OSU's Relax and Read Collection: Book Reviews

Heartless Hunter (Crimson Moth #1)  by Kristen Ciccarelli

Heartless Hunter (Crimson Moth #1)  by Kristen Ciccarelli

Summary: Rune is left with nothing after the revolution. Witches were hunted and any sympathizers were outcasts. A young socialite by day and a witch vigilante by night, Rune makes it her mission to save any witches from persecution. After a rescue mission goes wrong, Rune realizes she must throw the witch hunters off her trail and gain the intel she desperately needs. Throw in Gideon Sharpe, a notorious witch hunter who is loyal to the revolution. He loathes the superficiality Rune represents.  But once he discovers that witches are escaping on Rune’s merchant ships, he inserts himself into Rune’s social circle. Both Rune and Gideon court each other, but only to gain the intel that they desperately need.

Genres/subgenres: Romance, Young Adult, Enemies-to-lovers, Witches, Fantasy, Magic, Fiction

Quotes that stood out to me:

• “Some people are determined to live out their own personal tragedies.”
• “You are not the things that happened to you.”
• “Only fools believed in happy endings.”

This book was floating around my social media for a while, but it wasn’t officially on my radar until a friend of mine suggested “Heartless Hunter” to me. Going in, I expected this to be an enemies-to-lovers trope with a little bit of fantasy witchcraft. After reading this book, that is exactly what I got. What I really enjoyed about this book was the unique magic in this world. Witches marked themselves to cast spells, making it easy to identify, which made the persecution easy for the revolution. The magic system is well-developed and even stunts Rune’s powers. Will she risk being marked in exchange for stronger spells or will she rely on her wits to remain undetected? 

I am not a fan of swapping between different points of view (POV), but I enjoyed how Kristen incorporated this style into the story. Despite the reader experiencing two different perspectives, both are unreliable narrators. Gideon and Rune are just a small part of something much bigger than themselves.

I do wish there was more emphasis on how influential Rune is. She was labeled as the sweetheart of the revolution for turning in her own Grandmother, who was a witch. I don’t think I got to sit in the party scenes or social gatherings as much as I would like. And that is mainly due to the focus being on Rune’s internal thoughts. 

For character growth, there is a little bit. While Rune and Gideon do grow close and start to develop feelings (because this is a romance book), at the end of the day, they both still hold their prejudices against each other. 

I rated this book 4 / 5 stars for the characters and 5 / 5 stars for the plot. 

If you enjoyed “Serpent and Dove” by Shelby Mahurin, I do think you will enjoy “Heartless Hunter”. 

Both “Heartless Hunter” and “Rebel Witch” (book 2) are available for checkout in the Relax and Read Collection.