Rebel Witch

REBEL WITCH is a thrilling conclusion to the fantasy romance that began with HEARTLESS HUNTER. The book begins a bit after the first book left off, particularly in terms of the tension between Rune and Gideon, who have learned that they are on opposite sides of a country at war. Rune is a witch, and after the rebellion, she and other witches have been hunted down and killed by the ruling party, for which Gideon is one of the most famous witch hunters.

Rune is now about to marry a prince of another kingdom to secure his army for Cressida, the witch who was one of the former rulers and who survived the uprising that killed her sisters. Cressida is also the witch who tortured Gideon and still has him in her sights. Rune feels trapped in that she does not want witches to be hunted any longer, but she also feels reticent to give Cressida power again.

Gideon is on his way to assassinate Rune and end the possibility of the military aid for Cressida - but when he sees her again, the complex feelings arise, and they both begin to question the paths they have been walking down.

What I loved: This was a consuming read, and I found it difficult to put down. One of my favorite elements of the first book was the romance, and this one is driven by the romance and their relationship with its many challenges. Both Rune and Gideon have been shaped by adversity, and it is this adversity that makes moving forward together seem like an impossibility. As the story continues and they begin to work together, they must also work through the trauma that has brought them where they are - all in the midst of the brewing war between sides.

Themes of love, sacrifice, cruelty and power, trauma/healing, friendship/love, star-crossed romance, and politics were all really interesting throughout. Sacrifice, forced upon someone and chosen, are particularly played out in different ways in the story. The aspects around why someone may sacrifice themselves, the power in knowing there are choices, and the cruelty of having it forced upon someone are discussed in various places. Additionally, power dynamics and politics play out in the story with two opposing forces who both seem to have things wrong. Facing the choice between seeming polar opposites - that arrive at poor outcomes that do not seem so different- creates some thought-provoking plots that would be interesting to discuss and consider more deeply.

In terms of the characters, I still really enjoyed the chemistry between Rune and Gideon that really heats up in this story - and gives some elements of enemies to lovers, fake dating, only one bed, and star-crossed tropes that were all very fun. The book is told from both of their perspectives, which really helps to build their relationship- and show the ways in which it changes over time. Something else I enjoyed were the insights into potential outcomes that arise during the story. Other characters were also really great, though secondary, such as some of those they join with and learn more about later in the story.

The ending wrapped things up well, and I found this to be a very satisfying conclusion to the story that began in the first book. The pace throughout was really solid, and the action moved quickly with a focus on characters and romance that worked well.

Final verdict: Overall, REBEL WITCH was a fantastic and thrilling conclusion to a consuming YA fantasy romance duology. Highly recommend for readers who love high-stakes romance and complicated relationships with a hefty dose of magic and thought-provoking themes.

Star-crossed lovers, close quarters games of cat and mouse, celebrating in defiance of the end of the world. Rebel Witch closes the duology with all the witchy magic and repressed feelings we came to love, plus an extra helping of political maneuvering, that culminates in a rebellious last stand straight out of a war arc.

When the story begins, some time has passed since the first book, and I enjoyed how the mini time-skip set a whole new stage for Rune and Gideon to go toe-to-toe with different agendas under Cresseida’s rule. The distance has also allowed the once-maybe-lovers’ to separate their emotions from their need to survive, and so also re-opening the door for that juicy tension from when they first met. I mean, they aren’t really enemies, and if either one of them had just fessed up to themselves and stopped the “I guess I like you but we and this love are doomed uwu” act a lot of their problems could’ve been solved, saving lives and more time for the war arc (which was my favorite - it’s something about unlikely allies facing unbeatable odds, y’know). 

This book takes on a lot of new things, maybe in part because the story has grown beyond the initial Scarlet Pimpernel parallels. I don’t know if there’s enough room for all the pining and these additional political dimensions, for example, and some pretty pivotal plot points came and went very quickly. I would’ve loved to sit more in those moments, particularly whenever Rune discovers new strengths within herself or is at odds with Cresseida. Pacing aside, I enjoyed the new narrative directions and the last quarter of the story deserves a whole book in itself.

The tension between Rune and Gideon is on point as they are recovering from Gideon's discovery that Rune is the Crimson Moth, a witch who, in his job as a witch hunter, has been ordered to capture and end her life. The big problem is that Gideon is head over heels for Rune. No matter how much the two try to deny it, You can feel it in every interaction and stolen moment as they fight to achieve the impossible, take down Cressida, and be together. Rebel Witch is the final book in the Duology of the Crimson Moth series. It offers exactly what you want in a young adult romantic: banter, forced to work together, eventually realizing they are meant to be, and the determination to fight for that.

What worked: Fast-paced conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology series.

This sequel starts right off after Rune Winters leaves with Cressida Roseblood to take back the Republic and reinstate the Reign of Witches. Only now Rune is engaged to Soren, a prince, who has his own stake in the new Reign of Witches. Gideon Sharpe hasn't forgotten Rune's betrayal and is out to kill her. Only he can't forget his true feelings for her.


The action moves from page to page with obstacle after obstacle thrown in the path of Rune and Gideon's attempts to get back together. There is no denying the chemistry between these two. Although they're sworn enemies, their hearts tell them otherwise. I felt the magnetic attraction between them and couldn't help but hope they'd look past personal betrayals and get back together.

Great world-building and banter throughout. Cressida is shown to be a heartless, cruel leader who will sacrifice anything or anyone to fulfill a prophecy.

Saying all that though I felt that the story moved a little too fast to resolve issues and I wanted to know more about the ancient prophecy and how it was all connected in the end. There is a quick resolution and the sudden reveal surprised me.

Fans of The Crimson Moth won't be disappointed in this satisfying conclusion to Rune and Gideon's story.