Absolutely loved this book. I was in a slump after HOFAS and this pulled me all the way out!!! Its enemies to lovers! Slow burn! Best friends brother! And fake dating!!! I can’t wait for the sequel!!!
Witch vs witch hunter
!!!SPOILERS!!!
In a post revolutionary world where the witches have fallen from power anyone suspected of being one or sympathizing with them is put to death!!! We have our FMC, Ruhn, who is trying to save whatever witches she can with the help of her best friends Verity and Alex. Meanwhile you have our MMC, Gideon, who’s captain of the Blood Guard and has been on a mission to catch “the crimson moth”. Every witch has a casting signature and everytime he loses one of his prisoners a crimson moth is left behind. Our main characters are all ready acquainted as Alex is the brother of Gideon. In a twist of fate Gideon starts to suspect either Ruhn herself or someone she’s acquainted with is the crimson moth he’s desperate to find. Simultaneously Ruhn is desperate for information to save a witch. Information that Gideon is the best source to give her. While they both fall into fake courting each other the lines start to blur on whether they’re also really falling for each other!!!

5 / 5 ✨🪰✉️

Thank you so much HarperCollins UK & NetGalley for the ARC!

I've been tossing up my rating for this book and I was going to settle on 4.75 but then I was like what would it need to be 5 stars and I couldn't think of anything so hence the 5 stars! This book was incredible, it the perfect blend of adventure, romance, and the enemies were truly enemies which LOVE especially in fantasy. I saw someone compare this to Serpent & Dove and I do agree but I argue I liked this one more.

Although I will say this book IS NOT YA, not in the slightest!! (I'm getting pretty tired of books being marketed and YA when 1. there is clear spice (some adult don't even have it and they are still adult books meant for those eyes only), this book had spice which shouldn't be read by 14-17 year olds at all. 2. Just because your characters are young 18/19 does not make the book YA. On NetGalley it literally has this book tagged as 'Children's Fiction' and 'Teen & YA', which I'd argue is wrong and it's more like upper YA.

The concept, Witch and Witch Hunter was executed so well and I fell in love with Rune and Gideon and I cannot wait to see how their dynamic unravels in book two because I know it's going to be so good. I'd loved the setting, the vibes, the magic, everything about this book.

This is my first Kristen Ciccarelli and I am smitten.

It was such a quick read and I loved the characters and the plot! Although I did guess a big plot element halfway through, I still really enjoyed seeing it being revealed and the impact it had.

Rune and Gideon’s relationship was very addicting to read about although I have a couple of things that left me feeling meh.

I’m not giving it a full 5 stars simply because the ending felt a little rushed for my liking.

I am very excited for book 2 and can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

4.75 rounded up to a 5. I ate this one up ! The stakes were high, and the end full of heartbreak. It doesn't end there though, sadly or thankfully, I don't know yet because I'm scared of what could happen next. The FMC is a clever vigilante that gets swept off her feet, and the MMC is a brute that loses at his own game. The tension was palpable and the last portion of the book went from bad to worse and I don't know if I can recover from it. I was rooting really hard, and then we get revelations and deaths and... it ends ?? I'm just not a fan of love triangles and that Cressida witch ? Scary.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and author Kristen Ciccarelli for this eARC.

I really enjoyed this book.
The world, the characters, the magic, the story - I loved all of it! The big twist in the end was a bit obvious but I didnt mind because there was still enough tension without it.
The only thing that knocks this down from 5 stars for me is the insta "love". While I love enemies to lover I'm not a fan of whole "pulled towards my enemy like a magnet & losing all common sense when they are near".
4.25 stars

I started this book almost blindly, I only knew it was about a witch and a witch hunter. I’m grateful for that because I was able to discover every piece of it while reading and I feel like it was the best.

This book has a strong plot line and, while it may seem quite easy, it is a lot more complex than I was imagining. It’s easy to read it and it’s entertaining, but sometimes I felt like it was more of a new adult book instead of a ya. And I say this with the upmost respect: the intricacy of both the writing style and different subplots and how some scenes were written gave me new adult feelings.

The Mr and Mrs Smith vibes of this book are on top and I was laughing a lot during a few scenes. The world building was pretty defined and I loved this, but there were a few elements that felt out of place. We know almost everything about what’s happened and what is currently happening and I didn’t feel like I was missing information.

The magic system is different from anything I’ve ever read, I loved how it depended on blood and spells, also leacving a silver scar behind (something used to identify the witches).

The characters are what made me give this book 4 stars: I loved Rune, her struggles and her grey morality, her need to save more witches, but also learning more dreadful things about the old witches reign. Her being the Crimson Moth, a witch, was just perfect, it gave her more depth and made her more fascinating. On the other hand we have Gideon, the captain of the Blood Guard, eternal enemy of the witches. I feel like he was so blind and just didn’t want to see Rune as who she was. I feel like, while Rune has a very specific personality, Gideon was just a child of the context. He has a dark past, but it felt like it was an add on and I didn’t really empathize with his character. I hope to see more of him in the next book!

Unfortunately, this brought me to the conclusion that I don’t like them together. They had almost no chemistry and I felt like they were always pretending till the end with no real development on the romantic side.

I also wish we could see more action, especially regarding Rune as the Crimson moth, but we are given a lot, and I repeat a lot of balls and parties.

The final plot twist was a bit obvious in my opinion, but I still felt all the emotions. This book was a great read in order of enjoyability but I hope to see more in the next!

4.25★

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc of this book!
How do I even start? I didn’t expect to like this so much. It sounded interesting, but I didn’t know how good it’d actually be.


Thoughts:

- This to me felt like true enemies to lovers. I feel like plenty of books just throw this trope around without actually being enemies to lovers. Usually, they get together too fast, or just fall in love too early on. Or they are never truly enemies. Here, however, we got what we were promised. A witch hunter and a witch. True enemies. I loved that aspect about it, and Rune and Gideon’s dynamics. It was so fun to read. Their little push and pulls, cat and mouse kind of game. There was so much tension between them, and it kept me curious to see how their relationship would evolve. (And don’t get me started about the ending! That added even more on top.)
- Speaking of the characters, Rune was so fun to follow. She was smart and always had some backup plan. (There was a scene where I really thought she was stupid, but she surprised me and I liked her even more after that.) She also feels like a very strong main character. I loved her.
- Gideon… I wanna slap him and hug him at the same time. I still feel like there’s more to him than what we got. He definitely was an interesting character as well, and I’m glad we got dual PoV in this book. I can’t imagine not reading his PoV. (He was sometimes just so… dreamy. I can’t say more without spoilers.)
- Alex was precious. I’m not gonna say more.
- Now for the world building. I’m gonna mention only one thing that had me confused and then some other thing I actually liked a lot. I just didn’t fully understand the time period this was set in. It wasn’t modern, but sometimes they wore certain things and there were certain things mentioned or words used that I was constantly doubting how I should imagine the world. It was a minor thing to me though, and maybe I just missed something.
- Now for the thing I liked. The magic system! Hello? That was perfect. I rarely see books that explore blood magic like this. I was so intrigued by that! Furthermore, I think it was very well-thought-out and explained to the reader. In general, I just love the idea of blood magic over other types of magic.
- I also liked the lore of the witches and the queendom (originally a queendom). I want more of that.
- The story and writing overall were nice! Easy to read. Kept me engaged the whole time. All the twists towards the end kept me on the edge of my seat.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it to anyone who likes witchy stories! I will definitely be picking up the next book when it comes out!

Read if you like:
☆ witches
☆ witch x witch hunter
☆ blood magic (or just an interesting magic system)
☆ (true) enemies to lovers
☆ fake courtship

4.5

IM OBSESSED WITH EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK.
I was like how will I find this? AMAZING. That’s how I found it. I was drawn into the world, the magic, poetic prose *swoons*
Romantasy for the win. I would like book 2 now please because WHAT WAS THAT CLIFF HANGER
Full review to come on my insta!

Thank you NetGalley!!

Not having read any of this author's previous books, I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed the writing! It was really intriguing and drew me in from the first page.

Despite the 3 stars, I actually had so much fun reading this. My history with witchy books hasn't been great, but I liked the magic system and the animosity between witches and witch-hunters. The dynamic between Rune and Gideon didn't give me butterflies until I got about 30% into the book, and their interactions got more prominent. I did enjoy the dialogue between them, but I felt like it moved too fast, and there was only an enemies-to-lovers dynamic from one side, as he didn't know she was a witch- the same one he's been searching for years.

Heartless hunter perfectly describes Gideon though, because he's so stony when the big plot twists occur, and I expected him to feel more and act on those feelings. The book fell short there, and with the way the scenes played out. I felt like Rune had a good relationship with her friends, but it mostly felt like she was doing her own thing, and I needed more interactions between her and other characters that weren't Gideon.

There is a love triangle here, but it sort of works. I did like the other love interest more by the end, and the way the events unfolded I think the actual chaos will occur in the next book. The plot twists I hadn't really seen coming, and the ending of the book had me shocked and gasping! But I'm sad the actual action in this book fell flat and for a 400 page book, more could be added to the story and lore of witches itself to make it more interesting. I will probably still pick up book 2, but this was pretty fun and kept me entertained!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

This is a five start for sure. I loved this book, the storyline the atmosphere and the characters. I could not put it down and cannot wait for it to come out so I can get my copy, and I cannot wait to see what happens. This is one of my top books for 2024. If you love anything witchey this one is for you. A great read.
Wow. Thank you so much #Netgalley for the eArc.

The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli is a fantasy romance between a witch (Rune) and a witch hunter (Gideon). Witches are forbidden in the current kingdom, and therefore witches are hunted down and killed. Rune pretends to be a witch-hater, but is actually trying to help other witches flee from the country.

I loved this book!! I liked the writing style, I flew through the pages. I loved that this was dual POV because it gave a lot of depth to the two main characters. Rune and Gideon both have backstories that made their current motives make sense (I don't wanna spoil anything by saying too much). The banter between Rune and Gideon was great. And the ending was WILD. I can't wait for the second book in this duology!


*This book is marketed as YA but in my opinion it is rather older YA or NA. There is one on-page sex scene and while it isn't very explicit/descriptive, readers will still know what's going on. Other themes (such as the witch purging, in which a witch is hanged upside down and then their throat is sliced) also seem less suitable for a younger YA audience.

*Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Thank you so so much to NetGalley and the publisher/author for accepting my request to read and review this book early!

This had bumped itself up to being my fav of the year and my favs of all time list!

This book was so so much more than I was expecting, and I am so glad that I picked it up and that I have the Fairyloot edition on the way.

I was expecting yet another generic YA enemies to lovers that bores me with its tropeyness.

But this book gave ENEMIES to lovers, in the best possible way. The way the author made both characters seamlessly have a REASON to come together and be flirty while still hating each other secretly but also loving each other secretly was genius.

Gideon and Rune’s tension was so so good, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time waiting to see if he would figure her out. Honestly my only complaint is that I wish this were officially an adult book so it could have been spicier.

The witch and witch hunter duo is unbeatable.

I loved how the magic was explained so well, the world building was great in this. The idea of witches having to use blood to cast spells which means there is this silver scarring on their bodies kind of like tattoos is AWESOME. I loved how the protagonist got around this in order to look like she wasn’t a witch.

I loved the twist at the end even though it was a little predictable.

I need book 2 right now PLEASE.

This book just wasn’t for me. I didn’t particularly like either of the main characters with the MMC being especially unlikeable and I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the two of them. Also considering she was the crimson moth I was hoping for more actions scenes in the book so that ended up being quite disappointing. Unfortunately I don’t think I will be reading book 2.

“But which character was she–the heroine, the villain, or the fool?”

The Crimson Moth follows a game of cat and mouse between a witch, Rune Winters, and a witch hunter, Gideon Sharpe. After the revolution toppled the witches from their position of power, they are now hunted and killed - and Rune, a young socialite, takes it upon herself to save as many as she can from the same fate that took her grandmother from her. In an attempt to gather information from either side, Rune and Gideon start courting and a dangerous game of deception begins.

“She was like a deer making eyes at the wolf that wanted to eat her for lunch. Stupid deer.”

The book has a typical YA feel to it, with writing that is easy to read and a magic system and politics that were relatively simple and straightforward, but with a dark world and story. Although the amount of graphic violence and abuse that happens directly on page is limited, I think it’s good to be prepared. The revolution was recent and bloody, and is still to some degree ongoing.

I loved the setting, which had a historical feel to it with gowns, balls and carriages, and the characters were fun to read about. The story has a good mix of exciting on-the-edge-of-your-seat action and suspense, and more fun lighthearted scenes where you really bond with and get to know the characters and their hearts.
The writing wasn’t very flowery or dramatic, the kind that makes for easy highlights and memorable quotes, which is something I would usually miss a bit, but the story made up for it here.

“I’d rather fight with you than do most other things.”

Both Rune and Gideon are characters that were easy to fall in love with with their flaws and strengths, and both have interesting and complicated views of what’s going on around them in the world. At times their relationship’s pacing felt a bit sudden, before slowing down again, but the cat and mouse game between them, where who’s chasing who is constantly changing, really made their dynamic shine.
I absolutely devoured this book, and I’m incredibly excited for the sequel!

This book was fantastic!! It really drew me in from the first page. Once I started this book I did not want to stop.

The world building was phenomenal and the descriptions of the witches and their history was really well written. There is plenty of twists and turns throughout the book which keeps you on your toes and wanting more.

The book follows Rune Winters a witch hiding in plain sight. After turning her Grandmother in for being a witch after they were betrayed. Rune soon learns to play the game of being a witch hater to protect herself. For the Blood Guard would never suspect someone who turned their own Grandmother in. Rune plays being an airy socialite by day and Crimson Moth by Night where she helps captive witches escape on her boats along with her friend’s help too.
Gideon who is Captain of the Blood Guard ( Witch Hunter ) suspects Rune of being the Crimson Moth which is where the cat and mouse game begins between the two. Rune needs information and Gideon needs to find out the truth. This relationship leaves you on the edge of your seat. You soon learn why Gideon hates witches after they murdered nearly all his family and how he was tortured too.
This book has you feeling so many complex emotions throughout reading this book which is something you want from a book.

I honestly cannot wait for the next book after that ending. This is definitely going to be one of my top 2024 reads for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my gosh, I just finished this masterpiece. I was hooked from the very first page and I don't think I have ever read a book this fast before. Oh and how I loved the enemies to lovers and the spells, and the marks. Absolutly worth reading🥰 Love the length of the book and perfect length of the chapters as well. Perfect book.

An intriguing and gripping story, I loved the characters and can't wait to read more by this author.

BOOK REVIEW: The Crimson Moth by @kristenciccarelli @harperfiction @harpercollinsuk

4 Stars

I loved this author's The Last Namsara series so I was really excited to read The Crimson Moth, which I thoroughly enjoyed!

Firstly, I will say that I think this book should be NA, not YA. Amazon says it is for ages 12 - 18, and in my opinion I would give it to anyone under 15. This is due to violence, abuse and smut.

The Crimson Moth is based around a young witch named Rune, who is a witch named the "Crimson Moth" and saves other witches. Her country hates witches and has an army who hunt and kill them. Rune's best friend has a brother named Gideon who is a notorious witch hunter and is after The Crimson Moth. Rune courts Gideon to gain intel, and he does the same to try to see if she is the witch he is after. The book has a lot of worldbuilding and backstory which added depth and substance to the story. The magic system is interesting and revolves around blood magic.

My biggest gripe is the way a witch needs to be bled to be found out (their blood is black). If their blood is black, surely their skin colour wouldn't be pinkish and their veins would be black?

I loved the characters. Rune is a brave, strong lady, masquerading as a shallow and dumb socialite. She is a little naive at times but generally very interesting and clever. Gideon is my favourite character. He has been through a lot in his life which has made him into a witch hunter. He is physically and mentally strong, clever and conniving, yet also vulnerable, shy and caring. I loved their enemies to lovers romance, it was interesting to watch grow. The side characters also played fantastic roles.

The writing was fantastic and although I felt the pace could have been faster at times, it still held my attention.

Overall, a great first book in this duology. I think a lot of Romantasy fans will love it!

Please note that I was given this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner from Kristen Ciccarelli! I have been patiently awaiting this book and it was everything I hoped it would be!!

Many thanks to Harper Voyagerfor sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review, so here we go 🫶🏻

Rating: 4.75/5⭐️

I read The Crimson Moth relatively quick and when I wasn’t reading it, all I could thing was to read it! This style of mortal enemies-to lovers is always a big hit for me as I love forbidden romances and seeing characters question what they thought to be true.

The magic system was very interesting, the witches need blood to perform their spells, there’s a degree of complexity for different spells and each spells leaves a consequence for the witch - in this case, a silver scar and a personal magic mark. There’s also tiers of spells and a whole forbidden type of magic as well. The pace of the book was very enjoyable, the slow burn is real and I loved meeting both Rune and Gideon and finding out about their own stories.

The only reason this was not a 5⭐️ read for me lays in the simple fact that both Rune and Gideon are so unsure of one another that a simple misinterpretation can be enough for them to turn against each other- which led me to believe that in reality they are so insecure of themselves that they can’t even trust their own gut or what they feel for one another, leading them to make decisions in someone else’s behalf and therefore, making things worse in their almost-relationship. There is absolutely no room for building a trusting foundation between them and that’s their doom. The next book can go either very well or really bad for me so I’m extremely curious to find out which one it’ll be!