If there are two positive things I can say about Ciccarelli’s writing, it’s that her worldbuilding doesn’t disappoint and her plots are always intriguing when you read the blurb. 

My problem with Ciccarelli’s writing is everything else about it. 

I love the idea behind the Crimson Moth duology, and I love the world. It’s all well thought-out, creative, accessible, and fun. The plot is great, in theory. However, there were a great many issues that started in Heartless Hunter that not only carried over into Rebel Witch but also burrowed further into the characters and relationships and made the book almost unreadable. 

I had issues with the chemistry between Gideon and Rune in the first book and those concerns deepened more and more as this book progressed, until I felt like they had less combustion than wet cardboard. The way this book needed to come together to reach its conclusion ended up relying on twigs and strings and a good bit of “because the author said so” and I couldn’t help but feel as if it was all very forced. 

I hope someday Ciccarelli learns to writes characters and story as well as she builds worlds and plots. 

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley and the SMP Early Readers Program. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars or lower will not appear on my social media. Thank you.