The Kingdom of the Feared is the final book of the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy by Kerri Maniscalco and is wrapped in a tangled web of secrets from the beginning. You need to read the first two books of this series before you get to KOTF, so save this page in your TBR bookmarks folder (I know you have one) and come back when you’re caught up. There are Book One and Book Two spoilers below!

So, what’s Kingdom of the Feared about anyways? (But be quick about it)

Rocked by the discovery that her sister isn’t dead, Emilia soon questions her entire existence as she uncovers secret after dark secret. Now she has to work through a bone-deep wound of betrayal while she tries to find a way to break the curse trapping her king’s heart and solve a suspicious murder that is being pinned on her sister. It’s a wild ride.

Pace

Kingdom of the Feared wraps up (mostly) all loose ends very nicely, but that does mean that there is a bit of exposition/discovery that adds some denseness to the story. It is not a breezy read but it’s well worth the brain power required. I’ve read books of a similar size in less than half the time it took for me to get through this one but that doesn’t mean it’s no less enjoyable. But, since I suspect there may be other fellow mood readers reading this review, it’s something to keep in mind; make sure you’re ready for a dense fantasy so you can really reap all the rewards this story has to offer.

Characters

Emilia, apologies, Lady Emilia really comes into her own in this book. She faces some hard decisions and struggles with torturous truths, but she comes out the other side of her hardships with a truer sense of self than she’s ever had. And Wrath, though he’s a possessive demon Prince of Hell, he lets her find her own way and make her own choices and I love him for it. Maniscalco reveals the full picture of his backstory and it’s just so deliciously depressing and makes the HEA well worth the wait.

Originality

There are so many elements of the Kingdom of the Feared that are inspired by mythology, namely Greek mythology, and I’m a big fan. (Although, one thing that irked me was the re-spelling of Circe to Sursea but it’s just a me thing.) Kingdom of the Feared is full of surprises, shock discoveries, and murder mystery sub-plot that will keep you on your toes until the last chapter.