I jumped up and down so much when I got accepted for this ARC, thank you, thank you!

This duology is EVERYTHING. Once again I was wrapped up in the mystery and intrigue of this world, rooting for Rune and Gideon to find a way to each other against all odds.

What to expect:
Political strife
Witch x Witch Hunter
War
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity/only one bed
Found Family
Who did this to you?

Reeling from each other betrayal, we pick up just after we left off from the last book. The dynamic between Gideon and Rune was fantastic, they really complement each other. Gideon deep down loves everything Rune is, not the person she's has been forced to portray sometimes to save herself. And Rune feels the same way for Gideon.

I said this about the first book but I just think the worldbuilding is fantastic, and so is the magic system. The unique way the witches draw on their casting marks and how they are a unique signature for each Witch.

I did feel like the ending came around very quick after all the build up, but the author fleshed out the story well so the romance didn't feel rushed or unbelievable, so I didn't mind the abrupt ending so much. I think most duologies are like this, as there is alot of story to pack into 2 books. And the rest of the pacing was great, the author revealing the right amount of information as we went along so I didn't feel confused or lost in the plot at any moment.

There were a few mysteries and twists in this one and I had a great time trying to guess them.

This being YA, there was tiny bits of steamy moments but this was perfect for this story, and I loved it, but if you are looking for absolutely no spice then this might not be for you.

I 100% recommend this duology to anyone that loves a good romantasy, honestly one of my favourite witchy books ever, the vibes and the tension are perfection.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book to review. Forever grateful.

I did enjoy it but not as much as the first one (Heartless Hunter/The Crimson Moth). I was obsessed with The Crimson Moth and gave it 5 stars.

In the most non-spoiler free way I will try to explain my reasonings:

> I enjoyed reading/being back with Rune and Gideon, the first book ended at a huge cliffhanger and you start this book right where the first book left.

> I enjoyed the plot, I found it did move very fast. Though I just found the challenges to be resolved very quickly.

> I don’t know what it is, but I couldn’t get into the book after page 280 or so, I just wasn’t captivated.

> There is definitely huge tension between Gideon and Rune and I really enjoyed the first 260 pages or so, but afterwards… not so much. I found the dialogue repetitive and some actions were questionable (I’d love to give an example but it would be a spoiler, I just feel like a character wouldn’t ask this in the first book, that’s all).

* I received this book as an e-ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion and review of the book. Thank you NetGalley and HarperVoyager for the advanced copy.

Kristen Ciccarelli, you are magic.

The action starts at the beginning! You’re immersed straight into the action. Two months have passed since the Crimson Moth fled with Witch Queen Cressida (what a B***H!) and Rune is betrothed to the Prince of Umbria, Soren, and it’s quickly discovered that this is a plot set up by Cressida so that Soren will partner with them to take war to the New Republic.

Gideon, our man, is ready in the wings, he’s been sent to exterminate the Crimson Moth, our girl, Rune 😖 but when he follows her to the bathroom and raises his weapon… he just can’t do it, it’s *his* Rune (swoon).

There’s sooooo much tension throughout, I found myself tensing at the idea they may not get their happily ever after 😢 but it’s there in all its gorgeous glory!


“You’re a knife in my heart”

“She was always out of your league Sharpe”
“*I know*”😭😭😭


I absolutely loved how Gideon’s character evolved, especially how his love for Rune became more and more obvious. He’d moved from a Republican set on removing every single trace of witches to realising that this wasn’t right, not all witches were like the witch queens, and least of all Rune.
He sacrificed himself for her at each opportunity, laying himself on the literal railroad so that she could have the chance of living the life she thought she needed.

Turns out, she just needed him, and his love adding to her strength to do the ultimate display of love.

Absolutely wonderful, brilliant, beautiful, heart wrenching, suspenseful, turbulent, sensational duo. I hope we see more from the New *new* Republic in the future, even a novella?! A Christmas special?! Please? 🥲

This novel picks up not long after the events of the first book in the duology and follows the perspective of both Rune and Gideon throughout.

I enjoyed this fun, and fast-paced sequel. The writing style was engaging and the tension between Rune and Gideon was well written. My main critique would be that the ending felt rushed, and didn't resolve all of the plot threads I'd been hoping it would do.

Overall, I'd give this four stars and would definitely read other books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book.

And i knew because of that ending i had to get my hands on the second book and when i saw that i got approved for the arc it changed my week completely. If the first book is everything, the second one IS EVEN BETTER, reeling after a betrayal, hating ( or not??) each other, forced to team up, the yearning ( BRING BACK MEN WHO YEARN IN BOOKS), the found family, the action, the emotions, MY GIRL RUNE I LOVE U LIKE A CRAZY AMOUNT
ALSO THAT VISION????? 🥹 🥹
The way these two idiots complete each other and Gideon lets Rune be just herself it made my heart burst, you guys have no idea how much this duology means to me now.
The magic system in both books made you think you are right there with the characters, i love the idea of the scars and moths also, i love how the action progressed throughout the second book and i absolutely adored the found family are u kidding me, those last chapters made me cry( but good tears, half of them, don’t worry)
Thank u to the publisher for the arc i had a blast

This was a fun and satisfying sequel to The Crimson Moth. It grabs you right from the start, and I loved that the characters were not separated for too long in the beginning (Although at times the constant backwards and forwards on do I love them vs can I trust them felt a little overdone). Despite the predictability of some of the plot points, I still enjoyed watching it all unfold.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC of this book to review.

(4.5 stars rounded up)

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC! The Crimson Moth was one of my absolute highlights of 2024 so far and I was super excited to read its sequel a couple of months early. So much so that I had to bring it to the front of my TBR list, because I couldn't possibly wait to dive into it!

The Rebel Witch definitely lived up to my expectations, delivering a fantastic finale to this excellent romantasy duology! It picks up shortly after where we left off at the end of The Crimson Moth, with Rune and Gideon on opposite sides of an impending war between witches and witch hunters. Rune is supposed to marry a foreign prince in exchange for his support of the witches' cause, while Gideon is determined to stop the return of the witch of his nightmares, the Witch Queen ready to lead her witches back to the New Republic. But it turns out their interests might somewhat align, and a deal they make forces them to spend enough time together that their feelings for each other return to the surface. Now Gideon is faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

This final book of the duology is action-packed and constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat. You can never take a moment to breathe, because an obstacle is always around the corner. I loved that, although I sometimes wish I could have a moment longer to enjoy some reprieve after a particularly difficult situation or two! The pacing is fast, especially in the first half of the story, and the plot twists frequent! While I was able to guess quite a few, that didn't take away from my enjoyment as they were still beautifully written.

The romance between the MCs was excellent, too. The tension between them is constantly sizzling, whether they're on the same or opposite side. The pull that keeps bringing them towards one another is tangibly irresistible. This second book included a lot more tropes (ie. one bed, fake dating, etc) - I don't necessarily need that, especially in a fantasy romance, but it did make for an exciting read anyway. The fake dating plot was definitely a fun one! I also enjoyed how their relationships with other characters developed, especially Harrow.

Overall, in case it wasn't clear yet, I'd definitely recommend this duology to all romantasy lovers! It's a compelling tale of witches, witch hunters, enemies, allies, love and betrayal, and you're sure to find yourself drawn into this magical (bloody) world.

A great conclusion to this witch x witch hunter romantasy duology. This was wrapped up very neatly, maybe a bit too perfectly… but still the characters got their happy ending which was entertaining to read.

My one gripe is that the author kept highlighting the height difference between the MCs and I hate the teeny tiny woman and big strapping strong man trope.

I loved this duology so much! Rune and Gideon are the ultimate enemies to lovers and I adore their relationship almost as much as I love the setting of a fantasy rebellion pitching witches against ordinary people. This book is brilliantly written with incredible world building and I intend to reread it regularly!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This book was a wonderful and such an awaited journey that I devoured it! I loved reading abour Rune and Gideon again and seeing their relationship go through different stages, i also loved some of the tropes the author used in this book for them! (Iykyk)
Moreover, their group of friends was a winning aspect of Rebel Witch, together with lots of action packed scenes and the tension that made Heartless Hunter so popular towards readers.
Furthermore, we assist to the character development of both the hero and the heroine which is a perfect end for their story. I will miss these characters dearly but i’m glad i got the chance to read an e-arc of this book.

Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley for a free copy of Rebel Witch, all opinions are my own!

KRISTEN YOU HAD NO BUSINESS BREAKING ME LIKE THAT.

*cough* Sorry…. Anyway….

Infinity stars. I don’t even care about my minor gripes with it at this point because the VIBES were VIBING.

This book had me hooked from the first page. Nearly 500 page book polished off in 2 after work sittings ✅

This is the real deal enemies to lovers with some other tropes we go feral for such as: Who did this to you? And one closet/cabin/bed/horse


I laughed, I cried (a lot), I giggled and kicked my feet, it got a tiny bit steamy.

This could’ve been a 10 book series and I’d have hung off every word.

Bravo 👏🏻

There’s SO many quotes I could leave you with but here’s a favourite:

“There’s a better world waiting to be born, Rune. A world that belongs to all of us. But it will never arrive if we don’t fight for it” 🖤

In The Rebel Witch, we excitedly return to Kristen Ciccarelli' world of magic and mystery. And, I couldn't be more excited to this exhilarating journey with Rune and Gideon.
Our protagonist is Rune Winters, a young society woman with a dangerous secret - she is the mysterious Crimson Moth, not just a witch but the woman responsible for freeing witches from the clutches of the New Republic government. A few years prior, witches were outlawed. The powers that be keep hunting and rounding up witches to be sent to their death.
Rune quickly proves to be an inspirational figure for witches in the country, but she she struggles with her own dark history and the pain of loosing her Nan to the Blood Guard some years earlier.
In The Crimson Moth (aka Heartless Hunter), Rune decided to court the captain of the guard in order to learn the secrets of where some witches are being hidden. However, Gideon has his own agenda and has become involved with Rune to get closer to the infamous Crimson Moth. With a witch and witch hunter, dating each other in order to betray the other, The Crimson Moth was full of tension and a true rollercoaster ride.
Now, Rune and Gideon know the truth about each other and the terrible betrayal, they have both committed. And with their homeland
being ripped apart by war and opposing struggles for power, they must both fight for their beliefs and true love.
With tension rapidly building, and war imminent, The Rebel Witch is a heart pounding race from the opening page.

4.5/5 stars
Thank you, thank you, thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-arc of this book. It’s one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and I was so excited for it!
It’s been a while since I’ve been feeling like I’m growing out of YA, but apparently anything written by Kristen Ciccarelli is the exception. I devoured this book. The Rebel Witch was everything I was expecting from this sequel. The tension, the romance, the pace, the feeling of everything being at stake. Perfection.
The only thing that made me lower my rating half a star is that the resolution felt a little bit rushed. I would have liked more story about some side characters and about how things are after that ending (maybe a longer epilogue, a novella, or even a spin off wouldn’t be so bad…). I got so attached to the characters that it was difficult to let them go.

I NEED MORE, I could read about these characters forever and never get bored.. "Because for the first time in her life, she was completely worth herself. And that was worth everything. Even dying for." I knew this book was going to be a 5 star read by Chapter 2. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more, the relationship and character developments. This book has me kicking my feet with glee, wanting to hide under my covers it had everything. Even a Good Girl, I SWOONED. I feel like this pointed out perfectly how you can lose yourself and other people can still see the real you, and you can wake up and realise what was missing. The hardship they went through in this book to try and get to a world where everyone could be safe and happy. This book hits hard and the closer to the ending the way the characters come together for the greater good left me in shambles.

✨5 stars✨

Wow! Wow! Wow!

This sequel and conclusion to this duology was everything!

After reading The Crimson Moth earlier this year and loving it (literally one of if not my favourite read of this year) I was over the moon when I was approved for an ARC. This book made me love both Rune and Gideon even more and that ending… my heart 😂 I cannot wait to receive the finished copy next year!

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first book, and if you haven’t read that one yet… what are you doing?😂

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Following on from the EXCELLENT Crimson Moth/Heartless Hunter, this book seems to skip a little in time between the two instalments. When we last see Rune she has narrowly escaped from the Republic after Gideon finding out she is a witch and scheduling an execution for her and Seraphine. Cut to the start of this book and she's engaged to the prince (who is a **** by the way) of a neighbouring country in exchange for his military assistance to help retake the throne back across the sea for Cressida Roseblood - the suspected dead queen who spent most of book 1 under a glamour pretending to be Rune's best friend.

There is A LOT of "he hates me, she hates me, how could he ever love ME, how would I ever be worhty of HER?!" and this is repetitive, like halfway through book one it was clear they'd both fallen for each other so spending so long trying desperately to cinvince themselves they hadn't was a little eye roll inducing and took time away from the overall plot.

I did enjoy this book but I think it felt quite rushed especally compared with the first book. I was 6% away from the end and there was still the entire plot to round off (I blame the repeated diss chat) and yet it did happen (with a fair bit of suspension of disbelief required). I know it's a fantasy book but it did feel like the fantasy side was secondary to the romance more than it should have been.

I really liked this story although not as much as the first. It’s fast paced, fun and has engaging characters and a good storyline. I hate romance but this wasn’t cringe at all and had lots of good world building

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

This is the perfect sequel to one of my favourite books this year! An absolutely fantastic witchy fantasy book, there are so many secrets and twists, this book will grip you from the first page and won't let you go until the very last.

If I could give this book 6 stars I would without hesitation

*Rebel Witch* by Kristen Ciccarelli is an engaging fantasy filled with rich world-building and compelling characters. The story follows a young woman discovering her magical powers in a world on the brink of war. Ciccarelli’s prose is vivid, and the world feels immersive. The characters, especially the protagonist, are well-developed and relatable, making the stakes feel personal. However, the pacing slows in the beginning, and it isn’t until about 60% that the plot truly picks up speed. While the ending feels rushed, the intense final sections make for a satisfying conclusion. A solid read for fans of immersive fantasy.

No notes. I’m actually in love with this Duology. It has my whole heart.

The pacing throughout this felt just right. There’s enough action vs plotting / dialogue and it was so difficult for me to put down to actually go out and live my life.

Whilst I’m not a massive fan of miss communication I think this is done quite well in The Rebel Witch because they’re ACTUALLY enemies so of course they’re never going to sit down and talk about their plans and feelings.

The pining and romance is great and it always felt like “I love her/him but I’m worried they’re going to leave me to die or kill me themselves”. Impeccable vibes. The banter back and forth was also so good.

thank you NetGalley and HarperVoyager UK for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.