
It might seem strange considering I only gave the first book in this series 3 stars, but I was super pumped for Kingdom of the Cursed. I honestly thought this would be the case of a sequel blowing book one out of the water. As it turned out, yes, I enjoyed it more, but at the same time I can’t help feeling like my weirdly high expectations are on the train to disappointment city right now.
Who, What, Where?
KotC kicks off almost immediately after the end of KotW, with Emilia travelling to Hell and taking up residence in Wrath’s kingdom while she prepares to fulfil the bargain she made to marry his brother, Pride. However, when cryptic messages start showing up in her chambers, she begins searching for answers as to what really happened to her sister and the nature of the curse binding the Devil. She comes to believe that locating certain magical objects will assist her in discovering the truth, but as a mortal navigating the dangers of hell, nothing is easy.
Upping the Steam Factor
The direction and vibe of this book was very different from what I was expecting. KotW was a mix of mystery, romance and fantasy, and I assumed the sequel would be the same. Instead, the first half of KotC is pretty much a straight-up romance novel. A Hades-Persephone type one. Other plotlines pop up eventually but it takes a while before the book deals with anything outside of Emilia and Wrath’s relationship. Also surprising is the series’ sudden jump from slightly sexy YA to Sarah J. Maas-ish New Adult, complete with swearing and a smorgasbord of explicit sexual content. I’m talking parties with orgy buffets. Personally, I enjoy adult romances and believe loosening the content shackles here suits the story better but I’m positive there’ll be fans of KotW who will find this change jarring.
All About that Angsty Romance
I thought the romance in this book was great. Angsty, but pretty darn hot. It’s largely why I rated it what I did and probably higher than I should have, but anything that can get me turning pages that freakin’ quickly gets bonus points. I really enjoyed Emilia and Wrath’s conversations, flirting and occasional fights. It was also nice seeing the relationship evolve as Emilia became more confident in her sexuality and we learned about Wrath & his world. However, I have to mention the black mark that is chapter 17 *sigh*. (BEWARE SPOILERS) During this chapter, Wrath tries to train Emilia to resist the magical influence of his brothers in preparation for a social event. This involves mind control antics that left me with an icky feeling. I might have been able to forgive it had it assisted Emilia later on but nope. While I wish this scene had been cut, it didn’t ruin the book for me so I’m going to carry on and hope the author avoids this type of thing in the future.
Plot Confusion
When it comes to the non-romance plotlines, I have one word for my feelings: confused. Magical artefacts, a magic tree, talking skulls spouting riddles, witch-goddesses, the devil’s curse, the original witch, the witch murders in KotW, the crone…I’m exhausted listing it all. There’s just so much to keep track of, link and contextualise, especially considering most of it doesn’t come into play until the second half. I’m still lost on parts of the ending as well but, then again, I felt similarly about KotW so, what’s new? I really wish these elements had been introduced earlier and developed gradually with more of a mystery/investigative trajectory (like book 1) to better serve the dramatic reveals. I can see the potential, it’s just muddled.
I’ll See You in Hell
Going into this, one of the things I was most excited for was the new setting. I really liked atmospheric Sicily, but Hell?! How could I resist? Different Princes’ courts, demons, plotting, backstabbing…GIMME. In the end, though, I was a little let down on this front. The first half of the book is spent almost entirely between two locations – a passage called the Sin corridor, which Emilia and Wrath traverse on entry to Hell, and Wrath’s castle. As you can probably guess, this wasn’t the exciting and cutthroat backdrop I’d been hoping for. However, once the characters finally started to move around the map somewhat, I had much more fun, despite only really getting to see Envy and Greed’s Houses. Fingers crossed we’ll get further expansion on the world in book three.
Extra Random Comments
- Why are there so many clothing descriptions? I love pretty dresses but there comes a point where it becomes overkill.
- Once again, Emilia flicks back and forth between badass and complete idiot. I still have no idea if I like her or want to yell at her.
- How Emilia loves romance novels yet has no idea what oral sex is will never cease to confuse me. Then again, maybe she’s just reading Pride & Prejudice type stuff.
Although not one of my favourite series, I’ll definitely be checking out the last Kingdom of the Wicked book when it releases. Not going to lie, it’s pretty much entirely for the romance. Make of that what you will.