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.

Short synopsis: Follow up to Hearyless Hunter. Rune is on the run, hoping to overtake the Blood Guard and let Witches be free.

My thoughts: If you haven’t read Heartless Hunter yet, do it. Then pick this up asap, because the cliffhanger ending will make you ache for more.

I am absolutely obsessed with Rune and Gideon. The tension is so good, and I couldn’t wait until they would finally admit their feelings. The perfect cat and mouse, witch and witch Hunter story I’ve ever read.

This was such high stakes from the very beginning. So bingeable, but I personally wanted to savor it (even though I’d pick it up again today for a reread). So much action and adventure from beginning to end.

Read if you love:
- Duology fantasy books
- Witches and witch hunters
- High stakes
- Fighting for what’s right
- Great side characters
- Spells

HOW HOW am I supposed to move on with my life now?
The conclusion to Heartless Hunter in the Crimson Moth duology was perfection. It raised the stakes, explained everything left unsolved in book 1 and even managed to twist the plot in ways I did not expect. I had a firm theory about how Rune and Gideon's relationship would go down, but the turn of events proved me wrong.
It was full of if sparking tension, fights, more magic and more history behind the Roseblood Witches' Reign.

I loved Rune's character development and how she came around accepting her fate, her choices and deciding who she is going to fight for.

Cannot recommend this duology enough!

Thank you so much for the publisher, SMP , Netgalley and the author for the e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

Holy freaking crap. I LOVED this book. I think I knew I would… but I also don’t know if this one could possibly live up to the first.

Expect —> book 2 (if you haven’t read Heartless Hunter, go read it RIGHT NOW!), witches, blood magic, witches vs humans, enemies to lovers

I love Rune and Gideon. I love them together, I love them when they’re fighting. I love them when they are protecting one another. I love them when they are sacrificing for one another.

These two are opposites and soul mates rolled into one.

I simultaneously wanted to devour and savor this book. I couldn’t had asked for a better completion to this beautiful duology.

Thank you Wednesday books for the gifted review copy

This was an amazing sequel and conclusion to the duology.
I loved the tension, the slow burn, and the push and pull between characters. I loved the pacing and the plot and I was invested from the start and could not put this book down.

Kristen Ciccarelli has become one of my auto-buy authors!

Okay. Here's the thing. I'm glad I remembered St. Martin's Press sent me this. Because I was SALIVATING after book one. I couldn't believe I had to leave all the characters from book 1. Alas, I had it! Yay!!

Rune and Gideon are fools in this book. They are silly and young and I wish they would just talk. There's so much lining and longing and hurt. There's betrayal after betrayal after betrayal. There's fighting for what you believe in and finding yourself again. Especially after a ton of life blows. But not just blows. Devastating blows. And it's always Gideon and rune coming back to each other.

The duology for this story is absolutely perfect. I felt for Rune. I felt for Gideon.

I could see the two twists coming from a mile away but that's okay because it was fun and wild and magical.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley. I might have just found my favorite book(s) of the year.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Song Pairing: The Albatross - Taylor Swift

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Holy moly! We are not in Kansas anymore 😱 one of my most anticipated fall reads!

I didn’t even realize this was the end but honestly, if it was dragged to a 3 book series it would have been too much. Not focused on length…must have been written by a woman 😂😂

If you love witches, cat and mouse foreplay, blood magic and a villain you loooove to hate. This is thee series for you!

Huge thank you to SMP, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

Such a wonderful sequel to possibly my favorite Romantasy duology yet! Rebel Witch is filled with tension, high stakes, and and exciting plotline. While I found a few aspects predictable at times, I loved every second of this book and was constantly left wanting to know how it would end.

I can’t wait for this to release and hold a physical copy in my hands!

What to expect:
- Enemies to lovers
- Witch x Witch hunter
- Forced proximity
- Slow burn
- High Stakes

Very disappointed in the author's choice to normalize drinking in excess just to get through an event or deal with feelings that you would rather ignore. I recognize that this might not be an issue for most readers, but I think this is in poor taste. Unfortunately, this severely affected my enjoyment of this book.

Gideon Sharpe is determined to fulfill his duty to the Republic and hunt down Rune Winters, who is none other than The Crimson Moth. She also happens to be the girl he has complicated feelings for. To stay alive, Rune has made the impossible choice to ally herself with the dangerous and ruthless witch, Cressida Roseblood, who is determined to restore the Reign of Witches. She feels betrayed by the man she loves but knows he had no choice but to expose her as the elusive witch who has rescued countless others from the hands of the Republic. When they both realize the paths they chose are far more harmful and dangerous than they realized, they are forced together to work to stay alive. Will they be able to ignore their feelings for each other and beat the odds stacked against them to survive?

I really enjoyed Heartless Hunter (the first book in this duology) so I was beyond thrilled to be able to read Rebel Witch. There was so much action packed into this book and I found it so hard to put down. Gideon and Rune faced a lot of impossible situations and obstacles and I loved seeing even more depth from their characters. There was so much emotion written into this story and I could really feel it while reading. It was a stunning conclusion to this two-book series and wrapped up this story in a thrilling and beautiful way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books (St. Martin's Press) for the ARC!

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli

The Crimson Moth: Book Two

5 stars

Pub Date: February 18, 2025

Thank you St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

After finishing and LOVING Heartless Hunter, I couldn't wait to dive into my ARC of Rebel Witch with two of my friends. This was the perfect conclusion to the duology. The writing in both of these books is phenomenal, the short chapters make the content easy to digest, and it is super easy to binge. The author succeeded in making readers root for BOTH Rune and Gideon, despite their rivalry.

I did find it to be a bit predictable near the end, but I was enjoying it so much, it really didn't bother me. Rune made some questionable choices that didn't really mesh with what we know of her character, but I felt like her logic made sense and we can look past a momentary lapse in judgement. That being said, none of this resulted in lowering my star rating.

This is one of the best romantasy duologies I've ever read. This was absolutely fantastic.

The minute I finished Heartless Hunter I went straight to netgalley to get book two, Rebel Witch.

Book two picks up right where book one left off. Rune is caught between two evils and has to choose between following those who she knows are evil, and those who will kill her. The witch hunter, Gideon, has his mark.. and won't let her get away this time.

But when he finds her, will he be able to pull the trigger??

The enemies to lovers never gets old in this duology. It is full of adventure, tension and plot twists that have you saying "just one more chapter" . This is one of my favorite books I have read this year and will be pre-ordering it ASAP!

Read this if you like:
•witches
•witch hunter vs witch
•magic
•tension

This book was EVERYTHING. I binged this book so hard. Rune is an incredible witch (and person). Gideon, oh Gideon. The turmoil of following orders and ignoring the fact that he’s hunting someone he loves vs throwing his orders down the drain and letting his love live. I am so obsessed with this series. Please read this duology asap. Thank you Wednesday books for the eARC!

2/5

This might be an unpopular opinion but I hated everything about this book. It was so predictable, events kept repeating themselves, and the characters were so annoying. I did not like the love story. Honestly, I'm big disappointed.