Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli: My Book Review

Kristen Ciccarelli’s latest fantasy romance book, Rebel Witch, continues her Crimson Moth series. Check out my book review of Rebel Witch below to see what I thought of this epic romantasy of 2025.

*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Rebel Witch Summary:

Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches―something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.

Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by joining forces with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die―especially Rune Winters.

When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought.

Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

Rebel Witch Summary:

Kristen Ciccereli completed Gideon and Rune’s epic fantasy romance and it did not disappoint. In the age where fantasy romance series go on and on for at least five books or more, I have to say that it was so refreshing to enjoy a two-book duology in The Crimson Moth series.

I was enthralled with the rebellious witch and the witch hunter who fell for her in Heartless Hunter and was so happy to see that these enemies could get their happily ever after in Rebel Witch.

Heartless Hunter was left on quite the cliffhanger and Rebel Witch picked right up with Rune trying to protect her fellow witches and Gideon set on assassinating her to prevent witches from returning to power. So in case it’s not obvious, Rebel Witch cannot be read as a standalone.

While Gideon and Rune were enemies in the previous book who happened to fall in love, in this book they are enemies once more though trying to manage their feelings that just won’t go away.

I loved how they both had to wrestle with feeling what was “right” to protect those they loved while also knowing that they had to betray the love of their life.

While it’s easy for me as the reader to just want to yell “just tell him/her how you feel!” it wasn’t so easy for them to do on the page so there was a lot of untrust and back and forth at the beginning.

I could honestly understand both Gideon and Rune’s position so you weren’t sure how they were going to solve the problem of Cressida, the evil witch, who Cicerreli painted as truly evil without making me too uncomfortable.

Ultimately this book is about the warring emotions between Gideon and Rune which were clearly described on the page and had me hooked.

Pacing definitely increased towards the end of the book and I loved how evil was finally defeated. I would have loved to learn more about the Ancients however I didn’t feel like this book got bogged down with excessive world building which was refreshing.

If you are a romantasy lover looking for a quick series to devour, I recommend the Crimson Moth series.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

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More From Ciccarelli:

• Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

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