Rebel Witch picks up a few months after the end of the first book, and we are immediately thrown back into captivating action and tension with Gideon and Rune. I love the dynamic between these two so much. They are peak enemies to lovers in that they actually want to, and try to, kill each other. The second book does have quiet a few more trope-y parts to their relationship, but I felt like these were incorporated well with the stories and weren’t just thrown in there to be in there. I was on the edge of my seat nearly the entire time I was reading this, and was shook at the ending. Both books in this series were five stars for me!

Having loved Heartless Hunter, I was thrilled to receive an eARC for Rebel Witch. This book picked right up where Heartless Hunter left off and it was the perfect conclusion.

I was immediately drawn right back into the world of Rune Winters, and I enjoyed seeing more of it as her and Gideon traveled throughout.

I liked the multi-faceted rebellion against Cressida and the coming together of groups of people who had been so sworn against one another.

My love for Rune and Gideon did not falter. The enemies to (again) lovers gripped me and I was so happy to see them end up together.

The ending felt whole and well written, with no unanswered questions or leaving me wanting.

This is a world I will miss but will surely revisit!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my review.

Such a fun romantasy duology! Both books are fast-paced and easy to follow along. Definitely recommend this series if you want to dip your toes into romantasy.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

As much as I enjoyed book 1, I think book 2 is even better! The tension and banter is so delicious 🤤 this was a wild af ride and I devoured this! The ending was complete perfection!

My first publisher wish granted??? I have to start by saying that I was absolutely gutted that I couldn’t request this ARC as Heartless Hunter was absolutely one of my favourite reads last year and I legit recommended it to everyone! So I want to take the extra time to thank the publisher for granting my wish and allowing me to read this ARC.

I absolutely fell in love with Rune and the world building/magic system in the previous book and this absolutely did not disappoint in any way. I LOVED reading about Rune in Gideon in this sequel that was filled with suspension, tension and high stakes. Sequels have really been disappointing for me the last year so I’m so happy this was just as magical (pun fully intended) as the first book. The way in which the author creates romantic tension between these two mortal enemies is just so divine and watching Gideon slowly come around was so well done. This book had just the right amount of spice in it and I really appreciate an author that can write so much chemistry between two characters that it almost jumps off the page. I really liked how this book covered all the plot points established, wrapped them up nicely and left no loose ends. My sole criticism is that I WISH THERE WAS MORE TO READ 😭. I’m legit just so in love with this magic world and find it so unique. I would love to see another novel take place in this world or even a prequel book because I just want so much more time.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “Rebel Witch” will be published February 18, 2025.

I really enjoyed this book, but was also frustrated at times. I definitely liked the first book better.

This book was frustrating because of the lack of communication throughout and the fact that their thoughts were repeated multiple times within paragraphs of each other - it felt like trying to meet the word quota in your essay.

Overall, the story had me interested though. I love Rune and Gideon as characters and the story was fast paced. :)

I absolutely devoured this in less than a day! Rune is one of my favorite heroines ever! I can’t wait to see what Kristen Ciccarelli writes next!

Where do I even begin? I was so excited to read the sequel to Heartless Hunter and it did not disappoint. It kept the same vibes of enemies to lovers that the first book had, with the characters constantly fighting and loving eachother and never knowing if they could trust eachother or not, if their love was real or not. The betrayal trope is huge here. I loved the magical elements, and the surprise twists that popped up along the way. The romance was sooooooo good and the ending gahhhhh. I read this in a day, I couldn't put it down. I'll now go buy every edition I can get my hands on.

Thank you, for the ARC! I’ve been waiting for this one ever since getting an ARC for The Crimson Moth over a year ago!! All I gotta say is… FINALLY. I couldn’t stop turning the pages… The pace had picked up SO much from Book #1, which was the only issue I had with it. So The Rebel Witch was perfect in my eyes. Yes, it’s a bit cliché at times but YA is gonna YA and I don’t see that as a flaw. Keep in mind, this is YA/NA and you’ll be golden. This was more romantic than any open door romance I’ve read recently. The yearning?! Holy moly. My heart was skipping beats. This was the perfect ending to an amazing duet!!

What an action packed ending to one of the most addictive duologies I have ever read! I had been waiting and wishing for an early copy of this book and THANK YOUUUU PUBLISHER because I was BLESSED. The INTENSITY and the PASSION, ugh and the PINING and YEARNING too. Rebel Witch was everything I wanted and more.

This book has me torn in a lot of ways on how to rate it. I went with a neutral amount of stars, this book had some really amazing and epic moments, but there were also completely irritating and eye roll worthy moments as well. I liked the characters, I finished this book in a good amount of time, so there are positives there. The storyline was kind of what was to be expected, but it still was good at times. There were times the book flew, and then the last chunk of the book really annoyed me! The characters were there, but the storyline took turns that were not well explained or thought out. Without trying to have any spoilers, we have seen the process, learned the magic, found bits and pieces of the history all throughout these past two books, yet we land on something random in the end to help it all resolve the way the author wanted. It felt like no one knew how to end the book, and they agreed enough on this ending. I'm frustrated with the book because it could have been something magical and epic, but I'm left with poor planning and storytelling that did not meet the goals at hand.
Overall the story completed itself, I did finish the book, but not sure if I would recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting my wish on NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

** NOTE: I started reading the ARC through CH 16, and then was able to locate the fully published book in stores the next day, so I completed my reading with the physical final copy. **

4.25 stars. I enjoyed this book a lot. The character development was excellent, since, when we start the book, they still very much hate each other after the events of Crimson Moth, and where we find them at the end is very different from where we start out... not just the main characters either but the supporting cast as well, which I loved. There was also a lot more world-building in this 2nd book, as well as backstory to help the reader better understand the storyline and whats going on, and the plot continues to keep the reader on their toes and guessing whats going to happen. A lot of the time I can figure out how a book will end, but I didn't put all the pieces together until I actually reached the end in this book, which was thrilling.

However, I felt the pacing was maybe a little off? Or maybe it was just a LOT to squeeze into 2 books. The middle part of the story wasn't boring at all, and things were certainly happening to move the plot forward, but the ending felt a bit rushed. Everything kind of comes to a head in the last 20 pages out of ~450, and I wish the final standoff was drawn out a bit more, so there was more suspense going into it. I also felt like there were important parts that we learn during the course of the story (such as the backstory of the Roseblood family, and about the Ancients and their acolytes), that we only graze at a surface level, and I wish there was time to go deeper. Like, I really want to better understand Rune's backstory, which we get a bit more of here, and its certainly integral to the plot, but it's kind of mentioned briefly once and I didn't fully understand why a certain decision was made.

Overall, this is still an excellent book that I definitely recommend!

This is the much awaited sequel to Heartless Hunter. The plot is definitely action packed. It starts up a few months after the ending of Heartless Hunter. Rune and Gideon’s interactions keep the narrative with tension and emotion. The pacing moves quickly and kept me engaged throughout the whole read. While the characters are forced to make tough decisions and trust each other. This leads them to figuring out the one true enemy.

Rebel Witch was such a great follow up to Heartless Hunter. We knew where this story was going, but the fun was in getting there!

I was a huge fan of Heartless Hunter, I gave it 5 stars. Which is was makes this sequel so disappointing to me. This wasn't what I wanted from the continuation of Rune's story.

The book was full of romance tropes, the characters had plot armour so there were no stakes. it read at times like titanic fan fiction. nothing about this book was satisfying. The characters lot anything about them and became boring cardboard cutouts.

**Spoilers**
So sorry I'm going to rant here. it comes from a place of loving the world and characters book one created.

I wish we had seen Rune being convinced to work with Cress. I wish there was turmoil there, about if she could see her friend in this person that she knows did terrible things to Gideon. I wish instead of just straight up physical attraction Gideon and Rune missed each other because of who they were, and what they meant to each other.

Rune lost everything she was from book one. What happened to the Crimson Moth? This brave brilliant girl that could out run the bloodguard while saving witches. Where was the smart sneaky planner. She lost everything and became a damsel in distress. This didn't feel like the same character to me.

I wish we got Gideon fighting with his inner ideals and coming to terms with the reality that not all witches are like Cress and her sisters. In fact most of them aren't. Have him deal with the realization with all the people he's arrested that maybe didn't deserve it and come to terms with the fact that the new regime is just as bad as the old. He just wasn't the one oppressed and hunted anymore.

I wish Soren wasn't just made into a villain. Rune courted him. Rune acted like she liked him. He fell in love with her, and was punished because he wasn't Gideon. He was sympathetic to the witches, and seemed to want a joint world where they all lived together. Yet the second Rune tells him the truth, he does the predictable anger to attempted rape sequence so we can justify Rune killing him. It wasn't good character work, and it wasn't satisfying. He got done dirty.

Considering the trauma Gideon's been through. a NEW girl he trained with and had a relationship isn't believable and is just f0r the Troupe Bingo board. Ex so character can be jealous. It was transparent and annoying. Gideon was a jerk, his pov was always shallow and he just wasn't the same character

All in all this to me wasn't a continuation of the first book. it was a selection of romance troupes thrown together that ruin the world and characters from book one.

This book took my breath away. Once I started reading, it was so hard to stop. I read it in two days. The pacing was so amazing from the very start and no time was wasted with plot twists, the angst and building tension, Gideon and Rune might be one of my favorite couples ever going forward. This just felt like a true enemies to lovers. There are so many lines that just absolutely had me swooning....I was audibly reacting to every moment of banter and cleverness throughout this book. Giggles, kicking feet, gasping...you name it. This was just a perfect ending to a perfect duology.

This book was absolutely AMAZING. Gideon Sharpe, the man that you are... I really loved this book and how it continued and eventually wrapped up the duology. When I tell you I was STRESSED. I was at the 94% mark going "how are they going to fix this?? There's no time!" But Kristen really pulled it through. Stunning. Can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy <3

This was one of my most anticipated sequels and when I saw it on NetGalley I requested it so fast and once I SOMEHOW GOT ACEPTED I started reading it almost immediately because The Crimson Moth was a 5 star for me so this had absolutely HUGE expectations and not only did it meet them it surpassed them. I really didn't think the sequel would be better but oh my lord it IS and I am absolutely stunned and speechless. THIS is how you do a sequel.

I read this within 24 hours and every moment I wasn't reading it I was thinking about how much I want to read it. I cannot wait till February as I am planning on doing a re read of The Crimson Moth and then a re read of this and annotating both because that is HOW GOOD THEY ARE.

The banter, the tension, the pining, the yearning, the characters, the plot, the pacing all absolutely PERFECT. I could not have asked for anything better truly? The stakes were high, the will they/won't they was strong, even the side characters were FULLY fleshed out and has their own personalities and plots it was absolutely PHENOMENAL.

The tropes include:
✨ Forbidden Love
✨ Fake marriage
✨ Who did this to you
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Dagger to the throat

And even though I strongly believe a book shouldn't be defined, judged or rated by its tropes it is FANTASTIC when the tropes also HIT. The plot kept me entertained and took me by surprise at points, Rune and Gideon are EVERYTHING TO ME. Their love and romance is EVERYTHING TO ME, their character and self development is EVERYTHING TO ME.

My heart was broken, tears were streaming down my face, I would love to read more from these characters but I also fully believe this is the PERFECT wrap up to the duology and I could not have asked for anything more. Thank you Kristen Ciccarelli for giving me that feeling and giving me these characters and their stories. This is what books are about and this is what reading is about.

I loved Heartless Hunter last year, so this has been one of my most anticipated 2025 book releases - and it did not disappoint. Rebel Witch is such a great conclusion to this duology. This book has great pacing, high stakes, political intrigue, a deliciously slow burn enemies to lovers romance, and complex, layered characters. If you enjoyed Heartless Hunter, you will love this one. If you haven't started this duology yet, what are you waiting for?!

wait, cause why was this so. damn. GOOD?! this book was a million times better than book one (which i did like), but the author somehow managed to fit so much into this without it feeling like there were pieces missing. words can’t describe how much Rune grew on me, her character arc was incredible and the romance was everything i wanted it to be and more. the plot is action packed and doesn’t let up, something about this duology is just so compulsively readable. all the stars.

i liked that the author didn’t keep Rune and Gideon apart for long, they’re at each others throats from the jump and there was a bit more of that cat/mouse dynamic that i loved from the first book. Rune went through a lot over the course of the story and it was really interesting to me to see her sort of broken down, especially since she had been seen by everyone around her as nothing other than a forced to be reckoned with. she also is the one who takes the initiative when it came to rekindling things with Gideon, even though he had his own ways of showing her his love and devotion. there’s so many scenes in here that stood out to me and a few reveals that i wasn’t expecting at all. the ending hit me right in the feels, the lengths these two would go to for each other and the things they’d be willing to give up to guide the other back into the light was genuinely killing me in the best (and) every way. i still am of the opinion that these read more NA than YA for several different reasons but I’m just so glad that i didn’t have any issues with the way the author chose to wrap up Rune and Gideon’s story. something about this book just worked so well for what i needed at the time.. obsessed bye!