Kerri Maniscalco

Holy hell. I thought I was prepared for Kerri Maniscalco's first official adult novel after what she published for the last two KINGDOM OF THE WICKED books. I was not prepared at all! Those are tame in comparison to THRONE OF THE FALLEN. If the rest of her stories about the demon brothers are like this one, take all my money.

THRONE OF THE FALLEN was so much better than I ever expected. I mean, I knew it was going to be good. I love each of Ms. Maniscalco's books. Her debut novel, STALKING JACK THE RIPPER, was so good that I knew she would become one of my favorite authors. So when I say THRONE OF THE FALLEN was better than my expectations, that's saying something because my expectations were already high.

In particular, Ms. Maniscalco blew my mind with how well she portrayed Envy and his sin. The jealousy Camilla and Envy experience throughout the novel is the stuff of songs. The slashed-your-tires, busted-your-car-windows, burned-all-your-stuff type of songs. Given that I wasn't certain how Ms. Maniscalco would be able to portray Envy to be as powerful as his brothers, I finished the novel in awe. Through THRONE OF THE FALLEN, I now understand how Envy can be as powerful as Wrath and Fury.

As for the demon prince, if you thought Wrath was the embodiment of danger, I would say that Envy is even more dangerous. He is as arrogant as you would expect the Prince of Envy to be, but he backs up that arrogance in every way. And I mean every way. Whew.

Camilla is the perfect counterpart for Envy. From the opening scene, we learn she is feisty, not prone to simper or kowtow to the "superior" men unless forced to do so for her safety. That she remains independent in a society that frowns on independent, unmarried ladies is a testament to her intelligence and cunning. We quickly learn that she does not often let her emotions rule her actions, remaining clear-headed when the circumstances are at their worst. But what makes her Envy's perfect foil is that she never backs down from Envy. Every threat, every show of power, every demand, every command - she is his equal for all of it.

She not only stands her ground, but she also manages to throw Envy off his game. Watching the prince stunned to speechlessness at her taunts or struck dumb by her actions is half the fun of THRONE OF THE FALLEN. It also leads to some of the spiciest scenes I've ever read. They are also quite memorable; I might not ever be able to read about a throne without recalling one particular scene ever again.

But those scenes are more than pleasurable. They serve a distinct function as they become power plays between the two, further defining their relationship and showing each other (and the readers) who they are at their core. It is how we discover that Camilla is anything but a prim and proper young woman, no matter how she appears that way at the beginning. I did mention she was Envy's equal, and the bedroom is no different. She matches his depravity in every way, and it's so much fun.

The best thing about THRONE OF THE FALLEN is that it is more than a story about Envy and his potential love interest. We get a deeper dive into the Seven Realms, spending time with his brothers and seeing them from another point of view. We get to see other realms and learn more about the power struggles being played in them. In general, we get a much more robust picture of the Underworld and a greater sense of the numerous secrets that fuel the place.

The crux of the story is tragic and indicates that Envy isn't quite the devious sinner he appears to be. As for the game, every clue leads to another twist or another shocking reveal. All I could do was sit back and let it happen. I was so caught up in Envy's and Camilla's story that I did not want to stop to make predictions or try to solve the many riddles.

The big reveal at the end was, for me, every bit as shocking as it was intended to be. Some of that is because of what we find out, but some of the shock is also from how we find out and what happens afterward. The seven Princes might be dangerous, but the Big Bad Envy and Camilla must face at the end is true evil. He is so bad that I am slightly frightened of Ms. Maniscalco's mind for devising such horrible characters and macabre scenes.

With THRONE OF THE FALLEN, Ms. Maniscalco confirms her place among my auto-buy authors. I feel it is her best novel to date. Her roots might be in the YA realm, but her strengths are definitely in the adult fantasy romance category. In THRONE OF THE FALLEN, she created a complex and compelling story in which the spiciness is part of the character development. I am so happy that there are more books about the other brothers in our future, although, by now, I will read everything Ms. Maniscalco publishes.… (mer)