Kingdom of the Cursed

Kingdom of the Cursed is the second book in Kerri Maniscalco's Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy. It was released on October 5th, 2021. Only five days after its initial release, it became the first of Maniscalco's novels to ever find a place on the Sunday New York Times Bestseller's list, coming in at number five.

Synopsis
One sister.

Two sinful princes.

Infinite deception with a side of revenge…Welcome to Hell.

After selling her soul to become Queen of the Wicked, Emilia travels to the Seven Circles with the enigmatic Prince of Wrath, where she's introduced to a seductive world of vice.

She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge her beloved sister, Vittoria...even if that means accepting the hand of the Prince of Pride, the king of demons.

''The first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. With back-stabbing princes, luxurious palaces, mysterious party invitations, and conflicting clues about who really killed her twin, Emilia finds herself more alone than ever before. Can she even trust Wrath, her one-time ally in the mortal world...or is he keeping dangerous secrets about his true nature?''

Emilia will be tested in every way as she seeks a series of magical objects that will unlock the clues of her past and the answers she craves...

Plot
Emilia arrives at the gates of the seven circles with Wrath. Still reeling from his betrayal and scheme to break the curse, Emilia agrees to marry Pride in the hopes of finding out which Prince was controlling Antonio's actions and thus solving her sister's murder. Her engagement also then ensures the gates of the Seven Circles remain closed.

Before arriving in the Circles of Hell, Emilia and Wrath must travel through the icy terrain of the Sin Corridor, a region which tests each traveller's affinity for the seven sins as they walk through. Throughout their journey, Emilia is subjected to the corridor's influence as it urges her to feel specific sins or emotions as they pass through. The two of them stop and take shelter for the night, and Wrath ensures Emilia is taken care of for the evening. Over the course of the night and the next day, Emilia is tested with lust and envy, as well as others, which put her in precarious and embarrassing situations with Wrath. He later warns her she will continue to be tested and that she should ignore her emotions as best as possible.

Towards the end of their trek, Emilia falls ill with hypothermia from the cold of the Sin Corridor's terrain. Wrath carries her back to his house, where he takes care of her and brings her back to health, directly opposing the fact that he earlier claimed he wouldn't take care of her. When Emilia is healthy again, she asks Wrath if he's going to bring her to Pride, but Wrath states that Pride hasn't yet given them permission to travel to his circle, and thus they can't cross over. This confuses Emilia, as she believes herself to be Pride's fiancee and doesn't understand why he wouldn't allow her into his home.

Emilia and Wrath argue, and he says he'll leave her be until his brother calls for her. Anir comes to find Emilia, and she asks him about the death of Pride's previous consort. He tells her she should take a more subtle approach to gaining information in the Seven Circles, as most would expect something in return for the information they provide. Later, Emilia finds a magic skull in her room. When she approaches it, it speaks in her sister's voice.

Wrath and Emilia reconcile, but she doesn't tell him about the skull she found in her room. She learns that Wrath's brothers have extended an information to the Feast of the Wolf celebrations, and he states that there will be a guest of honour who will have to give up one fear or secret at the height of the feast, in front of everyone else in attendance. He also says that it is highly likely the guest fo honour will be Emilia, as it is decided upon by a vote.

Emilia and Wrath argue again, and she realizes that he wanted her to refuse Pride's proposal. Angry, she lashes out and says they could have come up with a different plan, but Wrath only tells her to stop pushing. Emilia is only further frustrated as the conversation continues, believing she wasn't given a choice or room to make her own decisions, continuing to push at Wrath until he finally relents. Wrath explains that her family hasn't told her the entire truth, and Emilia is reminded of her Nonna telling her about the first with, La Prima Strega, and the devil who demanded a blood sacrifice for something stollen. Her Nonna knew about the Horn of Hades and yet never told either Vittoria or Emilia, and the same goes for their magic; they were taught only the barest amounts.

Later, Emilia searches through Wrath's library and finds a grimoire on the beginnings of magic. She learns about different witch bloodlines with different affinities for spells, each based off of the four elements and a fifth and incredibly rare one: aether. These affinities help guide which Goddess a witch should pray to in order to enhance their magic. She tries to tap into her magic with this new knowledge and feels something more powerful. Startled, Emilia abruptly pulls away.

She is approached by a woman and Lady of Wrath's court, Fauna, and the two quickly become friends. Emilia learns that Fauna has a romantic interest in Anir, and with that, Fauna promises to escort her to dinner the next evening when she is to be introduced to the rest of the court. Emilia later finds another enchanted skull in her room, this one with a new message.

Emilia is invited to Envy's home for a night, and against Wrath's wishes, agrees to go. While there, Envy gives her a tour of his estate and the library, expressly pointing out a specific book. Emilia then steals it, bringing it back to House Wrath when she leaves. She then discovers that the items in Envy's library were cursed to affect any who stole from him, and in taking the book, Emilia lost her magic.