Throne of the Fallen

Written by Kerri Maniscalco

Narrated by Marisa Calin and Shane East

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Kerri Maniscalco makes her adult debut with this New York Times bestselling sensation, a "hot" new standalone fantasy romance (Jennifer L. Armentrout) about a dark prince battling an impossible curse—and the artist who might be the only one who can set him free.

Sinner. Villain. Wicked.

The Prince of Envy has never claimed to be a saint. But when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a deadly game, he knows it will take more than a hint of sin to win and save his falling demon court. Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin like no other…
 
Virtuous. 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 Waverly Green’s most notorious rake to blackmail her. To avoid a ruinous scandal, Camilla is forced to enter a devil’s bargain with Envy, little expecting his game will awaken her true nature . . .

Together, Envy and Camilla must embark on a perilous journey through the Underworld—from glittering demon courts to the sultry vampire realm and beyond—while trying to avoid the most dangerous trap of all: falling in love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Oct 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781668631683

Kerri Maniscalco

Kerri Maniscalco is the #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, the Kingdom of the Wicked series and her adult fantasy romance Prince of Sin series, including Throne of the Fallen, Throne of Secrets and Throne of Nightmares. Kerri grew up in a semi-haunted house outside New York City, where her fascination with dark, atmospheric settings began. To date, her books have been translated into more than twenty languages and have been viewed on TikTok a few hundred million times.

Reviews for Throne of the Fallen

[v27sk6jghy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve been a fan since Kingdom of the Wicked and this book is 1,000% everything I hoped it would be!!! A beautiful blend of past characters and new characters but the underworld even more amazing than it was in the trilogy. I hope a book for every prince is in the future from Kerri and I love the male/female narrator dynamic! The back and forth really makes the story come to life and feel beautifully realistic in my mind! You won’t find spoilers here so just listen to it already!!!!!!!!! ?

[Diana Adair · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Slow, I'm had to add it to my very small DNF stack.

[laphenix · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

VA-GIN-A! VAGINA, VAGINA, VAGINA! For the love of the goddess and the moon that shines above, it's a body part, not a slur. This book is straight porn with a smattering of plot on top.

[jmchshannon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[sennebec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I stopped reading this a couple chapters in and went on to another story before coming back for a second try. I'm very happy I gave it a second shot as it quickly turned into a story that pulled me in. Camilla remains an enigma for most of this tale, not only to others, but in some ways to herself. The reader's perception of her can't help but follow that paradoxical arc, making the intrigue factor that much greater.
Factor in all the supernatural characters and realms, not to mention all the steamy interactions between the Prince of Envy and Camilla, and you have one heck of a read.

[spiritedstardust · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.25 spicy romantasy with a plot