In the wake of a dramatic betrayal in Heartless Hunter (2024), a witch and a witch hunter are again embroiled in a high-stakes struggle to outwit each other, further complicated by their deepening, conflicting feelings.
Since fleeing her home after Gideon exposed her as a witch and left her to face execution, Rune has become engaged to a prince. Her mission: use her fiance’s fleet to reclaim the New Republic and save witches from slaughter. This means working with Cressida Roseblood, the witch who tortured Gideon and killed his family. Rune doesn’t trust her, but she needs Cressida to defeat the Blood Guard. Meanwhile, Gideon’s job is to assassinate Rune before she completes her mission. Despite their mutual distrust, Rune and Gideon, who read white, pair up out of necessity to stop Cressida from raising her sisters from the dead and regaining control. Even while standing on two opposing sides of the war, neither the witch nor the witch hunter can keep their heart from yearning for the other. The nonstop rising action will keep readers entrenched in the world and the fates of the characters. The strong characterization is evident in the dynamic between Rune and Gideon, whose interactions evoke a powerful blend of heartache and longing, kept alive with an abundance of banter and a healthy dose of sizzle.
A captivating finale to a highly addictive and entertaining duology.
(Fantasy. 13-18)