Review: Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
Series: The Crimson Moth #1
Published by Wednesday Books on 2024-02-20
Age Range: 13+
Length: 416 pages
Reviewing Hardcover from My Book Shelf
Rating:
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Enemies-to-lovers doesn't get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli's latest romantic fantasy.

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to The Crimson Moth duology, a romantic fantasy series where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch...is falling in love.

Amazing read! Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli is the first in The Crimson Moth duology which features a witch in hiding falling in love with a witch hunter. Witches are hunted and purged on the island Rune Winters calls home. She turned her own grandmother in for being a witch to save herself. But now a witch herself, Rune is a vigilante, finding and saving witches from the Blood Guard who would see them all dead. When a witch Rune promised her grandmother she’d find is captured, she’ll stop at nothing to save her, but the captain of the guard is on to her.

I loved every word of this book. It was such a fun, fast read. Rune is carrying a lot of guilt for her role in the initial Purge, which saw the bleeding of her grandmother and other witches. She’s used her guilt to fuel her drive to save others. For the last two years, she’s donned a mask as the Crimson Moth, which is her unique signature when she casts a spell, saving witches and sending them away to the continent where it is safe. She hides in plain sight behind her silly parties and gossip in the upper class social circles, and she hides her magic as she never bleeds herself, which would leave a silver scar marking her as a witch. She’s found other ways to get the blood she needs. When Seraphine is captured before she can get to her, Rune is desperate, desperate enough that her mask begins to slip.

Gideon Sharpe is the captain of the Blood Guard and older brother of Rune’s best friend, Alex. He is a ruthless witch hunter. He believes that all witches are evil and deserve the death they receive. This all stems back to what happened to his family, something Alex was spared from. When a credible rumor reaches him that the Crimson Moth could be Rune Winters, he doesn’t believe it, but he would be negligent if he didn’t thoroughly investigate. So begins his false courtship of Rune who is using him as well to gain the intel she needs to rescue Seraphine.

There is so much happening here and so much dramatic irony. I loved it! The chapters alternate POV between Gideon and Rune letting the reader know all their thoughts and the reasoning behind their actions. It honestly adds SO much tension to the story. I could not read it fast enough. I loved the relationship dynamic between them. Neither quite trusts the other, but somehow they can’t seem to stave off the attraction that is brewing.

The magical system the author creates for this world is easy to follow and understand which means more time can be devoted to the dangers in the story. Only three people know Rune’s true identity as the Moth: her two best friends, Alex and Verity, and a maid who served her grandmother, Lizbeth. Alex is Gideon’s younger brother and has never crossed the line of betraying his brother while still helping Rune. He’s sweet and kind and 100% in love with Rune who is blind to his affections. Verity is the younger sister of two witches who were purged, and she left her parents when they supported it. She’s smart and cunning, helping Rune learn her craft even if she has no magic of her own.

Overall, I loved Heartless Hunter and cannot wait to dive into Rebel Witch which is now out. The ending blew me away, even if some fantastic foreshadowing led me to not be surprised. Instead, I was heartbroken for everyone involved. The banter and dynamic between Rune and Gideon is perfection. I’m curious to see how the author will continue their relationship in book two after that ending. And then the big reveal at the end….I need answers 😅 If you are a fan of dark fantasy, fantasy romance, or you are looking for an unputdownable read, I highly recommend this one.

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