Throne of the Fallen (Prince of Sin, #1) by Kerri Maniscalco Also by this author: Kingdom of the Wicked, Kingdom of the Cursed (Kingdom of the Wicked, #2), Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked, #3)
on October 3, 2023
Genres: Romantasy
Pages: 579 •Format: Hardcover •Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Sinner. Villain. Ruthless.
These are wicked names the Prince of Envy welcomes. They remind him what he isn’t: a saint. And when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a deadly game, he knows he’ll be called much worse before it ends. Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way. With a powerful artifact and his own future at stake, Envy is determined to win, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin—and passion—like no other…
Talented. Darling. Liar.
The trouble with scoundrels and blackguards is that they haven’t a modicum of honor, a fact Miss Camilla Antonius learns after one desperate mistake allows notorious rake—and satire sheet legend—Lord Phillip Vexley to blackmail her. And now it seems Vexley isn’t the only scoundrel interested in securing her unique talents as a painter. To avoid Vexley’s clutches and a ruinous scandal, Camilla is forced to enter a devil’s bargain with Waverly Green’s newest arrival, enigmatic Lord Ashford ‘Syn’ Synton, little expecting his game will awaken her true nature . . .
Together, Envy and Camilla must embark on a perilous journey through the Shifting Isles—from glittering demon courts to the sultry vampire realm, and encounters with exiled Fae—while trying to avoid the most dangerous trap of all: falling in love.
I am a huge fan of the OG Kingdom of the Wicked series (books 2 & 3 specifically, book 1 was kind of mid). So when I heard we were getting a spin off series about the OTHER PRINCES I was verrrry intrigued. Especially because there’s potential for SIX additional books (if there’s one per prince, which I’m hoping very much is the case!) I love a good companion series where I can dive into a new story in a universe where I’m already familiar with the world building and have a solid foundation of knowledge of which to build upon. Therefore, Throne of the Fallen was an easy and instant pre-order once I found out about it (plus the B&N exclusive covers are so gorgeous!)
Throne of the Fallen follows Prince Envy, who’s court has come under a strange affliction that he can only cure by winning a complex and cunning game run by the Unseelie King. The game puts him into contact with our FMC, Camilla, an artist who’s found herself in a precarious position of being blackmailed and who’s hiding secrets of her own. Like the previous books in the companion series to this novel, the story takes place both in the mortal and demon realms, and I thought it was interesting to see the mortal realm being based on Regency England (as opposed to Kingdom of the Wicked, which was “set” in Italy). I’d love to see each book feature a different country as a mortal realm, but that may be a bit optimistic as I have a feeling not all of them will have a mortal FMC.
Now, I’ll admit I had a hunch that I was going to enjoy this novel because I tend to love any series that deals with different kingdoms/courts (e.g., the seasonal and solar courts in ACOTAR) as I love seeing how the different themes manifest in the decor, grounds, behaviors, etc. I don’t feel like I got to know Envy’s circle as well as Wrath’s due to it being in a mess most of the book, and the fact that Envy and Camilla spend most of the book traveling for the game. We spend quite a bit of time in the Vampire Court (which I feel like could have it’s own book, TBH) and the Unseelie faerie court. I’ll admit I could use a guide that outlines all of the courts, who has dominance over who, etc. as the world continues to expand and more supernatural creatures are introduced. While I found it interesting to explore so much of the demon realm, I did at times tire of the “game” concept and got to a point where I just wanted it to be over, and did end up taking some big chunks in between reading to the point of not remembering what the previous “clues” were, so I can’t really speak to how cohesively the plot flowed.
As for the romance, I enjoyed it just fine. Envy and Camilla are well-matched, both silver tongued, quick on their feet, and always hiding something up their respective sleeves. I called the twist at the end but thought it made sense all things considered and made their romance more believable and fair. They didn’t have the tension and chemistry that Wrath and Emilia had for me, but they also only had one book to build their connection instead of three. I also will say, this is the first book to be billed as “adult” right from the get go (Kingdom of the Wicked started YA and then very decidedly turned adult, lol) and I felt like it was a little heavy handed with the spice at times in a way that felt more because “it’s an adult novel” vs. being organic to the characters’ relationship development.
Overall: There seems to be a formula with these series: Prince of the Seven Circles + Mortal (Who’s Hiding Something More + Has A Specific Talent). I definitely don’t mind because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but I am curious to see if future books will deviate from this at all!
Leave a Reply