‘Wicked Hearts’ is a perfect theme for an October box.
Spooky enough for Halloween but dark enough that it’s not for the faint of heart. A book about demons, witches and magic? Sums that up perfectly in my mind!
I’ve been loving the little kitchen additions to these boxes lately! These salt and pepper shakers are adorable, and have awesome quotes from Kingdom of the Wicked. While I probably won’t use them for their intended use, they definitely will make it out on display (at some point when I have shelves).
I’m a sucker for playing cards – I love shuffling cards… there’s just something calming about it. These foiled playing cards? So aesthetically pleasing and they shuffle really nicely. The court cards feature characters from different books (The Shadows Between Us, The Beautiful, Sorcery of Thorns, and Even The Darkest Stars) and the art by @arz28 is just so pretty.
She also designed the art for this month’s tarot cards (based on the House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas) and damn they are PRETTY.
Always love a good pin and this one inspired by the Young Elites is very pretty! I love a good wolf pin, even though I’ve never read the series (yet).
The puzzle is a bit of an eh for me. I like puzzles but I’m not a huge fan of the book it’s based on, Caraval. The art is great, of course!
SOCKS ARE MY FAVE. Also, love that these are ankle socks so they will be great in the summer too!
The October ‘Wicked Hearts’ themed book was Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco.
Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…
And an intoxicating romance.
Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.
Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…
From Goodreads
I found this book delicious.
It had pretty good hype up on the interwebs and I’m pretty sure every one was excited to see this in the box this month.
This version of the book – stunning. The embossed and foiled cover?? Perfection. The stenciled edges? Keep them coming. I’m absolutely in love with this edition of the book. Even if I absolutely hated the book, it would still have a home on my shelf for pure aesthetic value.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hooo boy. This one… so many good tropes and all well done. I’m pretty sure that I finished this in almost one sitting; I didn’t want to put it down.
One first thought, before I dive into the review, was the fact that the Italian words thrown in there did throw me off a bit. Usually, it’s not a huge deal, but I found that I had started it and then put it down for a bit and when I came back to it I couldn’t remember what certain words meant and what they were talking about. I picked it up quickly once I got back into the story and characters but it did throw me off.
Now into the story!
I absolutely loved the fact that this was written with the Sicilian backdrop. I feel like Italy, in general, has such a mysterious vibe that witches and demons etc isn’t a far-fetched idea.
Emilia, I felt, was fairly relatable. I can understand the fact that her sister’s murder pulled her into a darker side of life, especially since her sister was also drawn to that darkness. Wrath is absolutely delicious, and the enemies to lovers vibe are fantastic. He’s exactly as you’d think the Wicked Demon Prince would embody, as well as the fact that being Wrath he does influence her emotions.
I enjoyed their banter and the fact that there was a plot twist! with their relationship. I enjoyed meeting his brothers and liked that Emilia was smart (when she didn’t let her emotions get the better of her), which I also feel is fairly relatable. I’m looking forward to learning about more of the Princes and the lower demons and how it all connects in the rest of the series.
I had a feeling about who was behind the murders taking place in the book and shockingly I was right! Although, only about the person, not the whole story so that was great. It kept me on my toes the entire time and kept me so involved. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and see how Emilia fares in the Kingdom of the Wicked!!!
Definitely recommend this book!
View all my reviews
I have to say, this month was GREAT. The book itself was worth the money due to the gorgeous features it had. Plus the artwork for the author’s note of Wrath was just *chefs kiss* fantastic.
I got the November box roughly around the same time since the October box was running late, so that post will be coming soon!
J x
