Kingdom of the Cursed (Kingdom of the Wicked, 2)

What I Liked: This second installment of the Kingdom of the Wicked Trilogy was intense and sinfully delightful. The story begins right after Emilia sold her soul and agrees to go with Prince Wrath to Hell to be the devil’s bride. At every turn, Prince Wrath protects her and guides her. What started out as hate between them is starting to build into something akin to respect and certainly lust-filled longing. She is confused about his protection because she assumes the devil will come to claim her quickly, yet she is taken to Wrath’s castle instead.
The Sin corridor taunts her with urges that feel real and are quite detailed in their illusions. The level of description makes it difficult to put down but definitely puts it in the upper YA/New Adult category for mature audiences only that will be okay with a glimpse at the debauchery of Gluttony’s parties and the lust-filled visions that ultimately urge her to confront her growing feelings for Wrath. One thing Hell has been good for is forcing Emilia to leave behind her social inhibitions and embrace her desires as natural.
The longer she stays the more suspicious she becomes about the contract she signed and Wrath’s part in having her sign it. The visions and magic she starts to access uncover a deeper puzzle about herself and her twin’s death. The things she learns about Wrath were something I had suspected since the last book but the reveal was well done and still kept me guessing that I could be wrong until the last moment.
Final Verdict: Just as things are revealed and her decision concerning Wrath is made, we are left with the most frustratingly tantalizing cliffhanger. I would be pulling my hair out at the ending except thankfully the third book is already out and I was able to launch immediately to find out what was going to happen. This is an intense read sure to delight upper YA/new adult audiences who like a little sin with their enemies-to-lovers trope.