Reviews with content warning for Genocide - Heartless Hunter

Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

28 reviews

tmholsman_1994's review against another edition

I got this book from my local library because of a review I saw about it and 186 pages in I agree with the review. I was reading it fast because it reads like a tropey YA read that I personally don't care for anymore. I did skip ahead and spoiled the ending for myself so I feel like I'm not missing out on anything.

Content Warnings

kaigar96's review against another edition

Go to review page

This book made my heart whole and then ripped it into a million pieces. Heartless Hunter follows a witch (Rune) who spends her night as The Crimson Moth saving other witches from death and a witch hunter (Gideon) whose sole mission is to find The Crimson Moth. The two attempt to court each other to gain information, but begin to fall for each other.

The first 50 pages were slow to get into, but then I couldn't get through the rest fast enough. Usually stories like this have a sudden switch where one of the characters instantly falls, feeling like a different personality. This book doesn't do that. Heartless Hunter has perfected the enemies to lovers trope. Both Rune and Gideon are true enemies who really get to spend time learning about the other. As a reader, you get to learn more about each character and better understand the reasons for their missions as well as their struggles underneath. You can't help but root for these characters as they work through their histories and begin to care deeply for each other. HOWEVER, this is not a story where they fall in love and have a perfect ending. By the end of this book, the characters are still deeply troubled by their pasts and are still very much rooted into their past mindsets. Overall, this book is perfect for readers who are looking for enemies-to-lovers done well, heartpounding cat and mouse, or heartbreaking twists. Please see listed content ratings.

Regarding the ending - I've never been more stressed or heartbroken reading a book.

While I understand the pain Gideon felt, what he did feels irredeemable to me. Obviously he loves his brother and was falling for Rune, but to send both of them to be killed was just.... I'm assuming he'll grow and regret in the second book, but at the end of the day, he's still committing gruesome acts of violence against witches. This is done well by the author so it is completely my reading prefernce, but I just don't enjoy a story where a victim ends up with a person who mass genocided her people and attempted to murder her too

Content Warnings

spatterson7's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

booksborrowed's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This witchy enemies to lovers is surprisingly complex. The FMC is young, but I found her decisions relatable. Haven't we all been more interested in the one that will destroy us, rather than the one who will save us? Most of the cast have traumatic back stories, and I found it hard to know who to root for. Maybe some plot holes or easy outs near the end. Overall, I am excited to finish the duology.

Content Warnings