Throne of Secrets

Throne of Secrets is Kerri Maniscalco's 2024 second instalment in the Prince of Sin series, returning readers to the intoxicating world of the Seven Circles with a new prince, a new heroine, and a rivalry that has been simmering for a decade. Following on from where Throne of the Fallen introduced us to this richer, more sensual chapter of the Kingdom of the Wicked universe, this second book shifts the spotlight to Gabriel Axton - the Prince of Gluttony - and delivers everything fans of the first book loved whilst carving out a tone and dynamic that is distinctly its own.

Gabriel Axton has built his reputation carefully. Infamous across both the mortal and demon realms as a shameless rake, a lover of indulgence in all its forms - exquisite food, dangerous hunts, the thrill of chaos - he has always treated his immortal existence as one long, glorious game. He is charm personified, all charisma and swagger, and he knows exactly the effect he has on people. What he has never quite managed is to charm Adriana Saint Lucent, and that has never stopped bothering him. When one of his beloved hunts takes a deadly turn and something begins to unravel within his demon court, he finds himself with no good options - and only one person with the skills and the tenacity to help him uncover the truth.

Adriana is a journalist, and a relentless one. She has spent years building a case against Gabriel Axton, convinced that if she can just expose him thoroughly enough, the world will finally see the demon as she does. She is sharp, determined, principled in ways that make his extravagance look almost deliberate by contrast, and entirely unimpressed by his considerable charm. The rivals to lovers dynamic between these two is one of the most electric Maniscalco has written - a push-and-pull built on a decade of genuine antagonism that makes every reluctant moment of cooperation crackle with tension. There is history between them that neither has fully reckoned with, and Throne of Secrets unspools that history with careful, satisfying patience.

The novel draws on fairy-tale structure in intriguing ways - woven into the mystery plot is a Cinderella-esque narrative flair that gives the story a theatrical quality, as though Maniscalco is playing with the idea of genre itself. The hunt that drives the plot is genuinely dangerous, escalating in stakes as Gabriel and Adriana are pushed further into each other's orbit and further from the safety of their respective armours. The slow burn romance here is long and deliberately paced - perhaps the most drawn-out of the series so far - and Maniscalco asks readers to sit with the tension for a long time before it breaks. For those who love watching two stubborn, brilliant people resist the inevitable with every tool at their disposal, it is deeply rewarding.

Where the Prince of Envy was cool and cerebral, Gabriel is warmth and appetite and barely contained energy, and Maniscalco uses that contrast to give Throne of Secrets a looser, more indulgent atmosphere than its predecessor. The demon courts feel lived-in and expansive here, with other princes appearing in supporting roles that add texture to the infernal politics. Seeing the princes operate in something closer to collaboration rather than competition is one of the pleasures of reading the series in order - the world accumulates, and so does the reader's investment in it.

Adriana holds her own against every demon she encounters, and her morally grey adversary-turned-reluctant-ally is no exception. Her refusal to be seduced by Gabriel's world - even as she is undeniably drawn into it - gives her arc a grounded quality that anchors the book's more fantastical elements. The forbidden romance between a journalist hunting a demon and the demon himself carries real stakes, and Maniscalco never lets readers forget that the power imbalance is genuine even when the banter suggests otherwise.

Throne of Secrets is a worthy and confident second chapter in the Prince of Sin trilogy. Readers who devoured Throne of the Fallen will find the world deepened and the emotional register expanded, and those who finish here will find themselves immediately drawn towards Throne of Nightmares to discover which prince steps into the light next.