Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Heartless Hunter

nina and matthias walked so rune and gideon could run
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I was enthralled from page one and god, Rune and Gideon have my heart 🥹 these two, you guys!! This is fake dating/betrothal and enemies to lovers at its absolute finest

While the worldbuilding feels a bit weak at times, I loved the morally grey aspect of all it. Both sides are kinda...shit and while the eradication of witches is obviously wrong, we learn so much about the Witch Queens that it's kinda hard to root for them, too!

The ending was a bit too rushed for me (and I think Alex was boring lol) but I'm still so so ready for the next book hihi

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jordanog4's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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sdoner23's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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dani_reis's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This is NOT YA. Stop trying to normalize sexual content in YA.

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mindsplinters's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

So... when is the second book coming out? February 2025? Um... I guess I can wait. Maybe! When it comes to cliff hangers, Heartless Hunter is like an enthusiastic leap off a short pier at the top of a mountain and you are only mostly sure you tied the bungee cord right. In other words, it is just the right amount of fear and anticipation for the next book to keep it bubbling until you get there. Magic, intrigue, romance, a not-quite love triangle that is thankfully not a real focus, and some lovely olfactory descriptions.

I just hope we don't go splat. Because this is a pretty strong book and it needs a very strong follow-up! While there were a few hiccups in world-building, the author still made things feel real enough and balanced between familiar and fantasy that my mind could overlook some of the minor gaps in the world logic to submerge into a world that is a mix of post-Revolution France, Regency England, alchemical fairy tales, and derring-do. I love derring-do. I enjoy it even more when the one doing the derring is not completely perfect at it but tries hard and doesn't make the stupid mistakes...

Other than the fact that, well, Rune and her accomplices are teenagers so there willl still be some inherent stupidity. Which is alright because they rarely tip into the kind that makes me eye-roll. Rune herself is an unsteady mess of guilt and bravery and brains and foolishness which works, given her background and all. You can't help but appreciate how she wants to do the best she can while also realizing that, wow, girl, you're unhealthy and probably need a qualified therapist to work through this baggage.

Ditto for Gideon. He gets more depth to him than you would expect in a YA Romantasy, helped by the alternative POV chapters. You can still think he's a bit of an ass but you understand where he is coming from. The fact that he opens up to Rune? Shockingly mature, despite his alleged reasons for it.

While I saw some of the reveals coming, I am pleased to say that there were still some surprises. One of which had me hollering "you dumbass!" at a character. He totally deserved it. I mean, I get it. Morals and all. But, dude, you had one job. (Don't worry. I still love you.)

Now for the real question... What would my magical signature be and what does one do if you're such a dominant rightie that carving casting marks with your left hand leaves you with scars that look like they were done by a drunken kindergartener?

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