‘Heartless Hunter’ by Kristen Ciccarelli

YA FantasyDark Fantasy

May 30

Written By Katelyn

Title: Heartless Hunter

Genre: YA Dark Fantasy

Series: First of duology

Synopsis: Rune Winters is a witch hiding in a society that hunts her kind and secretly rescues fellow witches as the vigilante Crimson Moth. When she begins a fake romance with witch hunter Gideon Sharpe to protect her secret, she doesn’t realize he’s also pretending—intent on exposing her true identity.

Content Warnings

General Rating: Teen+ (age 14+, mature content)

Spice Rating: Moderate

One open-door scene with non-graphic descriptions in ch. 47

Violence Rating: Moderate

Blood magic, war and violence, allusions to sexual abuse

Profanity Rating: Moderate

Less than 10 uses of f*ck

Book Review

Overall rating: 5/5 stars

This was a fun book! Heartless Hunter is written in a YA style, but deals with dark subject matter, including abuse, genocide, and witch trials. Gideon is a particularly interesting character—he holds very little self-worth as a result of abuse, and his hatred of witches is entirely understandable as we explore his backstory.

“He had every reason to believe that all witches were the same: horribly cruel and unspeakably evil. So how could she hate him?” (p. 378)

Rune Winters, on the other hand, is an apparently spoiled socialite with a secret... she moonlights as a vigilante rescuer of hunted witches. I love a good dual identity and vigilante story, so this was very fun. The cat-and-mouse between her and Gideon was delightful.

This book challenges preconceived assumptions. In a very Pride and Prejudice-like manner, both Rune and Gideon are forced to address their biases as they get to know one another. The old adage is true: Don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes.

Ciccarelli's style is smooth, fast-paced, and very accessible to readers. She spins a tale of deep darkness in a way that is somehow still easy to read. Therefore, the reader is left pondering deeper questions of abuse and genocide from within an enemies-to-lovers, witty banter trope.

For the thoughtful reader—check out the in-depth book review on The Holy Plot!

Tropes