Kingdom Of The Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco is a young adult fantasy novel set in historical Italy, specifically during the 19th-century Sicilian witch trials. The story is about twin witches, Vittoria and Emilia, who work for their family in their Sicilian restaurant.
One night, Vittoria does not attend the dinner service, so Emelia decides to look for her. She finds her under the church wrapped in a shroud, missing her heart, unable to let her anger go at her sister’s killer. Emilia decides to do whatever it takes to bring that killer to justice. Even if she has to use Dark Magic to deal with her search, she discovers that her sister attempted to summon a demon.
Emilia decides to follow her down that dark path. Wrath is one of the seven princes of hell and one of the demons Victoria and Emilia have been warned about their entire lives. When Emilia summons him, she binds them together irrevocably, and things get slightly spicy.
So Emilia is the quiet, reserved twin, whereas Vittoria is the bold, outspoken one. Every interaction with the princess you meet throughout the story makes you think of the sins differently, seeing how they can be more dangerous.
Books like Kingdom Of The Wicked present magic, witchcraft, dark forces, political issues, forbidden love, and complex relationships. Each book shows a unique and well-developed world that transports readers to captivating settings, whether it’s historical Italy, the fae realms, or alternate versions of familiar places. You’ll find courageous, resourceful protagonists who face personal challenges while facing intricate plots and discovering their true potential.
10 Books Like Kingdom Of The Wicked (Paranormal Mystery)
Kingdom of The Wicked introduces readers to the captivating world of magic, mystery, history, fantasy, and romance to create an engaging and suspenseful narrative. The plot was very familiar and felt very new all at once. Emilia goes from this reserved twin to chaotic, and she becomes unpredictable in her actions, and her entire motivation is finding her sister’s killer and getting revenge.
Her family encourages her to let go of that anger because they know it will destroy her. But Emilia refuses, and that’s what pushes this story forward. I did love how Emilia turned into this morally ambiguous character, whereas at the beginning, she was pure, always using good magic.
Now I will discuss ten books similar to Kingdom Of The Wicked. These books explore love, loss, sacrifice, and personal growth. They offer a balance of heartwarming moments, heart-wrenching choices, and emotional journeys that will resonate with you. Let’s go!
1. These Violent Delights
These Violent Delights is a tale of Romeo and Juliet, set in 1926 in Shanghai during a gang war. Our Romeo in this book is from a Russian mafia called White Flowers, and Juliet is a girl who is part of a notorious Shanghai gang called the Scarlet Gang. She is the princess of the heiress of this gang.
This book picks up about four years after Romeo and Juliet fell out as they came together and became friends. Then they became lovers. Juliet goes away to America. When she comes back, something is happening here in Shanghai. There are rumors of a monster going around. This madness is making people kill themselves. Also, it all falls to Romeo and Juliet to figure out what’s happening to save the city.
Whenever a character gets infected by this madness, they go crazy and rip their throats out. There are a lot of graphic descriptions of these deaths in this book as Kingdom Of The Wicked. Since they are within gangs, there are a lot of shootings that happen. It fits so well within the context of gangs and life and death.
Author: Chloe Gong
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Category: Historical Fantasy & Romance, Asian Geography & Cultures Fiction (Best Seller)
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
2. The Bridge Kingdom
The Bridge Kingdom series revolves around a political alliance, betrayal, and a forbidden romance. Like Kingdom Of The Wicked, this book is a dark fantasy romance full of political intrigue and the enemies-to-lovers trope. So going into the plot, Lara is the main character. She and her sisters have been raised in isolation by their father to be trained assassins because one day, they will have to marry the ruler of a neighboring kingdom known as Ithaca.
They own the bridge, which controls all the importing and exporting. So Lara ends up being the one her father chose to marry the king, and she plans to assassinate him or somehow gain control of his kingdom. Things progressed, and Lara started to fall a little bit for Aren.
In her actions at the beginning of the book, Lara can see her as an evil character, like she has killed innocent people before. She’s done it, doing what she feels is right and protecting herself. It is a dual-perspective story. The author did a good job describing the different islands Lara goes to and the different places she visits. So overall, I did enjoy the world-building.
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Average Rating: 4.4/5
Category: Action & Adventure Fantasy
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
3. Gods and Monsters
Gods and Monsters open up with Lou being possessed by Nicolina. The entire continent is on fire because of Coco’s grief over Ansel’s death. Our main crew is traveling to the chateau but doesn’t know what they’re doing. They don’t know what their game plan is. Do you quickly catch that something is wrong with Lou, and that switches their game plan around? They’ve got to figure out how they’ll save her, and things keep constantly happening from there.
Lou would never be changed by all this trauma that had been done to her. She lost her best friend and was possessed because of that hole in her heart. She has grown and changed so much. It added a lot of angst and tension throughout the book and made the ending feel so earned like the whole theme of this book is hope being the cure. The folklore adaptions and world-building are similar to the Kingdom Of The Wicked.
Author: Shelby Mahurin
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Category: Witches Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Folklore Adaptations, Historical Fiction Romance
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
4. A Vow So Bold and Deadly
A Vow So Bold and Deadly is the final book in the Cursebreakers trilogy. The focus on its characters, Rhen and Grey, makes it so good. Everything they’ve gone through, all of this trauma that has been done to them, and what they are doing about it now, like the type of men they are now. So when we left with a fierce and broken heart, we have Grey versus Rhen. We found out that Grey was the lost heir. He’s Rhen’s brother, he has magic, and now he is on the opposite side of what will become a war against Rhen.
What’s interesting here is that neither one of them want this war. They have been forced into these positions. We see both Rhen and Grey go through like unpacking their trauma. They see this with Harper and Lia Mara. Lia doesn’t want to be the type of queen that her mother was. You will see how Harper has become her own and how she could help Rhen. We still have the threat of Lilith hanging over everybody’s heads. The dark magic and romance plot relate to the Kingdom Of The Wicked.
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Category: Teen & Young Adult Paranormal Romance, Fairy Tale & Folklore Adaptations
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
5. Hocus Pocus & The All New Sequel
The book’s first part is the complete Hocus Pocus story that we all know and love. The second part of this book, the sequel part, follows Max and Alison’s child named Poppy, and they, for some reason, still live in Salem, Massachusetts. However, this horrible thing happened to them in high school, and they decided to raise a child there. So Poppy is in high school, and her father is Max, one of the teachers in school.
Max is sitting in his history class, and the teacher retells the story of the Sanderson sisters. Max is Poppy’s history teacher, and he refuses to tell the story of the Sanders sisters. Poppy was very well aware of her parents many years ago. The Sanderson sisters come back to this story. Like Kingdom Of The Wicked, It’s a wacky fantasy, and there has to be some love interest.
If it’s a lead woman character, she has to be a feminist. But she also has to have one love interest, which has to be a white male. Those are the archetype things that we’ve been following. It’s pretty clear within the first couple of pages that Poppy, their daughter Max, and Alison’s daughter are gay. She’s in high school, her best friend is black, and she’s in love with her friend, who is also black. There are a lot of like odes to the original story. At the end of the sequel, there are hints at some more untold stories.
Author: A. W. Jantha
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: Teen & Young Adult Wizards & Witches Fantasy
Available: Audiobook | Hardcover | Kindle | MP3 CD
6. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Serpent & Dove is a captivating fantasy novel that blends witchcraft, romance, and political issues. The story is set in a world where witches are hunted and burned at the stake. We follow a witch forced into a marriage with a devout witch hunter. Their lives intertwine, secrets unravel, and forbidden desires ignite. Mahurin’s world-building and complex characters make this book a page-turner from start to finish.
7. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Holly Black presents a mesmerizing faerie intrigue story filled with dark magic, political scheming, and complex relationships. The Cruel Prince follows a human girl raised in the treacherous world of the fae. She faces dangerous court politics while facing her ambitions and desires. The intricate plot twists make this book an enthralling read.
8. These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
These Witches Don’t Burn is a thrilling mix of contemporary urban fantasy and mystery in modern-day Salem. The story revolves around a teenage witch who investigates a string of dark magic attacks while trying to keep her powers hidden. The book explores friendship, love, and identity while delivering a suspenseful and satisfying plot. Fans of Kingdom Of The Wicked must read it.
9. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Erin A. Craig’s atmospheric gothic tale, “House of Salt and Sorrows,” is a haunting and imaginative retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. In this dark fantasy, Annaleigh uncovers a series of mysterious deaths within her family and becomes involved in a web of curses, ghosts, and forbidden magic. Craig’s writing and unique world-building create a captivating atmosphere.
10. Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
Wicked Saints introduces readers to a war-torn world where gods and monsters exist. Emily A. Duncan presents a compelling story of dark magic, forbidden romance, and political issues. The story follows a cleric who can communicate with the gods, a prince, and a powerful blood mage. They struggle with a treacherous world, confront their beliefs, and make difficult choices.
These books promise immersive worlds, compelling characters, and intriguing plots to satisfy fantasy fans and those seeking captivating stories filled with magic, adventure, and suspense.
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