Kingdom of the Feared (2022) is a young-adult fantasy romance by American author Kerri Maniscalco. It’s the third and final installment in the #1 New York Times best-selling Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy, preceded by Kingdom of the Wicked and Kingdom of the Cursed. The novel picks up with protagonist Emilia di Carlo as she reels from the discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive and has been deceiving her. As Emilia navigates the demonic courts of Hell alongside the Prince of Wrath, she’s drawn into a murder investigation that implicates her sister, forcing her into a dangerous journey to uncover the truth. The narrative resolves the central mysteries of the series while exploring themes of The Conflict Between Destiny and Self-Determination, The Unbreakable and Complicated Bonds of Sisterhood, and Gaining Power Through Cunning Rather Than Force.

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

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of graphic violence, death, child death, child abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual content.

Plot Summary

Twenty years before the story’s main events, a witch named Sofia Santorini uses a forbidden black mirror to scry for answers about a troubling prophecy. Her visions reveal that the coven elders have lied about their history and that a young witch in her coven had her memories magically removed. Before Sofia can learn more, another witch from her coven attacks her, shattering her mind and the mirror. As a result, Sofia is only able to repeat the phrase “As above, so below” (8).

In the present, Emilia di Carlo is in the Prince of Wrath’s bedchamber, preparing to consummate their marriage to distract herself from the recent discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria di Carlo, is alive. Just as they’re about to have sex, Emilia’s soul is magically transported to the Shadow Realm. She finds herself chained and powerless. Her captor is Domenico Nucci, a werewolf allied with Vittoria. Vittoria appears, her eyes now a magical lavender. She speaks cryptically about defeating their enemies and breaking a curse before Wrath’s power breaches the realm’s wards. As she flees, Vittoria warns Emilia not to marry Wrath.

Wrath rescues Emilia, and back in his bedchamber, he reveals the existence of a hexed weapon, the Blade of Ruination, which is capable of killing a prince of Hell. The news of his vulnerability enrages Emilia, causing her magic to manifest itself as a garden of fiery flowers. Their moment is interrupted by news of a murder at House Greed. There, they learn that the Prince of Greed’s third-in-command, Vesta, has been brutally killed, apparently by a werewolf. A hexed skull, seemingly from Vittoria, delivers a threat, prompting Greed to demand blood retribution. Despite Emilia’s arguments that her sister may have been framed, Wrath, as king, declares Vittoria an enemy of the realm.

In private, Wrath reveals that his decree was a strategic move, as it doesn’t apply to Emilia, who is not yet an official member of his House. This leaves her free to investigate. They devise a plan for Emilia to create a public scandal to avoid signing the blood oath against her sister. In a gaming hall, she gathers a clue from a demon noble that Vesta wasn’t from Greed’s circle and had been asking strange questions about blood. Wrath then feigns a jealous rage, and his power causes part of the hall to collapse, solidifying their ruse.

Back in their suite, Emilia and Wrath consummate their marriage. The act triggers a vision of a past life where they were lovers and causes matching tattoos reading “SEMPER TVVS” to appear on their ring fingers. This, combined with Wrath’s magical command to “Remember,” partially breaks the spell-lock on Emilia’s mind. She recalls her true identity as the goddess of fury, and her eyes turn rose-gold. Wrath confirms her identity and gives her her own House dagger.

Soon after, an army of werewolves led by Vittoria ambushes the couple. Vittoria reveals her and her twin’s true nature as “the Feared” and demonstrates her power as the goddess of death by killing and resurrecting Domenico. A battle ensues, during which Emilia is wounded. The distraction allows Vittoria to stab Wrath with a poisoned dagger. Seeing Wrath tortured unleashes Emilia’s unrestrained fury, and she incinerates many of the wolves before Vittoria renders her unconscious.

Emilia awakens in a prison cell with the Prince of Envy. Vittoria appears and murders their childhood friend Antonio, who was imprisoned nearby, by ripping out his heart. Their mother, Celestia the Crone, who had been serving in House Wrath disguised as the Matron of Curses and Poisons, arrives. She binds Vittoria, freeing Emilia and Envy. Emilia and Envy find the gates to the Seven Circles of Hell magically sealed by the Star Witches, the same coven of powerful guardians who raised Emilia and Vittoria.

Emilia and Envy go to House Pride, where Wrath appears, having escaped from Vittoria. Envy and the Prince of Pride planned to test Emilia’s loyalty to Wrath by staging an ambush, but their plan went wrong when Vittoria abducted Envy. Pride confesses that Vesta visited him just before her disappearance and asked about the portal in his domain.

Emilia summons Domenico and travels with him to the monastery on the Shifting Isles, which is a magical version of their home, Palermo. There, Vittoria has captured their grandmother Nonna Maria. Nonna confesses that she was part of a coven plot to suppress their goddess nature by performing a human sacrifice and placing a spell-lock on them. Vittoria then reveals the final truth: Their entire mortal life was an illusion cast on the Shifting Isles, the realm where mortal souls are sent. Devastated but resolute, Emilia agrees to have the spell-lock removed. Vittoria rips out Emilia’s mortal heart, restoring her full memories and power.

Upon returning to House Wrath, Emilia learns that the Blade of Ruination can break curses and that its location might be found in the Well of Memory. She resolves to claim the weapon and end the curse on Wrath, which robbed him of his angelic wings and dooms him to lose everything he loves. After single-handedly repelling a witch attack on House Greed, Emilia enters the Well. Through purged memories, she discovers three pivotal truths: Vesta is a demon-wolf hybrid taken by Greed as a child; the First Witch, Sursea, made a bargain with Wrath that’s about to expire; and Pride’s lost wife, Lucia, is actually Emilia’s best friend, Claudia, who now possesses the Blade of Ruination.

Emilia interrogates a captured Sursea, who reveals that the blade can only be activated by Claudia’s blood, willingly given. Emilia travels to the Shifting Isles, and Claudia agrees to help, activating the blade. The ritual requires Wrath to stab Emilia, which will drain all her magic to break his curse. With less than a day before the curse becomes permanent, Emilia convinces a horrified Wrath to proceed. The agonizing process is successful, breaking the curse and restoring Wrath’s fiery wings.

At Emilia’s coronation, she reveals the truth about Vesta’s disappearance: She’s alive and is Marcella, Domenico’s half-sister. The body that was found was their father, who died to free her from Greed. Vittoria is reinstated as ruler of House Vengeance. After the princes and Vittoria bless the union, Emilia is crowned Queen of the Seven Circles. She then swears a blood oath, officially joining House Wrath. In a final bonding ceremony, Wrath reveals that as bonded mates, they share everything, and he gives her half of his own magic, restoring her fire powers and turning his wings a glittering black. Finally free, they begin their eternal reign as the king and queen of Hell.