This was my most anticipated book of 2025 after falling in love with the Crimson Moth and the sequel did not disappoint.
The Rebel Witch was packed with politics, tension, romance, angst and a stacked cast of characters who you cannot help but love.
The magic system continued to be very compelling.
Witch and Witch Hunter may now be my favourite set up for an enemies to lovers fantasy.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone, as it serves on many different fronts. Plot, world-building, characters, romance, setting and storytelling.

A duology I will be recommending for all: romantasy, young adult, new adult, even romance fans!

Rune is promised to marry Prince Sorren in exchange for his army so Cressida can wage war on the New Republic. Rune had no desire to marry Soren, nor was she interested in doing the witch queen's bidding. But Cressida had saved her life and she wanted to save the witches.
Gideon has one goal - kill the Crimson Moth so the alliance won’t go ahead.

The two find themselves in an uneasy true after unplanned events. The hunter and the hunted aligned once more, pulled together with fate, love, and circumstance despite loathing each other’s positions.

This lived up to book one for me! It was just as good.

The will-they, won’t-they never got boring or over the top. The fade-to-black was handled incredibly well with the tension and angst better than any spicy romantasy. (More of these please!)

<b>"You are far worse than a thorn in my side," he said, his dark eyes gleaming at her. "You are a knife in my heart."
</b>
This was slightly more troupey than book one - one bed, one cabin, playing the married couple, a love curse, etc.

Rune struggles with her identity. Who is she behind the superficial aristo? Beyond the vengeful Crimson Moth? Can she trust Gideon with who she wants to be?

Again, like the first instalment, I did guess the twists, however, this was a well-paced and satisfying for a duology.

<b>If this was weakness, he wanted to be weak.
If this was sin, let him be damned to hell.
</b>
Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me the physical arc (SCREAMING) in exchange for a review.

Picking up where the Crimson Moth left off, Rune must grapple with the aftermath of her decision to side with the Queen of Witches. Her journey in this book is not just about confronting external enemies, but also about discovering who she is.
The MCs are richly developed and relatable, each bringing their struggles and growth to the forefront of the narrative. Rune's growth is palpable as she navigates the complexities of power and love, making choices that could alter the course of her destiny. Gideon's presence adds a captivating dynamic, his struggle mirroring Rune's own as they are torn between duty and desire. Ciccarelli’s portrayal of this internal conflict is vivid and compelling.
Ciccarelli’s writing is atmospheric and beautifully descriptive. With each chapter, the tension builds allowing readers to feel the stakes and the angst that permeates every corner of Rune and Gideon’s love story. The pacing of the novel is well-balanced, with moments of intense action interspersed with quieter, more introspective scenes. These shifts allow the reader to connect with the characters on a deeper level and understand the gravity of their choices.
Although I found the twists predictable, this did not lessen my enjoyment of the book. Ciccarelli crafts a narrative that is both enchanting and thought-provoking, inviting readers to reflect on their own beliefs and the lengths they would go to protect them.
Overall, The Rebel Witch is a thrilling end to the duology, offering a satisfying blend of romance, adventure, and thought-provoking themes of freedom, loyalty, and resistance to oppression, resonating deeply in today’s world.

Fantastic conclusion to an epic duology - I ate this up so fast!

Kristen has such a captivating way of writing. She brings compelling characters, heart-thudding romance and a plot full of betrayal and thrill that I was hooked on everything. There wasn't much time to breathe between each scene as it was constant excitement, never a dull moment, and even the wind-down scenes were full of heart or enthralling conversations between characters. Rune and Gideon were constantly on a knife's edge that it kept me turning the pages, hoping they'd get through it. Literally on the edge of my seat while reading this rollercoaster of a book!

Pacing in fantasy books is usually hit or miss for me but this was definitely a hit. It didn't feel rushed nor too slow, and I loved the endless twists and turns, the revelations, questioning who to trust, along with the satisfying ending.

And an honourable mention for Rune and Gideon's relationship because this is how you write enemies to lovers. They're actually enemies and it's the constant push and pull which really makes the trope what it is. Wonderfully done.

This is now one of my favourite series of all time, I miss the world already and I can't wait to see what else Kristen Ciccarelli brings us!

“There is 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”

I went straight from my reread of the crimson moth into the rebel witch.
I had no idea how this one would play out after the ending of book 1.
Rune & Gideon’s journey in this book is complex. Whose side is right in this war, the blood guard are brutal but was the witch queen any better ?

This really had me guessing the whole time, was Gideon going love her or hate her ?

“The basest part of him wanted to tilt her head back and kiss her until she told him why she was crying.”

Would rune ever trust him ?

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

You’ll have to read it to find out…..

The Rebel witch was a great ending to the crimson moths journey. This is a duology you want to add to your TBR immediately!

Thank you harper voyager & netgalley for this arc

5 stars, 10 stars, no 100 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've never loved an enemies to lovers romantasy as much as this one, Gideon is one of the best MMC's out there and the angst between him and Rune was everything.

The push and pull of my emotions during the "will they, won't they" moments alongside the longing they had for each other had me eating this up page by page. This was non-stop entertainment from start to finish, every chapter and scene offered something to the reader or moved the story along, the pacing was perfect.

I'm sad it's over and I'm likely going to reread the duology again very soon. If you like the following tropes this one is for you and you should pick up a copy when it releases in Feb 2025:

- Best friends older brother
- Enemies to lovers
- Witch vs witch hunter
- Slow-burn romance
- "Who did this to you" jealous and protective MMC
- An amazing use of magic from our FMC

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Magpie/Harper Collins for approving me for an early copy to review.

♾️⭐️

I have never been so terrified and excited to read a book. I think that and the fact I wasn't ready for it to be over is why it took 4 days to finish it. Which in my opinion is a good thing.

The Rebel Witch is everything I imagined and wanted it to be and that's all I'm saying.

Thank you for allowing me to review this ahead of publication because I think I'd had burst at the seems not being able to read it until then.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC!

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this and up to 50% is was 5 star. It has everything I love. Enemies to lovers, strong FMC, unique magic system..but it lost the 0.5 star simply because so much happened in the last 50% with new characters that I couldn’t keep up and there was a chapter/event that was just unnecessary, it could have been taken out and it wouldn’t have affected anything.

But overall I loved this, and I think this is an amazing end to this duology !

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for approving an advance digital copy of The Rebel Witch, by Kristen Ciccarelli in return for my honest review.

This sequel is one of the hotly anticipated early 2025 releases within the fantasy/romance audience, after the first book in The Crimson Moth, Heartless Hunter biology became a standout favourite early this year.

I had high hopes and expectations for the sequel, I really did enjoy the first book and found the pacing, world building and characters and their motivations and relationships an easy and fun read.

Unfortunately this sequel didn’t meet those goalposts. The duology is aimed at young adult audience, so I absolutely am not expecting literary prose wanting heavy parsing for meaning or content needing fully adult brains/cognitive development to empathise with or be able to relate to where the characters are at - however, the description was so sparse, most of the book was spent inside characters heads, telling the reader information from several points, repeatedly. If there was an award for “tell don’t show” this would get my nomination.

There were (throughout the book and several times) entire scenes which became almost nonsensical and the blocking/timing just took me out of the story entirely as I tried to work out *how* these characters had survived as spies/guards to this point given their naivety and inability to put two and two together and form a plan.

I lost track of the deus ex machina, from random horses awaiting ‘borrowing’ to characters who happened to be clanging on pipes at just the right time. The book felt a lot more wobbly on plot, bringing in tropes and sub tropes and nods to other fandoms (Titanic? Divergent? What you doing here?!) seemed to be a priority, and the miscommunication between characters bordered upon parody levels.

The actual underlying plot idea was pleasing enough, and the cast of side characters and interweaving relationships and history was (sustain disbelief) entirely suitable and in place and gratifying for the YA romantasy this is. However the execution is wobbly and overly clunky, and this book as I read it is hugely unpolished. (This may, to be fair, be fixed in part through final edits).

I felt like half of the characters in head thinking and telling the reader information several times in a row (please assume the reader has the capacity to pick up and put together clues!) could be cut to make room for more descriptive prose and time taken building the relationships and world and being *shown* what is happening.

For a second half of duology, it is disappointing in terms of leaving me feeling connected to the world and characters, however those wanting action (and who are prepared to have the outline of it and infill themselves!) and multiple resolutions for characters and plot points from the prequel, will be made happy enough, I think. I will look forward to reading the finished, published copy and hope with lower expectations I will simply enjoy the ride.

2.5 stars rounded to 3 for the ease of read and the fact we all need a comforting, no stress, feel good and a bit silly bowl of chicken soup read once in a while.

This has been one of my most anticipated sequels and I still can’t believe I actually got an eArc! I dropped all my current reads for it and it was everything I could have hoped for and more!

Picking up a short while after the events in The Crimson Moth, Rune and Gideon cannot catch a break. The tension between the two is just exquisite. Redoing enemies to lovers is a hard one to get right for sequels but this is a masterclass.

“It might look like weakness on the surface. But in truth, it’s tougher than steel. Love can’t be controlled. Love can’t obey unjust laws. Love will always oppose tyrants.”

This was fact paced and easy to inhale. I loved getting to know more about some side characters this time round and seeing them overcome their histories and forge new paths.

For the amount of stress this book caused me, it was such an enjoyable and easy read.

I was so excited for this book and it didn’t disappoint.
The writing style is as beautiful and easily readable as the first part. I had to devour this book in one sitting.
It had it all: the interesting magic-system, the tension, the political and moral conflict and the romance. The perfect ending to a perfect story.

REVIEW: The Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli 🦋

Release date: 27/02/2025
Book two in the Crimson Moth Duology 🦋

SCREAMING!! I cannot explain to you how perfect this book and this duology is, I loved the Crimson Moth and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Rebel Witch! This is a series that is now my literal personality!! I devoured this book and could not put it down!! 🦋

I loved the fast-pacing, the dual-POV made me literally squeal at times and it was such a good continuation of the first book - it was great to be back with Rune and Gideon ❤️

This book was the perfect sequel to The Crimson Moth / Heartless Hunter and I CANNOT WAIT for you all to read it! Kristen’s writing is pure perfection and this duology takes a throne as part of my all time Roman Empire series’ ⭐️

Thank you again HarperVoyager and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I read the first book I was already sceptical about this being a duology. I felt like so much of the story would fall short and sadly it did. I will say that if you only care about the main plot and the romance this might be a fantastic read for you and would def recommend if you read and liked the first one. However there were a few things that fell too short for my taste. Maybe we get a spin off ?

What I liked:
- the back and forth between Gideon and Rune is lovely, we see two broken people questioning their insticts, their feelings. That part was well done imo
- nice ending, Im hoping for some spin-off for the side characters?
- I like her writing style a lot, it draws you in and does not let you go
- overall its an acceptable conclusion for the two books and I dont feel like much was left unfinished

What I didnt like:
- Gideons arc came a bit out of no where and was way too fast in my opinion
- Cressida was barely even in the book and there was so much potential so have a well fleshed out villain but we barely got anything from her
- I still dont know a lot about the magic and the spells and how it all works and what works and how you can alter spells etc. In the book there were some very convenient spell saves that the reader could not really have seen coming cause we dont know how the magic works or at least not enough

Thank you to netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for providing me with and ARC in exchange for an honest review

Oh WOW, first of all the biggest thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All my opinions are my own.

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 went into this book with high expectations since the first book was ✨amazing✨ However, Kirsten Ciccarelli absolutely outdid herself with this masterpiece of a book. I am stunned. This is how you write a sequel. It was everything I was hoping for and more.

I wish I could write a review based off vibes, because this book had me going through all of the emotions. I read this in a day, and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about how much I wanted to continue reading it. And even now, 12 hours after finishing the book, I am still thinking about it.

In Rebel Witch, we are back with the will they/wont they, enemies but not enemies romance, and I ate 👏🏻 it 👏🏻 up 👏🏻 the banter, the tension the fake marriage. Yesssssss!

This book carried straight on from book 1 like a speeding train and just didn’t stop. It was fast paced, heart breaking, and the stakes were sky high.

Tropes:
⭐️ Who did this to you
⭐️ Fake dating/marriage
⭐️ Enemies to Lovers
⭐️ Betrayal
⭐️ Forbidden Love

I love getting into the action with a fast paced plot. A lot goes on in a short space of time but the excitement reading it was thoroughly enjoyable. A satisfying mix of some of my most favourite tropes, I had a good time reading this and looking forward to seeing what she has in store next.

4.5⭐️
Mesmerizing and beautiful.

This book is for everyone, who is afraid to be their true self.

My most anticipated read ever.
I loved Hurtless Hunter it was my easiest 5⭐️
ever, so I was desperate for the sequel.

I got accepted for the Arc and I screamed.

The second book was what I needed.
The banter was everything.
In this sequel of the story we were introduced to new elements and characters and it was fantastic.
I loved the characters and the whole world and story.

The ending was everything I wanted.

Rune and Gideon are my everything and I am so sad that their story ended.

As the second installment of The Crimson Moth (Heartless Hunter) duology, I was really excited to get back into Ciccarelli’s world of witches and witch hunters. Rebel Witch is a romantasy plain and simple. While there is some politics plots at play, the romance is predominant and if you’re an ennemies-to-lovers enthusiast then you will definitely enjoy this series!

« 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, » 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳. « 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. »

Without any spoilers and as you could guess, we’re left at the end of book one with a cliffhanger and right at the beginning of book two; we’re thrown back into action. For that reason the pacing of part I was really good. We’re returning to this universe pretty quickly to found our marks. Now even though part II was a bit more redundant I still felt compelled to know what would happen until the very end of it. Also, the multiple POV were mastered! Very fluid and helpful to get a sense of the characters state of mind.

While the whole plot is pretty simple I think I was totally in the right mood for it. I needed a book to distract me from reality and it did just that. I did found however that some of the characters’s development (Rune & Gideon) or even some characters’s role (Cressida, Seraphine & Juniper/Harrow) were a bit rushed into the story towards the end. And I mean, I get it, writing a duology seems hard. How do you put everything in only two books? (Standalone seems even harder but then, too many books in series can also be tricky.. but I digress!) I also found that the magic system was a bit left out and I kind of rolled my eyes at some of the miscommunication keys but well it was still very entertaining!

Rune and Gideon have that spark, ready to ignite everything and everyone around — even when they pretend to hate each other. And when they do, we're still here to love them anyway.

Thank you so much @harpervoyager_uk and @netgalley for the e-arc!

I really enjoyed The Crimson Moth, and this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. While I did enjoy it, it did fall short of expectations, which so often happens with the second book in a duology.

It was very fast paced, and threw us straight into the action with Rune now engaged to a foreign prince in order to obtain an army for Cressida, and Gideon hunting her down to kill her in order to stop the alliance which would see the witches regain power. On one hand I appreciated diving straight back in, but on the other it felt a bit too rushed and underdeveloped. Within the first 30% of the book, a lot of tropes were thrown in including fake marriage, one bed and forced proximity (most of this section covered about a 3 day period on a boat). It definitely fell short on the fantasy elements of this world, and focussed heavily on the romance - which is fine if that’s what you’re looking for! I did think the writing was good and easy to digest, and I also loved Gideon and some of the moments between him and Rune. There was good chemistry and tension, so that was a tick for me!

I think if you’re looking for an easy to read duology, heavy on the romance and don’t mind predictable plot points, then this will tick all your boxes - I was just hoping for a bit more. I also have such a bugbear with pacing in duologies, and I’m yet to find one that gets it right, so I’m disappointed this was a bit of a letdown as I did enjoy the first book. It was enjoyable enough though!

Thanks HarperCollinsUK & NetGalley for the arc.

R E V I E W

The Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli

☆☆☆☆.5

Advance Reader Copy graciously provided by HarperCollinsUK via Netgalley.

After the sensational read that was The Crimson Moth, I was chomping at the bit to read the conclusion to this addictive, gaslamp fantasy duology.

Following on from the heartbreaking events at the end of the last book, I feared how The Rebel Witch would begin and whether our cat-and-mouse duo would be separated for long. Thankfully, Ciccarelli pre-empted our collective anxiety, and we are thrust right back into the action as Gideon, now considered a potential witch-sympathiser, finds and confronts Rune in order to repair his damaged reputation. Rune, who is now engaged to a foreign Prince at the behest of the Witch Queen in exchange for an army, is drowning in her grief for one Sharpe brother whilst harbouring conflicted feelings for the other.

What follows is a series of encounters, where Rune and Gideon strive to one-up and out-manouevre the other, all the while nursing and hiding their own broken hearts. As Rune adopts the mantle of the Crimson Moth once more, trying to circumvent Cressida from regaining power, she tentatively allies herself with the one man she knows she cannot trust and the one man she wants to, despite it all.

This book had me glued to the pages, and I found the first half, filled with banter and yearning and scheming, to be utterly addictive. After a slightly anticlimactic separation, we see Rune undergo an agonizing encounter with the Witch Queen, which ultimately leads her back to Gideon, with the newly discovered revelation regarding his curse. However, as a result of this distressing incident, Rune is a shadow of her former self and lacks the grit, determination, and wit we came to love about the Crimson Moth. I appreciated the character arc here and the way that Gideon was the one to ultimately remind her who she truly was (despite that being his issue through the entirety of the first book) but it did change the pace of the narrative and ultimately left us racing toward a conclusion that felt a little rushed.

When I first started to read The Rebel Witch, I was gearing up to give it all the stars, comparing it to the only other duology to instill this level of excitement in me - The Shepherd King duology. It was only the slightly anticlimactic ending that had me shaving off half a star, and even then, I wondered if that disappointment stemmed from a great series coming to an end too soon for my liking. A great read!