Reviews with content warning for Violence - Kingdom of the Wicked

I don’t normally read fantasy, but this is what my book club chose, so it’s my first read.

Even though it’s not what I gravitate toward, I really enjoyed the book overall. I’m normally a romance reader, so I would’ve loved to see some more banter/enemies-to-lovers stuff between Emilia and Wrath, but I can get behind keeping the integrity of the story.

There were some parts of the book that confused me a bit, and required me to reread past parts to fully understand what was going on. I chalk it up to being new to magic-based writing, so it was hard for me to keep track of in my head. But, I absolutely loved the setting everything was placed in and fell even more in love with Sicily (and Italian food)!

While it’s not my normal read, I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out what else is in store for Emilia.

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rangerelik's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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ernea_navish's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

3.25

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samflowerv6's review

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adventurous dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A good book was its own brand of magic, one I could safely indulge in without fear of getting caught by those who hunted. I loved escaping from reality, especially during times of trouble. Stories made everything possible.

This world is so fun and entertaining. The witchy vibes, mystery, demon princes, spells, HOT DEMON PRINCES, feminist messaging, solving a murder, Italian culture in a fantasy setting and the food imagery. I devoured the imagery and beautiful prose. The banter between Amelia and Wrath was so good. I love them and he was hilarious. I love poetic men who have been around since the beginning of time. I think it's my kink. Eternally sexy poetic beings who are a little, if not a lot evil. The fanart of him had me keeling over like how is this fictional man taking me out. Anyways, the vibes were beautiful. I can't wait to see more of this world and more of Amelia and Wrath. I hope she gets meaner and maybe a little smarter but overall amazing vibes. I love witches.

“I do not wish to taint my body with the foulness of human food," I mocked. "But desserts are acceptable.” - Wrath, cannoli lover.

A reckoning awoke in me. The more I gave, the more he returned. We traded kisses like blows. And if this were a fight, I wouldn't know who was winning. I understood why some thought kissing one of the Wicked was addictive. Each time his tongue touched mine, it felt as if the ground beneath me quaked. Like we were a cataclysmic event that shouldn't be.

“Why do villains always wear black?”
“Better to hide the blood with, witch.”

His annoyance joined mine in unholy matrimony.

“One day you'll call me death. For now, Wrath will do.”

Cooking was magic and music combined. The crack of shells, the hiss of pancetta hitting a hot pan, the metallic clang of a whisk beating the side of a bowl, even the rhythmic thwack of a cleaver against a wooden cutting board.

Grief carved me in half. And fury honed the pieces into a weapon. Now it was time to unleash it.

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alxisrae's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

2.75

This book is the CW of YA. It wouldn’t surprise me if this became a CW series, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Just…no. First 1/2 I was interested and it quickly became a muddled mess of a FMC that was reckless beyond belief and a messy as fuck timeline. Also there is no spice (not that a good book needs one) but for booktok to scream of the “spice” in this book….there is one make out scene. ONE. Just do yourself a favor and skip this one.

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tabea1409's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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tiana_king's review against another edition

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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.

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