4.5/5

This book was such a delight to read! Pretty much devoured this book in one sitting and finished it with a desire for more. There is nothing that I love more than a witch and witch hunter enemies to lovers book. Or any kind of "monster" x monster hunter enemies to lovers if I'm being quite honest. Each character and their motivations is written SO well, and it was hard not to fall in love with the secondary characters either. No character is without their own reasonings to being morally gray and the choices they make. While I found the world building a tad bit lacking (e-arcs that don't have maps are the bane of my existence), I think that the characters and their direct location building made up for it. I am always a fan of there being a price to the use of magic, and Ciccarelli explains the blood magic system in a way that is easy to follow along. I LOVE whenever authors have a checks and balances methodology to magic, especially in the case of Rune who has to think creatively on how to use her own blood (genius use!) without leaving a silver scar that screams she's a witch.

However, I do think that since this book has slightly descriptive sex scenes on page should be marketed as NA, not YA where 12 year-olds can pick it up. But then again this is coming from someone who read several things they shouldn't have on Wattled at that age so who am I to say anything. I was also slightly uncomfortable with the aspect of SA being a common occurrence of the book with stripping women to see if they had any scars, marking them as a witch and sending them off to be killed. With that, please check content warnings as it is frequently mentioned.

I will be sitting here screaming internally while I wait for the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have not read a book so addicting in such a long time, I had to force myself to slow down so that it wouldn’t end too soon. I loved this tale—the characters are beautifully crafted, complex and intriguing, the plot lines aren’t cringy cliché but are so rich and fulfilling, I wish the second book was available so I can satiate this new craving for these characters and this world. It was devastating, in all the good ways. And, importantly, unlike other enemies-to-lovers novels, the interest didn’t die when the characters finally admitted their love for one another—it only become that much more intense. This was a beautifully haunting book that I will not soon forget.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book.

First off that ending broke my heart and I’m so curious about the sequel. This was a good story. It reminds me of Powerless with all of the deception and disguising of true identities and forbidden love that ends in a cliffhanger. I love the fact this was dual POV which really helped understand Gideons character more. Rune was a pretty good MFC but Alex and Gideons characters and story was so good and to me was more interesting then Rune’s storyline. There were some things I wasn’t very into though. I did think this moved at an inconsistent pace. It was very slow and then got super fast then went back to being slow again and back to being fast. To me it was too much. I also wasn’t sure how the love built between Rune and Gideon. They didn’t share much with each other except a few chapters. I just don’t know how they both feel in love with each other that fast. Outside of that this was a good read and I do think a lot of people would enjoy this however if you don’t like cliffhangers this wouldn’t be one for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. Thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic adventure with great characters. Can’t wait for the next book.

Ok this was so good and I binged it in one sitting, I couldn't put it down! I'm always a sucker for the witch/witch hunter romance. It always has great enemies to lovers, inner conflict, and great character arcs and this is definitely the case here. In this first book Gideon and Rune have enemies to lovers to enemies again so it's going to be a slowww burn for this series which I ADORE.

The blood witches are so cool and I love the magic system as well as the side characters.

Several things did keep me from giving this a full 5 stars though. There was some world-building and what we got i really enjoyed but it wasn't enough and feel like we need a lot more. Hopefully, we will in the next book! and secondly, while Giedeon and Rune had great chemistry, I feel like they didn't actually get to know each other very much. Now, obviously with Rune having to keep her being a witch a secret there is only so much she can share, understandably, but I just wish that they had more meaningful interactions with each other before claiming to be in lovewith eachother.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this digital ARC.

3.5 ⭐️

This was a good YA Fantasy leaning towards New Adult title. The world building was not overly complicated and the characters were likable enough. The romance was a bit rough, but that may be more from my dislike of the torn between two brothers even though I don’t really feel the romance for one but he’s my bestie troupe. The plot twists were fairly predictable but added to the story. I’m definitely intrigued enough to want to read book two just to see how it plays out in the end.

This is the first novel I have read by author Kristen Ciccarelli and the first YA fantasy in over a year.
The world building was a bit slow and left me with unanswered questions.
In general this novel is a good vs evil sort of storyline but to her credit, Ciccarelli does a great job twisting the reader's perception of who is who as the story unfolds.
The enemies to lovers plot is apparent early on but the twists involved unravel what seemed inevitable.
The pace picks up significantly at about the 75-80 % mark. so much is happening that I did not want to stop reading before the finale.
Over all good YA Fantasy.

First book of 2024. I started about three different books and none was holding my interest until this one. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Read it in two sittings, and I was CAPTIVATED. It's been a while since a book has been this easy to read, because I'm usually distracted or thinking about other things. Anyway. This book. It has everything. Enemies to lovers, adventure suspense, romance! I've been a fan of Kristen since I read The Last Namsara, and this just solidified it. What a way to start the year. WOW.

"You are not the things that happen to you."

Prepare yourself for the emotional damage you're bound to end up with after reading this deeply romantic story.

Heartless Hunter has a refreshing, high-stakes magic system. The magic is solidly at the forefront of the story throughout and there are deadly consequences, no one character has unlimited power just because. Nothing about the plot felt convenient like some YA (though, I'd classify this book more upper YA/NA) stories tend to fall prey to.

The story is told from both main characters POVs making it easy for the reader to feel the emotional turmoil in their game of cat and mouse. Rune is a complete badass, willing to break the rules if it means saving lives and Gideon is broody and upright in his morals. Their back and forth, tug-of-war type of relationship is so fun!

Between the magic and romance driving the story, you also will fall in love with the side characters as well. The story as a whole is a definite favorite, highly recommend!


HUGE thank you to Wednesday Books for the e-ARC to read and honestly review.

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli is a captivating journey of enemies to lovers, woven with an enticing slow burn and lots of heartfelt pining. The author skillfully crafts a tale that kept me hooked from start to finish. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, a few minor elements held me back from a perfect score. Highly recommended for those who relish a blend of tension, passion, and a satisfying love story.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Rune is living a double life. To most, she appears to be a vain member of the social elite, but secretly, she’s a witch. Not long ago there was a revolution that dismantled the witches, outlawing them in the process. Now Rune, disguised as the Crimson Moth, works to rescue and free fellow witches. Gideon is a witch hunter and Captain of the Blood Guard. He’s been working tirelessly to capture the Crimson Moth, and finally gets his first lead. When a witch is captured, Rune realizes that Gideon holds the keys to freeing her. Gideon, suspicious of Rune, needs to get closer to prove she’s the one he’s been chasing. Together, they enter a game of cat and mouse. At first they’re out for blood, but it can be easy to confuse hate with love..

Very Serpent & Dove vibes. I enjoyed this book more. This kept my attention the entire time, where I felt S&D really lost me in the last half. The magic system was understandable enough for me to grasp, and I enjoyed the tiers of magic and the costs associated with them. Very cut and dry, and I appreciated it!

Rune. I loved her confidence and ability to juggle both lifestyles with relative ease. My greatest issue with Rune is that about halfway through the book, I felt that her character development came to a standstill. I would have loved to see more from her, but I felt that her storyline took a backseat to everyone else.

Gideon been through a lot, to say the least. Family trauma, sexual assault, addiction, but he’s working on growing and healing. I don’t feel as though his past is acknowledged enough. He’s routinely referred to as a whore, but it’s obvious to everyone involved that he is an unwilling participant and it’s never addressed past a surface level. Honestly, I preferred Gideon to Rune. Rune seems so quick to discard Gideon as an actual flawed person, instead of someone who has a lot of history influencing his decisions. I get he’s murdering your fellow witches, but he’s following orders and YOU CAN FIX HIM.

There’s a bit of a love triangle going on which, you know I LOVE a triangle, but sadly not everyone was pulling their weight. For me, the romance moved too quickly to be called a “slow burn”. Although I was absolutely rooting for it, I wish they had dragged it out more. SLOWER. BURN. As a result, the chemistry between the two characters fell short for me. The descriptions boast a steamy romance but instead it remains vague enough that I was really confused what was happening during the “steam”. This might speak more to the YAs reading YA books, instead of the 30 something-year-olds.

Considering everything that happened in this book, I genuinely look forward to the next in the series. I think there was a lot of good foundation work here and I look forward to seeing it used in the sequel.

Heartless Hunter is out February 20, 2024.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is easily the best book I've read all year. And one of those books we the Fourth Wing. I cannot wait to see more from this author. This is my first book by Kristen Ciccarelli and I'm HOOKED. I cannot wait to read the next book. Rune is everything I ever needed in a FMC. Strong, smart and witty as hell. Gideon is strong, smart and just a little unstable but who isn't. I've never read a book where magic is used like this and I kind of absolutely love it!
10/5 highly recommend this book

Fast-paced, thrilling, and suspenseful. I couldn’t stop reading! Now I need the next book.

Rune Winters is a witch who is hiding in a world where witches are hunted and purged. Gideon Sharpe, the witch hunter who is searching for the elusive Crimson Moth. The Moth is rescuing witches who have been captured. These two characters intersect, and nothing is the same. The tension between these two characters, the thrill of trying to outwit each other, makes the novel amazing.

Kristen Ciccarelli created a world like none other. She weaved a complicated story of survival with a little romance. I loved the dual point of view. It made the characters more intriguing. She is an amazing storyteller.

I highly recommend this book. Pre-order today! This book will be published on February 20th. Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and the author for the e-ARC.

I was very excited to read this book and wasn’t disappointed! If I could I’d rate this book somewhere around a 3.5 or 3.75. I absolutely loved Rune, the FMC, and her closest friends. Her best friend Alex has my heart. Such a supportive bunch and I’m a sucker for a found family trope.

Speaking of tropes, if you’re a fan of love triangles and enemies-to-lovers then this book is right up your alley (in many ways it reminded me of Powerless by Lauren Roberts, so if you enjoyed that book I think you’d like this one, too!).

I couldn’t give this book 5 stars though because I found myself unable to understand what was driving the characters - particularly in regards to the MMC (Gideon), but there were a couple of points I felt that way toward Rune as well. Things the MCs would do didn’t align with how ‘clever’ they were supposed to be, like suddenly falling into really obvious traps. And given how much their trauma and triggers is what propels the story, the justifications for some of their actions (especially Gideon’s, imo) felt…off. Or as if the severity and how that would impact even small decisions a person makes isn’t fully acknowledged. I’m hoping the information shared in the next book(s) make some of these choices make more sense for the characters.

The other thing for me personally was not totally understanding how the magic worked. At one point a strong spell influencing one of the characters is seemingly forgotten about, with no explanation or further acknowledgement of it. I’m hoping how the magic system works is explained a bit deeper in the next books.

That said, by the end of the book I was invested in the characters and will definitely be picking up the next book when it comes out. I’m excited to learn more about the new characters and their backstories, and would love to see more povs as the story continues!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy.

The fact that I now have to wait for the sequel is actually criminal. I need it now!

I loved every second of this. It's pure enemies to lovers, witch vs. witch-hunter. This was a slow burn full of espionage, and it hooked me so hard. Seriously, read this!

Wow! I am so conflicted on my feelings towards this book! I have sat with it for about a week and I still haven't figured it out. On the one hand, I love this book. I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved where things are heading. On the other hand, the thing that I feel conflicted on is the theme of sexual trauma and the further perpetration of that trauma.

We'll start with what I loved:

- I loved the romance in this book. This was enemies-to-lovers at it's finest! So many books claim to be enemies to lovers but then the characters instantly change their perspectives with no real development. But this was great! They remained enemies for most, if not all of the book. The stakes were high. The tension was there. They both tried to fight and deny their feelings. This element of the book with what made it so strong overall. I'm so excited to see what book 2 has in store for Rune and Gideon!
- The overall story. This was fast paced, tense, and intriguing. I was so hooked that I read this book in 2 days. I needed to know what was going to happen next and how things would unfold.
- The high stakes nature. I love when fantasy books kill off characters. It makes the threat seem real!
- The magic system. It as different and unique, something that is increasingly hard to do in fantasy reads.
- That ending! Holy smokes, I need book 2 and can't wait to see what happens next!

What I struggled with:

- As mentioned, there is a plot thread that I struggle with in this book. I struggle with the reality that one of the main characters, whose backstory shows he is a victim of rape, then uses sex as a weapon/tool (though not forcibly) against someone who he considers a potential enemy. While cognitively, I recognize that this is a reality. Victims of SA handle trauma and sexuality in a number of ways. And I also recognize that both characters willingly engaged in sex, actively wanted it, and that the inspection of the character's body was really a secondary motivation/an excuse the MMC needed to use to feel ok with sleeping with her. Still, something about this plot thread, how much emphasis there was throughout the book, the pressuring from his friend, just rubbed me the wrong way a bit. Maybe it was the lack of the MMC's cognizance of how, if he had found something damning, he would have been just as guilty of using sex as violence. As I read parts surrounding this theme, I had to actively rationalize through things with myself and examine my discomfort, which then took me out of the story.
- I also wanted to see both Gideon and Rune come to better terms with the world they live in. I'm assuming that will come in book 2, but I wanted Gideon to have at least some minor shred of compassion for the witches and I wanted Rune to realize some element of privilege that she had prior to the rebellion.

Overall, as mentioned several times, I feel so conflicted on this book. I loved so much about it but there were real and serious themes that I felt needed a little more gravitas or handled a little more delicately, though I don't know that it was enough to fully detract from the book for me. All that being said, I am a Fairyloot subscriber and do intend to get the special edition. So take that as you will....

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

What happens when a witch and witch hunter are attempting to woo each other in order to spy and find out information from each other?
Rune is a witch in disguise, she’s also a vigilante whose purpose is to save other witches from being purged by the ruthless witch hunters who goes by the persona of the Crimson Moth.
Gideon is one of those witch hunters, one of the most famous and ruthless, the one who brought down the monarchy of witches to begin with after being a slave for one of the queens. He has been hunting the Crimson Moth for two years and he has never gotten closer to finding the identity of this elusive witch.
After getting a tip from one of his informants, Gideon starts to suspect Rune of being involved with the Crimson Moth and comes up with a plan to court her to get close enough to find out her secrets. Rune is trying to find a witch that was recently captured and since Gideon is the captain, what better person to get close to in order to figure out how to break her out before she’s killed? But getting closer turns into something they never expected….

This was soooooo good!!! I’m so in love with their dynamic and the push and pull of it! I loved their chemistry together, I loved the angst, the deception, the feelings, everything about them. They’re both morally grey and loved the enemies to lovers theme. The magic in this was so cool and anything having to do with witches I’m always down for. The only thing I hated about reading this ARC is I’m going to have to wait for book 2 to come out even longer now!!! 4.75/5 stars

Enemies to lovers. If you like enemies to lovers read this book, enough said get it now or regret it later. There are little things in enemies to lovers I adore: the banter, the pining, the little nods of affection even in the midst of outrage; it's painfully addictive. This book gave me everything I could ask for and had me giggling. Gideon and Rune were both smart and matched each other perfectly.

In general in this book I loved the characters. It had well established background characters with dynamic backstories that have their own personal reasons and connections to the witches. I adored how the author, Kristen Ciccarelli, makes this world believable by talking about societal issues (either you are for witches or you are against), the talk of difference of classes, and making every person that she writes believable.

The magic system is unique, nothing too fancy, but understandable. I love how Ciccarelli allows the main character Rune to use her knowledge about the magic system in clever ways as well. Ciccarelli even organically adds more context about this magic system as we need it rather than forcing it all on us in the beginning where we can be left confused, the timing was masterful.

Oftentimes when it comes to books that I read that are fantasies I am very judgmental just because there are so many good fantasies out there, but this book took me for a loop and I truly loved it. Even with getting an advanced copy I know I will go out of my way to buy a physical copy just to say I have it on myself (it was that good). I am more than excited to read the next book in this new series.

Thank you to author Kristen Ciccarelli and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of “Heartless Hunter” for an honest review.

Rating: 4 ⭐️
Spice: 2 🌶️

Thank you again to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

💭 BOOK THOUGHTS: This book was gripping and fast paced, (although maybe a little too fast paced at times because all the action seems to take place over the course of just a few weeks). There was a good amount of unique world building. The plot was full of intrigue, hidden identities and good character development. I wanted to keep reading and it always kept me thinking/on my toes with the twists. The romance was full of tension, but it wasn’t too steamy so as to detract from the story. This one ends on a perfect cliffhanger that left me with grabby hands for the next book!

READ IF YOU LOVE:
• Enemies to lovers
• Witch/Witch hunter
• Political intrigue
• Plot twists

A thousand stars. Ten thousand stars. A billion stars in the shape of Rune, Gideon, and Alex.

It takes so much for me to rate a book five stars.

It takes characters who feel real. Who are motivated but flawed. Who I love so passionately I actually gasped when good or bad things happened to them. It takes Rune — who I want to be best friends with. Alex — who I want to protect. Gideon — who I want to storm the castle with.

It takes a fire cracker plot. Mix together my love of high society with the alluring mystery of witches and witch hunting and you get something I was unable to put down.

It takes twists I only saw coming right before they smashed into me like a train. Twists that have me running to reread scenes and pages over and over.

It takes a hell of a romance. In this book, two. Sweet and spicy. Light and dark. I honestly don’t even know which romantic lead I was rooting for most.

It takes stellar writing. Beautiful prose that didn’t weight down the action. Fight scenes that I couldn’t devour quick enough.

It takes an ending that leaves me desperately longing for the next chapter. It takes a conflict that isn’t one sided — both sides are right. Both are wrong.

This book is going to live in my mind rent free for a long long time.