WOW....not my typical style, but I AM HOOKED..... THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED

The Crimson Moth, a vigilante that frees captured witches, sending them to safety to avoid death.

Gideon, witch hunter who's great at his job.

Ruin, hides the fact that she's a witch. A socialite by day, but at night????? Only her 2 closest friends know her true identity, One happens to be Gideon's brother.

How will these paths cross? What choices will be made? Will Ruin continue to risk it all as the Crimson Moth? Will she be discovered? Can she save her grandmother's closet friend from the purge? Will she go for a love that's safe, or for a love that could risk it all?

This book has it all, mystery, fantasy, romance and a cliff hanger of an ending. All I can say is READ IT.....

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this advanced ARC copy to enjoy.

3.5 stars

I saw such high praise in advance of reading this one! But honestly, was left a little disappointed. It was a fun read and kept my interest, but a major plot reveal I clearly saw coming.

I did really enjoy the world building and our main characters. Rune is a great female lead struggling to balance guilt, a sense of duty, and her own desires. I loved the idea of witch and witch-hunter trying to figure each other out while keeping their own secrets. There was some great tension and build-up as we learn about the characters and they get to know each other.

Like I mentioned, I wasn't totally taken by surprise by some of the story, and that knocked down my enjoyment and rating a little. But I will still totally pick up part two when it comes out next year because I enjoyed it overall. It was also a pretty quick read for a 400+ page fantasy.

Read if you like:
Witchy magic
Cat and mouse games
Enemies to lovers
Dual POVs

I absolutely loved this book so much! I think it was so well written, the dynamic of Gideon and Rune was amazing and I need to know if they are going to kill each other or end up together by the next book. As a fan of enemies to lovers, I think this was executed so well and I loved the forbidden magic element of it. I just know I will need to get my hands on the second book as soon as possible.

I really enjoyed this book! Can't wait for the next one. I loved the romance and the characters, and the plot was super fast paced! I read this in one sitting.

This was one of my most anticipated 2023 releases, and it did NOT disappoint! I devoured this book within two days of starting it because I couldn’t put it down. “A steamy game of cat and mouse” indeed!

If you know anything about me, you know that enemies to lovers is my favorite trope. And this is one of the best ones I’ve read in a long time! There’s so many ‘enemies to lovers’ books where they’re barely enemies, and the enemy part ends way too soon. I am pleased to say, that does happen with this book! They are true enemies to the very end, and the romance has that glorious slow burn that I absolutely adore! I loved seeing them slowly fall for each other, against their will and against their better judgement. Even when they started to fall, they knew they were bad for each other, and still did things to betray one another. View Spoiler »

Rune and Gideon were both deceiving each other, and both suspected one another of deception. The whole time they were playing the game of cat and mouse, and it didn’t ever let up. You never knew which way it would go; because even though they clearly had feelings for one another, their ideals were resolute and completely opposite, so it was perfectly likely that either one of them could betray the other at any given time. It made for a very interesting, edge-of-your-seat read! I kept hoping they would choose each other, but their beliefs were deep rooted and unwavering. Which I actually appreciated! It made it more realistic that someone who feels so strongly about something would not be easily swayed.

It’s not very often that I enjoy books where the main plot point is romance, but this one did it for me! I’m not a huge romance fan, so it’s rare that a book that is mainly romance draws me in. Not to say that there isn’t anything else to this book – there is! I loved the world and the magic system, and thought it was cool that the witches used their blood to power their spells. That was how witches were identified: by their scars, because casting scars turned silver. I liked the concept that power comes with a price, because I can’t stand books where there is unchecked power with no cost.

I found the twists to be a little predictable, but I still enjoyed seeing how it all played out!

This book has some pretty strong Serpent & Dove feels and I definitely think fans of that book will enjoy this one! It didn’t have the hilarious banter Lou and Reid had, but I didn’t enjoy it any less for the lack of it. I felt as if Rune and Gideon had fantastic chemistry even without the banter!

Also, THAT. ENDING. HOW DARE YOU, KRISTEN CICCARELLI. I need the next book asap!

A Witch.
A Witch-Hunter.
Bloody Revolution.
Outkast of Witches.
Slow-Burn.
Forbidden Love.
Secrets.

Rune 🔥 Gideon - Romantasy New Favorite Couple!
This story is why enemies to lovers is the best trope.

Anxiously await Rebel Witch, publishing February 2025.

Thank you, Wednesday Books.

Heartless Hunter was a WILD ride and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I buddy read this with my friend and we kept sending each other “can you believe that just happened?!?!” texts.

The world building was impeccable and the magic system, while it made me squeamish, was so inventive and on the nose for a feminine rage story. The romance was HOT and full of tension and danger, not knowing if betrayal was coming at any moment.

Absolutely fantastic and I CANNOT wait for the sequel!! Please go read this book so I have more people to obsess over it with.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

loved this romance and how the characters changed through the story. also loved the friends and all of the interesting things that happened during the story. loved the growth of the main character and all of her trials .

⭐️ 4.5
This was one of my most anticipated reads, and I’m not gonna lie, that was mainly due to the imagery of a Crimson moth, and the gorgeous specially editions of this book. There were parts of this book that were very hard for me to read… I don’t handle torture well or public executions. It kind of makes my stomach turn. I also was not prepared for how she collected supplies to cast her spells.

It actually took me longer to read this book than I had planned, because I had to keep stopping to collect myself. And I know for most this is the sign of a really good book, and I do really like this book, but I choose to read for a distraction from reality. Anyone reading this book should know that there are some very heavy scenes.

I will be reading the next book because I am invested in Rune’s story, and I want to see how this plays out. Both of the main characters, Rune and Gideon, have lost so much that, if this was reality, they would need years of therapy to overcome.

I loved everything about this book. It's a fantastic read and all of the characters sucked me in. I will definitely be reading more of this series!

Heartless Hunter: Crimson Moth Book 1
By Kristen Ciccarelli
YA Historical Fantasy
Wednesday Books
March 2023

In Heartless Hunter, first in a series, Rune has led a double life for two years. It began when she turned in her grandmother, a witch, during the purges and watched her execution. Now, she is a society butterfly, a party girl who is not too bright but who is amusing. Society doesn't know she is a witch.

She also is the Crimson Moth, the secret witch who rescues other witches and sends them off their island to safety.

And her grandmother? She knew they would both be executed if Rune didn't turn her in, so urged her to do so and save herself. Rune mourns her every day.

The deception is getting more difficult, but Rune has to continue. She's worried about finding her grandmother's best friend, a witch her grandmother told her to find. Rune thinks she is on her trail, but it's not certain. And the blood guards, the military that captures and kills witches, is more determined than ever to find the Crimson Moth.

Captain of the guards is Gideon. He has special reasons to hate the witches and want to end the Crimson Moth's sabotage of his quest. One of the most powerful witches, Cressida, youngest of a trio, made him her plaything. She even branded him with a rose, the same spell signature that appears every time she cast her magic.

Gideon's parents were exquisite dress designers and seamsters who were engaged to work only for Cressida's family. Their clothing is legendary and unattainable. As a teenager, Gideon moved into the palace to help them keep up with the work. Cressida soon took him to her bed, tortured him and threatened to kill his last remaining sibling after his little sister and mother were driven mad and killed by her.

His younger brother, Alex, killed the witch to save his brother.

Alex is one of Rune's two best friends. He is a talented musician who yearns to go to the mainland to study and compose. They have known each other most of their lives, and have always looked after each other. Rune's other best friend is Verity, a medical student whose sisters, who were witches, were executed. They are Rune's trusted companions, who help her with plans to save the witches who remain.

What Rune needs most is information. How best to get it? Why, get Gideon to court her and spill his secrets.

What Gideon needs most is information. How best to get it? Why, Rune seems suspicious. He will court her and get Rune to spill her secrets.

Kristen Ciccarelli has crafted a twisty, intriguing story of crossed loyalties and conflicting goals in which Rune and Gideon begin to question their beliefs and hatred of each other. The anticipation as they discover their attraction is portrayed as well as any romance. That it is an integral part of the story about the battle between the surviving witches and the authoritarians who now control their island makes the stakes even higher.

Toward the end of the story, several surprises are revealed that fit into the narrative perfectly and make things even more perilous. The end of the novel sets up the next book as a must-read, to discover what happens in their society and to see whether Rune and Gideon will, or can, have a happy ending.

Ciccarelli has taken the basic premise of The Scarlet Pimpernel and enriched the story with the gender change of the main character and her love story, to craft an adventurous fantasy. Rune's story involves romance, friendship, loyalty and questioning the old ways and the power structure that replaced it.

This is superb storytelling and it's going to be terrific to see what happens next.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

...............Why am I such a sucker for enemies to lovers?

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli is a YA fantasy novel that has all of booktok's favorite tropes. On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is. Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for. Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

This is what Serpent and Dove THOUGHT it was going to be. But wasn't (mostly due to the disappointment that was Blood and Honey). The magic is cool, the romance is swoon-worthy, and it's witches and witch hunters. What else could you ask for?

This is an incredibly gripping story of a game of cat and mouse between a witch and a witch-hunter, set against a backdrop of a tumultuous history with nods to the classic The Scarlet Pimpernel.

The aftermath of a devastating revolution has left witches, once powerful rulers, reduced to outcasts hunted ruthlessly for their waning magic. Rune must conceal her true identity while navigating a society where witches like her are persecuted. By day, she plays the role of a vapid socialite, but by night, she transforms into the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante saving her kind from purges. She's Batman but for witches.

When a rescue mission goes awry, Rune has to devise a plan involving Gideon Sharpe, a notorious and unforgiving witch-hunter loyal to the revolution. And her best friend's estranged brother. As Rune and Gideon engage in a complex dance of deception and attraction, their paths become intertwined in unexpected ways.

The emotional depth of the narrative is a standout feature. The cat-and-mouse dynamic between the leads with their trauma and complex pasts coupled with the exploration of different facets of love, adds depth to the storyline. The characters' reasons for being on opposing sides are well-developed, creating a compelling and layered narrative. This isn't black and white and readers can understand and feel for both parties.

The twists in the plot are impactful and add to the overall intensity of the story. I was highly engaged and invested in the fates of the characters. I have so much anticipation for the continuation of the series. This is shaping up to be one of my top books for the year.
--
Holding my review due to the SMP boycott until there is movement on the concerns of bipoc readers.

This story checks so many boxes for lovers of fantasy romance, and for a lot of readers, it was a fantastic enemies to lovers, hidden identity, witch vs. witch hunter read.

Unfortunately, this one didn't do much for me, and actually, the more I think about it, these characters and this story really bug me.

First: PERIOD BLOOD. I'm sorry, I could not get over the fact that our FMC, in order to avoid the witch marks that mar others (basically, cutting themselves to use their blood in spells), she stores her menstrual blood and uses that for basic spells for the month until her next cycle. I'm all for normalizing women's health, but this is gross, plain and simple.

Second, I could not believe that FMC Rune was this super stealthy witch hiding in plain sight, flighty heiress by day and daring witch rescuer by night. The timeline didn't give enough time for her to develop skills for this kind of activity, nor are her skills ever shown to the reader. We're just supposed to believe that she has freed witches out of the hunters' grasp. Maybe if she were a few years older I could believe that she had grown into a super bad*ss witch savior, but as it is, I just didn't believe it.

Third, the romance. Ugh. You know that the romance is headed towards a brother love triangle, and it was not handled well. I thought the fake courting angle was okay, but the fact that Gideon was being pressured to get her naked so quickly in order to discover any witch marks (and he himself being a victim of sexual manipulation) just sat so wrong with me. This is definitely not Young Adult content. Again, make all the characters about 5 years older and fine, I could believe it. The way everything went down at the end was so frustrating (and somewhat predictable) and I was just kind of over it.

I did enjoy about 25% of this book (got really invested at about the 60% mark), but the other 75%, I was either frustrated, rolling my eyes or just bored.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: Upper YA (should be New Adult)
Content: some violence, some strong language, one vague open-door

By far THE BEST book I’ve read in 2024 so far! It was so so so so good I only got 3 hrs of sleep devouring this!

I loved every single bit of this and am dying inside having to wait so long for book 2. Rune’s story is heartbreaking and mischievous and dangerous and chaotic all in the right ways. I loved her devotion to protect the innocent, but her recklessness drove me insane 😂. Like Alex, I was going out of my mind with some of the things she risked and almost got caught so many times! I swear Nan is her guardian angel instead of a witch for how many times Rune escaped death/capture.

Gideon… oh Gideon… you righteous brute. Your indoctrinated ways must change and I can’t wait to see how your journey develops especially after that end 😭😭😭😭. I knew betrayal was going to happen on both sides, but the romantic in me wished they had that little bit of happiness for just a bit longer! I sincerely hope they learn to forgive each other and reconcile sooner rather than later so they can rally against the true evil!

4.5 stars :) Thank you for allowing me to read this as an arc.

This was so goooooood. Wow! It was a true enemies to lovers, but yet will they ever be lovers? Because dude they are ENEMIES. Strong emphasis. There is also a bit of a love triangle between two brothers, that I enjoyed. In many ways, I loved both brothers and wanted both of them to win in some way.. Which isn't reality but they both had redeeming qualities but separate faults that made them each intriguing. I think the opposing sides of the new vs old republic was well done to share the cons of each and made one struggle to decide who to root for. I loved all the main characters in their own ways and really enjoyed the plot twist. For a minute, I was confused as to how this was going to go but then the twist occurred and I said OHHH this makes sense. Also that ending????? How long do I have to wait for book two... !!!!!

I always love witch versus witch hunter books because they are filled with angst, betrayal and forbidden romance (just you know all my favorite things in a fantasy book) and this story was no different. This book was a wild ride that I found hard to put down. It sucked me in on the first page and kept me engaged until the last word. The world was well fleshed out, the magic system was unique and interesting, and the characters were multilayered and interesting.

I found both Rune and Gideon to be such interesting characters and the dual point of view in this story was done so well and added so much to the overall plot. Both Rune and Gideon had strong motivations and while at times they made terrible decisions, it was easy for the reader to see why they would do such a thing. My one complaint was the love triangle between Rune, Gideon, and Alex. It was just an added layer to the story that I think could have been done without and that is why this book is a 4.5 star read and not a full 5 star read for me.

But overall I loved this book! It was everything I wanted it to be and more and I am painfully waiting for the sequel!

Ummm….THIS. BOOK. I was absolutely blown away by this story. It was everything we love in this genre but so unique that I just couldn’t stop listening. This is definitely a story propelled by the characters in a way that you are instantly invested in the outcome.

One thing I really loved about this story is that it is not overwhelming. There is a small cast of characters that are easy to follow, the world building is easy to understand, and it is the perfect beginning to a duology where I don’t feel like I am going to have to do a reread before the next book to actually remember all the important details. This would be the perfect introduction to witchy, fantasy reads for those newly interested in this genre.

There is a love triangle, which is a trope I do not personally usually care for, but don’t let that deter you from picking this one up. It was done in a way that was palatable and didn’t completely turn me off to the story. I could connect and understand her feelings very easily.

Also, prepare yourself for a cliffhanger ending that will rip your heart out in the best ways. The ending was completely different then I was expecting, leaving my jaw on the floor by the time it was over!

And lastly, this is 100% an audiobook I will be recommending all year. The reader was top notch and brought this story to light in such a refreshing way. Plus, she did a great job narrating both POVs in a way that wasn’t cringy and felt authentic to the characters.

Wow, that a thrill this book was to read. I had a lot of fun with the witchy vibes, swoony romance, and the PLOT TWIST AT THE END? Wow. I tend to not read series/trilogies/etc. because I frankly don't have the patience to wait for the next installments, but I'm very glad I took a chance on this one. The prose was mesmerizing and it kept me reading and my mind thinking about it long after I finished it.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc, and though I may never be the same again after reading this book. I absolutely devoured this book, at first it started a little slow and the discussion of certain kind of blood started to turn me off from this book, but I decided to give the book a chance, and I’m glad that I did. Following both Rune and Gideon as they both lure each other in, her because she wants to keep her enemies closer than her fake socialite friends, and him cause he suspects that she is the witch that has evaded him and capture for 2 years. Rune is a witch whose hand was force and she had to turn her own grandmother in to save her own life, and in turn she dedicated her life to saving all the other witches that have been capture, and led to slaughter. Gideon is a leader of the blood army that is tasked with hunting down known witches and killing them.


🔹Dual POV
🔹Fake dating
🔹Enemies to lovers
🔹He falls first