Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)

by Kerri Maniscalco

My twin. My best friend. Gone. We’d never drink or laugh or plan our future. She’d never mock Nonna’s superstitions or jump out from the shadows again. We’d never fight or make up. She’d never push me to be bolder, or tell me to grab my dreams by the throat. I didn’t know who to be without her. How to go on.

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

A woman with a little power was terrifying to some.

“I can’t sit here while the person who killed her walks free. Please don’t ask me to trust in a witch I’ve never met, or in goddesses I’m not sure really exist. Vittoria deserves justice.”

An ember of anger was slowly igniting within me, reducing the person I used to be to ash.

Young women died. Life resumed. Such was the way of the world, at least according to men.

In the end, the monster we feared didn’t come from Hell. He came from privilege.

From the sound of it, you’ve bewitched him, too. Antonio said he called you his Emilia. You’re no one’s but your own, girl. Don’t ever forget it.”

“My world is broken down into one simple principle: I believe I’m powerful, therefore I am.

“Now go, bambina. Go be brave. Your heart will conquer darkness. Trust in that.”