I really enjoyed this book, but was also frustrated at times. I definitely liked the first book better.

This book was frustrating because of the lack of communication throughout and the fact that their thoughts were repeated multiple times within paragraphs of each other - it felt like trying to meet the word quota in your essay.

Overall, the story had me interested though. I love Rune and Gideon as characters and the story was fast paced. :)

I absolutely devoured this in less than a day! Rune is one of my favorite heroines ever! I can’t wait to see what Kristen Ciccarelli writes next!

Where do I even begin? I was so excited to read the sequel to Heartless Hunter and it did not disappoint. It kept the same vibes of enemies to lovers that the first book had, with the characters constantly fighting and loving eachother and never knowing if they could trust eachother or not, if their love was real or not. The betrayal trope is huge here. I loved the magical elements, and the surprise twists that popped up along the way. The romance was sooooooo good and the ending gahhhhh. I read this in a day, I couldn't put it down. I'll now go buy every edition I can get my hands on.

Thank you, for the ARC! I’ve been waiting for this one ever since getting an ARC for The Crimson Moth over a year ago!! All I gotta say is… FINALLY. I couldn’t stop turning the pages… The pace had picked up SO much from Book #1, which was the only issue I had with it. So The Rebel Witch was perfect in my eyes. Yes, it’s a bit cliché at times but YA is gonna YA and I don’t see that as a flaw. Keep in mind, this is YA/NA and you’ll be golden. This was more romantic than any open door romance I’ve read recently. The yearning?! Holy moly. My heart was skipping beats. This was the perfect ending to an amazing duet!!

What an action packed ending to one of the most addictive duologies I have ever read! I had been waiting and wishing for an early copy of this book and THANK YOUUUU PUBLISHER because I was BLESSED. The INTENSITY and the PASSION, ugh and the PINING and YEARNING too. Rebel Witch was everything I wanted and more.

This book has me torn in a lot of ways on how to rate it. I went with a neutral amount of stars, this book had some really amazing and epic moments, but there were also completely irritating and eye roll worthy moments as well. I liked the characters, I finished this book in a good amount of time, so there are positives there. The storyline was kind of what was to be expected, but it still was good at times. There were times the book flew, and then the last chunk of the book really annoyed me! The characters were there, but the storyline took turns that were not well explained or thought out. Without trying to have any spoilers, we have seen the process, learned the magic, found bits and pieces of the history all throughout these past two books, yet we land on something random in the end to help it all resolve the way the author wanted. It felt like no one knew how to end the book, and they agreed enough on this ending. I'm frustrated with the book because it could have been something magical and epic, but I'm left with poor planning and storytelling that did not meet the goals at hand.
Overall the story completed itself, I did finish the book, but not sure if I would recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting my wish on NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

** NOTE: I started reading the ARC through CH 16, and then was able to locate the fully published book in stores the next day, so I completed my reading with the physical final copy. **

4.25 stars. I enjoyed this book a lot. The character development was excellent, since, when we start the book, they still very much hate each other after the events of Crimson Moth, and where we find them at the end is very different from where we start out... not just the main characters either but the supporting cast as well, which I loved. There was also a lot more world-building in this 2nd book, as well as backstory to help the reader better understand the storyline and whats going on, and the plot continues to keep the reader on their toes and guessing whats going to happen. A lot of the time I can figure out how a book will end, but I didn't put all the pieces together until I actually reached the end in this book, which was thrilling.

However, I felt the pacing was maybe a little off? Or maybe it was just a LOT to squeeze into 2 books. The middle part of the story wasn't boring at all, and things were certainly happening to move the plot forward, but the ending felt a bit rushed. Everything kind of comes to a head in the last 20 pages out of ~450, and I wish the final standoff was drawn out a bit more, so there was more suspense going into it. I also felt like there were important parts that we learn during the course of the story (such as the backstory of the Roseblood family, and about the Ancients and their acolytes), that we only graze at a surface level, and I wish there was time to go deeper. Like, I really want to better understand Rune's backstory, which we get a bit more of here, and its certainly integral to the plot, but it's kind of mentioned briefly once and I didn't fully understand why a certain decision was made.

Overall, this is still an excellent book that I definitely recommend!

This is the much awaited sequel to Heartless Hunter. The plot is definitely action packed. It starts up a few months after the ending of Heartless Hunter. Rune and Gideon’s interactions keep the narrative with tension and emotion. The pacing moves quickly and kept me engaged throughout the whole read. While the characters are forced to make tough decisions and trust each other. This leads them to figuring out the one true enemy.

Rebel Witch was such a great follow up to Heartless Hunter. We knew where this story was going, but the fun was in getting there!

I was a huge fan of Heartless Hunter, I gave it 5 stars. Which is was makes this sequel so disappointing to me. This wasn't what I wanted from the continuation of Rune's story.

The book was full of romance tropes, the characters had plot armour so there were no stakes. it read at times like titanic fan fiction. nothing about this book was satisfying. The characters lot anything about them and became boring cardboard cutouts.

**Spoilers**
So sorry I'm going to rant here. it comes from a place of loving the world and characters book one created.

I wish we had seen Rune being convinced to work with Cress. I wish there was turmoil there, about if she could see her friend in this person that she knows did terrible things to Gideon. I wish instead of just straight up physical attraction Gideon and Rune missed each other because of who they were, and what they meant to each other.

Rune lost everything she was from book one. What happened to the Crimson Moth? This brave brilliant girl that could out run the bloodguard while saving witches. Where was the smart sneaky planner. She lost everything and became a damsel in distress. This didn't feel like the same character to me.

I wish we got Gideon fighting with his inner ideals and coming to terms with the reality that not all witches are like Cress and her sisters. In fact most of them aren't. Have him deal with the realization with all the people he's arrested that maybe didn't deserve it and come to terms with the fact that the new regime is just as bad as the old. He just wasn't the one oppressed and hunted anymore.

I wish Soren wasn't just made into a villain. Rune courted him. Rune acted like she liked him. He fell in love with her, and was punished because he wasn't Gideon. He was sympathetic to the witches, and seemed to want a joint world where they all lived together. Yet the second Rune tells him the truth, he does the predictable anger to attempted rape sequence so we can justify Rune killing him. It wasn't good character work, and it wasn't satisfying. He got done dirty.

Considering the trauma Gideon's been through. a NEW girl he trained with and had a relationship isn't believable and is just f0r the Troupe Bingo board. Ex so character can be jealous. It was transparent and annoying. Gideon was a jerk, his pov was always shallow and he just wasn't the same character

All in all this to me wasn't a continuation of the first book. it was a selection of romance troupes thrown together that ruin the world and characters from book one.

This book took my breath away. Once I started reading, it was so hard to stop. I read it in two days. The pacing was so amazing from the very start and no time was wasted with plot twists, the angst and building tension, Gideon and Rune might be one of my favorite couples ever going forward. This just felt like a true enemies to lovers. There are so many lines that just absolutely had me swooning....I was audibly reacting to every moment of banter and cleverness throughout this book. Giggles, kicking feet, gasping...you name it. This was just a perfect ending to a perfect duology.

This book was absolutely AMAZING. Gideon Sharpe, the man that you are... I really loved this book and how it continued and eventually wrapped up the duology. When I tell you I was STRESSED. I was at the 94% mark going "how are they going to fix this?? There's no time!" But Kristen really pulled it through. Stunning. Can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy <3

This was one of my most anticipated sequels and when I saw it on NetGalley I requested it so fast and once I SOMEHOW GOT ACEPTED I started reading it almost immediately because The Crimson Moth was a 5 star for me so this had absolutely HUGE expectations and not only did it meet them it surpassed them. I really didn't think the sequel would be better but oh my lord it IS and I am absolutely stunned and speechless. THIS is how you do a sequel.

I read this within 24 hours and every moment I wasn't reading it I was thinking about how much I want to read it. I cannot wait till February as I am planning on doing a re read of The Crimson Moth and then a re read of this and annotating both because that is HOW GOOD THEY ARE.

The banter, the tension, the pining, the yearning, the characters, the plot, the pacing all absolutely PERFECT. I could not have asked for anything better truly? The stakes were high, the will they/won't they was strong, even the side characters were FULLY fleshed out and has their own personalities and plots it was absolutely PHENOMENAL.

The tropes include:
✨ Forbidden Love
✨ Fake marriage
✨ Who did this to you
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Dagger to the throat

And even though I strongly believe a book shouldn't be defined, judged or rated by its tropes it is FANTASTIC when the tropes also HIT. The plot kept me entertained and took me by surprise at points, Rune and Gideon are EVERYTHING TO ME. Their love and romance is EVERYTHING TO ME, their character and self development is EVERYTHING TO ME.

My heart was broken, tears were streaming down my face, I would love to read more from these characters but I also fully believe this is the PERFECT wrap up to the duology and I could not have asked for anything more. Thank you Kristen Ciccarelli for giving me that feeling and giving me these characters and their stories. This is what books are about and this is what reading is about.

I loved Heartless Hunter last year, so this has been one of my most anticipated 2025 book releases - and it did not disappoint. Rebel Witch is such a great conclusion to this duology. This book has great pacing, high stakes, political intrigue, a deliciously slow burn enemies to lovers romance, and complex, layered characters. If you enjoyed Heartless Hunter, you will love this one. If you haven't started this duology yet, what are you waiting for?!

wait, cause why was this so. damn. GOOD?! this book was a million times better than book one (which i did like), but the author somehow managed to fit so much into this without it feeling like there were pieces missing. words can’t describe how much Rune grew on me, her character arc was incredible and the romance was everything i wanted it to be and more. the plot is action packed and doesn’t let up, something about this duology is just so compulsively readable. all the stars.

i liked that the author didn’t keep Rune and Gideon apart for long, they’re at each others throats from the jump and there was a bit more of that cat/mouse dynamic that i loved from the first book. Rune went through a lot over the course of the story and it was really interesting to me to see her sort of broken down, especially since she had been seen by everyone around her as nothing other than a forced to be reckoned with. she also is the one who takes the initiative when it came to rekindling things with Gideon, even though he had his own ways of showing her his love and devotion. there’s so many scenes in here that stood out to me and a few reveals that i wasn’t expecting at all. the ending hit me right in the feels, the lengths these two would go to for each other and the things they’d be willing to give up to guide the other back into the light was genuinely killing me in the best (and) every way. i still am of the opinion that these read more NA than YA for several different reasons but I’m just so glad that i didn’t have any issues with the way the author chose to wrap up Rune and Gideon’s story. something about this book just worked so well for what i needed at the time.. obsessed bye!

Rebel Witch picks up where The Heartless Hunter left off. I still love the witch x witch hunter romance aspect. Rune and Gideon are true enemies and I absolutely love their banter and back and forth. Even though I didn’t love Rebel Witch as much as The Heartless Hunter, I thought this was a satisfying conclusion to the duology. This felt a little rushed. I think the plot could’ve been tidied up a little. There’s a ton of plot points and many of them were solved too easily and conveniently. Still a solid 4 star read and I can’t wait to see what Kristen Ciccarelli writes next!

The emotional turmoil I just experienced will not soon be forgotten. Everything that I loved in book one was completely amplified in book two. The tension, the stakes, the longing! Kristen Ciccarelli has done an amazing job at keeping me on my toes through out this duology. There were definitely some amazing surprises in Rebel Witch! I am honestly just sad that it’s over! I don’t want to leave this universe quite yet.

Kristen Ciccerelli completed Gideon and Rune’s epic fantasy romance and it did not disappoint. In the age where fantasy romance series go on and on for at least five books or more, I have to say that it was so refreshing to enjoy a two-book duology in The Crimson Moth series.

I was enthralled with the rebellious witch and the witch hunter who fell for her in Heartless Hunter and was so happy to see that these enemies could get their happily ever after in Rebel Witch.

Heartless Hunter was left on quite the cliffhanger and Rebel Witch picked right up with Rune trying to protect her fellow witches and Gideon set on assassinating her to prevent witches from returning to power. So in case it’s not obvious, Rebel Witch cannot be read as a standalone.

While Gideon and Rune were enemies in the previous book who happened to fall in love, in this book they are enemies once more though trying to manage their feelings that just won’t go away.
I loved how they both had to wrestle with feeling what was “right” to protect those they loved while also knowing that they had to betray the love of their life.

While it’s easy for me as the reader to just want to yell “just tell him/her how you feel!” it wasn’t so easy for them to do on the page so there was a lot of untrust and back and forth at the beginning.

I could honestly understand both Gideon and Rune’s position so you weren’t sure how they were going to solve the problem of Cressida, the evil witch, who Cicerrelli painted as truly evil without making me too uncomfortable.

Ultimately this book is about the warring emotions between Gideon and Rune which were clearly described on the page and had me hooked.

Pacing definitely increased towards the end of the book and I loved how evil was finally defeated. I would have loved to learn more about the Ancients however I didn’t feel like this book got bogged down with excessive world building which was refreshing.

If you are a romantasy lover looking for a quick series to devour, I recommend the Crimson Moth series.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This series is a fun, easy YA read. While I wish the world-building and magic system were explored in more depth, I appreciate this story for what it is. Its focus is on the characters and their romance and those parts are handled in interesting, enjoyable ways. The push and pull between the main characters and the double-crossing make for a perfect will-they-or-won't-they read.

The 3 stars here aren't a knock against the story in any way, I think this is a perfectly enjoyable book, but it was very straightforward. It is great for YA audiences and certainly belongs on lists for romantasy readers, but it doesn't provide the same level of depth (in terms of world and lore) as, say, a Fourth Wing or Sarah J. Maas book.

I was immersed from the beginning, there was nothing I could do as I let the story sink its claws deeper inside me, keeping me trapped until I flipped the last page. And what a last page it was. Explosive. Satisfying. Absolutely everything Rune and Gideon deserved.

Kristen has done it again and crafted such a wonderful masterpiece. She seamlessly wove both Rune and Gideon’s POVs together, making their perspectives flow effortlessly and maximizing the feel of the tension between them.

One of the things I loved was how Kristen Ciccarelli didn’t waste time keeping Rune and Gideon apart. No frustrating, dragged-out separation—no, from the moment this book started, it was instant yearning, and oh my gods, the banter was perfection. Every scene between them had me kicking my feet like an unhinged romantic, because the tension?? The emotion?? Immaculate.

This book was the exact, heart-racing, magic-infused finale these two deserved, and I’m so not ready to say goodbye. I’ll undoubtedly be re-reading and manifesting a spin-off. 😭✨

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!