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hilsaa 's review for:
Heartless Hunter
by Kristen Ciccarelli
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I read this book quickly, and it kept me interested for the most part. Despite the boring and generic cover, it’s definitely better quality than a lot of young adult fantasy being published currently. (Is it even YA? The characters were all over 18. But they were also referred to as “girls” and “boys” which was weird. It was written like YA. But it also had a somewhat graphic sex scene.)
The world is a vaguely 19th century fantasy world. It wasn’t very descriptive, and could even be called lazy worldbuilding. At some points it read like regency, at others late Edwardian. There were guns, gas lamps, telegrams, and feelings described as “electric.” The words underwear and bralette were used to described undergarments, but so was the term shift. Hair styles were described as “top knot” and a few F-bombs too. Somewhat inconsistent.
I didn’t really understand why the who main characters felt an attraction for each other, more specifically what Rune saw in Gideon. It reminded me of Michelle in Derry Girls saying something along the lines of: “I think there’s something so sexy about the fact that they hate us so much.”
It was trying really hard for the enemies to lovers trope, but I didn’t believe it.And they’re back to enemies by the end. The plot was neat and written well, with some twists at the end. Easy enough to predict, but still good. My favourite scene was when Rune managed to quell Gideon’s suspicions of her just enough at the party after getting caught It was great to see Rune’s slyness and quick thinking rather than being told about it. I also liked how Rune used her menstrual blood to use her magic - love to see periods mentioned without shame.
It was a quick read and an easy distraction from life. I’ll probably read the next in the series.
The world is a vaguely 19th century fantasy world. It wasn’t very descriptive, and could even be called lazy worldbuilding. At some points it read like regency, at others late Edwardian. There were guns, gas lamps, telegrams, and feelings described as “electric.” The words underwear and bralette were used to described undergarments, but so was the term shift. Hair styles were described as “top knot” and a few F-bombs too. Somewhat inconsistent.
I didn’t really understand why the who main characters felt an attraction for each other, more specifically what Rune saw in Gideon. It reminded me of Michelle in Derry Girls saying something along the lines of: “I think there’s something so sexy about the fact that they hate us so much.”
It was trying really hard for the enemies to lovers trope, but I didn’t believe it.
It was a quick read and an easy distraction from life. I’ll probably read the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse