The Crimson Moth

Author – Kristen Ciccarelli

Publisher – Magpie

Format - Hardback

Pages – 404 (Hardback)

First Published – 2024 (Hardback)

The only thing more treacherous than being a witch is falling in love…

A HUNTED WITCH

The revolution reigns. The witches who once ruled are hidden, hunted. Rune is one of them.

A socialite by day, she is the Crimson Moth by night. A vigilante bent on saving her own, her next rescue demands she court Gideon Sharpe – a notorious witch hunter and unforgiving revolutionary.

A WITCH HUNTER

Gideon will pursue the Crimson Moth to the ends of the earth, and her trail leads him to Rune. But beneath her façade might be his match.

Except what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Warning: Major spoilers for The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli.

The story takes place in a world where witches have been hunted and nearly destroyed after a violent uprising. The ruling Republic has created a group of witch hunters called the Blood Guard, who capture and execute anyone suspected of witchcraft. Rune Winters appears to be a wealthy, shallow socialite who spends her days attending parties and flirting with nobles. However, this is a disguise. She is secretly a witch and the vigilante known as the Crimson Moth, rescuing imprisoned witches before they can be executed. Her closest allies are Verity, her best friend who helps her with her missions and Alex Sharpe, her childhood friend and the brother of the man hunting her Gideon Sharpe.

Gideon Sharpe is the captain of the Blood Guard and has dedicated his life to eliminating witches. He believes witches are dangerous because of the destruction caused during the witch wars. Gideon is also Alex's older brother, which makes Rune's secret even more dangerous. Gideon becomes obsessed with catching the Crimson Moth. However, when he meets Rune in society, he does not realize she is the witch he is hunting—or does not want to believe it.

Rune needs access to information about the Blood Guard and a captured witch named Cressida Roseblood, so she decides to manipulate Gideon. She convinces Gideon to court her, hoping to use their relationship to gather information. Gideon agrees because he suspects Rune may be connected to the Crimson Moth and wants to investigate her. Their relationship becomes a dangerous game, Rune is pretending to be interested in him to save witches, Gideon is pretending to be interested in her to uncover the truth and then both begin developing genuine feelings despite their opposing goals.

Rune's history is revealed soon thereafter, as a child, she was forced to betray her grandmother, who was a witch, in order to save herself. Her grandmother was executed, leaving Rune with deep guilt and since then, Rune has used her wealth and magic to protect other witches from suffering the same fate.

Rune's motivation is not revenge or power—she wants to undo the cruelty that destroyed her family and community. Gideon’s hatred of witches comes from his own trauma. He believes that wiping out witches is necessary to prevent another catastrophe. However, as he spends more time with Rune, he begins questioning everything he was taught, not all witches are monsters, the Republic's version of history may be incomplete and the witch hunts may have been based on fear and propaganda. His feelings for Rune begin conflicting with his duty as a witch hunter.

Eventually, Gideon discovers the truth: Rune is the Crimson Moth.

He feels betrayed because their entire relationship began with lies. Despite loving her, he chooses his duty and turns her over to the authorities. Rune is captured and imprisoned as a witch. The betrayal is especially painful because Gideon realises too late that Rune was not the villain he believed her to be. Rune manages to escape, but her relationship with Gideon is shattered. The final events reveal that the conflict between witches and witch hunters is far more complicated than either side understands. The Republic has hidden important truths about the past, and more powerful forces are manipulating the conflict.

The book ends with Rune on the run after Gideon's betrayal, Gideon devastated but still torn between his feelings for Rune and his loyalty to the Republic, the war between witches and witch hunters escalating and a major setup for the sequel, Rebel Witch.

Main Characters
Rune Winters / The Crimson Moth – secret witch and rescuer of imprisoned witches.
Gideon Sharpe – witch hunter who falls for the person he is supposed to destroy. Alex Sharpe – Rune's best friend and Gideon's brother.
Verity – Rune's loyal friend and helper.
Cressida Roseblood – powerful witch whose existence becomes central to the larger conflict.