4.5 Stars!!

A wonderful compelling start to this duology!

As per the blurb, it hasn’t been long since witches were bloodily and brutally deposed from their exalted position. Once held in awe and revered, their abuse of their power inevitably heralded a revolution, and many have been killed and many still hide. This is a world divided, and we find our heroine Rune caught in the middle.

Rune, forced to betray the woman who raised her, is forever on a quest to help her own kind survive the ongoing purge, chasing an endless penance she can never repay. Desperate times push her to seduce Gideon, captain of the Blood Guard, for valuable intel. He’s a man who is both terrifying in his deadly capabilities and alluring in his mysterious dangerous demeanor.

Gideon, too, has his own personal mission, forever on a quest to kill those who represent all that he thinks is evil in the world. He is single minded in his devotion, hell bent on finding the elusive Crimson Moth who has been saving witches right under his nose. When he’s pointed in Rune’s direction that she might be the culprit, he has no choice but to seduce her to find the truth.

What unfolds is a fast paced game of cat and mouse, where both Rune and Gideon try to entrap the other. The fear, the suspicion, the anxiety and worry amplify as these two try to achieve their goals, unable to stop revealing small bits of their past trauma, shedding the facades they’ve both put up to survive.

This is a fantasy world with witches and magic, fraught with danger and dark themes all with a twisty enemies to lovers plot overlaid with a subtle triangle dynamic. Points for Rune being a heroine to root for. Points for the lovely portrayal of both these two trying not to fall for the other but unable to resist the inevitable. Points for equally building a case for each to stand on regarding why they do what they have to do.

Admittedly, I’m very hard to please, and I was continuously and pleasantly surprised that Ciccarelli created two strong characters, each with their own values and understandable convictions in what they think is right, and despite knowing the other is the enemy, they can’t help but fall for the other. Neither was naive, neither went into things blind, nor did they fumble in trying to fit a plot point. I completely appreciated that despite Rune and Gideon being adversaries, the author made me hope for a better outcome for both, regardless of whether they ultimately find that happiness with each other or apart.

Overall, I applaud Ciccarelli for the propulsive and compelling writing. I loved the alternating POV’s showcasing Rune and Gideon’s internal struggles and insecurities as both dig themselves deeper, lying through their teeth (until they aren’t), all for what they believe is absolutely necessary.

Be forewarned. This ends on a cliffhanger, and what I look forward to the most is how the author is going to find peace for Rune and Gideon as the emotions and vulnerabilities and intimacy shared were basically annihilated by the end of this book. There is an unscalable mountain of issues for both to overcome, and I’m hopefully confident that Ciccarelli can pull it off. I’ll be here waiting impatiently for the conclusion!

Thank you to the author and Wednesday Books of St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for a copy in exchange for a honest review