Kristen Ciccarelli’s Heartless Hunter stole the hearts of readers on BookTok last year, and the author prepares to close her Crimson Moth romantasy duology with a bang with Rebel Witch, releasing later this month from Wednesday Books.
The story picks up at the end of Heartless Hunter, following witch-in-hiding Rune and witch hunter captain Gideon, whose time working together led to them falling in love. Following a devastating betrayal, Rune has made an ally of Gideon’s worst enemy, but still enlists his help to prevent an even deadlier foe from taking over.
For Ciccarelli, the virality and success of the series starter Heartless Hunter was “surprising. It was not bought in a big, flashy deal. It was never supposed to be a big book,” she said in an interview with PW.
But her editor, Vicki Lame, always saw the duology’s potential. “I felt immediately it would strike a chord,” Lame said. “It came out right amid the romantasy boom and I also think readers really love enemies to lovers. But honestly, I think it was the idea paired with Kristen’s amazing writing.” Heartless Hunter spent 11 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and also got a shoutout from Broadway star Jordan Fisher, who showcased himself on Instagram reading the book backstage.
The series joins the catalogue of romantasy books that have seen a tremendous rise in popularity in the last few years, in part thanks to word-of-mouth recommendation of TikTok. “I think everyone always loves romance, and when you add those fantasy trappings to it, you get this high-octane escapist experience,” Lame said of the subgenre’s golden age.
In Rebel Witch, Ciccarelli said she wanted to force the book’s lovers, particularly Gideon, to confront the conflicting reality of loving someone deemed dangerous by society. “It’s like, what do you want? Do you love this girl? Even though loving her, in your mind, has all these bad implications for your society? Is that most important? Or is she more important?” Ciccarelli said.
Ciccarelli’s dedication in Heartless Hunter to “those afraid to be who they are” is a nod to Rune’s struggle living in a society that labels her a threat, but also a meaningful message for the author herself. “I just was afraid to be who I was,” Ciccarelli said, “afraid to say what I thought [for fear] of being ostracized. It was a theme that was coming up in my life, and so I wanted to explore that with Rune.”
Her new book, Rebel Witch, is dedicated to “the brave ones who light the way,” a testament to Rune’s journey and Ciccarelli’s hope that landscapes that pit people against one another are no match for love. “The point of the book is to prove that love conquers all,” she said. “Maybe I’m just speaking for myself, but I want the book to prove to me that these two people can overcome everything in order to be together. Because I want that to be true in the real world.”
