Book Review: Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli

jolaineabad
Aug 28
4 min read

Updated: Nov 9

" I may not know Rune Winters," he whispered, his mouth an inch from hers. "But I know the Crimson Moth. And she is no caged thing."

" I pity the man who clips her wings."

Rebel Witch The Crimson Moth Book 2 by Kristen Ciccarelli US and Canada edition — Rebel Witch The Crimson Moth Book 2 by Kristen Ciccarelli ***US and Canada edition***

YOUNG ADULT	YA. ROMANCE
YA. FANTASY	DARK ROMANCE

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Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)

Genres: Young Adult // Fantasy, Romance, Dark Romance

Quick Thoughts: This book was definitely on the predictable side—especially if you’ve been paying close attention to all the foreshadowing since book one. Still, the plot twist did twist, and I was absolutely here for it!

⚠️ Content Warning ⚠️

Rebel Witch contains mature and potentially triggering themes, including:

Violence & Torture – Witch hunts, graphic violence, blood, physical injuries, and scenes of torture.
Dark Magic & Oppression – Use of forbidden magic, persecution of witches, and systemic oppression.
Sexual Content – Open-door intimacy, sexual harassment, and an attempted assault (non-graphic).
Language – Strong profanity throughout (including repeated use of the F-word).
Mental & Emotional Strain – Betrayal, manipulation, grief, and emotionally abusive dynamics.
Death – Multiple on-page deaths and battle scenes, with high emotional stakes.

Though marketed as Young Adult, the mature themes and darker elements lean closer to Upper YA/New Adult. Best suited for older teens and adult readers comfortable with intense romantasy.

BOOK TROPE GUIDE

⚔ Enemies to Lovers

ཐི༏ཋྀ󠀮 Feminist Rebellion

˚ˋঌ˖ Slow Burn Romance

❤︎ Morally Gray Love

⚜︎ Fake Dating

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Chaos. Betrayal. Desire.

Rune Winters flees the chaos that has overtaken the New Republic. Though she loves Gideon Sharpe, the witch hunter, she knows she cannot afford to die—no one else would protect her fellow witches. With no other choice, she forms an alliance with Cressida Roseblood, who promises to help the witches and reclaim the throne. As Rune witnesses the cruelty of the Witch Queen, she realizes she cannot openly fight her. Between the witch hunters and the Witch Queen, she feels safer trusting Cressida to safeguard her fellow witches rather than risk them being purged.

Gideon Sharpe, meanwhile, feels not only deceived by Rune but also betrayed. Determined to hunt down the witches who threaten the New Republic and punish anyone who refuses to kneel before the Witch Queen, he is torn between duty and his lingering feelings for Rune.

When Rune and Gideon’s paths cross, they reluctantly craft a plan to end the war between witches and non-magic humans. But neither realizes that they are once again plotting betrayals against each other—betrayals that only intensify the undeniable pull between them.

As secrets and betrayals collide, so do their hearts. Will enemies become lovers—or will chaos reign supreme?

Initial thoughts 💬

After finishing book 1, saying I’m “excited” feels like an understatement—I’m completely in love with this duology! While the story can feel a bit repetitive at times with the back-and-forth betrayals between Rune and Gideon, the banter between them just keeps getting better. This book is also incredibly heartbreaking, as they struggle to remember everything they’ve lost because of the war and the Witch Queen’s ruthless claim to the throne in the New Republic.

I also found some parts fairly predictable—probably because I took notes on all the foreshadowing from book 1 and the first few chapters of book 2—but nonetheless, this has quickly become one of my favorite duologies, and this book is definitely my favorite in the series.

My Book Review ✎ᝰ.

She was prepared to give this boy whatever he wanted so long as he promised to never stop.

I never thought they would start another fake dating… but this time, they were both fully aware of it. They had to pretend they were in love, which made everything even more complicated. If you had read the first book, you knew it had ended with them thinking they didn’t actually love each other and that they were just using each other to get what they wanted. That had been the plan—but then, they slowly let their walls down and realized that, even though they had experienced trauma and heartbreak in different ways, they shared the same reason for everything they were doing: to avenge the people they cared about.

I was a little annoyed with all the chaos caused by a simple misunderstanding! That’s one of the reasons I usually don’t like third-person POV—I already know what’s happening, and it’s just a huge miscommunication! But this was an exception because, even though I knew what was going on, I was still excited to see them finally discover the truth.

" This is the truth: I would have married you in a heartbeat, had you asked me."

In my opinion, Rune and Gideon’s banter in this book is even more intense and fun than in the first one. And the jealousy that Ms. Kristen added? Chef’s kiss! It brought so much tension between the characters. I also loved how they teamed up, even though they hated each other at first. Honestly, this is the first book where I truly enjoyed the banter ever since I fell in love with reading.

There were parts that annoyed me in the most satisfying way—like when they sacrificed for each other—but somehow, it made me giddy and wish I had a relationship like theirs. Then I remembered how toxic they were in the beginning… so maybe not? LOL! Don’t get me started on the plot twists in this book. They’re quite predictable if you pay close attention to the foreshadowing across both books, but even so, they were incredibly satisfying, and I couldn’t get enough!

The spice in this book is limited—there aren’t many sex scenes—but the tension between them is palpable. I think Kristen focused more on the plot than the romance, which I genuinely enjoyed.

The writing and pacing were fantastic—I finished this book in just three days! The worldbuilding is detailed yet easy to understand, never wordy, and I’ll definitely be checking out more books from Kristen Ciccarelli.

Overall, this book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions—mad, annoyed, giddy, and even crying! Rune and Gideon’s relationship is complicated but undeniably powerful. I highly recommend this to fellow bookworms who love slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romances, with the hunted falling in love with the hunter, and immersive yet accessible worldbuilding. This one’s for you!