I absolutely loved this second book and conclusion to the Crimson Moth duopoly by Kristen Ciccarelli.

I live for fast action packed plots and this book delivered. We pick up right where we left off with Rune and Gideon and once the action starts it doesn't stop. There is so much to love about this book!

The tension and "will they won't they" suspense is high between Rune and Gideon in the perfect way. They continue to battle whether or not to trust each other and let their guards down. I also loved the layer building behind the plot. These two had several tasks to accomplish while also on a timeline.

While some of the plot lines felt familiar I liked how fresh and new this world felt. I loved the world building, the magic, and the fight for equality in power. This book has just the right amount of action, magic, and romance. I loved it and look forward to reading future books from this author!

Spectacular! I loved this so much. So much I want to say but do not want to spoil a single detail. I will say this is a must read, I didn't want it to end and i would have read it in one sitting if my kids would have allowed. This is the conclusion to the Heartless Hunter. It's epic and I ate it up. My favorite duology!

This one hurts to write but I didn’t love this. Heartless Hunter was an absolute favorite of mine but this book had far too much going on

I had such a great time with this series!!

I loved the characters, the world, the magic system- and we got to know them so much better this book!

This had me at the edge of my seat. It felt very high stakes and i never knew what direction it was headed. It was so action packed and the pace was constantly rolling- I couldn’t put it down.

I also really enjoy the romance in this! There’s so much tension and it’s true enemies to lovers. They constantly fight their love for each other and try to kill each other and are on opposite sides- it is just chefs kiss.

The ending was a very satisfying conclusion to a very fun duology.

"I may not know Rune Winters,' he whispered, his mouth an inch from hers. 'But I know the Crimson Moth. And she is no caged thing."

Summary: This picks up right where Heartless Hunter ended. Rune is on the run and to survive she must become an ally of Cressida Roseblood. Gideon, fooled by not one but two witches, is determined not to let his world be ruled by witches yet again. As their worlds collide once again, Rune offers Gideon a plan that he just cannot pass up. But when feelings they both thought were long gone come back to the surface, they each must make a choice...

I quickly fell in love with Heartless Hunter and after the end, I was desperate to get my hands on Rebel Witch. Kristen brought it!! I cannot put into words how absolutely incredible this book was. From the beginning, it had its hooks in me, and I struggled to put it down when real life came calling. From the Rune-Gideon banter to the action lurking around every corner, this book was the perfect conclusion to this duology. Do not miss out on this spectacular story! I cannot wait to have a physical copy of this book gracing my bookshelf for all to see because these books will be ones I'll return to time and time again.

Read if you like:
🗡️Witches/Witch Hunters
😻Cat/Mouse Games
🤩Enemies to Lovers

“Next time… you are going to tell me the entire plan up front”
“If I’d told you the entire plan up front, you wouldn’t have agreed to it”
“Exactly”
“That’s why I didn’t tell you”

Rebel Witch is an amazing conclusion to this incredible duology! It was everything I hoped for and more! I enjoyed both of these books so much and didn’t want either of them to end.

The story picks up right where Heartless Hunter leaves off. Rune has been outed as the Crimson Moth and aligned herself with Cressida Roseblood in order to take back the Republic. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t share more but I will say that this is a fast paced tale full of many twists and turns. If you are a fan of Heartless Hunter then I think you will absolutely love this one too!

Rebel Witch is a quintessential enemies to lovers story full of angst and considerable banter. Romantasy is the perfect label because Rune and Gideon are the heart of this book and their love story had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. If I have one complaint it would be that the push and pull of their love affair created a constant back and forth which felt stressful and even frustrating at times. I understand why things unfolded the way that it did though and if anything it just made me want to devour the story even faster.!

This conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology was full of tension, angst, emotional strife, and plot twists I should've seen coming... but did not see coming at all. It says a lot when an author can make you root for characters even when they are making some of the worst decisions, and Ciccarelli does just that. She tackles a few new tropes in this book, and they were executed extremely well and added more to the plot rather than just being there for entertainment.

I would have loved to see more of the characters wrestling with their thoughts and feelings together rather than falling into a few moments of miscommunication, but it made sense for that to be a conflict due to the nature of the plot. This duology has climbed the ranks to one of my new YA fantasy favorites and I am so excited to see what Kristen Ciccarelli does next. She's definitely made a new fan out of me!

In this thrilling second installment, Rune and Gideon are back and more devious than ever. Despite their love of each other, they can’t trust each other, and every move they make can be their last.

The Witch and the witch hunter is my new favorite spin on enemies to lovers. Reading book 1 is a must before jumping into this story, as it picks up right where the first left off. My anxiety was ebbing and flowing with each chapter, and I have no idea how the author was able to write such a stressful novel where I devoured every sentence. This book, like the first, is action packed and full of magic. I loved the fantasy/magical world Rune and Gideon were apart of, and I love their relationship most of all. I can’t say enough positive things about this story, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy for my library when it comes out in February!

I simply don’t have the words! This was one of my most anticipated reads/sequels and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I absolutely LOVED Heartless Hunter and was so nervous this wouldn’t live up. But it was amazing. The pacing was outstanding, I loved the balance of introducing new characters while learning more about some old faves, and I’m not sure there is a better enemies to lovers and back again story out there. Absolutely obsessed!

✨️ Rebel Witch ✨️

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Finished: 8/8/24

After book 1, I could not wait until I could read Rebel Witch! Sadly, it didn't live up to the hype as I was expecting.

The trust, or should I say lack thereof, between Gideon and Rune was a big red flag in this book. It should have been resolved way sooner than basically the end of the story. The way they go back and forth thinking they can trust each other and then not being able to was irritating, and how it gets so bad that even side characters don't know if they can trust the main characters... it just went too far, and just jumbles the plot and not in a good way.

I also didn't love how Gideon's tailor abilities weren't brought up in this second book. I feel like how it was his family's demise in the first book with his parent's, it should have been at least mentioned a little bit and maybe shown that he still designs items for Rune as a hobby at the end. It just seems like a missing component in book 2.

Sequels usually don't live up to the hype for me a lot of the time, so it doesn't surprise me that this on didn't. I think the author should have taken the time to plot out the storyline better. So, I probably will not be buying the physical copy of this one.

Thanks to @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for a #gifted copy of this book.

Summary: This picks up right where Heartless Hunter ended. Rune is on the run and to survive she must become an ally of Cressida Roseblood. Gideon, fooled by not one but two witches, is determined not to let his world be ruled by witches yet again. As their worlds collide once again, Rune offers Gideon a plan that he just cannot pass up. But when feelings they both thought were long gone come back to the surface, they each must make a choice...

Thoughts: WOW!!! I didn't think anything could top Heartless Hunter and Kristen very successfully proved me wrong. This book was absolutely amazing from start to finish. This duet has slowly become an absolute favorite of mine, and I will be thinking of these books for a long while.... It's really hard to express ALL of my feelings without giving away key parts of the book. So just know that the tension and banter is still just as strong, there are so many twists and turns in this cat-and-mouse game you WILL lose sleep, and Gideon....If you haven't read this duet yet, do yourself a favor and start it today!!

Read if you like:
🗡️Witches/Witch Hunters
😻Cat/Mouse Games
🤩Enemies to Lovers

Lovers of Heartless Hunter, this one did not disappoint! I AM OBSESSED. It's always nerve-wracking going into a sequel having loved the first book in a series/duology so much, but boy did this one live up to my expectations! I was hooked from the very beginning and I couldn't have been happier to be back in this world. I loved everything about it, especially Gideon's continued grumpiness and Rune's humor and strength. There were some new side characters in this one as well that I enjoyed getting to know. I tell everyone I know to read Heartless Hunter and I'm so happy knowing that they'll have the perfect follow up book to end with.

This book wrapped up perfectly and all I can say is that I'm so sad it's over, but I will definitely be re-visiting this one when the audiobook comes out!

Light 4 (maybe 3.5)

This book was SO much fun! It was action-packed, fast-paced, and kept me on my toes with plenty of unexpected twists. I loved how the story kept me guessing, and the chemistry between Rune and Gideon was undeniably electric. It definitely gave me everything I was hoping for, and I had a seriously good time reading it.

That said, there were moments when the constant emotional flip-flopping between the two characters felt a bit much. The "will they, won't they" trope is fun, but it started to wear thin when it became predictable. I think the story would have benefited from slowing down in some of the more emotional moments, allowing the characters to fully process their feelings instead of switching gears so quickly.

Overall, though, this was a fantastic conclusion to one of the year's most popular books.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars

Two months after the explosive events that concluded book one, Rune finds herself being used as a pawn in a ruthless leader’s games across the sea. Gideon, fiercely recommitted to the New Republic’s cause, is prepared to shut away his heart and hunt her down once and for all. But as secrets are revealed and Rune and Gideon reunite in unexpected ways, they can’t help but toe the line of their feelings, weighing the cost of love, loss and what they truly want in the end.

This was a fantastic follow-up and conclusion to the Crimson Moth duology! Right from the beginning, the reader is pulled into an exciting conflict that brings our two MCs together without any wait and sets the stage for the rest of the book. Rune and Gideon immediately have delicious enemies/lovers tension and made me fall in love with them all over again. Over the course of the story, we see them grow and change, alliances shift and ultimately land with a satisfying wrap-up.

Rune and Gideon’s character development was fun but perhaps speedier than in book one. Gideon’s change of heart, in particular, happens pretty abruptly, but it didn’t bother me very much in the grand scheme. What I liked more was seeing Rune shrink into a new, more scared version of herself we haven’t seen yet. The parallels between her and Alex were clear, and I appreciated getting that kind of reflection, with them mirroring each other.

The only reason I rated this 4.5 stars is because some of the story’s twists were really predictable. I might have been more willing to overlook that if the ending had not been so breakneck-conclusionary. Everything just happened so fast and “perfect” in that final few chapters that there was less satisfying payoff on the mysteries than I had hoped.

Outside of that, I had a ton of fun reading this duology. It was engaging, quick to digest, thoughtful in its worldly critiques, had an interesting magic system and was simmering with tension. Love!!

This was absolute perfection! I couldn’t put it down and the ending was just *chef’s kiss. I gave Heartless Hunter an easy 5 stars but somehow enjoyed this one even more. Such a great duology!

This book and this series is now my current personality. I’m obsessesed. Both books have left me feeling SUCH A HIGH, I can’t explain it. But I think it you’ve read it, then you get it 😊

This book was the perfect ending to heartless Hunter. It picked up right where that book left off and wasted no time. So much happens in this book but the transitions are seamless. This book is just so well written, that I feel like I could picture it all as a movie (I need it, pleaseeee).
It’s awhile until this book comes out and I don’t want to spoil it but just know this is amazing and you should preorder NOW.

THIS is how you do enemies to lovers!

I was so stressed out and on the edge of my seat the entire time reading this! I couldn’t put it down because I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next with Rune & Gideon. The development of their relationship throughout this story was so great and incredible to read.
I did feel like there were some slight pacing issues. The last 20% or so of the book felt rushed and like there was too much happening. However, that’s really my only complaint with the story. It was such a good story- emotional, action packed, swoony and everything I wanted in the sequel to Heartless Hunter!

Thank you to NetGalley & Wednesday Books for the ARC!
Pub date: 2/18/25

This sequel is everything 😭

Starting up some time after Crimson Moth / Heartless Hunter left off, (weeks? months?) we follow Rune as she desperately grapples for safety, and Gideon as he tries to follow through on his age old task: kill the Crimson Moth.

This book was just as cutesy giggly tropey as the last and I ATE IT UP. The romance is sublime, the stakes are high, and the emotion Kristen put into this had me sobbing by the end. (Again).

I love this duology so much and I am so happy with how it ended. 🥹🩷

I absolutely loved Crimson Moth and was so excited for the sequel! This was slow to start and I really didn’t get into it until about halfway through. The ending really wrapped things up nicely.

I just cannot get enough of THIS level of enemies to lovers (to enemies to lover??? to enemies to lovers?!) It is full of pure conflict between themselves and each other and it makes for such a compelling story.

I appreciate how REBEL WITCH expanded the world and a lot of the characters. We got to see both cities on the mainland and expand the scope of the island areas. There were new characters brought in and a deeper dive into some of the older characters that balanced things out nicely. It kept this story fresh while still building off of how the first book ended. The stakes were raised, Gideon and Rune so desperately caught in the middle.

I could not put this down. The magic, the world, the conflict, the ROMANCE. And a dramatic ending that left us feeling quite hopeful.