Witches, Hunters, and Heartbreak: A Darkly Addictive Start to a Duology

When I first bought The Crimson Moth, it was a classic case of cover love at first sight. The artwork practically leapt off the shelf and whispered promises of drama, danger, and romance, and the blurb sealed the deal. Then, like many beautiful books before it, both this novel and its sequel slipped quietly onto my towering TBR pile, where they gathered patience instead of dust. Now that I’ve finally read the first installment, I can safely say it was worth the wait and far more surprising than I expected from a young adult fantasy.

Enemies-to-lovers doesn't get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli's latest romantic fantasy.

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch … is falling in love.

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Opinion

The story unfolds on the island of Cascadia, now known as the New Republic, and the atmosphere is immediately darker and more intense than I had anticipated. From the very beginning, there is a constant sense of tension hanging over the narrative like storm clouds that never quite break. Witches, once powerful rulers, are now hunted relentlessly, and the looming presence of the Blood Guard creates an ongoing feeling of danger that never truly fades. When the story is filtered through Rune’s perspective, that threat feels especially sharp and suffocating, making every decision and secret carry real weight.

One of the strongest aspects of the book is the dual point-of-view structure. Seeing the story through both Rune and Gideon gives readers a panoramic view of the conflict rather than a narrow window. Rune, a witch forced to hide her identity behind the mask of a frivolous socialite, lives a dangerous double life as the Crimson Moth, secretly rescuing other witches from persecution. Gideon, on the other hand, is a dedicated witch hunter whose loyalty to the revolution seems unshakable. Their perspectives feel like two sides of a coin constantly spinning in the air, never quite landing safely.

This dual narrative creates a fascinating emotional tension. As a reader, I am are often aware of truths the characters cannot share with one another, and that dramatic irony adds a bittersweet layer to their interactions. It becomes painfully clear why honesty is impossible between them. One is a witch, the other a witch hunter. Trust becomes a luxury neither can afford, even as feelings begin to bloom in the most inconvenient way imaginable. Their romance carries a sense of inevitability and impossibility at the same time, which makes every shared scene charged and emotionally compelling.

The enemies-to-lovers dynamic is handled with care, balancing romantic tension with the reality of their opposing loyalties. At its core, the story constantly asks whether love can survive when survival itself is at stake. More often than not, survival wins, and that truth gives the narrative a sharp emotional edge.

The pacing kept me turning pages, and the plot delivered several twists and revelations along the way. Some developments felt satisfyingly foreshadowed, while others genuinely caught me off guard. This combination kept the story engaging and prevented it from feeling predictable, even when it followed familiar romantic fantasy tropes.

That said, the reason this lands at four stars instead of five comes down to character depth. While Rune and Gideon are compelling and easy to root for, I occasionally wished for a little more complexity in their characterization. Certain emotional beats and motivations felt like they could have been explored more deeply. However, within the context of a YA novel, this is a relatively minor criticism and did not significantly diminish my enjoyment of the story.

And then there is the ending. Without giving anything away, the conclusion of this first volume is crafted with a dramatic flair that practically demands you pick up the sequel immediately. It delivers tragedy in a way that feels purposeful and emotionally resonant, leaving the story balanced on a cliff’s edge and the reader staring eagerly toward the next installment.

Conclusion

Overall, The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli was a gripping and surprisingly dark romantic fantasy that exceeded my expectations. With a rich setting, compelling dual perspectives, and a romance built on danger and impossible choices, it offers an exciting start to the duology. I’m very glad this book finally made its way off my TBR pile, and I’m more than ready to dive into the sequel.

About Kristin Ciccarelli

Kristen Ciccarelli is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Crimson Moth duology, A Dark Forgetting, and the Iskari series. Before writing books for a living, she dropped out of college and worked as a baker, a potter, and a bookseller. She currently resides in the Niagara region of Ontario with her husband and daughters.

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