A review by bribreez
Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The long awaited ( at least for me) final book in this series! OMG! I was so excited to jump back into Emilia and Wrath’s story. Kerri came back with even more darkness, mystery, spooky vibes, Emilia continued to be a strong female lead, and of course the steamy scenes that I was not expecting, but gladly enjoyed.

The book picked right back up where, “Kingdom Of The Cursed” ended on that cliffhanger with Emilia wanting Wrath in every way possible, and to fully cement their marriage bond, and all the good things. Just when I thought, “OMG it’s finally going to happen!!!!”, things or in this case someone got in the way of Emilia and Wrath’s sexy time. Already with the revelation of Vittoria being alive, Emilia was wondering what her twin’s true motives were with all the cryptic warnings and taking her in the middle of her special time with Wrath. As if Vittoria temporarily kidnapping Emilia wasn’t the worse inconvenience, yet again another thing occurred, a member of House Greed was murdered.

I liked the way the story started, left me on the tips of my toes, and the lurking danger behind the scenes added to the element of surprise and mystery. Just when Emilia and Wrath were finally on the same page, they still had to deal with outside forces from Vittoria, the murder of House Greed member, and the hexed object that could kill Wrath. The number of obstacles and problems just kept adding up in this book. As well as the big revelations about Emilia, Vittoria, and more was shocking, and so awesome to the storyline. If I said it once, I’ll say it again ( and all throughout this review) this twists and turns in the story were amazing!

Now, I think it’s safe to say everyone was excited to see more spice in this book, especially with Wrath and Emilia finally completing their marriage bond, and let me just say… WOW! I’ve read Kerri’s other books so I’m use to her writing style, but in this book when it came to the spice I was like, “omg Kerri you sneaky women!” Haha it was new reading the descriptive words Kerri used for those scenes, and it just goes to show that this book is definitely New Adult. The spice was done in a way that fit perfectly within the world of KOTF. There were some spicy scenes that I wasn’t expecting from Emilia like she pushed the boundaries sometimes where I was wondering what would happen next *certain scene comes to mind, but I won’t spoil it. Just goes to show that she had come a long way from the young girl in the first book, and the belief that experiencing and enjoying pleasure was a taboo subject where she came from. Whereas in the Seven Circles of Hell, all manner of sin were widely accepted and throughly enjoyed. With each book, Emilia not only grew stronger as a character in different aspects, but also embracing her inner wants, and fully exploring all the pleasurable ways with her beloved Prince of Hell. Now, when it came to Wrath…. THAT PRINCE WAS UNHINGED WHEN IT CAME TO EMILIA!! I absolutely loved seeing those moments when Wrath was visibly trying to hold back his desire for Emilia or when he would get jealous!!!! I WAS INTERNALLY SCREAMING LIKE A SCHOOL GIRL! Wrath proved yet again that he was all about consent and ensuring Emilia’s comfort, but also going absolutely feral and primal over her. PHEW! I practically melted just reading those scenes. Essentially, both Emilia and Wrath were burning with passion, red hot chemistry was amazing, and yeah I was panting just reading those steamy scenes they had together!

The power dynamics in this story were interesting to see. Especially once Emilia’s powers were fully open, seeing her at her full strength was impressive, and yet people in the courts were truly fearful of her. I liked that Emilia pointed out that with Wrath, his power was respected, and yet with Emilia there was a double standard that mostly everyone didn’t trust her, even when she used her powers to defeat the witches before an actual war broke out at House Greed. The politics and power dynamics between the Houses of Sins, and where Emilia found herself between all that has always been fascinating to see. Emilia’s power was definitely something not to be overlooked, but I could understand her feelings on how it wasn’t fair that when it came to her, people questioned her motives, and even her relationship with Wrath once she was fully restored to her powers, etc. 

With each chapter, the mystery behind Emilia’s true heritage, and her connection with Wrath was fascinating. Just when I thought I had something figured out, another revelation had me going, “OMG!” Or “it makes total sense.” All throughout the story, with the mystery unfolding, it seemed like all the pieces were finally coming together after reading through the previous books. This book was truly a culmination of what had been set in place for us to finally see the truth, and the ramifications of what had set in motion all the drama, heartbreak, and more within the storyline. I cannot get over the twists and turns, but most importantly learning vital information about certain key characters that ended up proving to be significant to the mystery/ curse that has been talked about throughout this book. Emilia was yet again playing detective trying to solve murders, potential avenues that could led to her finding more information. 

This was such a fantastic book! Truly a great way to end the trilogy. From the twists and turns, I was always kept on edge. I never knew what to expect next, and although some moments I had my suspicions, I couldn’t anticipate the things I learned in the storyline. Emilia proved yet again just how strong of a force she was to be reckoned with, and a true Queen in her right. Wrath, my favorite prince of Hell was charming as always, devoted to Emilia, and when it came to love, he would do anything for Emilia. The romance and spice was amazing, the chemistry between Emilia and Wrath reached new heights in this book, and I was swooning, blushing, and straight up fanning myself from the heat! From the mysteries, murder, Royal politics, witches, and more, there was never a dull moment. Emilia and Wrath shall forever live on in happiness, ruling together, and omg I just love this series so much!