Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I am giving my rating based on my own personal opinion and not that of any other party.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Book 2 was even better than book one. I love the chemistry between Gideon & Rune. I'm going to miss them so much. The Crimson Moth series is a a set you should read.

It was a great follow-up to the first book and a great conclusion. This felt more like a YA novel than the first one. I appreciated how the story unfolded and the author's ability to keep us engaged throughout the book.

this was such a good follow up to heartless hunter. I loved how they concluded this duology.
I loved the romance, and witchy and magical elements.
there was always something happening throughout the book that kept your attention.
this book was so far from boring and I’m so sad this duo is done.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for this copy of Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli. Rebel Witch is a perfect conclusion to the Crimson Moth Duology.

I thought I loved the first book, this one was absolutely phenomenal! I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. Rune and Gideon are amazing. I could not get enough of their enemies to lovers dynamic. The pacing had me hooked from start to finish. This duology is definitely a top romantasy series for me, in large part because of how great Rebel Witch stuck the landing, so to speak. Delivering a satisfying conclusion is by no means an easy feat, but Kristen Ciccarelli absolutely delivered! The high stakes made me absolutely unable to put this book down.

I can't say it enough times, I highly recommend this duology! You have to read both books for this one to makes sense, but I promise you that you'll be happy to read both if you enjoy brilliant chemistry in a fast-paced enemies to lovers romantasy!

3.5 ⭐️

i didn’t love this book quite as much as the first book, but i think it was a good continuation and conclusion to this series!

i would also note, this is not a YA book… there’s one spicy scene and i personally don’t believe spice belongs in YA books

What an epic ending to Rune and Gideon's story.

“The problem with love is the more you try to destroy it, the stronger it becomes.”
Yeah, tell me about it. This book had me pacing my living room like I was the third wheel in Rune and Gideon’s mess of a love story.

This duology? Iconic. Heartless Hunter was all chase, danger, and “catch me if you can.” Book two said, “Cool, now let’s emotionally ruin you.” And it delivered. Torture—but like… the good kind.

The slow burn? More like a slow incineration. Rune and Gideon gave us yearning, betrayal, heartbreak, and enough proximity tension to power an entire city grid. Forget spice—you don’t need it when two people are practically combusting just by existing in the same room. Their love story is essentially a narrative of foreplay in prose.

Rune? Absolute queen. She’s got that ride-or-die energy, burning herself out to light up everyone else’s path. Fierce, loyal, dangerously selfless. And Gideon—oh, honey. Mr. “Duty First,” who keeps trying to be logical while his heart is busy writing love letters to Rune in ALL CAPS. Sworn soldier, lovesick fool. My type.

“If this was weakness, he wanted to be weak. If this was sin, let him be damned.”
Sir. You’re done. Stick a fork in you.

Now, let’s address the dragon in the room: miscommunication. This book was serving “half-truths, missed chances, tragic misunderstandings” like it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. I get it—we need tension. But by the fourth round of if only they talked, I was side-eyeing my Kindle like, “Besties, y’all ever heard of open communication?”

But even with that trope dragging its feet, the writing stayed lush, the angst stayed premium-grade, and the emotional gut-punches kept coming. This wasn’t just a conclusion; it was a full-bodied, rip-your-heart-out, earned ending. Rune and Gideon didn’t just make me root for them—I felt every damn word.

Love like this? Tougher than steel, messier than war, and impossible to control. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Felt like different characters and writing compared to book 1. Not the cat and mouse story I was expecting but enjoyable nonetheless.

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli is a spellbinding YA fantasy that completely swept me away with its lush world-building and fierce heroine. I loved how the story wove magic, rebellion, and romance into something both fast-paced and emotionally rich. The writing felt atmospheric and immersive, pulling me into every scene. While I wished for a bit more depth in some side characters, overall it was an addictive and empowering read that I didn’t want to put down.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for a gifted advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own. #smpinfluencers

What a great conclusion to the series. I was worried when things weren’t resolved in the last hour or so of the book, but so much happens in so little time! Overall, a great enemies to lovers story in my opinion.

Can’t wait to read what the author writes next!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted eARC, I ended up borrowing the finished ebook from KU. I own the audio but I focused in on the ebook this go around.

Synopsis: a witch and her hunter team up to betray each other at every turn

Read this for:
- second book in duology
- witches and witch hunters
- enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers
- betrayal
- hidden royalty
- fake marriage

My thoughts: I binge read Heartless Hunter in a single sitting last year and was super excited for this book and then just didn’t pick it up? It came out the day before my birthday and I think my brain was in birthday mode not read it now mode. But I finished it in 2.5 days and had fun reading it. I loved Rune and Gideon in Heartless Hunters and I loved the dynamic changes they go through because of their history. This is one of the true enemies to lovers stories out there and I am here for it.

Highly recommend for a complete duology!

This book was a fantastic conclusion to the duology. Book 1 ends with high stakes and somehow Rebel Witch just kept raising them! We are dropped right back into the simmering tension between Gabriel and Rune and I was hooked all the way through, rooting for them to find a way to be together despite all the obstacles. Between the high stakes and sizzling romance I absolutely devoured this book! If you're looking for a compulsively bingeable romantasy series this is one to pick up for sure.

I love this book. Great ending to this universe and ties well with the plot and storylines from the first book.
I love these characters and I’ll miss this universe :(

I loved everything about this duology! Did I love this one as much as the first, No! But do I feel it was the perfect way to wrap up the books, Yes!

This series is the true definition of enemies to lovers! With mouthwatering tension that had you flipping the page begging for more.

What to expect
Enemies to lovers
Forced Proximity
One bed
Slow burn

I loved everything about this duology and need more books from Kristin immediately!

This is the second book in a series, The Crimson Moth. A witch vs a witch hunter. I'm all in on fantasy books this year and I loved Rune and Gideon. I didn't read the first book until after I read this one however, I think it stands on its own.

Thank you @prhaudio for the audiobook!

I adore this duology so much. The audiobook narrator is fantastic! She does a great job with the narration for both books.

My only reason for rating it 4 stars is there were times where I wasn’t super invested in the story anymore. I think we have a wonderful romance storyline, great villain, but the story seemed to drag on? Like this book felt much longer than Heartless Hunter and while it is actually longer, I mean that I ripped through HH, but this FELT like it was dragging.

But the ending of the duology is just perfect. I love Gideon and Rune so much. This was a great enemies to lovers especially when it felt like enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers. Like 5x? The torture we were put through between these two.

I also wanted to know more about the side characters. I felt like I was supposed to know more about them and we only got glimpses. I had a hard time remembering who everyone was because I wasn’t getting to know them well enough.

Overall, a wonderful duology with a great romance between a witch and witch hunter!!

I loved this one! I'm so sad it was a duology and not a full series! I need so much more of this storyline!

Rebel Witch is a solid sequel with strong world-building, but it ultimately fell short for me. While the setting is rich and immersive, the plot felt slow-paced and dragged in places. Many of the twists were easy to see coming, which took away some of the excitement. This book is categorized as Young Adult, and I imagine I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read it as a teen.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book.

Heartless Hunter was one of my favorite books I read in 2024 so I was beyond excited to get a second installment in this series!

While the pacing was a bit slow at times and the yearning a bit repetitive, I thoroughly enjoyed just being with these characters for every moment. Kristen knows how to write a true enemies to lovers and Rebel Witch just confirmed that for me. Rune and Gideon's banter is everything and I ate this story up! I also really enjoyed the atmosphere she created while we followed these characters out to sea on a ship!

Rebel Witch was a very solid conclusion to the duology and I would definitely recommend it to any fantasy reader!

while I didn’t love this one AS MUCH as the first book, I’m fully obsessed with rune and gideon and their quest to rebuild their world 🥹 will fully never be over this duology!!

picking up almost immediately where HEARTLESS HUNTER left off, rune is on the run with her fellow witches after being outed to the public by gideon, her once lover and notorious witch hunter… but they clearly are still in love with each other so cue the pining and hatred for about half the book 😤

for a sequel, I wanted far more action than what was delivered - especially after the cliffhangers and plot twists of the first book! however, I loved delving deeper into the lives of the side characters like harrow, lalia, seraphine, and all the other witches!

and y’all know I love to hate a good baddie and boy was cressida it! she gives all of the amarantha vibes (if she survived past one book and actually did some damage) & I was here for her ruthless quest to retake the world!

this was truly a political book at its core, and the conversations about wanting democracy and peace was SO relevant in today’s society 🖤 I just love when fantasy books are more relatable than anything else

for a slow burn plot, the ending was SUPER rushed - I kept checking to see how many pages were left in the book because I kept thinking there’s no way everything can get wrapped up in this short of time…

I’m so glad the author chose a duology as this format because rune and gideon’s story deserved to have a HEA and a full circle moment (without removing any characterization)

thank you wednesday and st martin’s press for the gifted copy!!

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: new zealand pinot noir