de las gemelas son dueños de un restaurante, pero no hacen falta tantas, me ha quedado claro que les gusta comer, muchas gracias; el libro empieza con las gemelas Emilia y Vittoria siendo inseparables y, de repente, Vittoria está muerta y ni me he enterado. La protagonista da mil vueltas al mismo tema para luego irse por las ramas con otro asunto y luego se vuelve todo un lío porque simplemente este libro está desordenado; tampoco me ha gustado cómo han aparecido los hermanos de Wrath, me ha parecido demasiado fácil la manera en cómo pueden moverse del infierno al mundo de los humanos, y sin hablar de cómo conoce Emilia a Lust, que me ha parecido un capítulo de relleno que no tenía sentido alguno; hay tantas preguntas sin resolver que sé que probablemente no serán resueltas, pero si me pongo a enumerar todo lo que está mal del libro me tiro el mes entero con esta reseña.
Si quieres leer un libro sobre brujas para pasar el rato, este es tu libro, pero no esperes una obra de arte impresionante porque como ya he dicho, este libro tiene un potencial malgastadísimo. Seguramente (100% probable) seguiré con la trilogía, pero ya mis expectativas no son tan altas como las tenía con este.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I’ll start by saying that this book wasn’t bad at all, but it’s one of those that have so much potential that the author just wasted it in an incredible way.
I think the best thing would be to start with what I liked the most, and it seems to me that Kerri Maniscalco has an amazing way of writing that made me read the book super fast without even noticing the hours that passed. When I read the synopsis I wanted to add it to my tbr because the premise looked amazing: who doesn't want to read about witches and demons? I really liked Emilia, the main character, because of how strong and confident she is, just like Wrath (who also has tattoos, what more could I ask for?). The fact that it’s set in Italy is also a point in favor to the book, I’d never read a book set there and I loved it.
As always, now I come to talk about things that have touched my morale a lot: to start with, I don't know who came up with the idea of classifying this book as “enemies to lovers” when they simply hate each other because Emilia is a witch and Wrath is a demon: there is no more reasons why they are those supposed "enemies" so, for me, this would be rather a “haters to something” because there is almost no romance. I hate when they don't evolve as a "couple", they've basically gone from hating each other to wanting to tear each other's clothes off in two pages: sorry? No, that's not how we go; as I said before, Maniscalco's pen seems incredible to me but it also seems that there is too much unnecessary information: it could have perfectly been a hundred pages or more less; we know that it is set in Italy, as I said before, but in what era? Does that influence the book? well, apparently you make it up by yourself because you never know, you simply assume that it is in the 18th-19th century, because of how the clothes worn by the characters are described, little else is known, and I think the author could’ve added that and removed a few recipes: don’t get me wrong, I love Italian food and I can understand that you want to explain something about their cuisine since the parents of the twins own a restaurant, but you don't need that many, it has become clear to me that they like to eat, thank you very much; The book begins with the twins Emilia and Vittoria being inseparable, and suddenly, Vittoria is dead and I didn’t even noticed. The MC goes around the same topic a thousand times and then goes off on another subject and then it becomes a whole mess because this book is just simply messy; I also didn't like how Wrath's brothers appeared, the way in which they can move from hell to the world of humans seemed too easy to me, and not to mention how Emilia meets Lust, which I thought was a filler chapter that it didn't make any sense; there are so many unanswered questions that I know probably won't be answered, but if I start to list everything that's wrong with the book, I'll spend the entire month with this review.
If you want to read a book about witches to pass the time, this is the book for you, but don't expect a masterpiece because as I said, this book has a very much potential. Surely (100% likely) I will continue with the trilogy, but my expectations are not as high as I had it with this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Confinement, Death, Body horror, Physical abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: Vomit, Addiction, Child death, and Animal death
starofash's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
okay, so i really liked this book!
it was pretty fast-paced and the story began very quickly and had a mostly direct writing style which i really liked. also, the plottwist was unexpected in my opinion, i only guessed it while it was already being revealed lmao
the food themes and witchcraft were amazing, a bit more explantion about the magic system would've been nice but i feel like it's also realistic that emilia doesn't know a lot about it because her nonna seems to keep a lot of it secret
the main characters, wrath and emilia were lovable and i understood them, because although emilias stubbornness in regards to who the murderer was was a bit annoying, it was also understandable and in character. if i only want to scream at the character, that's fine for me. also, emilias character development was amazing
wrath was also really amazing, i loved his character. (i love me a smug asshole and he kinda was that)
but the romance really made me a bit uncomfortable? i really like enemies to lovers, but something about the romance in this book rubbed me the wrong way, idk.
another complaint i had was that i read it in german but the wicked were still called wicked which was kinda weird and definitely took some getting used to
still very excited for part 2!!!
it was pretty fast-paced and the story began very quickly and had a mostly direct writing style which i really liked. also, the plottwist was unexpected in my opinion, i only guessed it while it was already being revealed lmao
the food themes and witchcraft were amazing, a bit more explantion about the magic system would've been nice but i feel like it's also realistic that emilia doesn't know a lot about it because her nonna seems to keep a lot of it secret
the main characters, wrath and emilia were lovable and i understood them, because although emilias stubbornness in regards to who the murderer was was a bit annoying, it was also understandable and in character. if i only want to scream at the character, that's fine for me. also, emilias character development was amazing
wrath was also really amazing, i loved his character. (i love me a smug asshole and he kinda was that)
but the romance really made me a bit uncomfortable? i really like enemies to lovers, but something about the romance in this book rubbed me the wrong way, idk.
another complaint i had was that i read it in german but the wicked were still called wicked which was kinda weird and definitely took some getting used to
still very excited for part 2!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Alcohol, and Vomit
r1vana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Another anticipated book series.
This book was everywhere on booktok and I put it to the side until the last book gets released so I could binge watch it. But..I am kind of disappointed…
The story was really long. At first I was very invested: the magic world, the world building, the characters, the dark magics….
So many things were going on which was kinda hard to keep up.
This book is kinda hard to digest because it emphasizes mainly on grief, pain, “mental health” and deep sadness, probably even depression. But those feeling changes to anger and thirst for revenge:
“Grief carved me in half. And fury honed the pieces into a weapon.
The story is about Emilia who goes on a rampage/vengeful tasks to find her twin sister’s murder and kill him/her/they… but in order to do so, she needs help… from Wrath, the MMC, and my new book boyfriend.
The ending kinda felt rushed. The story had a lot of potential but felt that it was kinda badly executed. Hopefully the other two books are better…
Emilia…. My oh my… she is a stubborn and hard headed character. Which sometimes, I wished I could go into the book, and shake her to wake her the f-up. She can be extremely reckless because she is so blinded by this “revenge” that I feel like she doesn’t think rationally sometimes. Sometimes, there are scenes of hers that felt repetitive.
Edit: I just saw someone say that it feels like reading Bella Swan’s POV…. Lol.
Look besides all that, the princes of Hell are quite interesting. I hope we get to see them more on the other two books:
"There are seven demon princes, but only four di Carlos should fear: Wrath, Greed, Envy, and Pride. One will crave your blood. One will capture your heart. One will steal your soul. And one will take your life.”
"One will crave your blood. One will capture your heart. One will steal your soul. And one will take your life."
Wrath didn’t seem as present as I taught he would be but he did make an impression on me. Especially whenever he bangers with Emilia. The only thing with him is that for a so-called Prince of Hell, we don’t really see the scary side of him. The author probably saved that for later.
And I love Emilia’s grandma, even though she is constantly pestering her granddaughters, is it always for the better. People trust your ancestors stories, they might come true who know…:
"Love is the most powerful magic. Above all else remember that. It will always guide you where you need to go?”
She dropped her hands and stepped back. "Now go, bambina. Go be brave, Your heart will conquer darkness. Trust in that."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Death
Minor: Confinement and Kidnapping
Blood ritual; talk about dark magic; griefsirkeili's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
This book took me a while to get through, but overall I found it quite intriguing. Watching Emilia comb through clues with her reluctant sidekick was quite amusing, even if her denial of fact was a tad frustrating.
The plot really picks up towards the end, and some lore is actually given, albeit a tad predicatable if you are reading the context clues correctly.
I mean, you're telling me that this-
The plot really picks up towards the end, and some lore is actually given, albeit a tad predicatable if you are reading the context clues correctly.
I mean, you're telling me that this-
“No one knows for certain, (...) Some believe it refers to the use of light and dark magic. Few think it means a prince will fall in love with a witch."
-isn't the plot of every enemies to lover's romance, I am supposed to remain oblivious??? I think the fuck not, and I honestly love and respect that it doesn't shy away from the trope, but rather embraces it wholeheartedly.
Overall, this book was a tad slow on the uptake, but it was quite a nice starting point for the series. Emelia's revenge has only just started, and I am eager to see the wrath (yes, I went there) she brings down upon the princes, and those who ultimately have caused Vittoria's death. I am also keen to see what Wrath's part to play will be, as he was little too quiet and unnaturally withdrawn at the end. I know he's strategizing, but how he plans to fulfill his plan is something look forward to watching.
Overall, this book was a tad slow on the uptake, but it was quite a nice starting point for the series. Emelia's revenge has only just started, and I am eager to see the wrath (yes, I went there) she brings down upon the princes, and those who ultimately have caused Vittoria's death. I am also keen to see what Wrath's part to play will be, as he was little too quiet and unnaturally withdrawn at the end. I know he's strategizing, but how he plans to fulfill his plan is something look forward to watching.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Sexual content, Torture, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Confinement, Drug abuse, Genocide, and Kidnapping
rensreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
there was a plot, but whether we stuck to it or not was another thing. emelia was annoying and also an idiot, not gonna lie. i don’t like her character but i do understand her initial reasoning for trying to solve her sister’s murder. i too would unleash hell if someone ever laid a hand on one of my siblings’ heads. i can only imagine how much more intense that fury would be if it happened to be my twin who was hurt. also nonna telling emelia to deal with the fact that vittoria is gone and move on already is a pretty crappy thing to say. emelia described her twin as her other half and to be expected to keep going after losing that is cruel, especially by someone who had a hand in raising both those halves.
it makes sense why its wrath who she summons. her twin is dead, her grief is choking her daily, and no one is doing anything to try and solve her sister’s murder. summoning rage and fury itself? that’s a given.
emelia’s moods give me a lot of whiplash though. her character didn’t have any substance and she played the damsel-in-distress role so often that i hardly think her capable of figuring out who ate the last cannoli, much less a murder and bringing hell down to its knees.
wrath was a complex character and it was pretty clear who the author’s favorite was. if she had put even half as much of an effort as she put into wrath’s character into emelia, then maybe she would be decent instead of all-around pathetic.
that ending was meh and i could tellthe murderer was antonio from the moment vittoria scared them in the monastery’s kitchen and he just stepped in front of emelia while holding up his rosary, unfazed. that was kind of a dead giveaway that he wasn’t the innocent boy next door emeila always thought of him as.
also pride x emelia? as if. she’ll be back in wrath’s arms soon enough. doesn’t help that he’s acting like such a dick though so i guess we’ll see if they even deserve to be together in the next book.
this gets 3.25 stars from me. it had promise but the execution of it all was terrible.
it makes sense why its wrath who she summons. her twin is dead, her grief is choking her daily, and no one is doing anything to try and solve her sister’s murder. summoning rage and fury itself? that’s a given.
emelia’s moods give me a lot of whiplash though. her character didn’t have any substance and she played the damsel-in-distress role so often that i hardly think her capable of figuring out who ate the last cannoli, much less a murder and bringing hell down to its knees.
wrath was a complex character and it was pretty clear who the author’s favorite was. if she had put even half as much of an effort as she put into wrath’s character into emelia, then maybe she would be decent instead of all-around pathetic.
that ending was meh and i could tell
also pride x emelia? as if. she’ll be back in wrath’s arms soon enough. doesn’t help that he’s acting like such a dick though so i guess we’ll see if they even deserve to be together in the next book.
this gets 3.25 stars from me. it had promise but the execution of it all was terrible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Vomit, Stalking, and Confinement
the sexual harassment and violence happens after emelia meets lust, so do with that what you will.jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Toxic friendship, Grief, Confinement, Kidnapping, Blood, Death, and Child death
roosveld's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery, Confinement, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gaslighting