Rebel Witch (The Crimson Month, #2) is a powerful continuation of The Crimson Moth. It offers a perfect blend of action, emotion, and world-building. Kristen Ciccarelli once again proves herself to be a master at creating complex characters and an immersive world full of magic, mystery, and heart-pounding tension. This story will leave an indelible mark on those fortunate enough to encounter it. But above all 'love is the highest power' and absolutely love this story.

If this was weakness, he wanted to be weak.
If this was sin, let him be damned to hell.

Rebel Witch, the conclusion to the Crimson Moth duology, continues the story of Rune Winters and Gideon Sharpe. And what a satisfying conclusion to this witch and witch hunter story this book was!

We're back with some of our favorite (and not so favorite) characters. Rune and Gideon are back to their love/hate relationship while trying to do what they each believe is the right thing. There was so much going on in this book, but I loved it! I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just leave it as I loved reading about these characters fighting for a world where both witches and humans could live in harmony.

And Gideon... I just adore him.

What to expect:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Witches / Magic
- Who did this to you?
- Fake marriage
- Witch and Witch Hunter
- One Bed

Thank you to Kristen Ciccarelli, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love the Crimson Moth and Rebel Witch as a sequel did not disappoint!! What a great fantasy duology.

Not gonna lie I think the story overall is a bit cheesy but it’s cheesy in the best way. The sexual tension between Rune and Gideon was intense from chapter 1 and I was drawn immediately. The ending was a bit predictable but I didn’t mind it at all.

With so many mediocre fantasy/romantasy books on TikTok, Crimson Moth duology is definitely worth the hype.

4.3 ⭐️

A wonderful follow up to Crimson Moth. It was entertaining and page turning. At times it felt like this dragged, and then all of a sudden the conflict seemed "over" and they were on the same side? I wanted a bit more groveling. But just personal preference there. The writing is beautiful and engaging and the premise/magic system felt truly unique. I loved the visuals that the magic signet and scars gave.

This was such a stellar, thrilling conclusion to what is easily one of my favorite duologies of all time!! 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 continued to build on on all the best parts of book one, 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳:

🗡️ richly layered characters
❤️‍🔥 tension-filled, slow burn romance with yearning
😮‍💨 breakneck pacing (but it doesn’t feel TOO fast)
🌀 twisty plot with political intrigue

… all culminating in a heart-pounding, EPIC conclusion that did justice to these amazing characters and world that Ciccarelli so lovingly created!!

𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 has forever ruined me for the witch/witch-hunter trope. Gideon and Rune are the perfect adversaries-turned-lovers. The way they constantly try to outsmart and outmaneuver the other, only to end up being cornered or bested by the other, had me kicking and screaming with delight! Their tension and chemistry is top notch and a reminder of why I love this genre so much:

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦," 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳. "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵."

"𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘭𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘯," 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩. "𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱."

🔥😮‍💨❤️‍🔥

While the romance is absolutely the star of this book, I really loved Rune’s character arc and how she works through her struggles and self-doubts to fully embrace her true self. Gideon is also more layered and complex in this book, and I adored seeing his softer side! The way Gideon and Rune learn to trust each other is tender, beautiful, and only made me love them more. The pacing in which it all unfolds and comes together is just perfect!

❤️‍🔥 If you’re looking for a romantasy that feels both timeless and fresh, will make your heart race, and leave you with butterflies, I cannot recommend 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩 duet enough! If you’re interested in my review of 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 with a brief synopsis, you can find it on my page. It was one of my favorite books last year! 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 should be the new gold standard for second books!

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

The cat-and-mouse games are still on and this continues to be peak enemies-to-lovers PERFECTION!!! There are moments that are vicious and intense, but there's also so much love, strong bonds and loyalty. The tension was high, the stakes were higher, and the jealousy was OH-so satisfying! I loved the writing, and how most, if not all, characters introduced served a purpose that contributed to the overarching storyline. This is hands down my top favorite duology!

An excellent conclusion to the Crimson Moth duology! This book had everything I wanted: the "there was only one bed" trope, the "fake marriage" trope, the "who did this to you" trope, plus action and adventure leading up to the satisfying conclusion. I really enjoyed this series, and I'm sad it's over! It did feel a bit formulaic, but I'm not saying that as a criticism, because it contained everything I wanted and expected, and I was happy with the ending.

I really enjoyed this series and I bought a few copies for my library because of its popularity! Only criticism is that I wanted more romance scenes.

4.5/5⭐

This duology has definitely earned a place on my all time favorite fantasies shelf. This installment was just as good as the first (I actually liked it even more, which is rare!) and such a great conclusion to the story. I rated both books 4.5 stars but I truly think of this as a 5 star duology, haha.

Where this series really shines for me is the romance and the tension between Rune and Gideon. Their enemies to lovers arc is definitely one of my favorite examples of the trope. They were put in so many entertaining situations and watching them interact was such a joy.

The adventure is high stakes and adrenaline filled, but I will say I found the actual fantasy plot elements a bit predicable and the ending somewhat anticlimactic. Honestly though the overall story and how we got there was so good that it didn't even really bother me!

I can't recommend this duology enough and I'm already looking forward to a reread; if you haven't read it yet take this as your sign!

Thank you so much Wednesday Books for the gifted copy!

Rebel Witch was an amazing read! I loved following Rune and Gideon’s journey as they worked to figure out life while Witches attempt a rise to power and the Republic fights back. This book brings all the feels with great tension, witty banter, and exciting action. An easy 5 star read for 2025!!

✨ The Vibes ✨
A witchy game of cat and mouse

📖 Read if…
✨ You like TENSION between love interests
✨ Witchy books are your preferred fantasy subgenre
✨ You want romantasy with little to no stream

Heartless Hunter came out of nowhere last year and became one of my 2024 favorites, and honestly a new all-time favorite in the fantasy genre. So the sequel was of course one of my most hotly-anticipated reads of this year.

To start, I’m surprised this duology hasn’t found more traction on bookstagram. I see people post about it, but with nowhere near the frequency they post about other popular series. I think the Crimson Moth series is totally deserving of the same level of hype as ACOTAR and others, given its unique premise and excellent romance.

Keeping things vague to avoid spoilers, my favorite thing about this series is the romantic tension between Rune and Gideon. Ciccarelli does such a good job of setting the stakes (he’s a witch hunter! she’s a witch!) and then having fun with the cat and mouse game between the two. I also like how little steam this series has, as it leaves room for Rune and Gideon to explore and consider the very serious consequences of their relationship, which adds even more tension.

I was nervous about how things would end, and if the fact that this series is a duology would leave things feeling rushed. But I thought the ending was perfect (though I wouldn’t mind spending more time with these characters in the future).

Rebel Witch is out now. Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was truly a perfect duet. This was every thing I hoped for and more and I’m honestly so sad it is over. This was the perfect ya fantasy.

4.5⭐️

Omg what an incredible end to this amazing story!!! Ugh I love these characters I am so sad their story is over!!! Gideon and Rune are just 😍 if you have no read this duology yet, get moving!!!! So so so good!

Kristen Ciccarelli consistently writes compelling stories and series that feel deeply interconnected and Rebel Witch, sequel to Heartless Hunter, is no exception. The will they/won’t they have two lovers at odds is just enough with a satisfying ending to this YA duology.

I will start by saying I am biased because I absolutely loved Heartless Hunter! Rebel Witch did not disappoint! If it’s even possible Rune and Gideon’s chemistry got even better! I did guess the twist but I was still hooked. This was fast paced and fun! If you loved Heartless Hunter you need to pick this up, if you haven’t read Heartless Hunter what are you doing? Go. Pick. It. Up.

I really enjoyed this book overall. I will admit i grew to love this romance and and all the elements and i thought this was a great series overal. I also really liked the whole plot. I think that the reasons it was 5 stars was because i felt liked the book had some rushed pacing issues but i overal loved this book!!

This was such a great duology! It seriously had the perfect enemies to lovers and I thought the fighting and tension between these two was great. This was fast paced and entertaining and had me glued from start to finish. I did feel it was a bit too long, but overall a fabulous ending!

Rebel Witch

[Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.]

The conclusion to the duology, I’ve been waiting with bated breath for this one. And spoiler alert: it did NOT disappoint.

Without giving too much away, we are following Rune, a young witch who is trying to help her fellow witches in a world where being one is a death sentence. She plays socialite during the day with a mask of an absolute carefree aristocrat and by night, dons the moniker ‘The Crimson Moth’ who rescues witches from those that would see them all burn.

Her luck - good or bad - causes her to run into none other than a captain of the witch hunters, in charge of not only arresting them but making sure they are put to death to end the world of the evil casters once and for all.

In this book, we continue to follow Rune as she continues to make difficult choices along her journey and even harder choices of who to trust - including trusting her own heart.

Very well written, very entertaining. I actually put off finishing it for a bit because I didn’t want it to end. Loved this.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars (rounded up)

Rebel Witch was a fantastic conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology. There was adventure, passion, secrets, and romance. I just had a fun time reading.

This book picks up immediately after Heartless Hunter, so I would recommend reading that book first.

It’s dual POVs of the main characters and there are some great tropes like: a witch x witch hunter romance, forced proximity, a cat-and-mouse game, and a forbidden romance.

While the storyline was very predictable it was still well written and paced. There were some intense, action-packed, heartfelt, amusing and emotional moments. I loved all the side characters as well.

The magical and adventurous elements were some of my favorite parts in this story. I really enjoyed the cat-and-mouse game between the main characters as well.

The romance between them was written perfectly. The tension, angst, and banter was fantastic.

The last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat. I really liked how everything was wrapped up. However, it was very rushed and I wished there had been a bit more explanation to certain subplots. But the conclusion was really satisfying.

Overall, just a great romantasy read and finale to the duology!

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have loved this series so much. I love the tension and the forbidden love feel of the series. Rune and Gideon’s relationship kept me invested and excited about turning these pages. The audio was great as well and I highly recommend!