Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) by Kerri Maniscalco - Restarting April 1st 2025

[Brigia]

Ashley wrote: "18%
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(view spoiler)[ Yes, it’s horrific! I think it’s quite logical that this will have a lasting impact on Emilia. I wonder how she will deal with it.

Also, is it normal for Sicilian monasteries to have mummies in their entrance hall? And why would they hire Claudia to make them? I might have missed some crucial information because this makes no sense to me yet… (hide spoiler)]

[L]

13%
(view spoiler)[ Well that was quite tragic... This book is slightly different to what I expected, but I'm liking it so far! Also, why do I feel like Vittoria is eventually going to make a return at some point in the series? (hide spoiler)]

[L]

Brigia wrote: "Ashley wrote: "8%
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(view spoiler)[ I agree, I feel like theres some sketchy things going on especially considering the room that Vittoria's body was found in, but I can't quite grasp it yet (hide spoiler)]

[L]

40%
(view spoiler)[ I’m sure Nonna knew more than she let on, but she didn’t deserve that.. :/ I’m glad she’s alive though (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

I'm absolutely loving this book!

32%

(view spoiler)[I wonder what their family stole from the devil? And I wonder why their charms will no longer work one day? And why do they need a protection ritual once a year?

A blood debt?

They were witches that were descended from a goddess? And there were thirteen witch families but they kept to themselves because it was too dangerous to meet even though they used to have a coven?

I wonder if the one that killed Vittoria was a demon prince? Emilia said that the aura was black with gold dust mixed in. And that was not the aura of a human, apparently. Or at least, not one that she had ever seen. The figure noticed the necklace that she wore too, so something's up. It also occurs to me that maybe the figure that she had seen standing over her sister and licking her blood hadn't even killed her? Perhaps it was someone or something else and the figure happened upon her and couldn't resist taking some blood? For whatever reason a supernatural being would need or want to ingest blood. Or maybe it was because she was a witch descended from a goddess and her blood is special?

I wonder why Vittoria's heart was missing? And I keep wondering if maybe Vittoria had been seduced by a demon prince or had been secretly meeting with one? Or someone. Perhaps when she took off the necklace as a child it allowed the demon princes to affect or find her? Whatever the case, I think that she was definitely keeping secrets before she died. I mean, Emilia kept the secret about being able to see the auras of people. Did Vittoria have a similiar skill or perhaps a different one? And why was she wearing that white dress when she had been killed? That screams all kinds of red flags to me. Being killed in a white dress like a sacrificial virgin or even the fact that she was wearing a white dress in a holy house when she had been killed like a bride? I have so many thoughts and none of them are probably what's the truth. And her necklace was missing too which was odd since they never removed them.

So Vittoria had been using dark arts? And was hiding things. So she was summoning demons? And the spell on her diary wasn't of this realm?

Something tells me that using her own blood for the demon summoning is a bad idea.

So the protection portion of her summoning thing is forever?

So did Vittoria summon Pride or the actual devil? And did she really intend on marrying the devil? If so, why? Wrath said that Pride had to get married to a witch to break a curse on him. So only Wrath and Pride know which girls they are asking to marry him. But someone else is killing them before they can agree or not so does that mean that the one who is killing the witches is someone that doesn't want Pride's curse broken?

What the hell is a shodow witch? Okay, the encounter with Envy was strange. He offered her to join his house and when she declined he all but said that she should choose a house to align with or someone else would make the choice for her and implied that his brothers would hunt her down. He said she was a shadow witch so that must really be something special if all the princes are going to hunt her down.

Claudia said that no one knows what the curse really is. If it was placed on the devil or if it was placed on witches. It could be the price that La Prima paid for the vengeance spell she cast on the devil for stealing her first born's soul. And from that time he was trapped in hell and couldn't move through realms but his brothers could. So it sounds like Pride is the actual devil. And she made it sound like the curse also included a component to make the witched forget about what it is. And supposedly, the Wicked are looking for La Prima's missing spell book and Emilia thinks that maybe her sister had found it and the pages that she found for summoning the demon were part of it. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Ashley wrote: "3%
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(view spoiler)[I agree with this. I like how she is giving them information to try and protect them. But at the same time, I feel like she is keeping important things from them at the same time. Like, she's telling them about the Wicked but not giving them the whole story. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Ashley wrote: "8%
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(view spoiler)[Haha, I had the same thought. I bet he is regretting becoming a priest. =P (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Ashley wrote: "18%
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(view spoiler)[Yeah, it was pretty traumatic. I am surprised that she is so adamant about finding her sister's murderer. I would be a mess. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "Ashley wrote: "3%
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(view spoiler)[ I think this is true. Also, I think she is giving them the parts that she wants them to believe, which is what's done with any belief when teaching children. But when working with these entities, I would want them to know everything whether I believe it or not. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Ashley wrote: "26%
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(view spoiler)[Maybe he really does take the protection thing seriously. More than likely for selfish reasons since he said that he could lose some of his power if he didn't abide by the protection thing. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Brigia wrote: "Ashley wrote: "3%
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(view spoiler)[I had this same thought. I liked her relationship with her granddaughters but I felt that she was keeping some things from them. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Brigia wrote: "Ashley wrote: "18%
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Yes, it’s horrific! I think it’s quite logical that this will have a lasting impact on Emilia. I wonder how she will deal with it.

Also, is it normal for ..."

(view spoiler)[ There are a couple things that have made me wonder if they're just Italian things? It would make sense since basing all this on Stregheria and Catholicism. But it makes me want to know more. Like I should have researched a little. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Alina wrote: "13%
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(view spoiler)[ I would love it if she did. She was so fun. I want more of her. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Brigia wrote: "Ashley wrote: "8%
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(view spoiler)[I had this thought as well. I get that they were childhood friends, but it seemed strange that he keeps going off to places where there are supposed shifters. Plus, his flirting seems odd for someone that has given themself to their faith. Perhaps it was only that they had been close childhood friends and nothing more but he does seem a little suspicious to me. Though, he could also just be a red herring to confuse us. =P But you are right about the monastery too. I mean, why would Vittoria go there to marry the devil? Total suspish. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Brigia wrote: "Ashley wrote: "18%
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Yes, it’s horrific! I think it’s quite logical that this will have a lasting impact on Emilia. I wonder how she will deal with it.

Also, is it normal for ..."

(view spoiler)[Yeah, I didn't get that at all. And it wasn't every really mentioned again so I am not sure yet if it was important to the story or not. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Alina wrote: "13%
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(view spoiler)[I like that prediction. I can totally see that. I felt that Vittoria was a little too unruly and rebellious from the start. Even when they were children. What if when she took off that necklace of protection that it allowed the Wicked to influence her or something? She was clearly carrying on with bad things and keeping it secret from her family, but I still want to know why. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Ashley wrote: "♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "Ashley wrote: "3%
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(view spoiler)[This exactly. She isn't lying to them but maybe not telling them the more scary or sordid parts? But yes, I would want to know every single thing no matter how upsetting it might be when dealing with the Wicked. (hide spoiler)]

[Brigia]

♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "Ashley wrote: "26%
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(view spoiler)[ Yes, he does seem to take protecting her seriously which makes it difficult to dislike him ;-) I really love that she stays cautious. It's keeping in character and also, it makes for a fun dynamic! :-P I wonder if Wrath is manipulating her emotions when she's with him. It's not going his way, though lol (hide spoiler)]

[Brigia]

♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "Alina wrote: "13%
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(view spoiler)[ I didn't think that Vittoria would return, but now you've put the idea in my head! Maybe Emilia can rescue her from the Underworld! (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 1-10 (view spoiler)[ It's sad that her sister died and I'm worried that Emilia will go too dark in her vengeance. It makes sense that Wrath would be the one to come since that's her main emotion right now. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ashley wrote: "3%
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Agreed!

[Aly]

Ashley wrote: "8%
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I could go for some authentic Italian food right now

[Aly]

Alina wrote: "13%
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Ooh I hope so!

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

50%

(view spoiler)[Well Emilia is just meeting all the princes of hell, isn't she? She found the gambling token in her sister's hiding spot and then was able to locate the illegal gambling den of Greed. I was amused that she was able to trick an extra question out of him by watching how she phrased her questions.

Did Vittoria find the lost spellbook buried somewhere? Could she really hear magical objects?

So the Horn of Hades is a key that locks the gates of hell. But it is really the devil's horns that he cut off himself. And the necklaces that they have been wearing their whole lives are the horns. I really think that there is a lot their grandmother has been keeping from them.

Her grandmother said that they are star witches. Which I came to understand that it is the same as shadow witches, which is what demons call them. And star witches used to keep hell creatures from the human world. I don't know, it was kind of confusing. And then her grandmother was attacked by an invisible demon, or at least I think that's what happened. And the demon had stolen her amulet.

Well, I don't know if going into that hell creature's lair was the best idea.

So Wrath saved her even though he said that he wouldn't. And she got her sister's amulet back, so there's that.

Wrath told her that shadow witches were witches that had more demon blood. That one of her ancestors had slept with a demon. And probably not that distant of a relative since Envy could tell she was as shadow witch by looking at her. She said that her family line was goddess blessed and not daughters of darkness. That her grandmother said they were guardians between realms. I wonder what the truth actually is though. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Aly wrote: "Ch 1-10 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yeah, I wondered why the demon that she summoned happened to be Wrath. I mean, she didn't specify it was supposed to be him so why was he the one that got summoned? (hide spoiler)]

[L]

92%
(view spoiler)[ I feel crushed… but I refuse to believe that Wrath is gone. ;-;

I’m also curious as to what Emilia is going to do with the horn of hades, and I feel like there could be more to the horn of hades than what Emilia knows...

Could the robed figure that was mentioned earlier in the book be someone from the holy brotherhood, or someone related to the holy brotherhood? (hide spoiler)]

[L]

Finished
(view spoiler)[ I did think that something was up with Antonio, but I'm still curious as to if he was actually working for Envy, and there were some other things that were left on loose ends, so I'm definitely going to be picking up the next book!

There were some parts where I got confused, and I would’ve preferred if the pacing was a bit more faster in certain places, but overall I really liked the book and I'm excited to pick up the next book. :) (hide spoiler)]

[L]

♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "Aly wrote: "Ch 1-10 [spoilers removed]"

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(view spoiler)[ Same, I wonder why it summoned Wrath and not any of the less powerful demons. I feel like it could relate to the fact that she used human blood, but I'm not too sure. (hide spoiler)]

[Brigia]

Alina wrote: "♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "Aly wrote: "Ch 1-10 [spoilers removed]"

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(view spoiler)[ Wrath was summoned because she had his dagger. He left it when she surprised him with her dead sister. (hide spoiler)]

[Brigia]

♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "50%

Well Emilia is just..."

(view spoiler)[ I think both Wrath and her grandmother said parts of the truth. Her grandmother did say they were once allied with the Wicked. Maybe they were both responsible for overseeing the demons? And then one of them had an affair with a demon? (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 11-20 (view spoiler)[ I like seeing some of Wrath's brothers and the qualities they have as the seven deadly sins. I wonder if Greed killed her sister to get the amulet? I don't trust any of them and I think she should take Wrath up on the protection bond. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Alina wrote: "40%
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Yeah same! She needs to be protected

[Jenn]

Starting this one today :)

[Courtney]

I just got my copy! Hoping to join in soon.

[Aly]

♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "50%

Well Emilia is just meeting all the princes of hell, isn't she? She found the gambling token in her sister's hiding spot and then was able to locate the illegal gambling den of Greed. I was am..."

I like seeing the different princes and how they embody their sin

[Aly]

Brigia wrote: "♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "50%

Well Emilia is just..."

[spoilers removed]"

Ooh good theory!

[Aly]

Ch 21-30 (view spoiler)[ So Emilia accidentally made an engagement bond with Wrath? No wonder he was so mad at her when he heard the words she used. It's interesting that he didn't want her to know about it, though it seems like him being married would break the curse and give him more power? (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 31-40 (view spoiler)[ Don't let Envy feed you a bunch of bullshit. Wrath clearly cares for her and I'm disappointed that she can't see that. I hope they make up and fight together against the other princes (hide spoiler)]

[Jenn]

Prologue: (view spoiler)[ love the set up here. The differences with the sisters are already so stark and how they seem more fascinated with the princes of hell rather than afraid (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Aly wrote: "Ch 21-30 [spoilers removed]"

Yes that was so funny!

[Maddie]

I'm lurking to remember what happened in this book before I start KotC haha

[Ashley W]

Maddie wrote: "I'm lurking to remember what happened in this book before I start KotC haha"

Oh just read it with us, Maddie lol

[Jenn]

Maddie wrote: "I'm lurking to remember what happened in this book before I start KotC haha"

LOL that was me and then I just decided to reread it

[Aly]

Ch 41-End (view spoiler)[ I'm not super surprised that Antonio was bad but that sucks that he turned on Emilia. Was he working for Envy I wonder?

I'm glad Wrath is back but did she agree to marry Pride? No no, she's meant to be with Wrath (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Alina wrote: "Finished
(view spoiler)[I did think that something was up with Antonio, but I'm still curious as to if he was actually working for Envy, and there were some other things that were left on loose ends, so I'm def..." (hide spoiler)]

I'm glad you liked it and I'm excited for the sequel too!

[Maddie]

I literally just read it last month haha I don't need to read it again, just might have forgotten little bits. The ending's epic <3

[Maddie]

Aly wrote: "Ch 41-End (view spoiler)[I'm not super surprised that Antonio was bad but that sucks that he turned on Emilia. Was he working for Envy I wonder?

I'm glad Wrath is back but did she agree to marry Pride? No no, s..." (hide spoiler)]

I can't wait to see how it ends up too!

[Maddie]

Aly wrote: "Alina wrote: "Finished
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I'm glad you liked it and I'm excited for the sequel too!"

Ah Aly hide the spoilerrrr

[Aly]

Maddie wrote: "Aly wrote: "Alina wrote: "Finished
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I'm glad you liked it and I'm excited for the sequel too!"

Ah Aly hide the spoilerrrr"

I did hide it

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

74%

(view spoiler)[I really love the forward way that Emilia talks to Wrath.

Oh wow, so the protection bond isn't just that. It is a betrothal bond. That's interesting. Since Emilia got this spell from her sister's stolen grimoire page, I wonder whose grimoire it was and why her sister would have a summoning spell like that? I can't blame Emilia for dismissing Wrath.

I wonder why Lust messed with Emilia. What did he have to gain from it?

I wish that I could figure Wrath out. He is kind to Emilia and protective of her but I don't know if he has an ulterior motive. Does he care about her for real or is it all for show? (hide spoiler)]