Witch falls for her enemy in intriguing, mature romantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
The main characters have sex, described in some detail from undressing to movement to climax. There's also a scene of skinny-dipping and lots of talk between Gideon and a spy about how he needs to see Rune naked in order to determine if she has witch's marks hidden on her body. Innuendo about trysts at the opera. Rune describes pursuing suitors in the past and never going beyond kissing them.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Important characters are shot and killed, others killed in explosions or with their throats slit. Guards found with chests ripped open and blood drained. Tense pursuits end with stab and bullet wounds. Stories told of witches executed en masse, held upside down by their ankles, their throats slit and blood drained. Stories of guards stripping, beating, and chasing witches and witch sympathizers, including the main character's grandmother. Gideon recalls the death of his family, being forced to remain a powerful witch's lover, and allowing himself to get beaten repeatedly in a boxing ring to forget his past. The kin of witch sympathizers have symbols carved into their foreheads. Blood must be used in spellwork.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Gideon used to be addicted to laudanum (an opium tincture) and a heavy drinker, but after his brother helped him get clean, he no longer drinks. Some wine drinking at parties among Rune (age 18) and her young adult guests.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
The power of forgiveness and mercy, for yourself and others. Also, the power of empathy to turn feelings even as strong as hatred into understanding. No side is shown as blameless in the war between witches and the New Republic's Blood Guard; the true enemy is the pursuit of power and control at all costs. Periods and period blood for use in magic spells are discussed as commonplace with no hint of "female bodily processes are gross" or shame around it.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Rune Winters has survivor's guilt for her role in her grandmother's execution and shows courage and perseverance in helping witches escape from harm as a kind of penance. Near the story's end she finally forgives herself for what happened and feels a sense of peace. While she pretends to be interested in Gideon solely to gain access to his secrets, she builds empathy for him and what he endured at the hands of witches.
Educational Value
a little
The author says her book was loosely inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. Readers can compare the settings of each story: the Reign of Terror after the French Revolution for The Scarlet Pimpernel and after the reign of witches in this book. Also, how are the main characters in each book similar? In Chapter 42 characters weigh what's more important: individual rights and freedoms or public safety. This offers much food for thought on how governments function around the world, especially in times of social and political unrest.
Diverse Representations
a little
Characters are White, but from different backgrounds: Rune lives in a big manor with servants and Gideon lives above his parents' old tailor shop. Rune was orphaned and adopted by a woman she called grandmother. While the witches hunted and purged are all female, they are hunted by men and women of the Blood Guard. Before the New Republic, three witch queens had all the power. Also, a few things about Gideon, Captain of the Blood Guard, go against gender stereotypes: he designs and sews a dress and flowers and he's the one recovering from sexual abuse and coercion.
Parents need to know that Kristen Ciccarelli's Heartless Hunter is the first book in The Crimson Moth duology about Rune, a witch masquerading as a socialite who falls for Gideon, a guard tasked with killing all witches. This book is best for high schoolers on up with mature content across the board. The main characters have sex, which is described in some detail from undressing to movement to climax. The male main character, Gideon, describes his recovery from substance abuse and how we was forced to be a powerful witch's lover. Important characters are shot and killed and many others are killed in explosions. Guards are found with chests ripped open and blood drained and tense pursuits end with stab and bullet wounds. Heartless Hunter takes place two years after an insurrection with stories told of witches stripped, beaten, and executed en masse, including Rune's adopted grandmother. Language includes many uses of "f--k" in times of stress, several uses of "s--t," and rarer uses of "ass," "damn," "hell," and "whore." This story includes strong messages of empathy and forgiveness, for ourselves and others.
Katherine R.Parent of 8, 10, 14, 18+, 18+ and 5-year-old
May 15, 2024
age 14+
What's the Story?
In HEARTLESS HUNTER: THE CRIMSON MOTH, BOOK 1, Rune rushes to save her grandmother's best friend Seraphine from the Blood Guard but arrives too late. They've already taken the witch, like they take all witches to be imprisoned and executed. But they have yet to catch Rune who masquerades as the Crimson Moth to save as many witches as she can. Rune's next stop is the opera house, donning a beautiful gown and playing the part of the harmless socialite so she can gather intel about where they may be taking Seraphine. She immediately sets her sights on Gideon, captain of the Blood Guard. He must know the location of Seraphine and intends to flirt shamelessly until he divulges it. But Gideon refuses her charms and even shuns her party invitation for later that night. That is, until Gideon's spy suspects the truth, that Rune is the Crimson Moth Gideon has tried to arrest for two years. Suddenly Gideon is up for some flirting himself and the game is afoot. Who will give up their secrets first?
A witch in disguise falls for a witch hunter in this intriguing cat-and-mouse game with fantastic twists and a dash too much melodrama. Heartless Hunter would be nearly perfect save for a few overwrought romantic moments, like when Rune overhears Gideon talking about her with fellow guards, misinterprets him, and runs off and does something incredibly rash. The romance was fresh and exciting until that point, with both deceiving the other yet sharing enough truths about themselves that something real and frightening blossoms between them. When the romance picks up, the rest of the story falls away briefly. What will happen to Seraphine, the imprisoned witch? There's a plan in place, but it seems half-baked compared to all the rest of Rune's scheming as the Crimson Moth.
The complexity of this world is a wonderful surprise. Innocent witches are hunted, but not for all the usual sexist reasons -- the witch queens that used to rule were ruthless. Gideon hates witches for some pretty good personal reasons, too. But the iron fist of the New Republic isn't doing anything to better the lives of those on the island, it's only inciting more fear. So, naturally, more unrest is coming, but not in the way anyone suspects. The twists at the end of Heartless Hunter promise for an equally exciting sequel.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it takes for the main characters to find empathy for each other in Heartless Hunter. What does Rune learn about Gideon? How does Gideon's opinion of Rune shift?
Is the line between good and evil clearly drawn in this book? Were you ever siding only with the witches? Or with Gideon and the Blood Guard? What other books have you read where it's hard to pick a side?
What do you think is next for Rune and Gideon? Will they end up together?
Available on:
Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
March 12, 2024
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Carrie R. Wheadon
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