Kingdom of the Cursed

Kingdom of the Cursed (2021) is a young adult fantasy novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kerri Maniscalco, known for her Stalking Jack the Ripper (2016) historical mystery series. As the second book in the Kingdom of the Wicked (2020) series, the novel continues the story of Emilia di Carlo, a Sicilian witch who travels to Hell to avenge her twin sister’s murder. Once there, she must navigate the treacherous courts of the seven demon princes while bound to the powerful and secretive Prince of Wrath. The novel examines themes such as The Search for Truth in a World of Deceptions, Asserting Feminine Power Through Rage and Desire, and Exploring Moral Uncertainties for a Young Adult Readership.

This guide refers to the 2022 Little, Brown and Company trade paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain depictions of graphic violence, self-harm, illness and death, gender discrimination, physical and emotional abuse, substance use, sexual content, and cursing.

Plot Summary

A prophecy foretells the birth of twin witches, one destined to die and the other to sell her soul, marking the start of dark days. In a flashback, a powerful witch attempts to seduce an unnamed king in his throne room. After he rejects her, she performs blood magic by slashing her own throat on his dagger, stealing his wings of white flame. She curses him to know nothing but hate and vows to take whatever he loves should he ever find happiness. The king, the ruler of the Wicked, seeks to escape her curse by offering her a bargain instead.

In the narrative present, Sicilian witch Emilia di Carlo arrives in the Seven Circles of Hell with the Prince of Wrath. She believes she is betrothed to his brother, the Prince of Pride, whom she knows as the devil, having sold her soul to him. This was a pact made to allow her to enter Hell and avenge the murder of her twin sister, Vittoria. Wrath, previously Emilia’s ally in the mortal world, is now cold and distant after effecting the deal. Defiantly, Emilia affirms her choice by swearing a blood oath to the devil at the Gates of Hell. They begin a perilous journey on foot through the icy “Sin Corridor,” a treacherous mountain pass where newcomers are tested by magical forces to determine their dominant sin.

During a fierce storm, Wrath helps Emilia build a makeshift shelter. Inside, the realm tests her for the sin of lust, creating a powerful, sensual illusion in which she and Wrath are about to become intimate. Wrath breaks the illusion, warning her that the realm feeds on sin and desire. As the journey continues, Emilia begins to suffer from hypothermia. Wrath carries her through a magical tunnel he creates within a mountain.

Emilia wakes in a luxurious suite within House Wrath. Wrath explains that they must wait for a formal invitation before entering House Pride, as uninvited entry is an act of war. Wrath’s human second-in-command, Anir, visits Emilia and offers cryptic advice on demon politics. Soon after, an enchanted human skull appears, speaking in a voice eerily similar to Vittoria’s and delivering a mysterious message. Emilia explores House Wrath, borrowing a book on House Pride from the library. Emilia learns from Wrath she has been chosen as the guest of honor for the upcoming “Feast of the Wolf,” a three-day celebration. At a formal dinner with Wrath’s court, Wrath brutally severs the tongue of a courtier, Lord Makaden, for making crude sexual remarks toward Emilia.

Furious that Wrath has behaved paternalistically toward her, Emilia confronts him. They strike a bargain: He will provide her with a weapon and train her to defend herself, both physically and against demonic magical influence. They visit the Crescent Shallows, a magical, subterranean hot spring, where Emilia’s amulet, one of the devil’s horns, suddenly causes her agonizing pain. Wrath rushes her to Celestia, the Matron of Curses and Poisons, who creates a healing tincture and hints that Wrath is keeping a significant secret. Wrath reveals the full truth to Emilia: The betrothal bond Emilia accidentally created when she first summoned him was never broken. When he “Marked” her neck to save her from venom, it served as his formal acceptance of the bond. Emilia is betrothed to Wrath, not Pride; the apparent contract with Pride was a ruse to bring her to Hell.

Reeling from this revelation, Emilia demands to visit the Prince of Envy. At his court, she and Envy have a private dinner and use a truth spell on their wine to ensure an honest conversation. Envy reveals he is seeking divine objects: the Triple Moon Mirror and an object called the Temptation Key. He shows Emilia his collection of curiosities. He possesses two grimoires (spell books): the Mother’s and the Crone’s. These belong to the goddesses, who need them to activate their power. Envy is still seeking the third grimoire: the Maiden’s. He directs Emilia to look at a painting and fable about the Curse Tree in Bloodwood Forest before leaving her alone. She steals the Crone’s grimoire from Envy’s collection.

Returning to House Wrath, Emilia discovers that her own magic, her “Source,” is blocked. Later, in the garden, Envy appears and reveals that the block is caused by a curse he placed on the stolen book. Wrath begins Emilia’s training to resist demonic influence, subjecting her to his power over various sins, including sexual control of her. In a final, brutal lesson, he compels her to stab him repeatedly in the chest to show her how easily she can be externally controlled. Later, an unknown assailant attempts to murder Emilia in her bath. She wounds the attacker with her dagger but they escape. Wrath then hunts them down and kills them. During another training session, Emilia has a powerful vision of a romantic encounter that feels uncannily like a memory.

At the Feast of the Wolf, hosted by House Gluttony, Emilia meets the Prince of Pride for the first time. She recognizes that he has a facial scar, the same as on the face of the guard who had captured her when she previously trespassed on Pride’s land. She now believes they are the same person. She bargains with him, promising to keep silent about his stores of slumber root in exchange for safe passage through his territory to reach Bloodwood Forest. The feast culminates in a fear-extraction ceremony where, as the guest of honor, Emilia is the intended sacrifice. Wrath, who won the morning’s hunt, intervenes, claiming that his prize is to take her place. Pride objects and proposes a public tryst between Wrath and Emilia instead. Gluttony agrees, sending them to Wrath’s royal suite to complete the act.

In the suite, Emilia and Wrath engage in sex. Emilia drugs Wrath with slumber root that Gluttony has given her. She escapes and rides to Bloodwood Forest, where she finds the Curse Tree and meets the Crone, who is revealed to be Celestia. The Crone restores Emilia’s magic in exchange for the future return of her spell book. She instructs Emilia to carve Wrath’s true name into the tree and break a leaf from it in his presence to learn his full truth. Emilia confronts Wrath, revealing that his true name is Samael and he is the devil, king of demons. Pride is not the king: He merely allows others to believe it to feed his ego. The First Witch’s curse was placed on Wrath, stealing his wings and causing “the Fall” of the devil from angelic status, the subject of the opening scene.

Devastated by these layers of deception, Emilia activates the Triple Moon Mirror using the Temptation Key and the Crone’s grimoire, asking it to show her the truth of Vittoria’s murder. The mirror reveals a scene from the present: Vittoria is alive and well in House Wrath, speaking with Antonio, who calls her his “angel.” Emilia realizes Vittoria faked her own death and orchestrated everything to manipulate her. Vittoria leaves a final skull message, summoning Emilia to the Shifting Isles. Consumed by rage at her sister, Emilia finds Wrath. She demonstrates her newfound fire magic and reveals she knows Vittoria is alive. She tells Wrath she is choosing him and accepts their bond. She asks him to accompany her to the Shifting Isles to confront her twin. He agrees, and she leads him to his bed to consummate their betrothal.