Not gonna lie, I had really high expectations for this book since so many people online love it so much, and it barely met any of them. While the first few chapters were intriguing, they were also slow, but I dismissed that because plenty of books, including some of my favorites, have slower starts. But then the pacing didn’t pick up, and I was halfway through the book when I realized that I didn’t give a crap about what was happening. If not for this book’s popularity, there’s a very good chance I would’ve DNFed it.

I was so excited when I found out that it was historical fantasy, as that’s my favorite genre. To be quite honest, the world-building was the only part of this book that didn’t let me down in some way. I loved the setting: a small, magical Italian island that had so much more to it than what was visible to human eyes. I loved the lore of the witches and demons, and all the magic, both light and dark. I was a bit confused when a vampire showed up and there was discussion of werewolves and shifters, but that must be something we learn about in the sequel.

As for everything else…. well. I wasn’t immediately attached to Emilia, but I figured she would grow on me soon enough. She didn’t, and honestly, I think the story would’ve been more interesting if Vittoria had been the twin to live. I never got attached to Wrath either, and I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve seen so many characters like him or I’m too gay to fall for his broody dark prince act or both.

Then there’s the promise of an “intoxicating romance” (this was taken directly from the synopsis) that nearly everyone hyped up as a brilliant enemies to lovers story. Did we read the same book? I was expecting a slow-burn, some sort of spark, but there was about as much of a spark as you’d get from a pile of soggy wood chips. Emilia and Wrath’s taunting and name-calling (“demon” and “witch”) gave me Jurdan and Helnik vibes, and I was hoping for a similarly emotional, dramatic relationship, but no. Not even close. My favorite slow-burn romances have more tension than a taut rubber band, and you can feel it through the pages even as they continually deny their feelings. These two were a limp noodle in comparison.

Shifting focus to the plot, it wasn’t awful. I love a good murder mystery, and I never was able to guess who the killer was. Props to Maniscalco for that. But everything else seemed…. not predictable, exactly—though a few parts did seem like things I’d seen before—but kind of bland. I didn’t feel any intensity as I read, no eagerness to turn pages or desperation to find out where the story was going. It was just a story I read.

And what was that ending? Did Emilia marry Wrath or Pride? Isn’t she already partially married to Wrath? Also, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes when she made a deal with Pride and had to sign a paper that literally said she agreed to sell her soul to House Pride. Seems a bit ridiculous, especially for the king of Hell. Shouldn’t there be more fancy jargon? I figured there would be, but what do I know.

So, yeah, this book was an experience, and not the thrilling one I’d hoped it would be. I’ll read the second one purely out of curiosity, and maybe (hopefully) I’ll like it more. I’m not going to say not to read this book, since there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but I will say that there are other historical fantasy books I found much more enjoyable. Try Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers for a story about assassin nuns, or The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh for one about a murder mystery with vampires and werewolves. And both of those have enemies to lovers romances. *chef’s kiss*

Representation