When I initially read the summary of Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli, I was not interested. Maybe I was off the heels of a bad book when I first encountered it, but when I rediscovered the book a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised to find a fun plot and tension-filled relationship that pulled me into the world of witches and witch hunters.
A rich socialite by day, and a cunning witch by night, Rune is playing a dangerous game moonlighting as the Crimson Moth. But with the help of her friends Alex and Verity, Rune will do anything to carry on her grandmother’s legacy and risk her life to save witches from the hunters. When a prominent witch in hiding gets captured, Rune is desperate for intel, so desperate that she decides to court beloved revolutionary and witch hunter Gideon Sharpe. Initially, Gideon rejects Rune’s advances, but when he gets a tip that the socialite may actually be the Crimson Moth, he attempts to win her over and find the evidence he needs. The two enter a deadly game, dancing around the other and trying not to fall in love lest their hearts break from the truths that could be revealed.
I had such a great time with this book because of the plot. It’s not super complicated or mind-blowing, but it’s entertaining, and I like how it adds a little bit of complexity to Rune and Gideon’s relationship. Rune has to keep up her shallow socialite appearance while trying to court Gideon, and Gideon is trying to push through his disgust of high society to court Rune. Both want information from the other, but both are also on their highest guard. It’s fun to see Ciccarelli put Rune and Gideon in challenging situations to see if they can keep up their facades. If I had had anything more to ask from this book, it would have been to let the cat-and-mouse game carry on with more intensity for longer. The protagonists soften their walls pretty quickly, and I found myself wanting more of the tension from their earlier encounters.
Witches in this world use their blood to power their magic. Before they were hunted and killed, witches freely practiced and could be easily identified by their silver-casting scars. The casting scars were often purposeful cuts that created decorative, silver-like tattoos all over the witch’s body. Rune doesn’t have the liberty of openly practicing her magic, and it was pretty badass that Rune hid her identity as a witch by using her menstrual blood instead. It was a nice touch to the story’s theme about honoring who you are. Rune lives a lie and is the vain, beautiful socialite everyone expects her to be. She doesn’t get to be who she truly is or flaunt her abilities with casting scars. But when the parties end, and she’s safely behind closed doors, Rune comes home to who she is, with the people she trusts, and uses the power within her. It may be a minor detail that helps Rune evade capture, but I found it to be an empowering and meaningful nod to the strength of a woman’s power when she’s wholly herself.
The romance is centered around our leading witch and witch hunter, but there is a character who inserts himself into the mix. Alex is Rune’s devoted best friend, and his role in this story bugged me for the longest time. He’s hopelessly head over heels in love with Rune, accepts her as she is, and will do anything to keep her safe. It sounds like the perfect love interest, right? But he’s not the frontrunner in Heartless Hunter, and I had to think a lot about why this seemingly good man’s rejected love bothered me so much. Alex did all the right things, but I concluded that he didn’t do the right things for Rune. He loves Rune unconditionally, but where he falls short is acknowledging what makes her happy. In his attempts to keep her safe, he’s pulling Rune away from the person she wants to be and the impact she wants to have on the world. I wanted to analyze Alex’s role because he causes a lot of discomfort and heartache, but upon reflection, I realized he puts more emphasis on Rune coming into her own power and not caving to external pressures that don’t honor who she is. Alex is a good romantic interest, but Gideon embodies the effort and imperfection that comes with truly getting to know a person and loving them anyway. Alex does a lot to assume his feelings are enough to make Rune happy, but Gideon knows he’s but one of two players in this game and takes Rune and who she is into consideration.
Y’all know how picky I can be with young adult books, so any time a story captivates me, I know it’s got something special. Heartless Hunter stands out particularly because the plot was executed so well, and the romance portion had substance to make it meaningful. Plus, it’s all about witches and blood magic, so if that doesn’t convince most of you, I don’t know what will.
Rating: Heartless Hunter – 7.5/10
-Brandee
