The Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
Series: The Crimson Moth
Published by St. Martin’s Press on February 20, 2024
Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 406
Format Read: Hardcover
A Solid 5-Star Read
This being my very first book review for Booked on a Feeling, y’all might not know this about me yet – I cut to the chase, and I shoot it straight. Every time. If The Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli isn’t on your TBR list, please add it immediately. This one’s a non-negotiable for me.
Rune, our fearless FMC, is living a double life. By day, she’s a vapid socialite, but by night, she’s a revolutionary witch in hiding. She’s working to save her kind from the government’s witch hunters, led by none other than her sworn enemy, Gideon. Who is also her childhood best friend’s brother. Whose little sister was brutally murdered by a recently overthrown witch queen as punishment for Gideon in her ongoing campaign of physical and mental abuse. You probably know where this is headed.
The Tropes are Troping
We all love a trope, right? The author does them well here: a GREAT enemies-to-lovers, a frustrating slow burn, a kind of surprising love triangle… you name it, she’s got it and in the best way. Sometimes, especially when reading fantasy, I find myself rolling my eyes when the storylines and situations are overly predictable or feel like they were lifted from another author’s story almost word for word. That’s not the case in The Heartless Hunter. Though we do see many familiar tropes, they feel fresh and engaging. Even though we know (but do we?) that Rune and Gideon will eventually shift their relationship to the romantic, we still want to keep reading to find out how they get there.
Rune and Gideon are each charming and relatable in their own ways, and their chemistry is undeniable despite being fairly averse to one another for most of the book. I found myself rooting for them to overcome their shared disdain almost immediately, and the tension of knowing the secrets they didn’t was so unbearable at times that I couldn’t put the book down. These two are living rent free, even weeks after finishing the book.
A Predicatable Twist and a Surprise Ending
There’s, of course, a plot twist at the book’s climax. I admit that I saw it coming well in advance, and from what I’ve seen online, I’m not alone. But honestly, it didn’t ruin the book for me. It felt like a shock when I did figure it out, even if it was earlier than the author intended. The ending, however, did come as a surprise. I won’t spoil it for you here, but I’ll just say that it’s going to be a VERY long wait for Rebel Witch, the next (and last) installment of Rune and Gideon’s story. What’s a girl gotta do around here to get an ARC anyway?! Seriously, Kristen, have mercy on me. <cries in desperation>
So, while I’m nursing this book hangover and setting a countdown for the culmination of The Crimson Moth series, please do yourself a favor and dig into this one. If for no other reason than I need more people to obsessively talk to about it. Even if you don’t want to chat with the weird book lady (me), The Heartless Hunter should be at the top of your list, especially if you’re looking for a gripping story with fantastic characters and an unforgettable romance. Just prepare yourself better for the wait for book two better than I have, clearly.
