I love cat-and-mouse stories that are a game of wits, and this was written so well! I can't wait for the next installment! I need to read it now.

Wow! I was not expecting that at all! I loved every second of it! So much pain and love excruciatingly beautiful. I'm excited to jump into book 2.

My track record with Ciccarelli’s books has been a bit hit or miss lately, as I loved the Last Namsara trilogy, but didn’t enjoy Edgewood at all. The Crimson Moth or Heartless Hunter didn’t seem like it would lean one way or the other since the premise was extremely different from her previous works. In the end, I went in with lots of hope and excitement, especially after seeing some positive reviews online!

Overall, I liked aspects of this book but I don’t think I loved it. It had some strong features, especially in some characters and how attached I became to them. I liked Rune and her motivations, how loyal she was to her cause, and how her actions in the past seemed to drive her heavily. I also really liked Gideon, and the nuance he and his story seemed to add to the main struggle in the book. His brother was also a great character, and I enjoyed his friendship with Rune immensely.


However, for most of the book, the plot, and setting felt a bit generic, and like something I’d read quite a few times before in YA fantasy. There wasn’t a lot to make it stand out at first. This changed with the ending, and I do like where the story was left off because of everything that happened! I also had trouble with the romance for most of the book, not due to any lack of chemistry or passion between Rune and Gideon, but for other plot reasons that I won’t explain fully due to spoilers. I do think this latter issue won’t really trouble me in the sequel though, so hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy the romance more then!

In the end, I did enjoy my time with this story and I do like where the series seems to be heading, so I’ll anxiously be awaiting the sequel until it releases!

Title: Heartless Hunter
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: own book but also have an eARC
Series: Crimson Moth (#1)
Star Rating: 4.5 stars

tw: murder, parental death, shipwreck, executions, carving of skin, blood, family, betrayal, self-harm, injury, stabbing, drug use, branding, child abuse, gun violence, gunshot injury

A special thank you goes to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

Where do I even begin with this book? I had no idea what kind of book I was getting into but I heard a lot of positive things about it. I had a physical copy from Book of the Month and I was approved for an ARC of this from Netgalley so I figured why not knock it out. I am so glad that I read it because it is up there as one of my favorite books of the year.

I can't even describe to you all how good this book was! The main characters, Gideon and Rune, were so complex. Things that would normally bother me in a book like miscommunication and Gideon himself, didn’t bother me. They were done so well. I should explain what I mean by Gideon bothering me. Without going into too much detail, Gideon is a witch hunter and so he hates witches. Normally, this kind of thing would have driven me nuts but for some reason, I did not mind it with Gideon. Probably because my heart hurt for him. You quickly realize, as you read the book, that Gideon is a very broken man.

The enemies to lovers trope was real in this book and the tension between Rune and Gideo was intense! I lived for every single moment those two had together. They could pretend to hate each other all they wanted but I wasn’t buying it. I knew deep down they were made for each other. There was one scene that made me kick my feet like a little girl and just giggle. I can’t wait for more of those two. I need my happily ever after involving them.

Overall, this book was fantastic! This book brought up a lot of good discussion points like what truly would you do for your family. What side is truly right and what side is wrong? I am so excited for the second book. I hope I get the ending I am dying for. I need my ship to work out. 2025 cannot come soon enough.

A very intriguing YA fantasy about witches and their hunters. It is pretty fast paced and holds attention well. I would have loved to read this when I was younger! Fantastic start to a new series.

I want to thank Netgalley & St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book.

Captivating romantasy about a witch hiding in plain sight. The characters are each well-developed and the story kept me wanting more. For real, cuz book 2 isn’t published yet.

This was an enjoyable story about the witch trying to outsmart the witch-hunter. In this tale (very loosely) inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Rune is living a double life as a ditzy socialite by day and a daring witch rescuer at night. She tries to get close to the witch-hunter Gideon in order to get information to save a recently captured witch, but in doing so finds herself in over her head. Fair warning, there is a lot of talk about period blood (used to cast spells) so if that makes you uncomfortable, this book is not for you! Aside from that, the story did keep my interest and I'm looking forward to book 2 coming out next year.

I just could not get into this book. The main character's actions did not feel organic, and I could not connect to the setting. It was probably a personal preference, and others will probably love this book. But it was not for me.

I really loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Rune and gileon are well designed characters and were brought to life in the story. The plot itself was full of twists and turns, most hard to see coming. The fantasy theme was really likable for the most part.

The only downside was the author brought up the main character using her period blood way too much. She didn’t need to go into deep details every time it was brought up unneccasrily repetitive. She also left out facts until later in the story that should have been brought up earlier in the story. It seemed like an afterthought and tookaway from the importance of it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Heartless Hunter is a masterful blend of fantasy and adventure, showcasing Ciccarelli's talent for storytelling. It’s a compelling read that will resonate with fans of the genre and leave them eagerly anticipating what comes next. Highly recommended for anyone seeking an immersive and emotional journey through a beautifully crafted world.

This gave me Batman gender bind vibes.

Witches are banned. Rune is a witch in hiding. Because of her past she is well off in society and uses that power to give her to help other witches escape from an oppressive society that hunts them down. While trying to help her grandmothers best friend escape she uses the head witch hunter to find out information. Only problem is she starts to fall for him.

This is obviously going to be a series and I can’t wait to find of what happens next.

4.5/5⭐

I loved this so much, it was everything I wanted it to be. It sucked me in right away and it's been a long time since I've been so immediately immersed in a story. The witchy fantasy vibes were perfect, the magic system was fresh and a little dark, the characters were complex and interesting, and it was all just so good. Enemies to lovers isn't even one of my favorite tropes but I guess it is when it's done so well like this?? I need to look for more witch/witch hunter romances because the cat and mouse forbidden thing going on here was peak tension and I loved it.

I highly recommend this, it's one of my top books of the year for sure!

I was in a fantasy mood and this one has been on my TBR since it was published and WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG.

It’s been a while since I read a witch type fantasy and I thoroughly enjoyed this.

The deception, the games, the wittiness… I was captured from the very first chapter.

I could not put this book down and even read it in the parking lot before my kids swim class lol.

I also totally didn’t expect to be BAWLING like a big fat baby last night at 10pm. I was not prepared!

If you like:
⚠️Love Triangle
⚔️Enemies-to-Lovers
🧕Hidden Identity
🧙🏻‍♀️Witch/Guard 🗡️
🌹Fake Courting (but they both don’t know each other is faking it)
🔥 Slow Burn

I truly can't believe I put this off for so long. This is everything I've ever wanted in a witch/witch hunter romance. I will be crying until I can get book 2 into my hands.

updated edit:

✨ Romantasy
✨ Witches / Witch Hunter
✨ Love Triangle (kinda)
✨ Enemies to Lovers
✨ Best Friends Brother

Okay FINE you got me, this book was 100% worth the hype. I got this as an ARC, then I bought it on audible, then I bought it as my BOTM. And I JUST started reading it the other day, so knowing all of that, I REALLY wish I had read it when I first got it. The magic, the history, the romance, the friendships, the plot twists. This was so freaking good and I am so happy I read it. And side note, not normally a love triangle kinda reader, but this one ends up being resolved by the end so I wasn't too put off by it, hence the 5 star review still.

This was fast-paced and delicious - perfect for fans of The Serpent and the Dove, and >The Dagger and the Flame. This is a dark romantic fantasy set in a world where witches are persecuted and hunted. Our protagonists are a vigilante witch, who hides in plain sight, living as a vapid heiress; as well as a brooding and brutal witch hunter soldier, who has a very personal reason to hate witches. Their romance starts as one of convenience - they each need information that the other has, and the best way to get it is to get close to each other. Predictably, they start to surprise each other, and discover there are real people behind each of their (respective) masks, and soon, real feelings start to arise.

This was genuinely, a lot of fun. I finished it in one day, and cannot wait until the next book (especially after THAT ending!!!).

This book isn't groundbreaking - but the chemistry was palpable, and there was a lot of promise on the table for what's to come in this series. There were some narrative decisions that felt surprising, and out of character - namely [the Cressida and Alex of it all (hide spoiler)] - and I felt like that could have been handled in a way that felt more effective and true-to-character. As it was, it came across poorly fleshed out, and out of character, and I felt like it took away from what was otherwise a really compelling character and plot twist.

Ultimately, this was exactly what I was looking for: Romantic, tense, toe-curling, dark, and smart - and I cannot wait for book 2!

(Dates read: 24-26 Jan)
This was a fantastic reimagining/inspired by the Scarlett Pimpernel book! It’s use of fake dating, enemies to lovers romance, and love triangle I thought were done very well for a YA romantasy about a witch falling for her witch hunter. 💔

I found Rune to be a very believable double-life character for a young woman. The survivor’s guilt spurs her on to help more and more witches from being hunted and killed by the very man she ends up falling for. While some of her decisions did end up being a bit rash in some situations, I still felt like Ciccarelli did a great job portraying this woman as she struggles to balance her double life as a valid socialite and vigilante. 🩸

Gideon as a second POV provided both an interesting complexity to the book as well as a great foil to Rune. While she is outgoing, he’s a bit of loner but for good reasons. His trauma dedicates a lot of his decision making, and I found him to be a tragic antihero like character. Adding his POV into the mix also created a great contrast between the two as they attmept to outplay each other only to hard core fall for each other. . . That and also shows how they really are clueless to each other’s attraction to the other. 🔫

The plot itself was done very well as it did leave me quite surprised with its major plot twist towards the end, and the magic system complex enough to be unique, but not over the top and poorly developed as in some books I’ve read this last year. I did find myself enjoying the game Rune and Gideon were playing with each other, and I will miss their banter with each other. Definitely can’t wait for the sequel! Definitely for readers who love enemies to lovers with great banter, and witch and witch hunter characters/love interests!❤️

A bit thank you go out to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for accepting my request to read in exchange for an honest review. And to the author, Ciccarelli, for making such a great story! 🔪

Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️

The world building in this book was super different and I very much appreciated that since the witchy book world is so over saturated. Rune is a strong FMC that does what she hasn’t to to stay alive and to protect those she loves. Parts of the book dragged a bit and I feel like there was big build up in the end but the ending felt rushed. Like I read the whole bunch and they waited till the very last hand full if chapters to end the book. Just left like it could’ve been shorter. But I do like the characters and the character development.

3.5 ⭐️

Overall, I was entertained throughout the book, but I did find myself getting bored at times. I had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit with this one. I also had to keep from shouting at the MMC and FMC in the middle of the night when they inevitably did something not in character for them.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

Readers who enjoy historical fantasy, period romance, and dark mysteries might enjoy The Heartless Hunter (also published as The Crimson Moth). According to the author, this genre-bending Young Adult fantasy is inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel except the aristocrats have been swapped with witches who perform blood magic. Our main character is Rune, the beautiful, shallow belle of the ball who is secretly the Crimson Moth, the vigilante helping witches escape. Gideon is the surly but handsome officer assigned to find the Crimson Moth and bring her to justice, and his hate for witches comes from his dark past. When her grandmother’s old friend, Seraphine, is presumably arrested and imprisoned, Rune is determined to find and free her. Through her friendship with his brother Alex, Rune tries to get close to Gideon to get information from him. When Gideon discovers that Rune is connected to a case of escaped witches, she becomes the top suspect in his investigation. This cat-and-mouse romance feels familiar but not stale, and the dual perspective point of view was convincingly crafted, with distinct voices and enough intrigue to keep me turning pages. The pacing was balanced, with enough plot twists to keep the pages turning and emotional, reflective beats to engage the reader. I also enjoyed the cast of characters, each distinct with individual backstories and motivations. I think it’s worth discussing some of the content that might be disturbing for young readers or those sensitive to certain topics. These topics include self-harm, scarring, violence, sexual assault, and PTSD. The book takes a darker turn in the later chapters and sensitive readers should be aware. The blood magic, backstories and antagonists are darker than the beginning chapters and the book ends on a cliffhanger. I think this is part of the charm of the book and I am looking forward to the next installation!