'Beware of waking the gods, their dreams are often our nightmares . . .'
A book of dangerous magic draws two readers into a perilous quest to find it - and their own happy ending -in this action-packedstandalone fantasy romance from Sunday Times bestselling sensation Kerri Maniscalco.
A princewho prefers games of the head to those of the heart.
Prince Sloth hates leaving his enchanted library, but when a forgotten deity threatens the very fabric of the Underworld, he's thrust into a race against time. He must find the Book of Nightmares - an ancient artifact that has the power to break worlds - before it unleashes a deadly game to free its master, the Goddess of Night. When a betrayal leaves him marked, and desperate, his path collides with a young woman who possesses the legendary Phoenix Tear - a portal stone unlike any other.
A librarian who is all sweet sunshine . . . until she burns.
Lore Brimstone has always loved getting lost in a book - but she never meant literally. Yet, after visiting a traveling caravan, she quickly finds herself transported to a terrifying but oddly familiar world - with a calculating prince at her side. Realizing they are living out her favourite novels one by one, they face off against an increasingly dark magic as they try to survive the story.
A twisted tale that means they can't trust themselves - or their hearts.
As Lore and Sloth navigate the pages of her beloved novels gone wrong, she must channel her inner main character to defeat the Book of Nightmares before the wall between the gods and mortals comes crashing down, dooming them all.
I'm mostly on instagram--where I'm always ready to talk fictional crushes and nerd out over books. (Okay, okay. And I've also been known to share snippets and teasers from my upcoming novels, if you're into that sort of thing...) Please feel free to chat with me there @KerriManiscalco. I love talking with fellow readers!
Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats.
She is the #1 NYT and USA Today bestselling author of the STALKING JACK THE RIPPER quartet, the KINGDOM OF THE WICKED trilogy, and her forthcoming adult debut, THRONE OF THE FALLEN, set within the KINGDOM OF THE WICKED universe. Two other un-named titles will also be set within the KOTW world and will follow two different princes.
June 12, 2025 Pre-read: WE HAVE A TITLE!! Gotta say, I was thinking the title was going to be Throne of Knowledge, but I am over the moon thrilled with Throne of Nightmares. AND ITS SLOTH!!! OIBSYBUHDBUGVDUBDUBDUDV PRINCE SLOTH AND LORE BRIMSTONE!!!! But my golly, why is the pub date Feb 10th?? That's so faaaaaaarrr away. *Runs to preorder the Barnes and Noble Edition anyway* Also, since she's left Pride on such a cliffhanger, I think is a sure bet we will get Lust's, Greed's, and Pride's stories as well.
February 23, 2025 Pre-read: I love you, Kerri, but I have a feeling this is gonna be either Pride or Lust and I WANT SLOTH!! I need my dagger wielding library hottie. I am BEGGING, GET CONTRACTED FOR THE LAST THREE PRINCES!!
I did not expect to love this nearly as much as I did! Kerri Maniscalco outdid herself with this book!
First, thank you SO much to Little Brown for the ARC, this will be coming with me first in a house fire, lol.
The story follows Prince Sloth and Lore, through different books Lore has read, and traps them in some of our favorite tropes- and I ate it all up!
This book was bursting with originality, humor, and tension. I loved the banter between the two characters as our FMC is a sunshine-y bookworm librarian, who is not afraid to own what she reads- and the MMC is the grumpy, homebody Sloth who hates being outside his shell. It made for perfect tension as we follow these two in close quarters on an adventure.
The ending of this book felt a tad bit rushed, but other than that, this was the perfect, easy, fun read! I loved basically everything about this. I think this is Kerri’s best book yet! Sloth Supremacy, baby! 4.75 stars ✨
୨ৎ𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 OMG OMG OMG YALL DO NOT KNOW HOW EXCITED I AM FOR THIS BOOK. IM SMILING SO HARD AHHHHH. OMG AND WDYM ITS GONNA BE ABOUT PRINCE SLOTH!?!?!? MY FAVORITE PRINCE OF SIN YESSSSS
This book is fun, like genuinely FUN. The kind where you keep saying “just one more chapter” and suddenly it’s way too late.
First, if you’re here for slow burn romance… you are about to be FED. The tension is Incredible. The yearning….ELITE. Is it less spicy than some of her other books? Yes. Did I care? Absolutely not. Because the banter and build-up made every single interaction hit harder!!!
Lore is officially one of my favorite heroines. A sunshine librarian who loves books and then gets thrown into magical chaos?? Say less, I adored her immediately. I freaking love her!!
And Sloth… listen. A grumpy prince who would rather stay inside his enchanted library than deal with people? That is a man after my own heart, The dynamic between these two was EVERYTHING it was witty, tense, emotional, and occasionally made me want to scream!
Also can we talk about how this book plays with romance tropes?? It felt like a love letter to readers while still giving us a high stakes fantasy story. Seriously, if you are a romance reader you are gonna love this one!!!
And that twist?? I Did not see it coming at all.
If you go into this expecting nonstop spice, adjust your expectations, this is very much a tension and yearning kind of romance. But honestly, it made the story feel richer and more addictive.
Overall, this book is Spectacular. I highly recommend it!!
throne of nightmares is a love letter to every romantasy reader who wishes they could live within the pages of their books. ♥︎
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this book was SUCH a fun time. the way i was giggling and kicking my feet every chapter, and i physically had to make myself put it down to sleep. if you’re looking for a hilarious and fast paced book romantasy read that will have you hooked, this one’s for you!
our fmc lore is officially one of my new favorite female leads. she’s a witty librarian who absolutely loves romance books (especially fantasy romance, she’s so me). lore is a daydreamer who would do anything to experience the worlds she reads about, and little does she know, she’s about to do just that (with a twist).
this book hit a little too close to home and made me feel so seen with lore’s internal battle of being a hopeless romantic, yet feeling like love isn’t out there for her. but despite it all she stayed true to herself and never changed her personality for anyone.
prince sloth… wow. this broody, grumpy, homebody mmc absolutely delivered. we saw a sneak peek into him with the other books, but nothing could’ve prepared me for how much i ended up loving him. this man was so down bad for her and absolutely in denial about it, and i ate it up. the grumpy/sunshine trope went so hard hehe.
not only does this book deliver on the banter, tension, and slow burn, but the plot and action were top tier! the concept of being thrown into different book plots was one of the most fun things i’ve ever read. and the plot twist at the end? crazy and so well done. i genuinely was questioning everything.
as always, i loved seeing all my fav princes and their partners at the end of the book! this found family is growing to be top tier. i’m also sensing lust’s book coming next? (pls i’m begging)
°˖➴ I am so excited to read this book! Since it was announced that Sloth's book was going to be the next in the series I have been waiting anxiously. I hope this is as amazing as I think it is going to be!
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౨ৎ post read:
˚⟡ finished: feb 11th
✮✮✮✮.75
I had such high hopes for this book and I am so glad to say that it met and exceeded all of them! Wow, what an amazing story, plot, and characters. One of the aspects of the story that was most appealing to me was how the story just seemed to be told like a fairy tale. I loved this and it related extremely well to the plot of the book.
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°˖➴ Lore Lore was such a breath of fresh air and I saw myself so much in her. She was such a kind and amazing character with a beautiful heart. I love, love, love her with all my heart. I loved her soft and bubbly personality, and how she was so optimistic even when everything was going wrong.
°˖➴ Sloth To me, Sloth was the sole reason why this was such an awaited book and he did not disappoint! I loved his personality. While he was still a little bit grumpy he was still extremely nice to the FMC. This man barely knew this girl and swore to protect her from all evil! I really loved him and his romance with Lore.
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Overall, I loved this book and had an amazing time reading it. I cannot believe that I finished this book in less than 24 hours. It completely took me out of my book slump! I honestly already want to reread it!
Thank you Little Brown and Company for sending me an ARC
This is the book for romance lovers. It has ALL the tropes. I was expecting this to be 5 stars no questions asked, but it was it was missing that feeling for me ( which is crazy cus this is a Kerri Maniscalco book)
I am going to be listening to the book when the audiobook comes out to see if that changes my review. I adore the previous audiobooks for this series.
The plot- Cute. We are jumping through different romance books in search for a powerful book. I personally was just excited to see more House of Sloth and I think I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t get to 😕. I missed Hell and love this world that Kerri Maniscalco made and was excited to be back in it… only to not really be in it at all 😭.
The characters- Love them. The banter between the two ✨perfect✨ I really like Lore she stands out to me more than the two previous girlies in the throne books. Sloth is hands down … my second favorite prince of sin. I don’t think anyone will ever beat Wrath though let’s be honest .
Spice - I mean… actually pretty tame for this series . Definitely the least spicy of the Throne Books and I would say less then Kingdom of the Feared.
I cannot say much more without going into spoilers. But also… go read it AND THE OTHER ONES. I think this series is best read in publishing order. ( I just found out people are reading the throne books as standalones and I am SHOCKED)
”Beware of waking the gods. Their dreams are often out nightmares.”
Star Rating: 4.25✨ Spice Rating: 2🔥🥵
Thank you so much to Little Brown and Kerri for sending me a physical ARC of this upcoming release to read and review early… You made all of my dreams come true.
WHAT A RIDE!! Throne of Nightmares is the third installment within Kerri’s ‘Prince of Sin’ series and a highly anticipated release for me (and many others). With every single book that Kerri writes, I fall more and more in love with her ability to suck me so completely into her stories. This book was so different from her previous Prince of Sin books, and the premise absolutely encapsulates the love and adventure it can be to be a reader and live so many different lives (and obviously picturing yourself as the main character in every book you read… if you say you don’t do that than you’re lying😌).
Lore is a small-time librarian who has a love of adventure and romance novels, who by some twist of fate, gets brought into the biggest adventure of her lifetime…. Competing in trials with the broody (but still undeniably lovable) Prince Sloth. What do these trial contain you may ask?? Oh just jumping from story to story where Lore is now the main character in all of her previously loved/read novels🤭 AKA all of our dreams…. Am I right?! But sometimes these stories can turn into an absolute nightmare 🤭
I saw so many elements from books I have personally read, and loved, within the stories Lore and Sloth were transported to, and I did indeed giggle at some of the scenarios our characters were put into (aka the dragon shifter scenario… If you know you know). Within Kerri’s dedication she made out this story to be for her readers who want to fall into their favorite books, and it absolutely was. I felt like I was transported to all these book along side our characters and I was LIVING for it!! I am Lore, and she is me.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who has loved and adored the previous books in this series (like I have), or even those who may not have vibed as much with them… because this story was just soooo different than anything I have read from Miss Maniscalco before and I think it was done fabulously💜 I cannot wait to continue with whoever the next Prince may be… but if you’re reading this Kerri, I beg for the next book to be Lust. That line at the end of seeing him ending up with someone who doesn’t believe in love?! I AM DESPERATE FOR THAT RIGHT NOW!!!
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i don’t usually mark dnfs as read but since i passed the halfway point and it’s a big book, i’m gonna count this one. no one’s more upset about it than me bc i loved the first two books but this one was a huge disappointment. unfortunately i found the story and the characters boring and it just lacked the spark the others had
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for the advance copy of Throne of Nightmares. All opinions are my own.
Throne of Nightmares pulled me in immediately with its dark, immersive atmosphere and steadily building tension. The world feels rich and intentional, and the pacing kept me fully engaged from start to finish.
Lore is truly every book lover — a main character whose love for reading and storytelling feels deeply relatable and authentic. The character dynamics are layered and thoughtful, with sharp banter and a slow-burn connection that adds emotional depth without ever overpowering the plot.
Just when I thought I knew where the story was headed, there was a twist I genuinely did not see coming. Wow.
A beautifully balanced blend of atmosphere, intrigue, and character development, this was an easy five-star read for me. Fans of dark fantasy and slow-burn tension will not want to miss this one.
After the betrayal of a member of his court, Prince Sloth is on a race against time to find the Book of Nightmares which has an ancient power that can break worlds.
Lore Brimstone is a librarian by day who loves getting lost in a book, but the last thing she expects is to find herself as the main character of her own story. When visiting a traveling caravan, she is transported into a new world. Her path soon crosses with Prince Sloth and they realize that they are living out the plots of her favorite romance novels. In order to survive, they must survive each story and face off against the dark magic of the Book of Nightmares.
This book was so incredibly fun! I really enjoyed meeting Lore and especially Prince Sloth. I mean the man has an enchanted library in his home, who could not love that? I thought the plot was so interesting and well thought out! This book was an ode to romance readers and plots. I absolutely loved seeing how the games played out. Lore was such a fun character while still being level headed and able to stand her ground!
The romance between Sloth and Lore was incredibly done and a really great slower burn! If you have enjoyed the other Princes of Sin, you will love this one! I did miss the Underworld setting a bit in this one, but I loved seeing the various settings of Lore’s favorite novels!
Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book!
We have a release date and cover now… preorder email from Barnes and Noble says 2/10/26!!! And I think it’s gonna be Lust story from how she hinted it in Throne of Secrets. And I hope it’s better than that book… but I don’t know this one is gonna be even smuttier like Throne of Secrets lost the plot, and Throne of the Fallen was amazing.
A love story between a man who prefers to spend time on his library than anywhere else and a librarian? As in two bookworms in a fantasy setting? Hell yes! Give to me =D
Thank you Hachette Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review!
Damn, I really wanted to enjoy this considering I loved the first two books in this series, but I felt that Throne of Nightmares had a really weak plot compared to Throne of the Fallen and Throne of Secrets. The concept of literally being trapped in a bunch of the FMC’s favorite dark romance books seems fun, but a little too unserious for what has felt like a more serious fantasy series. It did feel like an ode to the genre and romance readers, which was nice, but I think this kind of plot would have worked a lot better in a more lighthearted magical realism / contemporary novel. The male audiobook narrator’s narration was also so incredibly cringey—especially during intimacy scenes. I don’t remember the narration being like this in the first two books, but his growling felt way too excessive, especially in comparison to the female narrator’s narration. Also if I hear "Peaches" as a pet name again, it'll be too soon. 😭
I’d still recommend this series for anyone looking for a classic, spicy romantasy series about the Seven Sins. It’s just a shame that the last book fell so flat for me (which is also how I felt about Kingdom of the Feared 🫢). I’d rate this book somewhere between 3.5 to 3.75 stars.
I loved this book! I love the characters and the series, and the return to the quest format was pitch perfect as they traveled through stories to their happily ever after. All the stars, best book of 2026 so far!
As much as I would love it to be Lust because he is such a for front in the brotherhood going on.. I think it might be pride next because he has the most issues going on.. but she could do a whole separate series with his story really.. Side note though it was mentioned that Wrath, Greed, Envy, and Pride were the top in the brotherhood.. So maybe Greed next..
So theory is she does separate books on Lust, Sloth, Greed and the Pride gets his own series..
My GUESS is that it is Lust because in book 2 (the previous one) there was a line that went something like..."First Envy, now me. I hope this bastard gets knocked down soon too by his own little menace." Axton in his head. Idk it was kinda like that, just hinted that Lust was next.
I wouldn't mind his book, I mean imagine the sex scenes with the Prince of Sin KNOWN and FUELED by it. The kinky stuff they'd get up to...
But I WANT it to be Wrath (ik he already has a wife but he's just soooo intriguing) or Sloth (do I even have to explain).
i swear to god after seeing the new teaser if there us OW stuff i will throw the damn book!! i didn’t wait this long for Sloth’s book for it to potentially have any kind of scene like in throne if the fallen with him getting hard from another woman - no ma’am i better be reading that wrong!!
Thank you @littlebrown for my gifted arc. I’ll treasure it always. Thank you @hachetteaudio for the AMAZING gifted Audiobook.
✨Throne of Nightmares - Out 02/10/2026 ✨
I’ve been a longtime fan of @kerrimaniscalco , I’ve loved Kingdom of the Wicked and her other Princes of Sin, but Throne of Nightmares was written specifically for readers. This book is a love letter to book lovers and it is perfection. The banter, the slow burn, the witty FMC, the swoonworthy MMC. I genuinely have zero complaints. 12 out of 10 stars.
The audio: @marisacalin and @shaneeastreads absolutely blew me away yet again. I’ve loved Marisa since Kingdom of the Wicked and Shane since Throne of the Fallen and Throne of Secrets, and they absolutely nailed this audiobook. The accents were flawless, the pacing and inflection were chef’s kiss and the banter came through perfectly. I was fully sat and kicking my feet. I truly hope they narrate all of the Princes of Sin books because I cannot imagine anyone else bringing these stories to life.
The characters: Lore is officially in my top ten FMCs. She is us. A hopeless romantic who is obsessed with books and lives vicariously through her favorite characters. I adored her backstory and felt so seen through her love of stories. She is unapologetically herself, loud about her obsessions and her main character energy moments had me cackling. And Sloth. Grumpy, swoonworthy and a book nerd through and through. This was grumpy sunshine done right, with a delicious slow burn to match.
The plot: The world building was chef’s kiss. Trials centered around searching for an evil book, played out through Lore’s favorite romance novels, fictional worlds and tropes? I was obsessed. It felt like breaking the fourth wall in the best possible way, but in book form. The twists genuinely shocked me, and by the end I was so sad it was over.
When I say this is Kerri’s best book yet, I mean it with my whole chest. Throne of Nightmares is a love story to readers everywhere, and we need to collectively pick it up. You will not be disappointed.
💭QOTD: If you could hop into your favorite book, which would it be?
Throne of Nightmares is the third book in the Prince of Sin series, and I can safely say Sloth & Lore’s story is my new favorite!
This book is so much fun, and truly Kerri’s love letter to romance readers. It’s genuinely not like any other romantasy I’ve ever read—in the best way!
Prince Sloth is on a quest to find the Liber Noctem, a magical book that’s kept the destructive Goddess of Night prisoner. But when it’s stolen out from under him, he and Lore (a small-town librarian) are unwillingly pulled into the Nightmare Realm. There, they must survive deadly trials, all of which are pulled from the plots of Lore’s favorite romance novels, with a twist. And let me tell you: our girl loves ALL kinds of romance sub-genres! 👀🤭
Read this if you like: ✨ Arrogant and deadly blonde MMC ✨ Witty and bookish FMC ✨ Laugh out loud humor ✨ Grumpy x Sunshine ✨ A romance between book lovers ✨ Odes to all your favorite tropes ✨ Quests & deadly trials ✨ Slooooow burn that really ignites!!
Throne of Nightmares is hilarious (I cackled so many times) and yes, very meta. It also embodies such a sincere love for the romance genre that I found myself cheering and swooning and pumping my fist at certain developments like Lore was my IRL bookish bestie.
Fans of blonde MMCs can also rejoice: you’ve found your next book (and bookish) husband! 😍
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Thank you SO much to Little Brown for sending me this stunning physical ARC for review! 🥹
Another delicious slow burn featuring a Prince of Sin! It’s Sloth’s turn and I’ve been curious to see his story since Throne of the Fallen! I was not disappointed, Throne of Nightmares sucked me right in and I absolutely adored Sloth and Lore’s story. Their chemistry and banter were top notch and I couldn’t get enough!
Lore was such a relatable heroine. I was laughing out loud at her bookish antics, seeing myself and my book girlies in her was such a treat. Her “main character energy” was a trip. Whenever her antics got a secret smile out of the enigmatic Sloth I was giggling and kicking my feet. I ate up their grumpy / sunshine dynamic. The analytical one and the dreamer, I loved it!
The plot itself kept me on my toes, I loved the concept of the trials and the search for an evil book. Having to battle their way through romance and fictional tales was so fun! The stakes get increasingly higher and the mystery and plot twists kept me turning the pages!
And the slow burn tension! Perfection. When that spark caught fire I was not disappointed! 🔥 Throne of Nightmares met all my expectations and more. I cannot wait for more stories from the princes of sin!
this book embodies tell dont show. it's so bad... we're told that the characters feel a certain way or that they are powerful. but we're not *shown* it. you can tell me that these two characters are in love, but based on the 400 pages i read, there is no evidence!!!!
i had a bad time reading this book. it tried to be camp but it was oozing the feminism of an elder white woman bookstagramer.
also i hate the fourth wall break of the fact that the fmc loves books. there are paragraphs upon paragraphs that keep repeating the same thing over and over. i get it. books are fun and an escape. and that Lore loves romance and is lonely. i think 5/6 of those rambles could have been cut.
also, the "reveal" at the end was so lackluster (which is exactly what i said for throne of secrets)