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kalynnar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Classism, and Gun violence
soljovis's review against another edition
2.0
This book is kind of a mess and I have so many questions (worldbuilding? character motivation? we don’t know her) but it was easy to read and I never hated it so I guess I’ll read the second one lol
Also naming two of your characters Gideon and Harrow should be illegal why did she do that?? To torment me????
Also naming two of your characters Gideon and Harrow should be illegal why did she do that?? To torment me????
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Genocide
Minor: Child death
sabbathsoul's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A wonderfully written novel that weaves the characters inner turmoil with great world building. The romance is a slow burn that isn't resolved at the end, which I'm happy about.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Alcoholism, Blood, Genocide, and Sexual assault
lilacbookpages's review against another edition
1.5
I don't remember the last time I was this mad about a book wasting its potential. Like COME ON.
Don't read this if you want to be spoiled. All I will say is that if you don't want your love interest to be blood thirsty for your MC's death, I would skip this one. And I do fully mean it when I say he wants to kill her. Also if you don't want to be repeatedly told that a victim of SA is "broken", this might not be for you. Oh and the magic in this book is conducted via self-harm, but the self-harm isn't graphic. Just a heads up for people who might not vibe with that.
But anyway, on I go spoiling this book.
This book has so many things about it that made me mad, but it also had some things that I thought were really good. The romance was both of these things.
This is a "true" enemies to lovers, and it has forced me to make a rule about whether or not I can tolerate this trope;
If the FMC and MMC are actually genuinely enemies, their desire to kill each other has to be equal.
Which feels like a weird thing to have to specify, but trust me; it's necessary here.
The romance was really well written, and if the circumstances had been different, I would have LOVED them together. They had good tension, banter, and I could really see their fake desire for each other turning into real desire as they spent more time together.
The problem is this: Gideon wants to brutally and efficiently murder Rune.
And I know what you're thinking. This is witch and witch hunter. Obviously he wants to kill her. But Rune has nodesire to do the same. All she wants is to protect innocent people. She doesn't hate him with the same violence or bloodlust. It is completely unequal in a way that makes the romance unconscionable to me. Why would Rune, who by all accounts is a cunning and kind badass, be falling in love with someone who not only wants to kill her, but wants to kill everyone she's trying to protect? I don't believe in the "power of love" overcoming all when the issue is that one half of the couple is participating in GENOCIDE. Because that's what it is. They are indiscriminately and violently slaughtering an entire group of people based on something they were born as.
And Gideon fully supports this.
He is fully behind the genocide of an entire (race? species? whatever witches are) for like 70% of this book. I HATE the trope of "big murderous man only decides murder bad because a woman cares about him". It shouldn't take Rune showing him a witch can have humanity for him to believe the people he is killing are human. Some of the witches he's killed are CHILDREN. It's giving very much "woman has to fix the man".
Rune deserved to fall in love with someone who didn't need to be taught to see her as human.
And I fully understand the reason he is the way he is. But having his character basically say "one witch evil = all witch evil" as a response to being sexually assaulted is gross. This book fully uses his trauma as a justification for why he is so violent and murderous. It wants you to sympathize with him because he has been abused, and therefore sympathize with his actions. It is an INSANE take. It's like if a woman was assaulted by a white man and decided that she had to participate in the government sanctioned murder of every single white man. It is a ridiculous idea.
Speaking of Gideon being a victim of SA. The way he talks about himself and what happened to him is just so bad. He constantly refers to himself as broken and unworthy and genuinely hates himself for what happened to him. Which is a thing people do actually feel, but the narrative almost never challenges this. Rune says one time that he is not responsible for the things that happened to him, and it comes up like two more times, but that's it. I wanted something more.
AND the last like, 40% of this book involve Gideon basically being forced into sleeping with Rune (not by Rune herself) in order to see her scars. This man is like 18, and was sexually abused for YEARS. The weird focus on having him sleep with Rune made me so uncomfortable. And after they do have sex, he literally thinks about the last time he slept with someone and it was assault!! And he just tells himself to ignore it and move on!! It's weird!!
There was so much interesting and good things going on in this book, but it was completely overshadowed by how much I couldn't stand Gideon "My Mission is to Murder Innocent People" Sharpe. The friendships were solid, the twists were good, the romance could've been great. The setting was cool, the Bridgeton-esque world of balls and gowns and tea parties was so fun. The actual plot was really good! I loved the idea of Rune leading a double life to save innocent people. I loved the Crimson Moth plot line. I thought it was so interesting. And I really liked Rune! She was smart and complex and kind. She was interesting and determined and scheming. I genuinely liked her as a character when she wasn't forsaking her entire cause for a mediocre man.
To explain myself better, here is my pitch for a way this could've been done that I think would've made it less icky:
Gideon is a part of the revolution in the beginning, killing the queens and helping to establish the new republic. He is traumatized and has been convinced (through Creed's careful propaganda and his taking advantage of an abused child) that witches are the enemy and must be eradicated. At first, he is okay with it, even if it is violent and maybe a bit much. He is good at his job and enjoys the company of his team. Eventually though, he starts to become disillusioned with the cause. He talks to witches and realizes that he was generalizing the entire race off of his abuser. He wants to quit, but because he is the best at it and because he was part of starting the revolution, Creed won't let him. He threatens to kill Alex if Gideon doesn't keep doing his job and doing it well. Enter the Crimson Moth, who Gideon is tasked with finding and arresting. He doesn't hate Rune because she was born a witch. He hates her because she is vain and privileged, because she comes from a class he can never attain. She hates him because she thinks he WANTS to kill witches. She doesn't know that he doesn't want any of this. He is trying to find the Moth not because he desperately wants to kill her, but because keeping his brother alive is most important to him. They fall in love, and their tension comes from the perceived bloodlust between them and the class differences. In reality, they share the same beliefs and love for Alex.
TELL ME THAT'S NOT BETTER THAN GIDEON SPENDING ALMOST THE ENTIRE BOOK WANTING TO GENOCIDE RUNE. TELL ME IT'S BETTER THAT HE GENUINELY WANTS TO KILL HER WHEN SHE DOESN'T WANT TO KILL HIM AT ALL.
Hell, I'd even take it if Rune was spending the entire book wanting to kill him too. If the Crimson Moth was created specifically to kill Blood Guard members. That would be better!
Anyway I'm honestly more mad than if this book was just outright bad. It could have been SO GOOD and I'm almost offended it wasn't.
Thank you to net-galley for the arc in exchange for review. (Very obviously) All opinions are my own.
Don't read this if you want to be spoiled. All I will say is that if you don't want your love interest to be blood thirsty for your MC's death, I would skip this one. And I do fully mean it when I say he wants to kill her. Also if you don't want to be repeatedly told that a victim of SA is "broken", this might not be for you. Oh and the magic in this book is conducted via self-harm, but the self-harm isn't graphic. Just a heads up for people who might not vibe with that.
But anyway, on I go spoiling this book.
This book has so many things about it that made me mad, but it also had some things that I thought were really good. The romance was both of these things.
This is a "true" enemies to lovers, and it has forced me to make a rule about whether or not I can tolerate this trope;
If the FMC and MMC are actually genuinely enemies, their desire to kill each other has to be equal.
Which feels like a weird thing to have to specify, but trust me; it's necessary here.
The romance was really well written, and if the circumstances had been different, I would have LOVED them together. They had good tension, banter, and I could really see their fake desire for each other turning into real desire as they spent more time together.
The problem is this: Gideon wants to brutally and efficiently murder Rune.
And I know what you're thinking. This is witch and witch hunter. Obviously he wants to kill her. But Rune has nodesire to do the same. All she wants is to protect innocent people. She doesn't hate him with the same violence or bloodlust. It is completely unequal in a way that makes the romance unconscionable to me. Why would Rune, who by all accounts is a cunning and kind badass, be falling in love with someone who not only wants to kill her, but wants to kill everyone she's trying to protect? I don't believe in the "power of love" overcoming all when the issue is that one half of the couple is participating in GENOCIDE. Because that's what it is. They are indiscriminately and violently slaughtering an entire group of people based on something they were born as.
And Gideon fully supports this.
He is fully behind the genocide of an entire (race? species? whatever witches are) for like 70% of this book. I HATE the trope of "big murderous man only decides murder bad because a woman cares about him". It shouldn't take Rune showing him a witch can have humanity for him to believe the people he is killing are human. Some of the witches he's killed are CHILDREN. It's giving very much "woman has to fix the man".
Rune deserved to fall in love with someone who didn't need to be taught to see her as human.
And I fully understand the reason he is the way he is. But having his character basically say "one witch evil = all witch evil" as a response to being sexually assaulted is gross. This book fully uses his trauma as a justification for why he is so violent and murderous. It wants you to sympathize with him because he has been abused, and therefore sympathize with his actions. It is an INSANE take. It's like if a woman was assaulted by a white man and decided that she had to participate in the government sanctioned murder of every single white man. It is a ridiculous idea.
Speaking of Gideon being a victim of SA. The way he talks about himself and what happened to him is just so bad. He constantly refers to himself as broken and unworthy and genuinely hates himself for what happened to him. Which is a thing people do actually feel, but the narrative almost never challenges this. Rune says one time that he is not responsible for the things that happened to him, and it comes up like two more times, but that's it. I wanted something more.
AND the last like, 40% of this book involve Gideon basically being forced into sleeping with Rune (not by Rune herself) in order to see her scars. This man is like 18, and was sexually abused for YEARS. The weird focus on having him sleep with Rune made me so uncomfortable. And after they do have sex, he literally thinks about the last time he slept with someone and it was assault!! And he just tells himself to ignore it and move on!! It's weird!!
There was so much interesting and good things going on in this book, but it was completely overshadowed by how much I couldn't stand Gideon "My Mission is to Murder Innocent People" Sharpe. The friendships were solid, the twists were good, the romance could've been great. The setting was cool, the Bridgeton-esque world of balls and gowns and tea parties was so fun. The actual plot was really good! I loved the idea of Rune leading a double life to save innocent people. I loved the Crimson Moth plot line. I thought it was so interesting. And I really liked Rune! She was smart and complex and kind. She was interesting and determined and scheming. I genuinely liked her as a character when she wasn't forsaking her entire cause for a mediocre man.
To explain myself better, here is my pitch for a way this could've been done that I think would've made it less icky:
Gideon is a part of the revolution in the beginning, killing the queens and helping to establish the new republic. He is traumatized and has been convinced (through Creed's careful propaganda and his taking advantage of an abused child) that witches are the enemy and must be eradicated. At first, he is okay with it, even if it is violent and maybe a bit much. He is good at his job and enjoys the company of his team. Eventually though, he starts to become disillusioned with the cause. He talks to witches and realizes that he was generalizing the entire race off of his abuser. He wants to quit, but because he is the best at it and because he was part of starting the revolution, Creed won't let him. He threatens to kill Alex if Gideon doesn't keep doing his job and doing it well. Enter the Crimson Moth, who Gideon is tasked with finding and arresting. He doesn't hate Rune because she was born a witch. He hates her because she is vain and privileged, because she comes from a class he can never attain. She hates him because she thinks he WANTS to kill witches. She doesn't know that he doesn't want any of this. He is trying to find the Moth not because he desperately wants to kill her, but because keeping his brother alive is most important to him. They fall in love, and their tension comes from the perceived bloodlust between them and the class differences. In reality, they share the same beliefs and love for Alex.
TELL ME THAT'S NOT BETTER THAN GIDEON SPENDING ALMOST THE ENTIRE BOOK WANTING TO GENOCIDE RUNE. TELL ME IT'S BETTER THAT HE GENUINELY WANTS TO KILL HER WHEN SHE DOESN'T WANT TO KILL HIM AT ALL.
Hell, I'd even take it if Rune was spending the entire book wanting to kill him too. If the Crimson Moth was created specifically to kill Blood Guard members. That would be better!
Anyway I'm honestly more mad than if this book was just outright bad. It could have been SO GOOD and I'm almost offended it wasn't.
Thank you to net-galley for the arc in exchange for review. (Very obviously) All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm and Sexual assault
reading_historical_romance's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 stars for this witchy, intense, age 16+ YA
Two years ago, Rune was preparing to embark on her training in witchcraft when a violent revolution swept across the country. The primary goal of the New Republic was the complete genocide of witches, and resulted in the brutal torture and murder of Rune’s witch-born grandmother. Rune has now dedicated her life to saving other witches from the same horrific fate by moonlighting as the mysterious Crimson Moth. No Blood Guard army soldier is more intent on capturing the Crimson Moth than Rune’s arch-enemy, Captain Gideon Sharpe. Gideon and Rune ultimately find themselves ensnared in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, putting not only their lives at risk, but their hearts as well.
The premise of this novel is a great one. In the acknowledgments, the author notes that the plot was loosely inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, and she does incorporate several of my favorite aspects of that story here. Not only is there an aristocrat with a secret identity fighting to save innocent lives, but the heroine falls in love with the one person with the power to ruin all of her plans.
I loved the pacing of the book, and when paired together with the push and pull between the main characters and the plotline, I was eager to keep reading. There are some fun twists along the way, and touches of sweet romance that make the MMC, Gideon, sympathetic. One of the best parts of the book is the scene in the mine, as the intensity and tension between Gideon and Rune crackle as they match wits one-on-one. I liked the element of spell casting marks being visible on the skin, and that each witch’s magic has a unique smell, and leaves an original casting signature behind.
The problem with the novel as a whole is that there isn’t enough world-building to provide the reader with any meaningful context. This challenges the reader's ability to invest in the characters and their journeys. It is unclear whether there are true “holes” in the plot, or if the author purposefully left things out so that she would have more of a story to tell in the sequel.
For example, we weren’t told anything about the Witch Queens’ reign that would justify their genocide at the hands of the people. It is also unclear why the revolutionaries believe that all witches must be eradicated, as opposed to just the Queens themselves who were the supposed source of the conflict.
I didn’t like the "love triangle" aspect of the story for Gideon and Alex, although I liked the way that the author resolved it. To this point, I didn’t understand why Rune developed feelings beyond physical attraction for Gideon, and vice versa. Yes, they both have suffered severe emotional trauma in their pasts, but that just didn’t cut it for me to make their romance believable. Rune and Alex make a lot more sense as written on the page than Rune and Gideon do.
I love the cover, but I don’t like the title. I would have titled it The Crimson Moth, which is unique and makes more sense anyway.
I would caution that this novel is not for younger YA readers due to the degree of violence, and sex on the page. Although the sexual content is not explicitly described, it is sufficiently detailed that the reader will not doubt what acts are being performed as they occur. The sexual aspect is even more problematic when considering that the MMC conspires to seduce the FMC at the urging of another person.
I did enjoy this read. I like the writer’s style and her storytelling. I think that she strikes a good balance between the number of "good guys" and "bad guys" so that the novel isn’t all over the place with too many characters and subplots that take away from the central narrative arc. I will read the sequel because it did end with an interesting cliffhanger.
Tropes: secret identity, cat and mouse, brother’s best friend, class difference,
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.
Two years ago, Rune was preparing to embark on her training in witchcraft when a violent revolution swept across the country. The primary goal of the New Republic was the complete genocide of witches, and resulted in the brutal torture and murder of Rune’s witch-born grandmother. Rune has now dedicated her life to saving other witches from the same horrific fate by moonlighting as the mysterious Crimson Moth. No Blood Guard army soldier is more intent on capturing the Crimson Moth than Rune’s arch-enemy, Captain Gideon Sharpe. Gideon and Rune ultimately find themselves ensnared in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, putting not only their lives at risk, but their hearts as well.
The premise of this novel is a great one. In the acknowledgments, the author notes that the plot was loosely inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, and she does incorporate several of my favorite aspects of that story here. Not only is there an aristocrat with a secret identity fighting to save innocent lives, but the heroine falls in love with the one person with the power to ruin all of her plans.
I loved the pacing of the book, and when paired together with the push and pull between the main characters and the plotline, I was eager to keep reading. There are some fun twists along the way, and touches of sweet romance that make the MMC, Gideon, sympathetic. One of the best parts of the book is the scene in the mine, as the intensity and tension between Gideon and Rune crackle as they match wits one-on-one. I liked the element of spell casting marks being visible on the skin, and that each witch’s magic has a unique smell, and leaves an original casting signature behind.
The problem with the novel as a whole is that there isn’t enough world-building to provide the reader with any meaningful context. This challenges the reader's ability to invest in the characters and their journeys. It is unclear whether there are true “holes” in the plot, or if the author purposefully left things out so that she would have more of a story to tell in the sequel.
For example, we weren’t told anything about the Witch Queens’ reign that would justify their genocide at the hands of the people. It is also unclear why the revolutionaries believe that all witches must be eradicated, as opposed to just the Queens themselves who were the supposed source of the conflict.
I didn’t like the "love triangle" aspect of the story for Gideon and Alex, although I liked the way that the author resolved it. To this point, I didn’t understand why Rune developed feelings beyond physical attraction for Gideon, and vice versa. Yes, they both have suffered severe emotional trauma in their pasts, but that just didn’t cut it for me to make their romance believable. Rune and Alex make a lot more sense as written on the page than Rune and Gideon do.
I love the cover, but I don’t like the title. I would have titled it The Crimson Moth, which is unique and makes more sense anyway.
I would caution that this novel is not for younger YA readers due to the degree of violence, and sex on the page. Although the sexual content is not explicitly described, it is sufficiently detailed that the reader will not doubt what acts are being performed as they occur. The sexual aspect is even more problematic when considering that the MMC conspires to seduce the FMC at the urging of another person.
I did enjoy this read. I like the writer’s style and her storytelling. I think that she strikes a good balance between the number of "good guys" and "bad guys" so that the novel isn’t all over the place with too many characters and subplots that take away from the central narrative arc. I will read the sequel because it did end with an interesting cliffhanger.
Tropes: secret identity, cat and mouse, brother’s best friend, class difference,
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Genocide, Blood, Death, and Sexual content
dearhaleynicole's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Tropes - Enemies to Lovers ⚔️ Best Friend’s Brother 🖤 Cat + Mouse Game 🐈⬛ Witch x Witch Hunter 🌙
The Plot.
Rune is looked at as nothing more than a flighty heiress whose biggest concerns are what she’s wearing to the next party and who she’s going with…when in reality she’s actually a vigilante with a powerful secret. She is the Crimson Moth, a witch working to save as many of her fellow witches as she can from being unalived. Alongside her friends, Verity and Alex, Rune works tirelessly to outwit & evade the Blood Guard (witch hunters) who seek to rid her island of all witches. Who, you might ask, leads this Blood Guard’s charge? None other than the older brother of Rune’s childhood best friend: Gideon Sharpe. As Captain of the Blood Guard, Gideon will stop at nothing to capture the Crimson Moth and bring her to justice. and his latest suspect – the woman in question who he is “courting” – might just be his undoing… and he, hers.
This book was genuinely Enemies to Lovers perfection for me. I haven't read many stories that strike such a phenomenal - and I mean phenomenal – balance of tension, drama, intrigue and emotion as this one did. I was so wrapped up in the setting and characters that i hardly wanted to put it down at all. I needed to finish it like needing to breathe. That’s how drawn i was to it, like a moth to a flame 😉
The Plot.
Rune is looked at as nothing more than a flighty heiress whose biggest concerns are what she’s wearing to the next party and who she’s going with…when in reality she’s actually a vigilante with a powerful secret. She is the Crimson Moth, a witch working to save as many of her fellow witches as she can from being unalived. Alongside her friends, Verity and Alex, Rune works tirelessly to outwit & evade the Blood Guard (witch hunters) who seek to rid her island of all witches. Who, you might ask, leads this Blood Guard’s charge? None other than the older brother of Rune’s childhood best friend: Gideon Sharpe. As Captain of the Blood Guard, Gideon will stop at nothing to capture the Crimson Moth and bring her to justice. and his latest suspect – the woman in question who he is “courting” – might just be his undoing… and he, hers.
This book was genuinely Enemies to Lovers perfection for me. I haven't read many stories that strike such a phenomenal - and I mean phenomenal – balance of tension, drama, intrigue and emotion as this one did. I was so wrapped up in the setting and characters that i hardly wanted to put it down at all. I needed to finish it like needing to breathe. That’s how drawn i was to it, like a moth to a flame 😉
“Your laugh is like a fuse,” he said. “It lights you up.”
Rune Winters.
Such a complex, fantasy heroine but one I absolutely loved! She really does it all. She’s a society heiress doing the most to paint the picture of a self-absorbed girl, all while she moonlights as a dangerous, vigilante saving witches?? And she’s a witch herself?? Rune is what we refined readers would call a BA. I really loved the way the author Kirsten revealed Rune’s heart and motivations for her actions to us. Rune struggles so much with her grief and regret from the past and it was beautiful to see how certain characters brought out different things that her complex emotions often masked due to her grief. She is clever, strong, and skilled and ultimately finds her match in Gideon who shares those same attributes.
“She was drowning, and he was air. she hadn’t realized how much she needed him until he was gone.”
Gideon Sharpe.
Boy did this man grow on me. I truly didn’t like him in the beginning (and we even got his POV and I was still weary because this man is equally as complex as Rune but in very different ways). We don’t learn his motivations super quickly – at least not until his character opens up more – but when you do… dang. He has experienced some trauma for sure that has desperately required him to need to put up walls in order to drag himself out it. That being said: if you’re a fan of misunderstood, morally gray characters in books who are intentional and caring for one person, I think Gideon is going to be right up your alley. He definitely was for me!
“I’m afraid you’ll be the end of me...maybe you already are.”
Bottom Line.
This was just *peak* Romantasy/Enemies to Lovers. I never wanted it to end. Like, I got to the final page and literally said aloud to an empty room with just me and my dog: “Uhm, WHAT. Excuse me, Kristen? Where's the rest??” Kristen (the author) strangely did not respond to this random outburst from me in my room. So now I’ll just be on my merry way to go stare at a wall and watch paint dry for the next bit as i try to emotionally recover from that cliffhanger. Cannot wait for this read to be out in the world next month! Do yourself a favor & go preorder your copy now 🖤 It’s a must read if there ever was one!
A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Classism, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, War, Sexual assault, Grief, and Blood
perkdd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First and foremost, I want to give the biggest thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
”She was drowning, and he was air. She hadn’t even realized how much she needed him until he was gone.”
The Heartless Hunter is a cat-and-mouse duet that will have you hooked from the start and I truly hope it receives the hype it deserves in 2024 because this book had me internally SCREAMING on all parts and ends on such a flawless cliffhanger. If you enjoyed Bridgerton and like reading bout witches, this book is for you because it is a perfect mix of the two.
Kristen Ciccarelli creates a story that surrounds two MCs with a dual POV, Rune Winters, and Gideon Sharpe. Rune is a ditsy socialite by day and a witch vigilante who protects witches from being captured and purged by night. Gideon is a witch hunter within the Blood Guard set on purging witches and finding the bane of his existence, the Crimson Moth. Finally, Gideon discovers intel of a merchant ship that smuggled two young witches out of the New Republic and it leads him to none other than Rune. The two MCs decide to court each other to use the other to their advantage. Rune, to use Gideon's position for intel to help her protect her identity and save more witches, and Gideon for wanting to catch the Crimson Moth. But what happens when the facade becomes real?
I am normally not one for YA novels, but Ciccarelli manages to write the book in a manner that does not make it feel as though it is shallowly written for high schoolers with cringy spice scenes that most YA novels have. My rating for spice level is 2/5 but I enjoyed the slow burn of The Heartless Hunter and hope to see more in the second book.
"It shocked her out of her stupor. Rune was no longer the mimic spider, luring her victim into a trap. She was inside her own trap . . . about to be devoured by her prey."
I wholeheartedly believe that Gideon Sharpe will be a 2024 favorite when it comes to morally grey boyfriends because he is a character that you will love to hate, but also want a happy ending for when you discover more and more about him. This enemies-to-lovers trope is such an unexpected but welcomed plot that keeps you on your toes and I am here for it. I also appreciated how many layers Ciccarelli gave the characters, rather than making them one-dimensional. The banter was exceptional and I was constantly on the edge of my seat from how fast-paced this book is. The amount of unexpected twists and turns leave you wanting more, especially the ending.
The Negatives: I do agree with other reviews that mention how the worldbuilding could have been better, but I am desperately hoping we will see more within the next book. Ciccarelli focuses a lot on the characters, but I needed more in the plot because I have many questions. Specifically, why is it that witches are being purged only in the New Republic but live in harmony with others in Caelis? Are they truly accepted in other parts of the world? What are the power dynamics like among witches? Why mention Rune's merchant business but not explain what it entails? My only other qualm with this book is that it seems to lack diversity. Again, hopefully, this is something we will see within the second book, but I wish there had been at least some.
All in all, I do strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantasy novels and witches. I truly hope that Ciccarelli receives the hype and success she deserves from this book because it is such a wonderful story that I did NOT want to put it down and read the entire thing in one sitting. This book is dark, emotional, tense, and still manages to give you hope. I am thoroughly excited to see what comes next for Rune and Gideon!
”She was drowning, and he was air. She hadn’t even realized how much she needed him until he was gone.”
The Heartless Hunter is a cat-and-mouse duet that will have you hooked from the start and I truly hope it receives the hype it deserves in 2024 because this book had me internally SCREAMING on all parts and ends on such a flawless cliffhanger. If you enjoyed Bridgerton and like reading bout witches, this book is for you because it is a perfect mix of the two.
Kristen Ciccarelli creates a story that surrounds two MCs with a dual POV, Rune Winters, and Gideon Sharpe. Rune is a ditsy socialite by day and a witch vigilante who protects witches from being captured and purged by night. Gideon is a witch hunter within the Blood Guard set on purging witches and finding the bane of his existence, the Crimson Moth. Finally, Gideon discovers intel of a merchant ship that smuggled two young witches out of the New Republic and it leads him to none other than Rune. The two MCs decide to court each other to use the other to their advantage. Rune, to use Gideon's position for intel to help her protect her identity and save more witches, and Gideon for wanting to catch the Crimson Moth. But what happens when the facade becomes real?
I am normally not one for YA novels, but Ciccarelli manages to write the book in a manner that does not make it feel as though it is shallowly written for high schoolers with cringy spice scenes that most YA novels have. My rating for spice level is 2/5 but I enjoyed the slow burn of The Heartless Hunter and hope to see more in the second book.
"It shocked her out of her stupor. Rune was no longer the mimic spider, luring her victim into a trap. She was inside her own trap . . . about to be devoured by her prey."
I wholeheartedly believe that Gideon Sharpe will be a 2024 favorite when it comes to morally grey boyfriends because he is a character that you will love to hate, but also want a happy ending for when you discover more and more about him. This enemies-to-lovers trope is such an unexpected but welcomed plot that keeps you on your toes and I am here for it. I also appreciated how many layers Ciccarelli gave the characters, rather than making them one-dimensional. The banter was exceptional and I was constantly on the edge of my seat from how fast-paced this book is. The amount of unexpected twists and turns leave you wanting more, especially the ending.
The Negatives: I do agree with other reviews that mention how the worldbuilding could have been better, but I am desperately hoping we will see more within the next book. Ciccarelli focuses a lot on the characters, but I needed more in the plot because I have many questions. Specifically, why is it that witches are being purged only in the New Republic but live in harmony with others in Caelis? Are they truly accepted in other parts of the world? What are the power dynamics like among witches? Why mention Rune's merchant business but not explain what it entails? My only other qualm with this book is that it seems to lack diversity. Again, hopefully, this is something we will see within the second book, but I wish there had been at least some.
All in all, I do strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantasy novels and witches. I truly hope that Ciccarelli receives the hype and success she deserves from this book because it is such a wonderful story that I did NOT want to put it down and read the entire thing in one sitting. This book is dark, emotional, tense, and still manages to give you hope. I am thoroughly excited to see what comes next for Rune and Gideon!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Genocide, Grief, Child death, Classism, Police brutality, Death, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
chaptersofmads's review against another edition
1.0
"Isn't that the point of art - to tame the monster in us?"
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: addiction, blood, child death, death, death of a loved one, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, genocide, gore, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, physical abuse, rape, self harm, sexual assault, sexual content, sexual violence, torture, violence.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and I am devastated to be rating it this low.
Reviewing ARCs, especially negatively reviewing ARCs, is always a bit of a challenge because I'm unsure how much to say without accidentally giving too much away. Which means I am reduced to being vague and my thoughts may not come out clearly, but I'll try my best.
First, I want to say that this should not have been a YA novel. It felt like NA, it felt like it had been written for a NA audience, and the timeline simply doesn't make sense if all of the characters are in the YA age range. I will be shelving it as NA, despite the fact I know that's not what it's being listed as.
Beyond that, still trying to stay as vague as possible, I was bothered by the entire plot. So much of the premise revolves around an SA victim being pressured into sleeping with someone to properly inspect their body; while this is met with discomfort, it's still a sizable portion of the book and never truly condemned.
I felt the relationship between the two MCs was forced and toxic in a way that was completely unnecessary. As well as the way things were... propelled forward by the end of the book, felt cheap and predictable. I was able to guess the plot from the very beginning off of a very minor detail and was really let-down to find out that I had been correct.
There are many other things I could say, but as this is an ARC, I don't want to go any further. I will say, this is not a terrible book. It is tropey and very flawed, but I believe people will enjoy it so long as it finds the right audience. I just... I still can't help but wishing the entire plot had been different.
All in all, this is like a witchy Bridgerton (the comparison makes sense in my head) and if you've read this review and it still sounds like something that would interest you, please go for it.
I'm extremely grateful for the ARC and wholeheartedly wish I could have loved this even half as much as I wanted to.
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: addiction, blood, child death, death, death of a loved one, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, genocide, gore, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, physical abuse, rape, self harm, sexual assault, sexual content, sexual violence, torture, violence.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and I am devastated to be rating it this low.
Reviewing ARCs, especially negatively reviewing ARCs, is always a bit of a challenge because I'm unsure how much to say without accidentally giving too much away. Which means I am reduced to being vague and my thoughts may not come out clearly, but I'll try my best.
First, I want to say that this should not have been a YA novel. It felt like NA, it felt like it had been written for a NA audience, and the timeline simply doesn't make sense if all of the characters are in the YA age range. I will be shelving it as NA, despite the fact I know that's not what it's being listed as.
Beyond that, still trying to stay as vague as possible, I was bothered by the entire plot. So much of the premise revolves around an SA victim being pressured into sleeping with someone to properly inspect their body; while this is met with discomfort, it's still a sizable portion of the book and never truly condemned.
I felt the relationship between the two MCs was forced and toxic in a way that was completely unnecessary. As well as the way things were... propelled forward by the end of the book, felt cheap and predictable. I was able to guess the plot from the very beginning off of a very minor detail and was really let-down to find out that I had been correct.
There are many other things I could say, but as this is an ARC, I don't want to go any further. I will say, this is not a terrible book. It is tropey and very flawed, but I believe people will enjoy it so long as it finds the right audience. I just... I still can't help but wishing the entire plot had been different.
All in all, this is like a witchy Bridgerton (the comparison makes sense in my head) and if you've read this review and it still sounds like something that would interest you, please go for it.
I'm extremely grateful for the ARC and wholeheartedly wish I could have loved this even half as much as I wanted to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Genocide, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction
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