Kingdom of the Cursed

Kingdom of the Cursed Book Review by Kerri Maniscalco 

So, I tried really hard to make my review of the first novel by Maniscalco, Kingdom of the Wicked, as spoiler free as possible. Be warned that this second review for Kingdom of the Cursed will not play by the same rules. 

I’ve got some bones to pick with this sequel. You have been warned right here and now that if you read on, there will be spoilers. 

That being said, this second novel frustrated me to no end, and not in a good way. 

There are so many things I want to fume about in regards to this book that I don’t even know where to start. I suppose the best place is simply the beginning. 

At the start of the novel, Emilia de Carlo is still on the quest to find her twin sister’s murderer and that quest has brought her within the circles of the seven demon princes of Hell, dangerously close to monsters, and confronting the truth of her own identity and upbringing. 

The first book wasn’t without its problems, but those problems were easily ignored by the sheer entertainment of the story itself. 

Unfortunately, the reverse is true for Kingdom of the Cursed. 

I was so excited to begin reading and I was especially curious about Maniscalco’s depiction of Hell. Hell has been described before many times and in many different narratives, as Maniscalco points out by making an allusion to the Aeneid. I was high with anticipation of how Maniscalco would twist Hell and make it her own. 

My excitement died after page five. 

Her version of Hell is the exact same as the human world except it’s cold and people care less about propriety. That’s it. I was expecting magical landscapes, interesting world-building, and an intricate magic system and I got none of it. 

It’s a barren, cold landscape with seven castles. Everything else seems to reflect earth, down to the fact that the demon realm has reporters and journalism apparently. 

I found Maniscalco’s version of Hell derivative, boring, and unoriginal. 

You could argue that the setting really isn’t the most important aspect and you would be right. However, the setting framed the backdrop for the story to occur and it was poorly set up from the start. 

Next, are the characters. Without a doubt, the biggest draw of this novel for me personally (and probably many others) are the seven demon princes of Hell. I wanted to get to know them all. I wanted nuanced characterization, convoluted relationships, intriguing backstories, and deep motivations. 

Once again, like the setting, I got none of it. 

The focus is on Wrath and on Wrath alone. 

Others might argue that the other demon princes play a role, but they really, really don’t. Not in any sort of significant way. I could not tell you what any of the demon princes look like except for Pride has a scar and Wrath has a massive body. That’s it. 

After hundreds of pages of reading, I personally consider this a failure on Maniscalco’s part. If I can’t even tell you one obvious characterization (other than their namesake sin), physical or personality-wise, you have failed as an author. 

That being said, I don’t think Maniscalco was trying. Her focus was on Wrath and because of that the other characters suffered tremendously. Maniscaclso had so much potential to actually do something interesting with the seven brothers. I wanted juicy alliances, antagonism, and love. 

Nope. 

All the brothers seem to hate each other and Wrath is the most powerful. That’s it. That’s the only character dynamics we get. I would tell you more, but there’s nothing more to tell. I think Maniscalco dropped the ball creating actual, genuine relationships between the brothers and instead focused on the romance between Wrath and Emilia. 

And oh boy, buckle up, people. 

Romance is this novel’s bread and butter. Maniscalco relies so heavily on romance and passion that everything else in her story falls apart. I can summarize almost every chapter with the following formula:

  1. Emilia desires Wrath.

  2. Emilia tells herself that it’s bad to desire Wrath since he’s a demon prince.

  3. She desires him anyway and they engage romantically or sexually.

  4. Wrath desires her back, but pretends like he’s unaffected.

  5. Emilia remembers her dead sister and her mission.

  6. REPEAT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN

That encapsulates the novel. Steps 1-5 are the entirety of this whole book. 

If Maniscalco had done this once or twice while other character relationships and plot points were developing, then sure, that would be great. Slow burn forbidden romances are the height of what I love. However, when this same exact cycle literally happens EVERY chapter, it grows really old, really fast. 

Probably by the third chapter where Emilia wants Wrath, tries to remind herself why it’s a bad idea, and then doesn’t give a shit when she notices his abs or something, I had to close the book before I lost my mind. 

It’s an irritating, lazy way to write the second novel. 

I enjoyed the fact that Emilia grew more confident in her sexuality and learned to take desire for herself—that's awesome. But the journey she takes to get there is filled with denial that is constantly banal and predictable. 

So for hundreds of pages, Emilia pines after Wrath and tries to convince herself that she’s not for the duration of the entire story. That should be the summary for it on Amazon. 

That being said, the romance between them is passionate and spicy, and as a reader you want to see them give in to their urges and come together. Said scenes are actually very risque for YA. 

I was actually really shocked by the explicit sexual content of a novel that’s labeled as YA. I don’t know if the parameters have changed or if Maniscalco and James Patterson clarified that this book was for 18+, but I was downright baffled by the gratuity of the scenes. 

Don’t get me wrong, they were kind of hot, but that doesn’t dismiss the point that this is a YA novel. Children read YA novels and there were certainly scenes in this book that I wouldn't recommend for children. 

So, please be warned that if explicit sexual content is not for you, you should not read this book. I personally was really taken aback and surprised by it. 

In terms of the plot, I don’t have a lot to say. It was convoluted and illogical like the first book. I think I was able to follow the first book a little bit better, but the plot stopped mattering in Kingdom of the Cursed even though Maniscalco tries to pretend otherwise. 

Emilia is looking for clues about her sister. No one gives her answers and the answers she does get are vague and mysterious. She’s looking for some items like a mirror and a key. There's a cursed tree and a feast of debauchery. 

For reasons that don’t make any sense, Emilia is the guest of honor which means a secret or truth is ripped from her heart. None of this is explained in any way that makes sense. 

During the actual feast, there’s a really confusing hunting scene that’s also not explained well. Emilia steals a bunch of plants that are just lying around, but are apparently top secret.

Wrath decides to have sex with Emilia and somehow that counts instead of Emilia giving up her secret???? Honestly, at this point I gave up trying to understand Maniscalco’s ridiculous plot because it didn’t matter. 

Emilia and Wrath then have sexy times and then for some unfathomable reason Emilia drugs him. I really, truly don’t understand why. After, she goes off to the cursed tree. From here on out, Maniscalco tries to make some big reveals that are supposed to be shocking. 

They were only disappointing. 

First, you learn that Pride isn’t actually the devil, Wrath is! Gasp

Except, not really because a preschooler could have told you that. First of all, the whole idea that they’re all demon princes, but one of them is the king and the king is actually the one known as the devil is horrifically unexplained. I thought for the longest time that there was a separate devil, but I believe it’s just a title. 

So whoever is the strongest of the brothers receives the title of the devil. None of this was done well. As readers, we then learn that Wrath is actually the devil instead of Pride and that Pride is a sort of figurehead. 

We are supposed to be shocked by this, but how can we be? All Maniscalco has done the entire book is talk about Wrath while shafting the brothers. So no, it’s not shocking that he’s actually the one in charge. 

Then, Maniscalco drops the supposed bomb that Emilia’s twin sister, Vittoria, is actually alive and the mastermind behind everything????

I abhor this. 

First, if characters are dead they should stay dead. Otherwise, you’re cheapening the value of life and the consequences and emotions that the characters feel. Secondly, this was Emilia’s whole motivation and I really liked the Frozen-esque girl power determination to enact vengeance for sister’s murder. 

All of that is just thrown in the trash. 

By the end of the novel, I was unimpressed with the so-called “reveals”, bored of the romance cycle, and genuinely at a loss in terms of the plot. The book was still sort of good in a dumpster trash-fire kind of way where it’s so bad that it’s almost good. Almost. 

I know a lot of people are probably going to disagree with me on this book and that’s fine. To each their own. If you enjoyed the novel, that’s great. Feel free to leave a comment and explain why you do. If there are others like me out there who were baffled and annoyed by this novel, you are not alone. 

Recommendation:

….I wouldn’t read it. If you really just want some good sexy times then sure, go for it. I think that’s the only thing this book does well. If you’re looking for an interesting story, nuanced characters, and an intriguing world, you will most definitely have to look elsewhere. 

Score: 4/10

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Kingdom of the Wicked