This book has been everywhere and for good reason. In this book we follow witches and witch hunters who fall in love with each other. I know we have all heard this premise many times but this one is different. The main character is B.A. and I was rooting for her the entire time. This book is one that you can go in blind with knowing that basic information and fall in love with it. Of course the story leaves off on a cliff hanger and I am anxiously awaiting the second book, but I will gladly reread this book in preparation for book two.

5 stars.

A new romantasy favorite!
Wow! I loved this one so much! I loved the new twist on fantasy!
We really get to know all of the characters well & the story overall really kept my attention. The love triangle was stressful but in a good way!

Fierce characters, forbidden love, and plenty of tension. I ate this book up! Perfect for readers who love enemies to lovers, high stakes fantasy and a gritty intense storyline.

4.75 stars.

What an adventure! I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were so well developed; I feel I know them. The mystery was there and the tension kept going up; I just needed to get to the end! Great job!
*
I took out a .25 because I couldn't grasp the clothing in this world; it's me being nit-picky but I could imagine the world perfectly until the dress code made me confused, and I had to stop and wonder. :) Except for that, I'd recommend this book for anyone loving witches, secret identities, enemies to lovers, and even a nicely done love triangle.

****Thank you, Kristen Ciccarelli, NetGalley, and Wednesday Books for the e-ARC. **

3.75 stars

While I didn’t think this book was perfect, there were still a lot of elements about it that I enjoyed. For me, the world of this book was the strongest part. While there wasn’t a ton of worldbuilding and we’re still left with a lot of questions, the setup of the magic system and the stakes were compelling and was the main thing that kept me interested to see what happened next.

I also really liked Rune herself as well as the bonds she had with Verity and Alex. Rune especially I thought was a really well-rounded character, and while there were some inconsistencies with how we’re meant to perceive her, I still was rooting for her and was invested in her success.

For me, the main area this book struggled was in developing the romance. This was a romance that felt like it was almost entirely founded on lust, and even though the book tried to tell me that they were attached to one another for other reasons, I just never bought into it. While Gideon's Tragic Backstory™ gave him enough to be distinct from Every Other YA Love Interest, I just never understood why Rune was attracted to him outside of him just being large and muscular. While he would occasionally do sweet things, they’re done with Rune’s commentary that they’re most likely just actions taken to endear him to her so he can continue sussing out whether she’s a witch, so it didn’t make sense to me why she would take it as a reason to care for him. On Gideon’s end, most of the time Rune is around him she’s having to pretend to be a shallow, spoiled rich girl, which he says himself early on doesn’t appeal to him. Even though we know that it’s just an act on Rune’s part, I never saw enough evidence that Gideon was given reason to see through the facade enough to fall in love with the actual girl underneath. All of this is on top of the fact that to each other they're both either a definitive or potential representation of everything they stand against, so the power of sexual attraction really must be incredibly compelling for all of those things to be pushed to the side so they can fall in love.

I’d probably be interested in reading the next book in the series to see how things unfold for the characters, but I think this book is going to have a hard time ever winning me over to the romance aspect of it.

Update: I have this book another shot in physical form and it was a way better experience! So I amended my rating. While o still have the same criticism as before, I was able to look past it and enjoy the actual story and find value it various parts of the book. Some more new thoughts to come.

Hmm. I don’t quite know where to begin as I hate giving a negative review when I was given an ARC of the title. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read the book in exchanged for my honest review.

The premise by itself is great. It makes you want to read the book and it isn’t indeed a good description of the book. It does display every type of trope there is it seems so from that stand point it should be a quick and predictable read.
However, you are left feeling really uncomfortable. Trigger warning for SA victims….

It’s one thing to explore bad things in a different way but when those bad things aren’t denounced in any meaningful way the reader is left feeling just bad. So much so that I wanted to DNF the book but I pushed through due to wanting to write an honest full review.

I’m also confused as to how this is classified as a Young Adult novel. The amount of trigger warnings this title needs marketing to a YA audience just seems irresponsible. I certainly won’t continue with the series if more are written. While fantasy is a place where you can truly escape reality , situations should also make sense and the reactions don’t seem plausible. IE: Gideons reaction to his past.

I really wish I could have lived this book as it has everything on the surface that I love. It’s just the execution that was lacking coupled with some troubling messages….

How beautifully written was this? An incredible weaving of romance and tension and hunter meets hunted. And who doesn’t love when a love triangle is ACTUALLY resolved (even if it’s not how you’d want)? I cannot wait to see where this series goes, and will be on the edge of my seat to read the next.

Such a fresh magical fantasy! All the romance aspects I need and such great tension between to the two lead characters. And that ending??? What a cliff. I need book book immediately!

Heartless Hunter is an addictive whirlwind of romance, danger, and emotional intensity! Kristen Ciccarelli weaves a richly detailed world filled with unforgettable characters and high-stakes tension. At its core is an electric enemies-to-lovers romance between a fierce bounty hunter and the elusive target she never expected to care for. Their chemistry crackles with every encounter, making each moment feel equal parts exhilarating and heart-wrenching. This book is a perfect read for anyone who loves swoony romance wrapped in danger and daring!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

It's difficult to live your life as the darling of your city's leaders knowing the only reason they admire you is because you reported your only family as a witch to be killed. It's even more difficult when you discover that you're a witch yourself and have to go into hiding. And despite the witch hunters loyal to the revolution getting closer to catching her every day, Rune Winters continues to strike back against the revolution in every way that she can. So in public, she is the vapid, silly socialite the world expects her to be, throwing parties and flirting with lords. But in the darkness of the night, Rune takes on the mantle of the Crimson Moth: a vigilante who tracks down witches who have been captured before they are killed and releases them, sending them on their way to freedom in a new city. And now, her most difficult task to date is set out before her, and her greatest enemy may just be the only person who can get her what she needs.

Gideon Sharpe is, for all the world to see, the most loyal of the revolution's soldiers, and more than that, his aim is to catch and put down the Crimson Moth no matter what it takes. And when clues point toward the Moth using Rune Winters' resources to set free witches, he realizes he may just have to go under cover to see what the silly socialite who has always frustrated him might be hiding.

What neither of them expects in their matching quests to fool and use one another is to fall in love with their greatest enemy. With pressure from the city's new leaders weighing ever harder on the necks of the witches in hiding and the desire they both feel to reach their goals, will either of them succeed? And if they do, what will it do to the feelings blossoming between them, and what will they risk and lose along the way, especially as a greater evil seems to loom in the background?

my thoughts? ⬇️

It has been such a long time since I've felt as sucked into a YA romantasy as I was with Heartless Hunter. Ciccarelli's writing was witty and beautiful and easy to read, her characters and their motivations were all beautifully fleshed out and their decisions just made sense in a way I don't feel happens often in the fantasy genre. Not to mention, the twists and turns near the climax and end of the story were heart wrenching and so fun to read. I don't have a single complaint and I don't think it could be possible for me to love Heartless Hunter, the world, or these characters more,

I laughed, I raged, I giggled and kicked my feet, and I sobbed uncontrollably...and really, what more could you ask for? Highly, highly recommend.

trigger warnings ⬇️

These all may appear in varying degrees, but I feel that it's always important to be aware of what you may be walking into.

genocide, war, murder, blood, use/mention of menstrual blood, death, violence, gun violence, torture, body horror, injury/injury detail, fire/fire injury, police brutality, gore, self harm (for magic use), death of a parent, death of a loved one, death of a child, child abuse, grief, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, domestic abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse (in the past, but a large part of the story), sexual assault, suicidal ideation, suicide, classism, xenophobia, slavery, drug abuse, addiction, hate crimes, alcohol use, alcoholism, confinement, gaslighting, bullying, sexism, misogyny, body shaming.

First of all, let’s talk about this book cover!🔥 It’s stunning!! I need this on my bookshelf. Next, the story, this witchy read gives all the fall vibes. There’s danger, angst, love, hate, mystery, sorrow, & all the emotions that make up a great book. Rune is a badass! She forges into the fire, fearlessly willing to right the wrongs in her life. Witches are being persecuted left and right and she will stop at nothing to rescue them from the purge. Gideon is determined to see every last witch purged to their death. He has firsthand experience of how dangerous a witch can be. He’s determined to protect the citizens of the New Republic. And he will catch the Crimson Moth, the vigilante responsible for thwarting his attempts at capturing every last witch. Both Rune & Gideon on opposite sides, each believing their cause is noble. But what happens when they collide? Can they get close enough to gather important intel from each other, without getting their hearts involved? This is a 5 star read and the 2nd in the series cannot come close enough! Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, & Kristen Ciccarelli for this eARC.

I love cat-and-mouse stories that are a game of wits, and this was written so well! I can't wait for the next installment! I need to read it now.

Wow! I was not expecting that at all! I loved every second of it! So much pain and love excruciatingly beautiful. I'm excited to jump into book 2.

My track record with Ciccarelli’s books has been a bit hit or miss lately, as I loved the Last Namsara trilogy, but didn’t enjoy Edgewood at all. The Crimson Moth or Heartless Hunter didn’t seem like it would lean one way or the other since the premise was extremely different from her previous works. In the end, I went in with lots of hope and excitement, especially after seeing some positive reviews online!

Overall, I liked aspects of this book but I don’t think I loved it. It had some strong features, especially in some characters and how attached I became to them. I liked Rune and her motivations, how loyal she was to her cause, and how her actions in the past seemed to drive her heavily. I also really liked Gideon, and the nuance he and his story seemed to add to the main struggle in the book. His brother was also a great character, and I enjoyed his friendship with Rune immensely.


However, for most of the book, the plot, and setting felt a bit generic, and like something I’d read quite a few times before in YA fantasy. There wasn’t a lot to make it stand out at first. This changed with the ending, and I do like where the story was left off because of everything that happened! I also had trouble with the romance for most of the book, not due to any lack of chemistry or passion between Rune and Gideon, but for other plot reasons that I won’t explain fully due to spoilers. I do think this latter issue won’t really trouble me in the sequel though, so hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy the romance more then!

In the end, I did enjoy my time with this story and I do like where the series seems to be heading, so I’ll anxiously be awaiting the sequel until it releases!

Title: Heartless Hunter
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: own book but also have an eARC
Series: Crimson Moth (#1)
Star Rating: 4.5 stars

tw: murder, parental death, shipwreck, executions, carving of skin, blood, family, betrayal, self-harm, injury, stabbing, drug use, branding, child abuse, gun violence, gunshot injury

A special thank you goes to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

Where do I even begin with this book? I had no idea what kind of book I was getting into but I heard a lot of positive things about it. I had a physical copy from Book of the Month and I was approved for an ARC of this from Netgalley so I figured why not knock it out. I am so glad that I read it because it is up there as one of my favorite books of the year.

I can't even describe to you all how good this book was! The main characters, Gideon and Rune, were so complex. Things that would normally bother me in a book like miscommunication and Gideon himself, didn’t bother me. They were done so well. I should explain what I mean by Gideon bothering me. Without going into too much detail, Gideon is a witch hunter and so he hates witches. Normally, this kind of thing would have driven me nuts but for some reason, I did not mind it with Gideon. Probably because my heart hurt for him. You quickly realize, as you read the book, that Gideon is a very broken man.

The enemies to lovers trope was real in this book and the tension between Rune and Gideo was intense! I lived for every single moment those two had together. They could pretend to hate each other all they wanted but I wasn’t buying it. I knew deep down they were made for each other. There was one scene that made me kick my feet like a little girl and just giggle. I can’t wait for more of those two. I need my happily ever after involving them.

Overall, this book was fantastic! This book brought up a lot of good discussion points like what truly would you do for your family. What side is truly right and what side is wrong? I am so excited for the second book. I hope I get the ending I am dying for. I need my ship to work out. 2025 cannot come soon enough.

A very intriguing YA fantasy about witches and their hunters. It is pretty fast paced and holds attention well. I would have loved to read this when I was younger! Fantastic start to a new series.

I want to thank Netgalley & St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book.

Captivating romantasy about a witch hiding in plain sight. The characters are each well-developed and the story kept me wanting more. For real, cuz book 2 isn’t published yet.

This was an enjoyable story about the witch trying to outsmart the witch-hunter. In this tale (very loosely) inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Rune is living a double life as a ditzy socialite by day and a daring witch rescuer at night. She tries to get close to the witch-hunter Gideon in order to get information to save a recently captured witch, but in doing so finds herself in over her head. Fair warning, there is a lot of talk about period blood (used to cast spells) so if that makes you uncomfortable, this book is not for you! Aside from that, the story did keep my interest and I'm looking forward to book 2 coming out next year.

I just could not get into this book. The main character's actions did not feel organic, and I could not connect to the setting. It was probably a personal preference, and others will probably love this book. But it was not for me.

I really loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Rune and gileon are well designed characters and were brought to life in the story. The plot itself was full of twists and turns, most hard to see coming. The fantasy theme was really likable for the most part.

The only downside was the author brought up the main character using her period blood way too much. She didn’t need to go into deep details every time it was brought up unneccasrily repetitive. She also left out facts until later in the story that should have been brought up earlier in the story. It seemed like an afterthought and tookaway from the importance of it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. All thoughts and feelings are my own.