Kingdom of the Wicked in Order (and Prince of Sin)

Two sets of books, one world, similar covers, and titles that both begin with an abstract noun. Here is which is which.

The Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy

Three books, one continuous story, published a year apart:

1. Kingdom of the Wicked (2020) — Emilia's twin sister is murdered, and the investigation summons Wrath, one of the Princes of Hell. A bargain, a mystery, and a strong sense of place — the Sicilian setting does a lot of work.
2. Kingdom of the Cursed (2021) — Emilia in the Seven Circles, married into a court she does not understand, playing a longer game. The book that shifts the series from mystery to court intrigue.
3. Kingdom of the Feared (2022) — The resolution — the truth about the sisters, the truth about Wrath, and the end of the trilogy.

The trilogy is complete and self-contained. Some listings show five items; the extras are box sets, not new books.

Prince of Sin is a different series

Maniscalco followed the trilogy with Prince of Sin, a set of adult romances each following one of the individual Princes: Throne of the Fallen (2023), Throne of Secrets (2024) and Throne of Nightmares (2026).

They share the world and several characters, but they are not Kingdom of the Wicked books four to six. The naming is the whole problem — "Kingdom of" versus "Throne of", by the same author, in the same setting, with matching cover design. Read the Kingdom trilogy first; the Throne books assume its ending.

One more source of confusion worth clearing up: Maniscalco also wrote the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, which is Victorian historical mystery with no supernatural courts in it at all. Readers who arrive at her through one of the two fantasy series and pick that up next are frequently surprised. It is good; it is simply a different kind of book.

What kind of series this is

It sits at the gothic end of romantasy. The first book is genuinely a murder mystery, complete with clues and suspects, and the romance is slow and hostile for most of it. The setting — a Sicily of feast days, family kitchens and inherited witchcraft — is more textured than the standard invented kingdom, and the food writing alone has converted people.

The shift from book one to book two is steep. Readers who loved the village mystery sometimes find the Seven Circles a different novel entirely; readers who found book one slow usually name book two their favourite.

The heat level rises steeply across the trilogy as well, which catches people out: book one reads close to young adult, book two decidedly does not, and book three continues in that direction. It is the same characters and the same author, but if you hand book one to someone on the strength of the mystery plot, mention that the sequels are written for adults.

Where to go next

Into the Prince of Sin books if you want more of this world. Otherwise Serpent & Dove is the closest match — witches, a hostile marriage, a religious setting — and Caraval shares the bargain-and-curse machinery.