A review by elaichipod
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

I loved all the subplots and twists in this book, although it does get confusing at times. Wrath is such an enigma but it’s fun because I feel like we’re peeling him apart layer by layer. I think Emilia is incredibly dynamic, but I wish she was a bit more focused. Sometimes her actions felt a bit confusing to me. The major red flag that really set me off in this whole book was the first training scene with Wrath. It made me feel icky and I didn’t think Wrath’s actions should have been permissible or forgiven.

“One thing I can promise,” his voice was deep and sensual in the dark, “is you won’t ever doubt it’s real when I touch you.”

“His highness also said if you wish to make Prince Wrath jealous, you may sleep in his highness’s bed tonight. He suggests doing so in the nude. And… I quote, ‘think filthy thoughts regarding the most well-endowed prince in this realm,’ while tending to yourself. There is a life-sized painting of Prince Envy on the ceiling, should you require a stimulating visual.”

Wrath’s deep exhale tickled my bare shoulder as he reached around and took the fork from me. He stabbed a chocolate-covered berry and swirled it into the whipped cream.
He paused with the fork to my mouth.

“If you so much as breathe one word of this, I vow revenge, my lady.”

“Very well. Though I doubt I’ll even remember this extreme act of chivalry in the morning.”

I leaned against his shoulder, head thrown back, and waited for him to feed me the dessert. With only a fraction of hesitation, he did. I swore the food tasted sweeter. I felt like a pampered Roman goddess as he fed me one decadent berry at a time.

“Mmm. I can hardly recall a word of what we were saying already.”

“Liar.” He set the fork down and brought his mouth close to my ear, suddenly taking the lobe between his teeth. Heat spread through me and my toes curled from the sensation. I wasn’t sure if Wrath had done it, but any inebriation I felt vanished. “Then again, so am I. In a sense.”