I'm Afraid You'll Be The End Of Me

I recently finished reading Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli. This is book #1 in the Crimson Moth series. This was OwlCrate's February '24 YA book.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

  Rating: 4.25/5 stars

"On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?"

This book was so good! This was an enchanting and exciting fantasy romance about love, friendship, betrayal, power, and courage. Heartless Hunter follows Rune, a witch who must hide who she is after a revolution changed witches from powerful to hunted. At night Rune is the Crimson moth, a vigilante who saves captured witches and during the day she pretends to be a noblewoman. Rune decides to court Gideon, a witch hunter in order to gain insight after a rescue mission goes wrong. Will Rune develop feelings for Gideon or will he be her biggest enemy? 

I became immersed in this magical world from the very beginning. The pacing was great and the plot was very interesting. There were several betrayals that were shocking, although I did guess one betrayal. I really enjoyed the magic, the spells were unique and had different levels of power. The world-building was great, I enjoyed the enchanting world of witches, power, and hunters. I enjoyed learning about the backstory of the revolution and how the world has evolved. The writing was descriptive and engaging. I felt like I was in the world with the characters experiencing the scenes with them.

The characters were relatable and had many challenges in their past. I really like Rune, she is kind, tenacious, brave, resilient, and relatable. I was a bit disappointed in her character development and I was expecting to see a more badass side to her. I really liked Alex, Rune’s friend, he is caring, sweet, protective, charming, and artistic. I loved Rune and Alex’s friendship, it’s so sweet and they care for each other a great deal. I love Gideon, he is charming, mysterious, resilient, protective, and has a softer side that she shows to Rune. I loved all the sweet things that Gideon did for Rune. Gideon’s character development was well done, he showed all his sides to Rune and put his walls down for her. The chemistry between Rune and Gideon was amazing! The tension and enemies-to-lovers romance was so well done! I really enjoyed how their romance developed from enemies to friends to lovers to enemies again. 

It's mostly a character-driven story and is quite fast-paced. The world-building is minimal but as I draft this review I realized I was so mesmerized by the story I didn't even care for the world-build. The main characters- Rune, Gideon, and Alex are not perfect and have their flaws and tragic backstories but their dynamic is so perfect with each other. 

The ending was so heartbreaking and shocking. This book ended on a huge cliffhanger, I can’t wait to read the next one! 

Check out Heartless Hunter, and discover what happens when you fall for your enemy.

Happy Reading :)