Review: “Kingdom of the Wicked” is the first book I have read by Kerri Maniscalco and her writing is wickedly delightful! 

 

In the author’s note, Maniscalco dedicates the book to her great grandparents who immigrated to the United States from Siciliy. Much of the story takes place in this region of the world and Manisclaco does a fantastic job immersing the reader in Sicilian culture. One way she does this is by describing the dishes from Sea and Vine, the di Carlo family restaurant in a way that made my mouth water. Maniscalco also weaves the Italian language into the text and uses imagery to help the reader learn more about the island’s important landmarks, like the Capuchin Catacombs, which is something I appreciated. 

 

While real places are referenced throughout the story, Maniscalco makes it clear that there is an otherworldliness by introducing different types of magical creatures. Emilia herself is a streghe (witch) with the ability to see a person’s aura and summon fire. Many witches populate Sicily (though most stay in hiding throughout the duration of the novel alongside demons, vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters) and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of their existence regarding the First Witch.  

 

The most intriguing of Maniscalco’s supernatural beings are the princes of Hell. There are seven of them ruling over the kingdom of the Wicked and each one corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins. Maniscalco does a great job making each prince different from one another and perfectly characterizes them according to the sin they embody. 

 

Aside from Maniscalco’s creative spin on the seven deadly sins, my favorite thing about this novel is the chemistry between Emilia and Wrath. Their verbal sparring matches are incredibly entertaining and Wrath’s inability to let Emilia suffer is adorable. As the mystery surrounding the death of several witches deepens, Emilia and Wrath are forced to grow closer in order to find the answers they are looking for, making for some swoon worthy moments. 

Review: Gong’s tragedy is no less soul crushing that Shakespeare’s in this powerful conclusion to the “These Violent Delights” duology. 

Once again, Roma and Juliette view one another as the enemy. The reader feels the weight of Juliette’s betrayal on Benedikt and Roma as they mourn the loss of their friend. As the novel progresses, their grief gives over to hatred. While Benedikt’s hatred is directed towards Juliette, Roma’s hatred is turned inward. Even after the events that transpired in the hospital, his heart still belongs to Juliette and Roma despises himself for it. Meanwhile, Juliette experiences self-inflicted heartbreak as a result of her decision to push Roma away as a form of protection. All of these complex emotions, each detailed in separate points-of-view, prevent “Our Violent Ends” from being too repetitive of its predecessor.

Unbeknownst to the Montagov cousins, Marshall is still alive. Gong takes the opportunity to shed light on his past, which was not elaborated upon in “These Violent Delights.” The reader finally learns about his upbringing, what became of his parents, and how he became a member of the White Flowers. Each new revelation made gives insight into Marshall’s motivations and adds depth to his character. 

Gong also pulls at loose threads to extend the mystery established in book one. Her choice to do so forces Roma and Juliette to reunite and work together to determine who is behind the new monster attacks in Shanghai. Like “These Violent Delights,” “Our Violent Ends” has fantastic plot twists that I did not see coming. 

One thing I did see coming, however, was this novel’s end. Gong stays true to “Romeo and Juliet” in that regard, but somehow makes the pain ten times worse. Despite preparing myself for what was to come, I was hit hard by Gong’s words and did not make it out unscathed, which is a testament to her writing.

Gong’s new book “Foul Lady Fortune,” an “As You Like It” retelling, is due to be released in September. I pray I will have recovered enough by then to read it, because the groundwork was laid out as early as “These Violent Delights” and it was done beautifully. 

Review: Gong does Shakespeare proud with her debut “These Violent Delights.” 

 

Using “Romeo and Juliet” as the basis for her fantasy novel, Gong adds historical elements surrounding 1920s Shanghai to create something wholly new and unique. The context she provides about the atmosphere in China at this time is beautifully woven into her immersive prose, painting a realistic account of the past blurred by the addition of monsters and madness. It is clear that Gong is skilled at her craft and takes great care in her research as evidenced by the informative author’s note at the end.  

 

To further diverge from Shakespeare’s play, Gong invites the reader to take part in unravelling the mystery revolving around the deaths stacking up in the city. She concocts clever plot twists that leave the reader on edge, making the big reveals all the more shocking and surprising. 

 

Gong also diversifies Shakespeare’s characters, which is something that I thoroughly appreciated. A majority of the Scarlet Gang’s members, including Juliette Cai, Rosalind Lang, and Kathleen Lang, are Chinese. Oftentimes their dialogue and internal dialogue is written in Shanghainese, a form of dialect spoken in the city where the novel takes place. The Montagovs, Roma and Benedikt, are Russian, and their fellow White Flower Marshall Seo is Korean. 

 

Aside from racial and ethnic representation being present, many of Gong’s characters identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Kathleen, for instance, identifies as a transgender woman and both Marshall and Benedikt are queer. 

 

All these characters and more have their viewpoints featured in “These Violent Delights,” giving the reader access to both dialogue and internal thought (the latter being absent from Shakespeare’s dramatic works). 

 

“These Violent Delights” will not be a novel that I soon forget. It perfectly sets the stage for the tragedy that is sure to follow in “Our Violent Ends.”

Review: “Defy the Night” is the Robin Hood retelling I never knew I needed! 

 

The first book of Kemmerer’s new fantasy series is told from the perspective of Tessa Cade and Prince Corrick. The daughter of an apothecary, Tessa wants nothing more than to help those who have suffered from the mysterious sickness ravaging the kingdom of Kandala. The only known cure in existence is an elixir made from Moonflower petals, but supply is limited and only the nobility can afford to pay the steep prices for extra dosages. Every night, Tessa and her closest companion Wes use the cover of darkness to sneak into the Royal Sector to steal the Moonflower petals from the wealthy and distribute it to the poor, but there is only so much to go around.  

 

I love how Kemmerer uses Tessa’s character to show that there are two sides to every story. At the beginning of the novel, Tessa despises the royals for doing nothing to stop the people of Kandala from dying. However, her views change once she breaks into the palace and is exposed to the difficulty of maintaining the kingdom’s order with rebellion on the horizon. She learns that both the rebels and the royals are merely doing what they perceive to be right. Neither side is necessarily good or evil, adding complexity to the novel. 

 

Prince Corrick’s internal conflict throughout “Defy the Night” is well-written and enhances the depth of his character. At the age of fifteen, Prince Corrick is thrust into the role of King’s Justice. Over a period of four years, he becomes the most feared man in the kingdom, doling out cruel punishments to those who go against his elder brother’s rule. He hides away the truest parts of himself—the parts that want so desperately to be kind and good—for the benefit of his brother. Whenever he is around Tessa, however, Corrick is unable to prevent that part of him from rising to the surface. The more time he spends with her, the more torn he feels between choosing who he wants to be and who he needs to be. 

 

Despite the few clichés that were present and being able to figure out the plot twists ahead of time, I really enjoyed reading “Defy the Night” and immersing myself in Kemmerer’s fantasy world. I look forward to the release of “Defend the Dawn” in the fall!

Review: THIS. NOVELLA. IS. EVERYTHING. We FINALLY get to read from Des’ point-of-view and the wait was certainly worth it! 

 

Thalassa shares snippets of Des’ life, ranging from his childhood to the events leading up to “Dark Harmony.” Through Des, the reader is also able to piece together his mother Larissa’s past. We learn of the sacrifices she made for her son, making her death all the more devastating and impactful. The loss Des experiences fuels his anger, motivates him to exact his revenge, and sheds light on the choices Des makes later in life. 

 

My heart nearly burst at the seams after discovering that Des knew that Callie existed before actually meeting her. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this time in his life—a time when he swore off falling in love, but could not deny the strong feelings that developed as soon as Callie called upon his services as the Bargainer. Thalassa perfectly captures the exact moment Des realizes that he is in love and I savored every interaction with Callie written from his perspective thereafter. 

 

My heart felt so full only to be shattered once Callie’s final wish separated the two of them. Though painful, knowing how Des spent his seven years parted from Callie answered a lot of my lingering questions from the previous two books. 

 

While this novella does not come close to telling Des’ whole life story, Thalassa cleverly highlights the most important moments in his past that helps us finally understand why he is the way he is. For that reason, “The Emperor of Evening Stars” is a necessary read for fans of “The Bargainer” series!