Amazing conclusion to one of my favourite duologies ever! Rune and Gideon are the absolute IT couple and the forced proximity in this book ahd me gnawing of the bars of my enclosure, thank you so much for this ARC <3

The Rebel Witch was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025, and I can honestly say it went above and beyond all of my expectations!.

Continuing the story from the The Crimson Moth, we are thrown back into this fantasy world with an array of fascinating characters and a truly captivating storyline.

If you are a fantasy lover, then this is a book you need to read immediately, I couldn't put it down!

Rebel Witch was a fantastic sequel and a satisfying conclusion to a truly enjoyable duology. I absolutely loved the enemies-to-lovers-turned-back-to-enemies dynamic. It added so much tension and excitement. While I didn’t love Rebel Witch quite as much as The Crimson Moth, I thoroughly enjoyed getting back into this world and seeing where the story would take us.

It was fast-paced plot, packed with action, political intrigue, yearning, and just the right amount of angst. I especially appreciated that the characters weren’t separated for too long, which kept me fully invested in their journey. By the end, I was completely hooked and couldn’t stop reading.

Oh I’m absolutely obsessed with this!!!!

In this we follow Rune running away from the aftermath of book one and Gideon hunting her down in the streets of the continent, until one day due to unforseeable situations they are forced to work together to overturn the government once and for all.

This book was the perfect ending that I needed! Although I loved book one, I only gave it a four stars because I had some issues with it, but this??? No this was great. It was full of action, twists, angst and enemies to lovers in full force. Although I had already anticipated the plot twists and how this was going to end I loved my time reading it. It was so fun that I couldn’t stop reading it.

I loved the romance even if Rune and Gideon got on my nerves almost the entirety of the first half of the book, but nevertheless if I read an enemies to lovers it should be like this.

If you loved book one, I don’t see how you are not going to love book two.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Admittedly, I didn’t love The Crimson Moth. But I definitely saw the potential, so I wanted to give the sequel a read. While I liked The Rebel Witch slightly more than its predecessor, it still didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Firstly, I just didn’t connect to the characters. They were fine, but they didn’t stand out to me at all. There was lots of tension and angst between Rune and Gideon, but the constant back and forth of their relationship eventually exhausted me. I was also disappointed that Cressida wasn’t as big of a part of this book as I had hoped. I wanted more of her backstory.

The plot felt very repetitive, and the second half of the book felt very chaotic and messy. I predicted a lot of the twists, and I was frustrated when other characters would conveniently show up to solve a problem that the main characters faced. The ending also felt very anticlimactic.

Overall, this book just wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Fiction/Magpie for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would give it 6 ⭐️ if I could!!

Dare I say this was better than part 1? Bc I really think it was. I loved the tropes in this one and how we got more of Rune and Gideon than in The Crimson Moth. The ends they were willing to go to for each other was amazing and the end was perfect for this duology even if I was a little stressed where the story was heading for a while…
Absolutely ate this one up in like 2 sittings and was giggling at all the banter we got, the jealousy and the longing?! They were definitely both trying to deny their feelings just bc of what the other person is and what they did but it just made it feel more real.
I can not recommend this book enough and I really think it was perfect!

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐲. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫."

One of my most anticipated releases of 2025 and I got my hands on the arc (thank you NetGalley). The Crimson Moth was one of my favourite reads of 2024 and The Rebel Witch did not disappoint either. Kristen Ciccarelli knows how to write a good romantasy; the enemies to lovers was done right and the plot was not lost due to the romance aspect of it all.

The Rebel Witch was the perfect conclusion to this duet and I cannot wait for any future releases of Kristen (I'd read her grocery list if she'd let me).

Now, excuse me while I continue sobbing and letting Gideon and Rune live in my head rentfree for the foreseeable future.

The Rebel Witch is the perfect conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology. Kristen Ciccarelli transports us straight back into the thick of the action and having Rune and Gideon back feels like a nice warm (slightly stabby) blanket.

The pacing was just right, I did find the first 20% of the book a bit slow and hard to get into but once things kicked off I couldn't stop myself from reading. I am utterly obsessed with Gideon's development throughout this series, and each twist and turn was perfectly calculated by Kristen for maximum enjoyment. Rune and Gideon were not kept apart for long - this (and the forced proximity) immensely.

Just when I thought I knew what would happen, the story sends you flying another way. I would have liked to have had Alex brought up in conversation more, Rune and Gideon seemed to tiptoe around the subject of him.

Overall, a highly engaging, delicious sequel - one that many readers will devour.

This is the one I've been most excited to read after what feels like forever. Reading *Crimson Moth* first, *Rebel Witch* was totally worth the wait.

I cannot put into words how this book made me feel; it had me in a chokehold at so many points. Tears were shed, frustration felt, little dances of happiness performed—just all the emotions.

If you loved the first book, you will 1000% love this one. It gave us everything we needed from Rune & Gideon's story and more. There were so many moments where the plot twists were unexpected, and I just loved the ending so much.

Honestly, this is one of the best duologies I have ever read. I'm so excited to see some character art for this story, as I have so many beautiful images in my mind.
Roll on all the special editions!♥️

Thank you, author, NetGalley, and publisher for letting me receive an early ARC copy. I am forever grateful.🙏

I was very lucky to receive a copy of this book through Net galley.

As a sequel it lived up to the first, starting with enough action to keep the story going.
Normally with squeals I don’t like the addition of new characters unless the series is going to be more than one book, but the additions of some new faces really helped the character’s development.

Rune:
Was amazing again, staying the smart FMC she was in the first book but still having a lot of learning and emotional growth to do.

Gideon:
I really enjoyed his inner monologues, he had a lot to work though.

Overall I really enjoyed both books and through this one carried on the story well. 3.5 stars

𝗦𝗜𝗫 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗖 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 *ੈ✩‧₊˚

I didn't think I would be finding a new favourite book this soon in to the new year but, alas, here we are! I can say with full confidence that this is tone of the best sequels I have ever read and already know it will make it on to my "top reads of the year" list!

𝗜'𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲｡

I first read The Crimson Moth in March 2023 and was instantly obsessed. I re-read it as my first read of January this year, quickly remembered why I loved it so much, and immediately dove in to the sequel that is The Rebel Witch. This thing happens to me regularly where I am severely dissapointed by my most anticipated reads, but Kristen Ciccarelli did not dissapoint, and she severely outdid herself and surpassed my expectations with this sequel. I didn't think it could beat The Crimson Moth, but, I was so very pleasently surprised that it did.

The book picks up around 2 months after the events of The Crimson Moth if I remember correctly, and we are very quickly sent straight back in to the thick of the plot, with action and suspense in every chapter. It was just impossible to put this book down, I read it in two sittings - and that's only because I had to sleep!!

Rune and Gideon have my entire heart. This is a true enemies to lovers situation and honestly I spent a lot of the book wandering how they could ever be anything other than the former as it was also so forbidden! The slow burn and the angst between the characters was delicious and their chemisty was undeniable, and I ate up every single page and interaction between them.

It's hard to review a sequel without spoilers, but I can say that I have never felt so immersed in a story. There were characters I loved, characters I loved not so much, it had more twists and turns than a cheap garden hose, deceit, betrayal, I never quite knew where the story was going and it truly kept me on my toes. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough but didn't want it to end all at the same time!

Hands on my heart, I have never quite felt so tense and anxious while reading a book in my entire life. The ending finished me off good and proper, I needed to take a minute before finishing it at one point because my heart was literally breaking in two!

Just perfect. I cannot believe this was only a duology because I would happily read a dozen more books surrounding these characters.

 ✨ 𝙁𝘼𝙑𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙄𝙏𝙀 𝙌𝙐𝙊𝙏𝙀𝙎 ✨

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥?"

"𝘎𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥; 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘭. 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘺𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨."

"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴."

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵."

"𝘖𝘩 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘦..."
"𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴."
"𝘕𝘰. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦."

What an amazing conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology.

Our favourite witch and witch hunter, Rune and Gideon are back and their story picks up two months after the end of book 1.

Gideon has been searching for Rune and when he catches up with her she is engaged to a prince. This is so he will give Cressida his army to take over the New Republic.

Cressida has a plan that will bring in a new reign of witches where they will once again rule over humans.

Rune and Gideon are forced to work together against her to stop this happening.

A lot of people said book 1 was fast paced, which I didn't agree with. The Rebel Witch is definitely fast paced. It is tension filled and action packed from the start.

We get Rune and Gideon fighting their feelings for one another, a fake marriage and one bed...

We also get a lot of secrets and twists and more betrayals.

I loved this series. They were the first books by this author that I have read, and I look forward to reading more.

I've just finished this book, and what an amazing ending to the story, I absolutely loved this book, keeps you guessing and page turning! I could not put this down! The end to Rune and Gideon story is so fitting🩷 so happy they both got a happy ending each, huge character development and I really enjoyed going back to this world, thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC, hugely recommend this series to anyone who loves, witches, spells, love, treachery, twist and turns, page turning and everything else you could wish in a story🩷

One word. PERFECTION.

Rarely does Book 2 ever live up to the first. But Kristen Ciccarelli absolutely smashed it out of the park. I devoured this in equal amount to The Crimson Moth. I was already obsessed with Rune and Gideon’s relationship going into The Rebel Witch but this book fulfilled everything I wanted. The growth between them. The angst. The slow burn. Forbidden love/ Enemies to Lovers has never been executed so well. All the characters in this duology are so well formed and none of the events feel rushed or unnecessary. The plot was super action packed and so well balanced with the romantic moments. This duology is a real masterclass in Romantasy slow burn. I would recommend this series to anyone and everyone who will listen.

Omg absolutely amazing. I loved the Crimson Moth and this is the perfect second book. So many twists and turns with some leaving you shocked waiting to find out what happens. Very gripping.

Thank you Kristen Ciccarelli, Harpercollins and Netgalley for the ARC

I was absolutely thrilled to get this ARC and am glad I chose it for my first read of 2025, as it was a lot of fun.

That's not to say that The Rebel Witch is without it's issues, but I enjoyed every page despite them.

To start with, there are a couple of moments where a character learns something or notices something and then shortly afterwards, it's like they're learning/noticing it for the first time. These were minor continuity errors, but they did take me out of the story briefly.

I also found it to be quite predictable. I knew exactly what was going to happen within just a few chapters, however, they journey to get to those big plot points was still entertaining and I was hooked every step of the way.

While The Rebel Witch didn't sleep as hard as Crimson Moth, I still massively enjoyed the characters, the relationship dynamics, world building and magic system. Considering there's a lot going on, I didn't find it a heavy read and I was eager to see how the story unfolded.

This duology is absolutely on my re-read list as it's loads of fun and a fairly easy read. I wouldn't be mad if there were more stories to be told from this world either.

I was absolutely obsessed with this book from the very beginning. The story hooked me right away, and I just had to know how it continued. Every time I thought about putting it down, I found myself wanting to read just one more chapter. The way the author built the tension between the characters was incredible. I could feel the excitement and uncertainty as the story unfolded. It was like a rollercoaster ride of emotions that kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters felt real and relatable, which made me even more invested in their journey. I could hardly wait to see how their story would turn out, and each page turn felt like a step closer to the thrilling conclusion.

The enemies-to-lovers theme is one of my favorites, and this book delivered it perfectly. The interactions between the main characters were charged with tension and clever banter. I loved how they started off disliking each other but slowly began to understand and care for one another. Each encounter was filled with sparks, and I found myself cheering for them to realize their feelings. The author did a fantastic job of developing their relationship. It was clear that their journey was not just about romance; it was about growth and discovery. I enjoyed watching how they challenged each other and learned to let their guards down. This dynamic added depth to the story and made the eventual romance feel earned and meaningful.

As I read, the plot twists kept me guessing, and I never knew what would happen next. Just when I thought I had the story figured out, something new would surprise me. The suspense was brilliantly woven throughout the book, making it hard to put down. The author introduced obstacles that made the characters face not only their feelings but also their pasts. This added layers to the narrative, and I found myself fully immersed in their world. It was easy to lose track of time as I followed their journey. I appreciated how the author balanced the excitement of their relationship with moments of doubt and vulnerability. This balance made the characters’ experiences feel authentic and relatable.

The writing itself was simple yet powerful. I loved how the author used vivid descriptions to paint pictures in my mind. It was easy to imagine the settings and emotions of the characters. The dialogues felt natural, and the humor added a lightness to the serious moments. I often found myself laughing out loud at the witty exchanges between the characters. The pacing was just right, keeping me engaged from start to finish. It never felt rushed, allowing the story and character development to unfold beautifully. This made every moment impactful, and I found myself fully invested in the outcome. All these elements combined created a captivating reading experience that I thoroughly enjoyed.

By the time I reached the end, I was satisfied and happy with how everything wrapped up. The ending felt solid and left me with a warm feeling. I appreciated that the author provided closure while still leaving the door open for possibilities. This balance made it feel like a complete journey. I can’t wait to read this story again, as it is one of those books that offers something new each time. I believe that revisiting the characters and their journey will bring back the same feelings of excitement and joy. This book is a true gem, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling enemies-to-lovers romance filled with tension and well-crafted storytelling.

I really wanted to love this, and it honestly started out at 5 stars, but then little things kept frustrating me and it slowly got a lower and lower rating 😭

The true enemies to lovers nature between Gideon and Rune at the beginning of the books was amazing!! There was so much tension and banter. I was giggling and kicking my feet.

However after a while, I found there was sooo much back and forth, and repetition in the storyline. Lots and lots of characters were introduced that I found it a bit hard to follow along. There also was way too much of people showing up right at the perfect time.

There was a situation involving a child that made me so angry and it felt so unnecessary this book immediately lost half a star.

I didn’t see the ending coming, but when the final twist happened I was kicking myself for not guessing it!

3.75 stars --
The Rebel Witch is the second and final in the Crimson Moth duology; we find ourselves back with Rune who had made her escape across the sea.
Rune is now engaged to the prince and working actively with Cressida to gain his army to take down the New republic.
Gideon, on her heels — prepared to do his duty as a witch hunter and take out his one time love…


A fast paced start filled with action and tension, keeping the reader on their toes. The story takes off with an immense amount of promise for a fun and gripping follow up to book one.
However, unfortunately as the story progressed it was propelled by possibly my least favorite trope; miscommunication. While the relationship between Gideon and Rune takes the main focus this time around,— we loose the intensity of the magic we had in the first book. The pure primal power, the wonderful history and the overwhelming intensity to the castings and their unique beauty of their scars. Spells and lore took a back seat alongside the world building. For example I wanted to know more about the world Rune found herself in when she escaped. The architecture was mention and the fact that they accepted witches. But were witches part of their society? Perhaps if there were witches already part of their cutler were their witches different? Or are they all more of an oddity as eluded to? What did the kingdom feel about their prince marrying a witch rebel and going to war?
The New Republic seemed unprepared for a massive army to come to their shores. But why? They had to know the possibility of killing Rune would fail or worse enrage the prince.
The major plot twists were easily foreshadowed, with that being said I had such high hopes for an epic conclusion between sisters. However the ending felt rushed and fell flat for me.

The world of the crimson moth is wonderfully crafted with an amazingly primal and unique blood magic system. Rune and Gideon are a solid romantasy couple and many of the side characters contribute to the face paced action of the series.

Thank you to the publishers, author, and netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

I enjoyed The Crimson Moth and was excited to read The Rebel Witch and see how Rune's story developed. The Rebel Witch picks up shortly after the end of The Crimson Moth and we are straight away thrown into the drama of Gideon hunting Rune again. I absolutely adored this second book in the duology. The relationship and plot development between Gideon and Rune was done perfectly and I was fully immersed in the story and could not put it down. One of the my favourite books of the year!