Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I could not wait after finishing Heartless Hunter to dive into my arc for Rebel Witch and wow that was the perfect decision!! This is book 2 in a series and you absolutely have to read book 1 before diving into this one or you will be lost.

Rebel Witch is non-stop. Fast pacing, character growth, action, secrets revealed, there is always something going on with perspectives alternating between Gideon and Rune (same as book 1).

Cannot recommend this series enough!!

This book was the best read I had in a very long time. I read Heartless Hunter and Rebel Witch back to back and it was perfect. The story picks up almost right after the events from Heartless Hunter and it just flows so well from one book to the other. What I loved the most of this book was the pacing. There are no "dead times" but it is still slow enough that we get more character development, world building and history on the times before the events of Heartless Hunter. The way everything was intertwined together was brilliant and every piece of information you get just pops a light in your brain and the satisfaction you get as everything unravels is incredible. This book is packed with action, revelations, heartbreak, tension and it will make you feel so many emotions from cover to cover. It was the perfect conclusion to the Crimson Moth duology and I don't know how I will get over this book.

THIS WAS INCREDIBLE. I thought book 1 was wonderful, but somehow book 2 was even better? Every single trope I love to see in a book was here and executed FLAWLESSLY. Gideon and Rune continued to be smart and sharp, their tension was beautiful! It was wonderful to see them begrudingly working together and trying to reach some semblance of common ground while still navigating their inner turmoil. The balance between plot and character development was perfect. The world introduced in book 1 was really fascinating and this one just delved even more into it and we got to learn and see a lot more about the way the magic functions.

The story wrapped up beautifully, the pacing never staggered, the writing was flawless. Truly one of my favourite reads in the last few years!

Heartless Hunter really had me in a chokehold, and I was so excited about Rebel Witch that I devoured it in one sitting. And while I definitely did enjoy it, I was also a little over the "Grrr I hate you- but I wanna kiss you" inner dialogue by the middle of the book. Don't get me wrong, I loved the enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers, but I rolled my eyes at the amount of angry yearning I had to get through.

Overall, it was a fun read. I enjoyed the first book more, and I think it just set an impossible standard for the sequel. But I enjoyed the plot twists, loved the ending, and have already added some of Ciccarelli's other titles to my TBR!

*Thank you to the publishers for a free copy of the book to review*

Duty over love or love over duty? It’s just so good. I need a physical copy right now to reread and annotate. Gideon handed Rune a gun after he notices she lost hers and made her promise him to not lose it and if someone were to try to hurt her, to not think twice about shooting them. MIND YOU, HES A WITCH HUNTER AND SHES A WITCH. BUT ALSO HIS MISSION IS TO KILL HER. I feel like this sequel was the best thing to happen as it perfectly balances and blends the romance and plot.

Rebel Witch picks up right where Heartless Hunter leaves off. It continues the story of Rune, a witch, who’s fallen for Gideon, a witch hunter. The betrayal of Rune’s true identity has left Gideon reeling. As they face an uncertain future where it seems that evil may prevail, will they have what it takes to put aside their differences and work towards a better future?

This book was a great conclusion to the Crimson Moth duology. I loved following Rune, Gideon, and all their friends through their journey. There were moments that lagged at times, but overall a solid conclusion to this series.

Thanks to Wednesday Books, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this copy of "Rebel Witch," the sequel to "Heartless Hunter."

I was fortunately able to read them (fly through them) back-to-back and oh my! What an amazing romantasy.

(But it kinda fits into my spooky theme since it majorly involves witches, both good and evil ones.)

So many plot twists and turns and double- and triple-crosses. Who's a friend? Who's an enemy? And what happens if you accidentally fall in love with your "enemy?"

Rebel Witch is the perfect second half of the Crimson Moth duology. The tension in this book is flawlessly written, and I could not put it down. I cannot recommend this duology more— even some more novice fantasy readers have adored it!

Rebel Witch is a most satisfying offering that far surpasses the first book in engagement and atmosphere!

Wow, talk about sticking the landing! I found the second installment in this romantacy duology to far surpass the first! All our beloved characters are included but they feel more rich and nuanced. The pacing was breakneck, a slight upgrade from the first, I just couldn't put it down! The world, too felt more fully realized and evocative. It offers some seriously witty banter and a plot that twists and turns.

Readers who enjoyed The Heartless hunter will unequivocally be cheering by this conclusion!

AHHHH! I absolutely loveee this series and I'm so sad it's over!

Kristen Ciccarelli wastes absolutely zero time getting this story going. Rebel Witch is incredibly fast paced. I liked that we didn't spend long recapping anything and just got straight into it. There is not a single boring moment in this book. Everything felt important and necessary.

I am simply obsessed with Rune and Gideon! The chemistry these two have is through the roof and I love that the cat and mouse game still continued from the first book. These two obviously don't trust each other because of the events of the last book so it was interesting reading about how they both thought they were still playing each other. Every interaction they had had me on the edge of my seat!

There were definitely certain moments that felt predictable, but most of it I honestly didn't mind. The ending felt slightly convenient but again, I didn't really mind because I love these characters so much and wanted them happy and safe!

I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of Rebel Witch for review! I absolutely adored Heartless Hunter and couldn’t wait to see where the story would go. This second book started off with a bang and didn’t really ever slow down. Rune and Gideon’s world is being ripped apart by war and opposing struggles for power. They have some genuinely beautiful moments together but there were a few times when the waffling and refusal to communicate got a bit taxing. The writing is gorgeous and impactful. The villains well done. The collection of characters well balanced. My only other minor concern is how perfectly it all wrapped up in the last quick chapters- I almost feel like that could have been expanded in favor of cutting some of the middle third of the book. So, did I love it as much as Heartless Hunter? Not quite. But it was still a fantastic story I’m likely to read again in the future and highly recommend.

This was the same story over and over. So much miscommunication, none of the creativity and pining of the first book.

Another 3.5 book. While I liked the overall plot and pace, I find it really predictable just like the first book.

The writing was good and the characters held my attention, but even the plot twists didn't make me feel anything because I saw them coming from the beginning. Breadcrumbs should be so subtle you don't notice them until the big reveal, too bad Ciccarelli left entire loaves instead.

Rebel Witch is such a wonderful ending to the Heartless Hunter duology and it only took me as long as it did to finish because I didn't want their story to end 😭

I can't wait to get a finished copy of this book book. Thank you to the pub and Netgallery for the free e-arc copy. Greatly appreciated.

Rebel Witch starts at the very end of Heartless Hunter and I would recommend rereading the first one, it makes it more immersive.

Overall, a great 5 star read.

Such a good duology! Couldn’t stop reading and didn’t want it to end. I will definitely read more from this author.

What an adventure this book was. It’s 3 AM and I am just in such awe at the world the author created for us. I feel like I just watched a million dollar movie franchise, the descriptions were so vivid and well written. I will forever be thinking of Rune and Gideon and the things they went through. This was a beautiful ending to this duology and I feel quite empty knowing there will never be more from these characters. This book will live on in my mind forever, and be a book I re-read constantly.

Still giggling and kicking my feet. This was a litttttle repetitive and things sometimes felt too predictable/convenient, but I was hooked and read the last 40% in one sitting. We don’t get enough good duologies and I’m so happy to have this one!

5🌟

The book at a glance:
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Witch x Witch Hunter
✨Forced Proximity

I absolutely loved this conclusion to the Crimson Moth duology. It was fast paced, full of adventure and mayhem, and had a satisfying conclusion.

I was quite annoyed with Rune near the end, but she eventually got her head on straight and redeemed herself. We also got to see another side of Gideon in this book, which was sorely needed. I was quite happy to see the character development.

I laughed, I cried, and then I laughed and cried some more.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy.

You mean there are people out there who didn't get to read this series back to back and had to wait a year or longer to find out how it ended? Wouldn't be me.

This fantasy duology made me feel things again. It's one of those books I can point to and go "That is my reader vibe in a nutshell" and that is so important to me. Honestly though, I enjoyed this so much. Was it as good as the first? No, but barely. I knocked half a star off because there were a few things that did start to get a bit repetitive, but I loved Rune and Gideon and this world so much that I just really don't care. Like HH, I inhaled this in a couple sittings and was so sad when it was over.

I'm so glad I gave this series and author a chance because it has become one of my fav reads of the entire year!

The biggest thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read the digital arc for Rebel Witch!!! I had been eagerly awaiting for 2025 just to find out what happened next in this duology so you can imagine my shock when I found out I'd be getting this arc.

This book was such a vibe, both fun and stressful to read at times. It sucked me in right away and held me captive, eagerly wanting to know how this story would culminate. I didn't think it was possible to fall more in love with Gideon Sharpe, but holy moly, somehow Ciccarelli made that possible in this sequel. He is ultimate book boyfriend goals and needs to be protected at all costs. I even grew to enjoy our fmc Rune even more. There was times when she slightly annoyed me in Heartless Hunter if I'm honest. But she redeemed herself in Rebel Witch and grew even more as a character. There was some miscommunication between the characters in this book, and that could be frustrating at times, but it was necessary for the story and I enjoyed it. Ciccarelli can frustrate me and torment me all she wants just so long as I get a happy ending.

This book had the most intense pacing and just when I thought I could breathe again, I was fooled. I hyperventilated a few times but I liked it. The ending did wrap up kind of quickly in my opinion, but I'm just so thankful it ended on a positive note that I can't complain. If you enjoy a writer playing with your emotions like I do, then this is the book duo for you!!

If you've been on the fence about reading these books, just take this as your sign. The sequel was everything I wanted and so enjoyable.