📚 review 📚
rebel witch - kristen ciccarelli

after reading and loving the crimson moth earlier in the year, i was so excited to be approved for the sequel, rebel witch - and it did not disappoint.
obviously as this is a sequel, i don’t want to spoil anything for you but all you need to know is that rune winters - air head socialite lives in a world where being a witch is punishable by death. which is why only 2 other people, her two besties know that she is a witch. not only that but she is also a vigilante known as the crimson moth who goes around freeing and smuggling captured witches out of the country. to help her in her mission, she has decided to find a husband who is high up in the government and deviating from this plan, settles on her best friend’s brother, gideon sharpe, the head witch hunter.
gideon also has an agenda, he wants to find the crimson moth and he thinks getting involved with the aristocracy will help him find her. so when rune flutters her eyes at him, he sees an in.
though they are playing each other, they also both fall for each other - but neither knows that… as you can imagine, the course of true love never runs smooth and their diametrically opposed views gets them into trouble. the crimson moth is genuinely one of my favourite books of the year and rebel witch was such a satisfying ending to this duology - we pick up a few months after the events of the crimson moth and from the moment gideon and rune were on the page together i was all in.

i loved this duology - crimson moth is out now while rebel witch is out in february, which gives you plenty of time to grab the first one!
thank you @netgalley for the early copy.

When I say I devoured this book I mean I DEVOURED this book, in less than 24 hours no less. Kristen Ciccarelli has such an exquisite way of portraying her characters that you can’t help but fall in love and feel attached to them while you read and journey alongside them and the situations they come across. It was action packed, full of tension and I could not read this book fast enough but I also did not want it to end. I’m beyond devastated that this is the second book in this duology as I would love more books with Gideon and Rune, I just love them so. Saying that, the novel was perfect and made such a beautiful ending to an impeccable duology.

This was not was I was expecting. This was everything and MORE than I was expecting!

Rebel Witch pretty much begins plot wise shortly after the end events of Crimson Moth. Which spoiler alert, was utter carnage, in the best way. This installment ups the ante, and in terms of carnage, it is a you know you shouldn't stare at but JUST. CAN'T. LOOK. AWAY. kind of situation... 👀

If you wanted tension between your MCs, you got it. You want your heart strings yanked tenderly and painfully on, YOU GOT IT. Ciccarelli has built a cast of complex characters that challenged my moral compass. Rebel Witch really is character exposition masterpiece.

The plot was a freight train on a collision course with my delicate baby feelings. I laughed, I cried, I screamed. I smashed this book in one sitting, as it was impossible to put it down and have peace of mind.

In conclusion, this should be your next reading obsession and if it's not yet, it will be.

WHAT AN ENDING.

Rebel Witch is the perfect end to the duology. It's equally as addictive as The Crimson Moth, just as action packed, and kept me enthralled from start to finish.

The push and pull of Gideon and Rune's relationship nearly destroyed me (in a good way). There was so much tension, and was SUCH a good example of enemies to lovers.

Even though this was the second book in a duology, there was still a great deal of character development. The magic style still had me in a chokehold and honestly I am so obsessed with this duology. The ending was incredible and even though it's over, I need more.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK – Magpie and Harper Voyager UK for granting me a Netgalley digital ARC of The Rebel Witch, the highly anticipated and exciting conclusion to the Crimson Moth (aka The Heartless Hunter). So many unanswered questions. Does the Witch get the hunter? Is Alex really dead? Do we live happily ever after? No spoilers, but these are my highlights.

The Rebel Witch is a compelling story that sends Rune and Gideon on a dangerous precipice between survival, revenge, and love. Kristen Ciccarelli puts her foot to the floor to crank up the angst, suspense, and yearning in Rune and Gideon’s tumultuous love story packed with all those delicious delights from book one we adored. The plot is fast-paced with deadly betrayals, dangerous twists, and blazing hot banter that never let up between Gideon and Rune, flip-flopping from wanting to kiss and kill each other at breakneck speed.

Pinned at the heart of the Rebel Witch is an intensive character-driven evolution that exposes Gideon and Rune’s souls in a visceral, raw manner. Sending them both on a steep, emotional journey. Rune challenges her to examine her situation, conscious, and heart. Brewing a lot of mental torment, self-doubt, and questions about the black and white of right and wrong sides of this struggle – her experiences make her question more of the grey space in the two sides of the war she’s embroiled in as the Crimson Moth and strengthen her moral compass giving her the confidence to walk her path.


Gideon’s transformation is the most breathtaking – unapologetic witch hunter with so much blood on his hands melts as his façade crumbles in the raging battle between his mind and heart over his feelings for Rune. He’s carrying so much hate, pain, and anguish, blocking the love and light he is capable of. Rune is the catalyst that challenges him to flourish as he puts the terrors of his past behind him to see the woman he loves beyond the witch label.

The relationship between Rune and Gideon develops and deepens throughout the Rebel Witch. I loved that Kristen Ciccarelli delves into their character dynamics to explore the hurt, resentment, distrust, and longing existing between them in her writing. Without sacrificing the rich banter and fantastic battle of wits between them, bring light relief to the emotional impact of the plot without doing a disservice to their tender, touching emotional journey.

What a stunning sequel and merry chase we get in the evolution of the relationship between Rune and Gideon. If you loved The Crimson Moth, this is absolutely a must-read in 2025!

Thank you so much to Harper Collins and NetGalley for sending me a digital copy of this to read early.

I was so excited to be drawn back into Rune and Gideon's world with this sequel to The Crimson Moth.

The book was fast paced and hard to put down, the enemies to lovers to enemies aspect had me on the edge of my seat and I was engaged the whole way through. The miscommunication between the character was infuriating (in a good way) and I loved learning the backstories of more characters like Harrow and Seraphine.

The series overall is one of my favourite duologies and I would definitely recommend to other romantasy lovers out there!

The Rebel Witch was one of my most highly anticipated sequels after loving the first book so much and oh my god it didn’t disappoint. The author absolutely delivered such a masterpiece with this book in every way, this is how you write a sequel while still carrying over everything from the first book and adding so much more to it, this gave me everything I wanted and so much more.

From the start it was full of action and everything developed and moved at such a wonderful pace, there were no dull moments it kept me engaged and I found it so hard to put down and I just wanted to read one more chapter, it had me going through every emotion possible. The character development of both Rune and Gideon was amazing and while they both had their own self doubts and struggles to see them finally get to a place where they fought to be together was so satisfying and bittersweet.

The angst, tension and the will they won’t they enemies to lovers to enemies romance was back in The Rebel Witch but this time was so much better, add in with a fake marriage, banter, tension and very well written fade to black that was done exceptionally well while still having all the angst and tension that could be found in any spicy romantasy but handled with care.

This has slotted itself into one of my all time favourite duologys and I will always recommed it. Such an amazing conclusion!

Thank you so much to the publisher for the eArc to read and review prior to publication.

I absolutely loved this book, it concluded the series so nicely and there was so so much tension between Rune and Gideon - I felt like I was squealing in excitement constantly! I thought the pacing of the book was great with a good amount of action even with the romance, and I really like the dual POVs and reading the thoughts behind both characters actions. The plot twists were a bit predictable but still enjoyable, and I’m really hoping there will be some bonus chapters in the published book.

A perfect ending but...I don't want it to end *sobs* I don't want to give any spoilers as I know everyone is eagerly awaiting the release but MY HEART, the chemistry and tension is palpable, the emotional depth and development of Rune and Gideons relationship is something to be commended, the plot is fast paced and I found myself finishing this in one day, cleverly structured I'm in awe of how all the lose ends tied up HOW DOES HER BRAIN WORK LET ME INSIDE IT (sorry that sounded weirder than I'd meant it too) I hope the author decides to write a prequel and/or spin off series because I fear I am forever changed 😂

This sequel was EVERYTHING! 😍 After that heart-stopping cliffhanger in book one, Rebel Witch totally delivers with all the action, romance, and major tension. Rune and Gideon’s chemistry is off the charts, and watching their relationship journey and enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers kept me hooked whilst also screaming for them to COMMUNICATE!! haha . The plot moves fast, keeping you hooked with the perfect mix of swoon-worthy moments and oh my gosh drama / trauma . The ending had me on the edge of my seat, it was PERFECT!

This duology is one I’ll recommend to everyone. I was thrilled to get an advanced reading copy of the second book and couldn’t wait to dive in. The enemies-to-lovers trope is my favorite, and these characters will stay with me for a long time.

The fast-paced plot made this a gripping read, especially in the first half, and I loved how the romance developed without unnecessary separation. The tension and drama, (especially the jealousy) and there were plenty of tender scenes between Rune and Gideon.

However, I expected a bit more from the romance. Gideon’s emotions could have been explored more deeply, and I wanted to see him express his feelings more openly. Despite this, the story delivered a satisfying conclusion, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

5⭐️

Oh my god!!! So good! Crimson Moth walked so this book could run. Loved the storyline of the book and the dynamic between the characters. Everything I look for in a fantasy - great plot, interesting magic system and the romance was so good!!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book!

4.5
I read book one, “The Crimson Moth”, in March of this year and surprisingly hadn’t had any (bigger) issues connecting with the story or the characters with a ~9 month gap between both books.
I’m also happy to report back that I enjoyed “The Rebel Witch” more than “The Crimson Moth”!

Loved the character, their development and especially the direction of the plot and how it all played out in the end.
The book is well written and had great pacing. I also thought it reads better/easier than book one, which is not to say that I had any issues with the writing on the previous book.

There was some back and forth between Rune and Gideon in the beginning, trying to figure out how to move on from their mutual betrayal, which I can see some people would feel a certain type of way about. I didn’t mind.

I want to particularly point out that I noticed how Harrow’s character was better utilized in this book than it has been in “The Crimson Moth”. I felt her only reason to exist in book one was to point Gideon in Rune’s direction, which could have been easily done by literally any other character, so seeing her here having her own backstory and getting a better glimpse at her personality was really nice.
Would have loved if we could have gotten more of her and if it then had been better balanced between both books.

Having Cressida being now an actual part of the story, I would have loved to have some chapters from her pov, but I can see why the author stuck to Rune & Gideon.

The ending was beautiful and wrapped up the story very nicely.

Final thoughts on this duology/series: “The Crimson Moth” & “The Rebel Witch” are one of the better YA fantasy books out there and that I read in a while. Great writing, great characters & chemistry, plot and pacing.
If I were to critique anything, it would have been that both books have a certain level of predictability, which I guess is to be expected considering it’s YA, but I personally didn’t care at all nor wasn’t bothered by it, because everything else worked out so well!
I can highly recommend this series.

I had high expectations for this sequel and even though I enjoyed it, I wasn't wowed or blown away by this one.

I liked the dynamics and back and forth romance between Rune and Gideon, but the overall plot was lacking somehow? It's still a very smooth and action-packed read but I don't feel like anything groundbreaking happened. I do feel like a lot happened and was explained but at the same time I never really felt intruiged? The end had me amazed for a minute but then it didn't because of course the obvious thing happened (you'll see when you read it).

Overall an enjoyable read but I hoped for a little more.

2.75 but rounded up to 3.

Firstly thank you for the ARC, as always, I'm very grateful.
I was really looking forward to this one after giving The Crimson Moth a solic 4 stars earlier in year year. Unfortunately, the sequel didn't live up to this for me.
All opinions are my own.

Some of the difficulties I had with the book:
1-In the first 30/40% there was so much emphasis on Rune being small and petite and how Gideon towered over her. I think this must have been repeated about 8 times and it felt like overkill for me.

2-the constant references to Rune being "a girl". She is a woman, she is doing woman things and the book is a romance. I don't want to be romanticising a girl. This is a small thing but it really bugged me.

3- the miscommunication trope. It felt like groundhog day between Gideon and Rune. Can they trust each other? Are they going to betray each other? Do they understand the others intention? It was this on a rinse and repeat cycle and it got quite tedious. I understand that this is a romantasy book, but the romance was too heavily featured and it took away from moving the plot forward.

4- speaking of plot, the main part happened in the last 5%? It felt rushed and an afterthought. We've spent so much time toing and froing on the romance side that I felt the plot was really hindered. The ending and subsequent conclusion felt like an afterthought.

Its not to say that I didn't enjoy the book at all because I did. I think the magic system is really interesting, the way the world's are set up and the politics of the book. I also enjoyed the writing style. But ultimately, I didn't feel as interested or captured by this one as I did the first.

I enjoyed this one so much more than the first, which isn’t to say the first wasn’t good, it’s more that this one just really grabbed my attention and held it. Though I did spend the first half wishing Gideon and Rune would just get over their damn selves. Gideon is a self-righteous zealot for a little while there, but he gets it together, I’m glad to say. These two could skip a whole lot of pain if they just learned to use their words and communicate! Still, where’s the fun in that?

The Rebel Witch is a fast paced read, filled to the brim with action and it’ll keep you engaged throughout each chapter. It’s a perfect end to the duology and to Gideon and Rune’s story.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins U.K. and Kristen Ciccarelli for gifting me this eARC.

3,5 ⭐

While I loved the first book for the banter and action, I found this one to be longer than necessary. I love the main characters, but I wish there was more development on the MMC side!

One of my favourite reads of the year - The Crimson Moth (aka The Heartless Hunter) - Fairyloot February YA book edition shown.

The ending of The Crimson Moth left me realling and I was desperate to get my hands on the sequel - to only find it's released next year. Lucky for me Harper Collins approved my request to read The Rebel Witch as an eARC.

Let me tell you now, Kristen Ciccarelli did not disappoint and this duology has quickly become one of my favourites.

Kristen has continued Ruins story in a beautiful manner. Picking right up where book 1 finished (all be it a few months later) getting you thrown straight back into the story.
You've got alternating PoV for Ruin and Gideon and reading as the witch tries to evade the hunter, and they both battle with the emotions they've come to have over the events of the last few months. It gives a more full view of both sides, making me understand each characters decisions, trials and tribulations as they fight for what they believe is right.

It was a fast paced read that left me wanting more and chambering to pick it up after work. Fighting myself on the need to finish vs the need to savour and extend my time with Ruin and Gideon.

Degintely add this duology to your TBR. With the The Rebel Witch coming out March 5th (in Australia)

Rebel Witch was an entertaining read with yet again beautifully executed dual POV. The plot overall was pretty simple and quite predictable but enjoyable none the less and I had a lot of fun with this book. Similar to Crimson Moth, there's plenty of banter, mystery, unexpected revelations and an ending that will surely satisfy everyone.

My biggest beef however was the romance. As adorable as it all was - the banter, the back and forth, the enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers, I wished they just talked to each other and be honest for one minute!!!!!! So much miscommunication, so many assumptions made, so much mistrust which is understandable but surely possible to overcome if they JUST TALKED to each other!!!! All this miscommunication led both characters to all the wrong choices over and over and over again.... I was screaming at my Kindle so much! 😄 However, Rune and Gideon are such likable characters that all was forgiven and I was so invested in their story that nothing would make me stop!!

Overall, a very enjoyable conclusion to a great duology!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was just perfect. Better even than the first one !
It has everything I could have ever wanted for this story and it is beautifully executed.

- And it got me out of a 3 months reading slump -