Scan barcode
taryn_g's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Child death, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Gore, and Religious bigotry
anastashamarie's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
šÆļø If you want to read this, I GREATLY recommend the audiobook. This is one that I think is made by the narrator. I'm a sucker for a paranormal/fantasy murder mystery and for slow burn enemies-to-lover so I devoured this story and thoroughly enjoyed it...UNTIL the last 10% or so.
Tuck in, little witches and surly demons. This might turn rambling like I got stuck between worlds in a scrying session.
šThe whole time I was reading/listening to it, I was thinking this would be a 4-star read for me. Yeah, it had some problems (which I'll get into). But I loved the magic system and the setting. I loved the concept of the 7 Deadly Sins embodied as demons and the ways that their powers manipulate humans. I loved Emelia's and Wrath's banter. (And okay, like I said, the narration really made this one.)
š”ļø I liked the characters, too. Some people complain about Emilia being dumb, and though I definitely think there certain things she did or didn't do only for the obvious sake of the story, I don't think "dumb" is the way I'd describe her. She thought these demons and dark forces were scary stories made up her Nonna to scare little witches into saying in bed at night. She was very traumatized by seeing the brutalized bodies of people she cared about and by witnessing multiple graphic attempted murders. I don't blame her if she didn't always ask the right questions or if she fell prey to immortal beings who spend their whole lives trying to trick humans. 2 months ago, she didn't even know they existed. She's pretty adaptable, all things considered.
I also liked Wrath and the ways that he wasn't nearly as stoic or good at hiding his emotions as he might have thought. I liked his insistence on consent and choice and the ways that the demon magic just enhances what people already feel or desire. I liked that he clearly had his own motivations and seemed genuinely ambiguous throughout much of the story. I wouldn't call him morally grey, per say, because he doesn't actually do anything bad. Maybe morally shadowed...I'm still not totally sure what his ploy is, but I'm very curious as to where his story will go next.
š But oof, the ending just left so much to be desired that I had to take another star. I get that it's meant to set up the storyline for the rest of the books. But so many of the characters motivations seemed loosely strung together by the end and nothing is as well tied-up as I thought it might be. New characters are introduced up until the last few pages, but in a "better shove this in my hidden pocket before I forget it like Emilia keep forgetting her chalk" sort of way, not in a necessarily intriguing sort of way. Personalities seem to suddenly flip flop. Clues that were presented seem to now be forgotten.
And speaking for clues, I feel like I needed a Handy Dandy Notebook to keep track of the spells and symbols and other hints littered throughout, because Emilia was finding paw prints I couldn't even see (I think because they're as invisible as a umbra demon). Meanwhile, Emilia is out here just drawing connections out of thin air. She suddenly remembers seeing symbols before that I don't remember ever being mentioned (because they weren't) and is like "oh, a clue!" I feel this could have been solved by more showing and less telling in the book; more descriptions of the scenes and interactions and behaviors. In other words, I wish more clues were dropped so the audience could play detective, too.
š Still, even though I didn't rank this as highly as I hoped, I'm very excited to read the next one. I borrowed this from Libby and will probably buy an actual copy of it to keep on my own shelf I liked it so much. I'm just hopeful the next ones redeem some of the ending of this one for me, otherwise I'm sending them back to the summoning circle.
Tuck in, little witches and surly demons. This might turn rambling like I got stuck between worlds in a scrying session.
šThe whole time I was reading/listening to it, I was thinking this would be a 4-star read for me. Yeah, it had some problems (which I'll get into). But I loved the magic system and the setting. I loved the concept of the 7 Deadly Sins embodied as demons and the ways that their powers manipulate humans. I loved Emelia's and Wrath's banter. (And okay, like I said, the narration really made this one.)
š”ļø I liked the characters, too. Some people complain about Emilia being dumb, and though I definitely think there certain things she did or didn't do only for the obvious sake of the story, I don't think "dumb" is the way I'd describe her. She thought these demons and dark forces were scary stories made up her Nonna to scare little witches into saying in bed at night. She was very traumatized by seeing the brutalized bodies of people she cared about and by witnessing multiple graphic attempted murders. I don't blame her if she didn't always ask the right questions or if she fell prey to immortal beings who spend their whole lives trying to trick humans. 2 months ago, she didn't even know they existed. She's pretty adaptable, all things considered.
I also liked Wrath and the ways that he wasn't nearly as stoic or good at hiding his emotions as he might have thought. I liked his insistence on consent and choice and the ways that the demon magic just enhances what people already feel or desire. I liked that he clearly had his own motivations and seemed genuinely ambiguous throughout much of the story. I wouldn't call him morally grey, per say, because he doesn't actually do anything bad. Maybe morally shadowed...I'm still not totally sure what his ploy is, but I'm very curious as to where his story will go next.
š But oof, the ending just left so much to be desired that I had to take another star. I get that it's meant to set up the storyline for the rest of the books. But so many of the characters motivations seemed loosely strung together by the end and nothing is as well tied-up as I thought it might be. New characters are introduced up until the last few pages, but in a "better shove this in my hidden pocket before I forget it like Emilia keep forgetting her chalk" sort of way, not in a necessarily intriguing sort of way. Personalities seem to suddenly flip flop. Clues that were presented seem to now be forgotten.
And speaking for clues, I feel like I needed a Handy Dandy Notebook to keep track of the spells and symbols and other hints littered throughout, because Emilia was finding paw prints I couldn't even see (I think because they're as invisible as a umbra demon). Meanwhile, Emilia is out here just drawing connections out of thin air. She suddenly remembers seeing symbols before that I don't remember ever being mentioned (because they weren't) and is like "oh, a clue!" I feel this could have been solved by more showing and less telling in the book; more descriptions of the scenes and interactions and behaviors. In other words, I wish more clues were dropped so the audience could play detective, too.
š Still, even though I didn't rank this as highly as I hoped, I'm very excited to read the next one. I borrowed this from Libby and will probably buy an actual copy of it to keep on my own shelf I liked it so much. I'm just hopeful the next ones redeem some of the ending of this one for me, otherwise I'm sending them back to the summoning circle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing and Religious bigotry
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual content
_savannahreads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Murder, and Religious bigotry
sirkeili'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-
āNo 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
ka_ke's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.0
Itās fine. Itās nothing spectacular, and I expect the spice to be way better in Kingdom of the Cursed. The idea is cool, I just donāt know if it was executed as well as it could have been.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Gore, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, Death, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
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 donāt like her character but i do understand her initial reasoning for trying to solve her sisterās murder. i too would unleash hell if someone ever laid a hand on one of my siblingsā 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 sisterās murder. summoning rage and fury itself? thatās a given.
emeliaās moods give me a lot of whiplash though. her character didnāt 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 authorās favorite was. if she had put even half as much of an effort as she put into wrathās 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 monasteryās kitchen and he just stepped in front of emelia while holding up his rosary, unfazed. that was kind of a dead giveaway that he wasnāt the innocent boy next door emeila always thought of him as.
also pride x emelia? as if. sheāll be back in wrathās arms soon enough. doesnāt help that heās acting like such a dick though so i guess weāll 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 sisterās murder. summoning rage and fury itself? thatās a given.
emeliaās moods give me a lot of whiplash though. her character didnāt 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 authorās favorite was. if she had put even half as much of an effort as she put into wrathās 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. sheāll be back in wrathās arms soon enough. doesnāt help that heās acting like such a dick though so i guess weāll 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.a_libra_library's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.0
The longer I sit with this, the more I realize I don't remember anything about this book. I did have a good time trying to figure out the mystery. I will be reading book two and three and I hope Wrath and Emilia's relationship get more developed because it was not giving the tension at all. I think Wrath was modeled after Ryhs from ACTOAR
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Grief, Gore, Murder, Religious bigotry, Violence, Blood, Cursing, and Death
nota_candycaine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Violence, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Blood, Body horror, and Death
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.0
This was a very fun book to read. I thoroughly enjoyed Kerri's Stalking Jack the Ripper series and the Kingdom of the Wicked is looking to be on the same path.
I loved the characters in this story. Emilia and Wrath were fun to read and has me even more intrigued to see them in the next book considering the how they have left off in the end of this book. I also liked how each of the Princes of Hell were introduced and how each embodied their sin. I also really liked Nonna Maria and am excited to learn more about her and the family history.
Speaking of family history, the story and lore were very interesting and quickly had me hooked. I want to more about what happened in the pasty with witched and demons and everything about the blood curse. I am excited to see more about the Wicked realm and met the remaining Princes. A part of me also hopes we will see her sister but I'm unsure how likely that will be in the forthcoming books.
I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. The fact that Kingdom of the Cursed is New Adult has me super excited. This book though was a good read and really sets up for the next book well.
I recommend this series to the fantasy romance readers out there.
I loved the characters in this story. Emilia and Wrath were fun to read and has me even more intrigued to see them in the next book considering the how they have left off in the end of this book. I also liked how each of the Princes of Hell were introduced and how each embodied their sin. I also really liked Nonna Maria and am excited to learn more about her and the family history.
Speaking of family history, the story and lore were very interesting and quickly had me hooked. I want to more about what happened in the pasty with witched and demons and everything about the blood curse. I am excited to see more about the Wicked realm and met the remaining Princes. A part of me also hopes we will see her sister but I'm unsure how likely that will be in the forthcoming books.
I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. The fact that Kingdom of the Cursed is New Adult has me super excited. This book though was a good read and really sets up for the next book well.
I recommend this series to the fantasy romance readers out there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Addiction, and Religious bigotry
cluckieduck's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Not as enthralling as other fantasy seriesās debuts, but interesting enough that Iāll continue on to book two. The plot was fairly predictable but also quite scatteredā¦riddle me that. I just didnāt connect with any of the characters, so weāll see what book two brings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit