Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli has been the newest book in my reading lineup of fairy tale inspired romantasy. The folklore history of witch hunters and witches is long and fraught and I absolutely feel as though this book represented those tales perfectly.
Following a revolution that turned the witches of her kingdom from rulers into hunted, Rune Winters works as a vigilante “Crimson Moth” saving the witches of her kingdom from execution. When Gideon Sharpe, the best witch hunter in the kingdom is sent to kill the Crimson Moth, Rune seeks him out to discover just how much he knows. In their pursuits, the lives of Rune and Gideon are inexplicably intertwined and they find themselves falling for one another even as Rune is keeping a deadly secret.
Rune and Gideon’s relationship is tension-filled and will tug at the heartstrings of any reader. We only want the best for them, but the structure of their society and the hatred between witches and civilians comes between them time and time again. Fans of Uprooted, Red Queen, and Six of Crows will devour this book. The world building is slow and precise, but not excessive and really adds to the tension of the novel.
Now is a better time than ever to read this book, as the second book, Rebel Witch, will be released in February to continue the story! You can find Heartless Hunter here.
Madeline Mertz is a graduate student at Truman State University in English and Education, having received her BA in Creative Writing. She works as a teacher, managing editor, and literary agent intern. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, reading, writing, and eating anything with copious amounts of sugar in it. Her work has appeared in journals such Three Elements Literary Journal, Tomahawk Review, and The Fairy Tale Magazine.