So good! Fast pace and nail-biting!I loved that there is more of a vulnerable, yet unreliable, side of Rune and Gideon. The waterfall scene 🥺 Gideon still has that nonchalant arrogant attitude about him, but see it slowly turn around. Rune’s walls are up, but allows her heart to let up bit by bit. I did think that the cat mouse chase started to feel redundant (which made me start to lose interest). However, when the plot and unreliability of the characters thickened I was reeled back in! The plot and story telling is phenomenal. Enjoyed the supporting characters. Similar to book one, it’s on the steamier side of YA. The revelation(s) is a little bit predictable, but doesn’t take away from the story. The last few chapters were heart stopping. Loved it!

I cannot believe I got an early ARC of this! Thank you Wednesday Books!

With that being said… 4.25 stars from me.

The first 40% was the back and forth of the relationship. I always dislike this in books, it just dragsssss for me. But at the 60% mark when drama and war picks up- I was living! The ending was phenomenal! Couldn’t put it down!

4.5⭐️

The first book in this duology, it's nothing revolutionary. The plot is very generic and your topical "there's two kinds of people (think rich and poor or magical beings vs those who aren't, with enemies to lovers and they shouldn't be together or sometimes it's a girl between two brothers" kind of plot.

But even though the plot wasn't unique, I do appreciate how the author added her own unique touches (making the FMC a witch and the mmc a witch hunter, adding the fake dating and the touch of regency era). That book to me is the perfect example of how you can take inspiration from another popular book to make your own, without having to copy and paste every single detail from the original, which is a very common issue.

Anyways!! This sequel!!! FANTASTIC!!!!! This one did felt like a book of its own. It was very action packed compared to the first one (that one was more chill) I mean, the main couple couldn't catch a break. I loved this one and couldn't put it down. The romance was sooooo good and I loved every second of it. Also if you thought that they were enemies in the first book, just HOLD ON!! The writing was very easy to follow (same as the first one) which is expected since this is YA.

But anyways!! I loved this so so so much!!! Highly recommend

A phenomenal conclusion to the Crimson Moth duology! Fast paced, kept me hooked, and loved getting to see all the characters coming together in this book. The last half felt like it flew by, but not in a bad way, and somewhere around 85% I was convinced we were actually getting a trilogy, but it ended very nicely and didn’t feel rushed at all.

I was admittedly very nervous that Rebel Witch wouldn't deliver on the same level as Heartless Hunter but it did that and MORE!

I adored this duology so much, it's well-rounded in the best way. The Crimson Moth series gives romance, enemies to lovers to enemies to...., suspense, heartbreak, just everything masterfully put together to tell an incredible story unlike any other I've read.

Thank you SO much Netgalley and Kristen Ciccarelli for my copy of this amazing eARC.

Omg. Omg. Omg.

This was a whirlwind of emotions. That last bit there had me thoroughly freaking out. I'm really hoping this isn't the end to the story because I love it so dang much. 😩 I honestly didn't expect to love these books as much as I do, but it's definitely up there in my favorites now! I can't say too much, or I'll just spoil the whole book, so just know it was amazing, and I still want more, and I'll leave you with this one quote. 🫢

"It's been an honor, Captain."

Big thank you to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday books, Netgalley, and Kristen for the e-arc. I have a new book boyfriend added to the roster. 🤐❤️‍🔥

I recognize that after feeling pretty medium on the first book (3 stars), I’m probably not the target for the second book and it shows in my rating. I wanted to love this and a lot of times the second book gets even better in fantasy series but this just wasn’t it for me.

It started strong, but as the story continued it felt repetitive and silly. I was cheering for rune and Gideon so this was a bit of a rollercoaster!

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the advanced copy!!

4.5 ⭐️ 0.5 🌶️
Picked up right where HH left off
Some parts were predictable throughout this book, but still very enjoyable and an easy read.

Overall I love the banter between Rune and Gideon is the best part!! You can definitely see where they are working through their trauma and ability to trust in this book.

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Who did this to you?
Found family
Unique magic
Witches and Humans
Forced proximity
Fake dating / fake marriage
Secrets and deception

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli is a thrilling continuation and conclusion to the Crimson Moth duology that kept me on the edge of my seat. The story picks up with Rune Winters on the run, having been betrayed by the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe. The stakes are higher than ever as Rune must ally with the dangerous Cressida Roseblood to survive and reclaim the Republic for the witches.

Ciccarelli excels in creating a rich, immersive world filled with magic, intrigue, and complex characters. The tension between Rune and Gideon is palpable, making their forced alliance both compelling and fraught with emotional depth. The enemies-to-lovers trope is handled masterfully, with their chemistry unfolding at a steady, engaging pace.

The plot is fast-paced and filled with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Ciccarelli's writing is vivid and evocative, bringing the world and its conflicts to life. The high-stakes nature of the story, combined with the romantic tension, makes for a gripping read.

However, I found that the resolution was bit predictable, and a few secondary characters could have been more fleshed out. Despite these minor flaws, Rebel Witch delivers a satisfying and exciting conclusion to the series.

Overall, Rebel Witch earns a solid 4-star rating. It's a captivating read that balances romance, action, and fantasy elements beautifully, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

Rating this book 5 stars makes me so happy.

I literally screamed when I got the email with the ARC. 7 months early?! I’m honored and privileged and I’m gonna cherish this opportunity forever 🥲😂

This was my most anticipated conclusion to a duology and BOY, DID IT DELIVER. This was EVERYTHING I wanted. Did I predict most of it? Yes. But the execution? Perfection.

MINOR SPOILERS, if you consider tropes and out of context quotes spoilers, so proceed with caution 😙

Kristen gave us one of the best enemies to lovers, will they, won’t they, she gave us pining, tension, the forbidden love, forced proximity, fake dating, HOT anticipation, she gave us a F*CK IT moment 🥵 which, I must say, is my absolute favorite micro trope and I screamed when I read it. Kristen gave us EVERYTHING.

GIDEON “What the hell do you think you’re doing with my wife?” SHARPE, the man that you are 😮‍💨 could I be more in love with this man? The internal battle he’s constantly going through, having to choose between the woman he wants and his believes. The way he wants to protect her, at all cost, even if it puts him at risk 🥲

RUNE’S “TRUTH” SPEECH?! I was unwell. The way I gasped when she said THAT line. Screaming. Crying. Throwing up. I love her character. She had her moments when I was like “what the hell are you doing?!” but she redeemed herself every time.

“I know the Crimson Moth. And she is no caged thing.” The way he knows her 😭 even when he “hated” her, he always knew exactly what she wanted and what she needed. And he let her be herself, didn’t try to change her.

The love declarations were everything. Also, I don’t know how Kristen managed to make closed door romance that hot but she definitely did just that 😮‍💨

The ending was perfect. A great conclusion to the story. The book was action packed, I wasn’t bored for a second, the chapters were often short and I could not put this down!

Oh man, how sad I am to be done with these characters!!

What a wild and emotional end to Rune and Gideon’s story. Rebel Witch took me on a breakneck journey through love, heartbreak, war, and magic.

The scenes between Gideon and Rune were, as always, electric. I could feel the tension sizzling off the page. Their quips and banter is unmatched. I adore how these two just fit together so perfectly, so well matched not despite their differences but because of them. Their romance was so EARNED and fought for.

As an end to the story I quite liked how things wrapped up, though the pacing was perhaps a bit TOO action-packed. It would have been nice to sit with all of our characters a bit more between the last few chapters and the epilogue. (Which is just me being selfish and wanting more time with them to be honest.)

Still, a stunning conclusion for my favourite witches and witch hunters!

First off, if you haven't read Heartless Hunter yet, the first book in the duology, stop what you're doing and order it (it's currently on KU!). I got it as my February BOTM and absolutely loved it. I was dying at the cliffhanger it left the readers on, so I just about screamed when I got an ARC for Rebel Witch.

Rebel Witch picks up a few weeks after Heartless Hunter ends. I don't want to say too much because the release date is still months away, but I think I actually liked this one more than Heartless Hunter! In the first book, Gideon and Rune are playing cat and mouse for the majority of the book. I really enjoyed how in Rebel Witch, they had to work together as a team, despite being enemies. It gave LOTS of forced proximity and tension. I ate it right up, and literally could not put the book down. This duology has scratched the Powerless itch for me, and has been one of my favorite fantasy reads of the year!

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc! I can't wait to get a physical copy for my shelf in February.

Rebel Witch picks up right where we left off in Crimson Moth and as always Kristen knocked it out of the park. Kristen skillfully hints at significant plot developments while ensuring there are some surprising twists at the end. And let me tell you when you get to this twist, you will be feeling ALL THE EMOTIONS. There is one quote from this scene that I wish I could share with you all but you'll just have to read it to find out. Evil laugh.

🦋 Reveals and Secret Identities
🦋 Enemies to Lovers
🦋 Betrayal
🦋 Second Chance Love
🦋 Slow Burn

Rune is still hurting from the recent death of her best friend and trying navigate the this new world where working for either side could get her killed. Her heart still yearns for the Blood Captain but she knows that was all fake, they were both playing each other to get what they wanted. But why can't she stop thinking about him when all he wants to do is kill her? Secrets and hidden identities revealed that might give them and this new world a chance. When given the opportunity to make change, all Rune wants to do is run far away from the threat of war. Can she be the Crimson Moth again? Is the fight worth it?

Please do yourself a favor and read this book when it comes out! I hope you love it as much as I did.

WOW! This is an epic conclusion to this duology and is filled with the same palpable enemies to lovers banter as Crimson Moth. I flew through the first half of this book and was locked in once Gideon and Rune were locked on the ship together. I think this was a necessary development to tie them together after the events of Crimson Moth. This is a duology I think I will find myself picking back up time and time again to step into this lush, challenging, dark, but romantic world the author has created!

I did find the twists in this book very predictable, but I also didn't find myself too upset about seeing the twists coming.

There were just a few things that stopped me from being about to rate Rebel Witch 5 stars like I did Crimson Moth. I thought the first half of the book was incredible, but when we got to the back half, I felt like I lost some of the fire I have expected out of Rune. I know she was broken down, but it almost seemed too apathetic and then there was a transition back into caring, without enough internality for me to see how she got there. I also found Rune's jump to wanting to get married a little rushed, I think I would have liked to have only seen that in the epilogue. There wasn't as smooth of a transition out of enemies to lovers/steamy banter into the lovey dovey attitude towards the end of the book. I kind of wish the author had still made them lovers, but kept some of the snarky banter to make it feel more natural.

Delivers a captivating and satisfying conclusion to the series, featuring a beautifully handled reconciliation between Rune and Gideon, non-stop thrilling action, and a vivid, well-crafted world. The pacing is perfect, keeping readers engaged from start to finish. Highly recommend.

"But they were standing on the cusp of something new. Fragile and shimmering, like a moth emerging from a chrysalis."

At the end of Heartless Hunter we are left with some big questions and anticipation, which for me included how could Gideon and Rune ever overcome the betrayal of each other? At the start of Rebel Witch Gideon is once again hunting Rune, who is now working with Cressida to overthrow the corrupt government of their homeland. This duology is what I find to be a TRUE enemies to lovers romance, with both characters in such opposing positions socially and in their upbringing that it seems they could never be on the same side.

I really liked the development of Rune and Gideon's relationship and was very giddy with the chemistry between the two of them, more so because of how it contradicted their distrust of one another yet they couldn't seem to stay away. It did get repetitive in the first half with how much the two were bouncing between their feelings for each other and then remembering they can't trust the other. Let's just say I was glad to be off the boat by part 2.

In part 3 is where I really think Ciccarelli's writing shines as she so beautifully calls back important plot points and how the characters' relationships and outlooks have developed, as well as bringing home a key theme of this book: a dream of a world no longer divided by who or what you are.

"Because for the first time in her life, she was completely herself. And that was worth everything."

Review: 4.5 stars.

The book starts off with a bang with zero fillers in between. From start to finish the underlying tension between Rune and Gideon is so clutch. The fact that you could feel something for each other yet cannot act on it due to being on the opposite sides and not trusting each other makes it dang angsty at times especially when they are forced to play their parts less they give it away in their game.

Rune is such a strong lead that (Spoiler) When she went through what she felt she needed to, to break Rune’s curse - that literally had me in tears. Gideon, I love how he did not compromise his values on the sole basis of making Rune happy and still see it through the end. The chemistry was oh boyyyy!

The supporting cast of characters shine in this book making it a great balance. We also come to understand how the history of witches came to be and some of the twists added to the book was soo good that I could not put the book down.

This duology is definitely a must-read for fans who love forbidden love, enemies to lovers and a strong assembly of characters with solid worldbuilding.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for my honest review

I was so incredibly lucky to receive an ARC for Rebel Witch. I devoured Heartless Hunter and could not wait to jump back into this world. The story picks up a couple months after Rune escapes and Gideon vows to find her and get revenge. It gets right into it. I won't give any spoilers since it's so far out from release date. But this book was excellent. Like I blushed, I cried, I laughed. The amount of angst and heartbreak throughout, killed me. The banter was so well done. I love that both characters are coping with trauma and seeing how they change as people. Honestly, I'm going to be thinking about this book for a while to come!!!!

This sequel is so good and holds up to the first book in my opinion. The love story is so sweet at its core and I really adore the MCs. The political plot was good, though I found it slightly less enticing than the first book. Overall a very solid romantasy duology!

This is the conclusion of the crimson moth (heartless hunter) book series. We continue right where book one left off and we jump into a delicious amount of tension between our enemies and the perfect amount of spice. I found I was satisfied by all the plot points and might even love this book more than book one. I love Gideon and Rune and these two books might be my favorite series of the year. Our tropes are lovers to enemies, fake dating, miscommunication and more miscommunication. Definitely add these two to your tbr and dive into this witchy banter filled romance.