Heartless Hunter: The Crimson Moth: Book 1

Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth: Book 1)🌿🌼 By, Kristen Ciccarelli 5⭐️ 1🌶️ I loved this beautifully written YA fantasy/ romance book!! 💜 I’ve seen the mixed reviews about this book and at first was hesitant to read it! But I’m glad I did! There’s not much complexity to the story and the minimal world building is very easy to follow. But I myself was so immersed in it! This book is set in the Gaslight era and I’m such a huge fan of it! The magic system 🩸was very generic but it was also very captivating to me! This book is very character driven and I’m looking forward to reading more about these characters! Especially the three witch queen sisters ! The Heartless Hunter follows MMC Rune , a high society undercover witch who is trying to save her fellow witches who are being hunted and unalived by witch hunters. MMC Gideon is a mortal , a part of the “Blood Guard “ and a witch hunter for the New Republic, He is trying to find out who the mysterious savior of the witches “The Crimson Moth” is. Loved the cat and mouse game between the two protagonists and I really don’t mind a (brothers) love triangle! To me it was very minimal in this book and didn’t deter me from loving these characters and being invested in the story! Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m highly anticipating the next book in this series! I would recommend this book!

I'd give this a 3.75 rounded up. I liked this story and at times it was incredibly captivating, but it didn't ensnare me like I was hoping it would. Its no throne of Glass. This story was a little better than OK for me. I was able to sniff out some of the plot so I took off a star for predictability and storyline cohesiveness. There were just a few lapses in believability and logic so that slightly annoyed me. The storyline overall was good, and I liked the way the characters personalities came together. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series and hoping it has a tightened up storyline structure. Overall this was a fun read and I liked it. It wasn't intense but held some good suspense and mystery. I think its worth the read and if you're looking for a feel good romantasy with a little suspense, this one will do the trick nicely.

This version is so beautiful and well worth waiting for it to be shipped from “across the pond”. The story is a fun ride, YA vibes and completely had me hooked from beginning to end. I read it almost a year ago and still think about it all the time. 5⭐️ - would recommend and would read again. Were there some predictable elements/tropes? Yes Did I care? NOPE!

This book was so good! It has a slightly dystopian feel that pulled me in right away. The main character is a strong, determined witch, and the story features a delicious enemies-to-lovers slow burn—with a twist of a love triangle 👀. One of them? A witch hunter. You already know the tension is top tier. If you’re into high-stakes magic, complicated feelings, and fierce heroines, definitely give this one a try!

This was a wild ride, really keeping you on your toes! The main characters are very well written, with deep traumas behind them, and although it seems almost impossible to get their happily ever after, you can't help but cheering them on every step of the way. I love that we get to see things from both their points of view, and you really understand why both of them turned up how they did. The romance and yearning in the book are soo good, and just enough spice to keep you entertained without distracting from the pace of the story. Can't wait to read the conclusion!

Spoilers ahead! Honestly giving this book three stars is pretty generous because of how problematic it is. I’m only giving it this because it kept me engaged. The author was very close to a good book, but there are some things I can’t look past. The most glaring problem is the love interest, Gideon Sharp. Captain of the blood guard and a witch hunter. I’m familiar with enemies to lovers. But Gideon Sharp is too far. This is a soldier whose sole purpose in life is to eradicate all witches. To commit a genocide. That is literally the most accurate word for it. And yet we are suppose to sympathize with him and eventually fall for him? Admittedly I found myself sympathizing with him throughout the book, until I remembered his crimes. No amount of torture at the hand of one person justifies the eradication of their entire group. The fact that the author is trying to get us to sympathize with him, justifying his behavior (which is unjustifiable) is a dangerous precedent. I’ve seen books these days normalizing, and even forgiving, worse and worse actions from abuse to kidnapping. But this is the first time I’ve seen genocide, and it crosses the line. It is an extremely dangerous view the author is presenting, and as readers, we are subconsciously affected to sympathize with these actions in the real world too. It creates some wiggle room and doubt behind them. But these views shouldn’t even be given a platform. Authors have to realize their works have real world implications. They shape many of our thoughts. Kristen Ciccarelli needs to be reminded of it. Admittedly, the book ended with Gideon and Rune not being together, so there is a chance they will not end up together, but I highly doubt it (though I hope so). Rune, literally on her execution block, finds herself sympathizing with Gideon. Forgiving him. And early in the book we hear of two thirteen year old sisters Rune saved from his clutches and a brutal death. These actions are unforgivable and it frankly disgusts me that the author is making any attempt to justify them. As readers we need to consider who we support and when this whole enemies to lovers trope has gone too far. And it has here. Beyond the obvious ethical concerns within this book, I also found several plot holes and inconsistencies. Runes hair is described as rust gold but then later strawberry blonde. Those are not remotely the same. Furthermore, we constantly hear Rune’s friend and partner, Verity, being described as tired, having to work to keep her scholarship and help Rune. The issue is Rune is absurdly wealthy. She could easily pay for her education to allow Verity more time to help her. Now I know Verity isn’t truly a student, but it’s still an annoying inconsistency. Additionally, we read earlier that if spell marks get wiped away, the spell fails. But when Rune enchants a cup with a spell mark at bottom, planning to cast a truth teller on Gideon, the tables turn and he instead makes her drink it with the alternative of looking very suspicious. She grabs the bottom of the cup and drinks, and falls under the spell. However, she easily could’ve discreetly wiped the blood marks off. The author did this to propel the romance and plot, but it could’ve been done better. And Alex’s death?? She has fresh blood from someone else to perform a powerful spell, to literally split the earth in two, but she can’t heal him? Do healing spells just not exist in this world? If not, why? You can raise people from the dead but can’t heal the living? And if they do, Rune should know them as they’re very relevant to her role as the Crimson Moth. It was just a lazy way to dispose of a love interest, who quite frankly was the better option. I’m tired of seeing good guys being forsaken for the “bad boy” except this goes beyond it—Gideon by our standards would be a war criminal. Too far.

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Loved it!

جاني سليم و الهارد كوفر يجنننن

the condition of the book: 5 ⭐️ - it came in perfect condition. the book itself: 4.5 ⭐️

This was surprisingly addictive and well done. It reads a little like YA, but the enemies-to-lovers makes up for it. Worldbuilding is great, too. I'm definitely getting the paperbacks.