[A quick note: This is an incredibly hyped book, so I was extremely excited to read it. Moreover, the cover is absolutely GORGEOUS! The premise sucked me in immediately. Also, how pretty are these purple edges? I did them myself to match the cover and Iโm super happy with how it turned out.]
โ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ. ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐. ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ก. ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ข๐ญ.โโKerri Maniscalco
A handsome evil prince, a murder mystery, and tons of angst will keep you on your toes as you read this one. Itโs a real page turner. Throw in family dynamic and good Italian food and youโve got the makings for a great read! However, I did have a few qualms. The beginning didnโt connect with me, and the ending frustrated me in a bad way. But for the most part, I really enjoyed this one.
When Emiliaโs twin sister dies, sheโs desperate to discover the killer. Desperate enough to summon a demon prince and risk his assistance. Wrath has selfish plans of his own. These plans come to a head when Emilia allows herself to fall for him, leaving her with a sense of betrayal.
This story is set in Sicily, in an alternative reality where witches and demons exist. I wasnโt able to tell exactly what time period it was (perhaps not the best world building?) but Iโm certain it was pre-technology even though there were some modern hints. When witches begin turning up dead, including Emiliaโs sister, she takes matters into her own hands. Thereโs plenty of magic as she uses her strengths to help her navigate the trials of working with a demon prince like Wrath. Most of the backdrop jumps between the streets of her home town and the restaurant her family owns. There are plenty of descriptions of food, which left me craving Italian! Yum!
I also enjoyed learning about each of the princes and the underworld they came from. As Emilia is trying to solve her sisterโs murder, she discovers some deep history behind a curse that the princes are trying to break. Each sin has its own prince, like greed, sloth, pride, etc. I found that unique and creative. Wrath is the prince Emilia aligns herself to, and his emotions tend to align most with hers. But each prince has the ability to elicit a personโs emotions based on their strength. For example, there is a scene where Emilia meets Lust and he elicits extreme lust within her.
The banter and relationship between Emilia and Wrath was what I enjoyed most. While the world building didnโt particularly wow me, it was the banter that kept me hooked. There were plenty of angsty moments between these two. And yet, some of it felt pretty typical of YA romantic interests. I was hoping for a bit more depth and growth between these two.
My biggest qualm was the ending and the beginning. The first 20% didnโt really hook me. It felt slow and didnโt elicit my emotions. I would have preferred the story to start after the death that triggered the events, since the death didnโt make me feel much. But it was the ending that really irked me. Iโm struggling to put my finger on it, but it just annoyed me. It did achieve the desired effect of making me want to jump straight into the next book. Thank goodness I didnโt have to wait a full year for that!
Overall, a fun read. It just didnโt quite live up to the hype like I was hoping. But Iโd still definitely recommend it. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐/๐โญ๏ธ
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