Title: Heartless Hunter
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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?
I really enjoyed this read! The first chapter or so was iffy for me, with Rune’s superficial artificial personality at the forefront, but she grew on me quickly. The society part was frustrating, because superficiality always frustrates me, but Rune played her part admirably and I loved how she had everyone fooled about the truth of her.
Gideon was a fascinating character: a strong man who was broken in the past. I enjoyed getting to know him and all the layers of his personality. The worldbuilding was fascinating, and I’m looking forward to reading more.
Kristen Ciccarelli is a bestselling author who lives in Ontario. Heartless Hunter is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 
2 thoughts on “Book Review: Heartless Hunter, by Kristen Ciccarelli”