The Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli

Book Review

Mikaela Silk

The end of the previous book saw Rune sailing away from her homeland with uncertain allies. Her secret identity, as both a witch and as the Crimson Moth, is in tatters, and she’s running out of people she can trust: Alex is dead, Gideon has betrayed her, and Verity never even existed. To survive, Rune has no choice but to throw in her lot with the last surviving witch Queen, even if she doesn’t actually believe that Cressida deserves to be Queen. Meanwhile, Gideon feels just as betrayed as Rune does and knows that killing her is the only way to redeem himself as commander of the Blood Guard. Once again, witch and witch-hunter are drawn together and, once again, they find themselves struggling to remember that they’re supposed to be enemies. Will they realise who the true enemies are before they destroy each other once and for all?

The multiple points of view work really well in this book, displaying the clear commonalities between both characters and frustrating the reader who can see exactly how every miscommunication pushes them further apart. Both characters think the other betrayed them and that their love is one-sided. Both characters plan to betray the other, and both hate that they need to. Both characters have been hurt before and struggle with trust and honesty. Even when they are actively working together, there’s an underlying assumption that the other is lying, keeping secrets, and planning another betrayal. If these two characters just sat down and had an honest conversation, the book would be much shorter! But of course, their own trauma and the rapidly moving plot leave little opportunity for heartfelt emotional reveals.

The plot of this book has even higher stakes than the first one: previously the only life at stake was Rune’s, whereas now their country is facing a war in which many lives will be lost and the future of their kingdom will be decided. Despite both sides being led by blood-thirsty monsters, Rune very realistically picks the one that doesn’t actively want to kill her because of how she was born. I think the realism of this choice, of picking the lesser of two evils, creates a great foundation for the tension and uncertainty that follows.

Kristen Ciccarelli is particularly good at foreshadowing, with so many small mysteries and seemingly innocuous comments slowly adding up to form a clear picture of the ending. Having predicted the ending, I read the last few chapters with a building anticipation and was rewarded with a show-stopping final showdown filled with high drama and even higher emotion. I found it to be a really satisfying ending that tied the past up into a neat little bow, whilst leaving the future fully open for our characters to forge their own paths.