Writers Who Inspire Us: Kerri Maniscalco and New Adult Fiction
“A good book was its own brand of magic, one I could safely indulge in without fear of getting caught by those who hunted. I loved escaping from reality, especially during times of trouble. Stories made everything possible.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Kingdom of the Wicked
Since a fragile age, I read. Anything from Red Riding Hood, to Romanian folklore and fables, to strange and horror stories from Stephen King. I found my way into Young Adult books easily. It is a trend nowadays. Easy to write – they say – but as simple as it seems, the author that writes something so well sold has to have that something to catch the reader’s eye.
Kerri Maniscalco is my newfound author of New Adult. When I stumbled upon Kingdom of the Wicked, one of her books that was released last fall, I thought nothing of it. I haven’t heard of it – even if it is all on the internet – I didn’t. To be honest, it was the cover of the book that made me buy it. I was never the person to be ‘in trend’: first, because I like to read, not because I have to prove a point. Second, because I don’t want to be in trend if, by any chance, I am, it is purely that chance.
“Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began.” She loves books. Talks with her cat and drinks tea. She wrote books I haven’t yet had the pleasure to read but I will certainly get my hands on them because she inspired me. Her debut novel Stalking Jack the Ripper, was published in 2016. Hunting Prince Dracula is the second book. Escaping from Houdini. And the fourth and final book of the series is Capturing the Devil.
I was struggling. For what seemed like months I was stuck in a reading slump. Nothing seemed interesting enough to read and then some Prince from Hell got me out of it. Her characters are well written and seem so real, I could almost touch them, but that wasn’t the only thing that impressed me.
She set her story in the 19 centuries in Italy where two little twin girls are bestowed with two necklaces, amulets forever to keep them close and bless them. Brought up in a family of witches, where their grandma forced them to do rituals in between working at their restaurant. Every single word Kerri imprinted on the page captivated my attention. I was drawn in and I could feel the atmosphere through a well-written premise. We have Hell, we have seven Princes. We have magnetic and raw passion – wild to the bones, but not forced. Though every New Adult has a cliché in its sense, Kerri managed to write in such a way I did not feel it nor cared if I saw it. I longed to see what Emilia does next, with every flip of the page Kerri made me fall in love with her book. Where will the main character’s courage and determination lead? How much Emilia can sacrifice to find out who killed her twin sister and why?
I finished reading the book in twelve hours. Through all of it, I did not breathe. Kerri’s world unfolded before my eyes. She combined myths, prophecies and beliefs, making all so normal in a world where nothing it is what it seems. All beautifully done. The two main characters – Emilia and Wrath – work together even if they are sworn to be enemies. Witches and demons don’t mix, but Emilia has to find the murderer and she’ll do anything and that includes going to Hell. Striking bargains, and who would not do such a thing for their sister? Or brother? Mother? To save the world and keep it to the ‘normality’ we are bestowed with – I would bargain my soul for my dear one, not even blinking.
Young Adults, New Adults, Fantasy books in their sense if written well can captive one’s soul and make one crave for more. Kerri’s writing did that and I wanted to find more about her. More than that her books brought me back to life. Filled my head with stories and I remembered how important is to write what you love. I grew up with stories about blood-thirsty vampires, attractive werewolves but scary in their way. My grandma told me to stay away from demons and malicious beings seeking to get into my soul. To mess with my head and poison my blood. Perhaps, when I was young and foolish, I was also scared. I could say terrified of the monsters lurking in the dark, but coming off age I had begun to romanticize those stories – exactly how Emilia and Vittoria did in the book. I still enjoy a good story about enemies becoming lovers. That’s the trope I’ll fall for and dragons. Let us not forget about dragons.
About Alice Reed
Born in Romania, Alice Reed is an aspiring writer with an affinity towards reading often and socialising less. A female with an obsession for flying fire-breathing-cats and possible pet dragons. She intruded into reality to spread her stories among the people and to fantasies about impossible. Alice is a book lover with inclinations for weird, romance and speculative fiction. And she has a guilty pleasure for horror. With a degree in Creative Writing, she lives on Earth to tell stories and writes to get out of her shell. You can find her on Instagram @alicethewriter