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chaptersofamylea's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
‘A woman with a little power was terrifying to some.’
After finally deciding to pick this up again in order to finish the rest of the series, I can honestly say I enjoyed this a lot more the second time round. While I still have some gripes about the world building (I distinctively remember having issues of not knowing like the period if it was like a urban fantasy or what, however I may have been overreacting a little in hindsight), I think by reading it in one go helped my reading of it flow better. Therefore, a much more positive experience. Am I obsessed with it like most people seem to be… No. BUT, I didn’t find all the characters insufferable this time, so thats a win, yes? And I’m definitely more intrigued about where the story will lead now.
Also this quote packs a punch- ‘Young women died. Life resumed. Such was the way of the world, at least according to men.’
TWs: death of a family member, depictions of injury, depictions of corpses
‘A woman with a little power was terrifying to some.’
After finally deciding to pick this up again in order to finish the rest of the series, I can honestly say I enjoyed this a lot more the second time round. While I still have some gripes about the world building (I distinctively remember having issues of not knowing like the period if it was like a urban fantasy or what, however I may have been overreacting a little in hindsight), I think by reading it in one go helped my reading of it flow better. Therefore, a much more positive experience. Am I obsessed with it like most people seem to be… No. BUT, I didn’t find all the characters insufferable this time, so thats a win, yes? And I’m definitely more intrigued about where the story will lead now.
Also this quote packs a punch- ‘Young women died. Life resumed. Such was the way of the world, at least according to men.’
TWs: death of a family member, depictions of injury, depictions of corpses
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
chrysanthxmum's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Mental illness, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
leahfoko's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I decided by the end of the book that this reminded me a little bit of the Folk of The Air series. Which is genuinely one of my favorite series’ so this is high praise. While I wouldn’t say it is as good as that series so far, I felt the dynamic between Wrath and Emilia kind of reminded me of Jude and Cardan, and the unraveling of the mystery full of demonic political intrigue and such just felt very much like the political machinations of Elfhame. Sometimes the way the chapters flowed felt a little clunky because they would kind of just end all of the sudden and then the next chapter would take place in a completely different point without a whole lot of transition which was a little weird but you get used to it. Sometimes Emilia got on my nerves but in the same way that Jude did at times and yet I still love those books so it didn’t bother me too much overall. I felt like the book took a bit to get started but once Emilia and Wrath started working together it got much more interesting to me and the second book feels like it’ll be like the Wicked King where now that the players have been introduced and the main character has come into her power, all of the political scheming and mystery will begin and I cannot wait. Looking forward to reading the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
kaelynbyers's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
When Emilia's twin sister is murdered, she will stop at nothing to find who did it. Even if that means using dark magic that she has been warned against her whole life. Emilia uses dark magic to summon Wrath, one of the Wicked, the 7 princes of Hell that she has been warned to stay away from her whole life. She binds him to herself, hoping he will help her solve a string of murders on her island that her sister's death may be connected to. As they work together to figure out who is committing the crimes, Emilia quickly learns that nothing is what she once thought it was when it comes to the Wicked.
-----------------------------------------
I was recommended this book by a friend after finishing ACOTAR and this series DID NOT DISSAPOINT.
If you are looking for a finished series that feels like ACOTAR, this one checks a lot of those boxes and I cannot recommend it enough!!
There are so many aspects of this book that had me hooked from page one!!
The first big hook was the world.
For a book that was categorized as fantasy, I was pretty surprised that this took place on a little island that only seems to have magic because of the families who posses it on the island. Magic is not something possessed by the masses, but a small few that are trying to keep their magic quiet. The family of the main character seemed to be incredibly normal, and knowing that she created them based off of her own family made them incredibly warm and inviting as a reader. You could tell that Maniscalco put a lot of love and depth into the family from the start. And the secrecy of their magic added another element of tension in between all of the love and warmth that was created. That was an interesting start to a fantasy book series, but all that did was make me more excited to see how the story would unfold.
The second big hook was Wrath.
There seemed to be a lot of rules surrounding magic in the main family, but when it came to the Wicked, all the reader knows is that they are bad. And they should not be trusted. It seems that was all Emilia really knew about them as well. So when Emilia and Wrath meet and strike up a deal, there is an automatic tension there between the very little we know about the Wicked and Wrath himself. He is supposed to be all things evil and terrible, yet when it comes to him helping Emilia, he just seems to be focused. He wants to solve the murders as much as she does. And while there are times that he is brutal and you see the truth of who he is, there are also times when it is easy to forget what Wrath is. Emilia seems to know that he can't be trusted, yet we see her trust in him grow as they work together. In the same way, Wrath seems to despise Emilia, but we get to see moments where it seems like he may care more than he seems to let on. So the tension of their relationship and the history of who the Wicked are end up dragging you deeper and deeper into the book.
The third big hook was the 7 princes of Hell, or the Wicked.
As the book progresses, you primarily see Emilia interact with Wrath, the prince that she binds herself to. And their relationship is tense. But as the story progresses, we are slowly introduced to more of the seven brothers that are called the Wicked. It is so fascinating to see how Maniscalco writes the personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins into princes of Hell. She writes each of them so very well, and while we do get quite a bit of time with some of the brothers in this book, it is crazy to see the progression of their characters throughout the whole series. Seeing how each of their primary sins play out in their own lives and their appearance to the human world is so interesting and watching Emilia interact with the brothers is so much fun. Each of them is their own version of dark and selfish, all dangerous and never to be trusted, but at the same time we see the trust that they have for their own brothers. And we get to see the effect they all have on Emilia's own desires and struggles, causing the tension and feelings she has to grow to be these big blocks in the plot and in herself.
-----------------------------------------
I was recommended this book by a friend after finishing ACOTAR and this series DID NOT DISSAPOINT.
If you are looking for a finished series that feels like ACOTAR, this one checks a lot of those boxes and I cannot recommend it enough!!
There are so many aspects of this book that had me hooked from page one!!
The first big hook was the world.
For a book that was categorized as fantasy, I was pretty surprised that this took place on a little island that only seems to have magic because of the families who posses it on the island. Magic is not something possessed by the masses, but a small few that are trying to keep their magic quiet. The family of the main character seemed to be incredibly normal, and knowing that she created them based off of her own family made them incredibly warm and inviting as a reader. You could tell that Maniscalco put a lot of love and depth into the family from the start. And the secrecy of their magic added another element of tension in between all of the love and warmth that was created. That was an interesting start to a fantasy book series, but all that did was make me more excited to see how the story would unfold.
The second big hook was Wrath.
There seemed to be a lot of rules surrounding magic in the main family, but when it came to the Wicked, all the reader knows is that they are bad. And they should not be trusted. It seems that was all Emilia really knew about them as well. So when Emilia and Wrath meet and strike up a deal, there is an automatic tension there between the very little we know about the Wicked and Wrath himself. He is supposed to be all things evil and terrible, yet when it comes to him helping Emilia, he just seems to be focused. He wants to solve the murders as much as she does. And while there are times that he is brutal and you see the truth of who he is, there are also times when it is easy to forget what Wrath is. Emilia seems to know that he can't be trusted, yet we see her trust in him grow as they work together. In the same way, Wrath seems to despise Emilia, but we get to see moments where it seems like he may care more than he seems to let on. So the tension of their relationship and the history of who the Wicked are end up dragging you deeper and deeper into the book.
The third big hook was the 7 princes of Hell, or the Wicked.
As the book progresses, you primarily see Emilia interact with Wrath, the prince that she binds herself to. And their relationship is tense. But as the story progresses, we are slowly introduced to more of the seven brothers that are called the Wicked. It is so fascinating to see how Maniscalco writes the personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins into princes of Hell. She writes each of them so very well, and while we do get quite a bit of time with some of the brothers in this book, it is crazy to see the progression of their characters throughout the whole series. Seeing how each of their primary sins play out in their own lives and their appearance to the human world is so interesting and watching Emilia interact with the brothers is so much fun. Each of them is their own version of dark and selfish, all dangerous and never to be trusted, but at the same time we see the trust that they have for their own brothers. And we get to see the effect they all have on Emilia's own desires and struggles, causing the tension and feelings she has to grow to be these big blocks in the plot and in herself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, and Grief
mirandahedvik's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture and Violence
milica_3's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Death
abcdefgerda's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Would totally be a 5 star but I don't really give 5 stars to firsts in a series because I feel like the story's just starting and I'm getting to know the vibes and characters. There's growth you know.
Okay I was getting some serious Cruel Prince(Holly Black) and Gilded(Marissa Meyer) vibes, both of which are some of my top 10 books so suffice to say I was really liking this story.
Emilia is badass and hot femme fatale but also scared and vulnerable and makes dumb mistakes and we love her for it honestly.
Wrath is a Drama Queen and it just might be the best thing I've witnessed this year. Truly. If drama was a sin, he'd be named that instead.
Overall we have a ton of demons and dangerous beasts and betrayal and mystery and familial love and spells and betrayal and dark princes. And the gorgeous gowns and hairstyles and gowns(!!!!)
Okay I was getting some serious Cruel Prince(Holly Black) and Gilded(Marissa Meyer) vibes, both of which are some of my top 10 books so suffice to say I was really liking this story.
Emilia is badass and hot femme fatale but also scared and vulnerable and makes dumb mistakes and we love her for it honestly.
Wrath is a Drama Queen and it just might be the best thing I've witnessed this year. Truly. If drama was a sin, he'd be named that instead.
Overall we have a ton of demons and dangerous beasts and betrayal and mystery and familial love and spells and betrayal and dark princes. And the gorgeous gowns and hairstyles and gowns(!!!!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Vomit, Xenophobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
marisabenn's review
adventurous
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
3.75
Wrath: Stay here in my magic protected home where no one can hurt you
*Emilia leaves house and walks right into danger*
This book was good. A bit infuriating at times because Emilia thought she could do it all alone, but good.
One of my new pet peeves is excessive descriptions of food in novels. I do not need a recipe for some Italian dish that required a specific amount of citrus. It takes away from the story. This isn't a cookbook or a book about cooking. Your family just happens to own a restaurant.
Not sure if I will read the next ones. Maybe someday, but no true desire at the moment.
Also, I appreciate this not feeling like a YA novel.
*Emilia leaves house and walks right into danger*
This book was good. A bit infuriating at times because Emilia thought she could do it all alone, but good.
One of my new pet peeves is excessive descriptions of food in novels. I do not need a recipe for some Italian dish that required a specific amount of citrus. It takes away from the story. This isn't a cookbook or a book about cooking. Your family just happens to own a restaurant.
Not sure if I will read the next ones. Maybe someday, but no true desire at the moment.
Also, I appreciate this not feeling like a YA novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
amicamerlo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Murder, Violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
calcifiend's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
☆4'5/5☆
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail