Heartless Hunter Book Review

For not being a fan of fantasy, I really enjoyed this book. Rune’s backstory was heartbreaking and what she decided to do to make up for a terrible decision she was forced to make was admirable. I found myself rooting for her success every time.

Gideon felt like a worthy adversary for Rune. He was her complete opposite when it came to his convictions, but his passion for where he stood matched Rune’s passion for where she stood. This not only made a great cat-and-mouse game, but it made a great romance. They both had this strong desire to right wrongs even though they were trying to right opposite wrongs (who was right and who was wrong?).

There was so much action and adventure even from the beginning of the book. If it wasn’t Rune as the Crimson Moth trying to succeed in her current mission, it was Gideon trying to prove that Rune or someone in her circle was the Crimson Moth. And given that Gideon would sentence Rune to death if he was able to prove that she was the Crimson Moth, it’s safe to say the stakes were high for Rune.

“And the Moth was intelligent. To go toe-to-toe with Gideon, to outwit him, she had to be. And if the mutilated bodies they kept finding across the city were her victims, she was also ruthless. Disturbed.”

The only two elements of the story that I thought could have been a bit better were how the witches cast spells and the overall setting. I found how the witches were able to cast spells a little too convenient for getting caught. In most stories about witches, they’re either born with the magic running through them or they can use other items (like herbs) to cast their spells without leaving any evidence of the caster. In this book, the casting leaves behind signatures, scents, and scars. The reason I found this a little too convenient was because these things made it easy to identify a witch in a crowd of people. However, an argument could be made that this was a unique take on witches and applaud the creativity.

The setting, the second element of the story I thought could have been a bit better, felt very similar to old London high society mixed with the Salem witch trials. It felt too realistic to actual times in our history. I feel like the setting of a fantasy novel should be… fantastical. The island and surrounding land were made up and the fact that witches once ruled humans and could openly use their magic was far from reality. I just felt like there needed to be something more to make the setting truly fantastical.

These two very small shortcomings did not take away from the book overall. The ending had so much action going on: a revolt, death, heartbreak, betrayal, and the need for revenge. It was definitely left open for a second book, which was already in the works when this book was released. I’m looking forward to the second one coming out and hope it’s as fast paced and exciting as this one was.