Rebel Witch Summary, Characters and Themes

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli is a dark, emotional, and richly imagined fantasy novel that explores the cost of power, love, and rebellion. 

Set in a fractured world where witches are hunted and revolutionaries clash with monarchs, the story follows Rune Winters—a powerful witch entangled in a deadly prophecy—and Gideon Sharpe, a former lover turned assassin. Their pasts are haunted by war, betrayal, and forbidden love. As ancient magic rises and political tensions ignite, Rune and Gideon must choose between survival and sacrifice, vengeance and redemption. Ciccarelli delivers a sweeping, character-driven tale filled with romance, mythology, and resistance.

Summary

In Rebel Witch, Kristen Ciccarelli crafts a multi-perspective epic that centers on Rune Winters, a powerful young witch, and Gideon Sharpe, a revolutionary with blood on his hands. The narrative unfolds across three parts, shifting between their perspectives as a magical uprising brews beneath the surface of a fragile new order.

The story begins at Larkmont Palace, where Rune is preparing to marry Prince Soren in a political alliance meant to secure safety for witches. At the same time, Gideon infiltrates the palace to assassinate her—believing she’s a threat to the New Republic. But when he confronts her, memories of their past love paralyze him. 

Rune, shocked but not surprised, disarms him. His capture by Cressida—Rune’s aunt and the de facto queen of witches—sparks a chain of events neither can control.

While Cressida tortures Gideon to gain his loyalty, Rune struggles with her feelings. Though he tried to kill her, she still harbors love for him. She frees him, setting off their dangerous escape through Caelis, the capital. 

As fugitives, they navigate old grudges, new dangers, and a magical prophecy that links Rune to the fabled Roseblood sisters—ancient witches Cressida seeks to resurrect.

During their journey, Rune and Gideon rekindle their bond while uncovering secrets: the sisters’ resurrection requires the blood of a “lost kin”—Rune. 

Cressida plans to sacrifice her to bring back Elowyn and Analise, two ancient witch queens who nearly destroyed the world long ago. 

Rune’s identity, long shrouded in mystery, becomes the key to stopping or enabling the apocalypse.

Both protagonists evolve in unexpected ways. 

Gideon, once a hardened revolutionary, begins to question his hatred of witches and the New Republic’s own cruelties. Rune, formerly a loyal servant to the witch court, recognizes the corrupt ambition of Cressida and the failure of royal politics to protect her people. 

As civil war looms, they form a fragile alliance—not just to survive, but to dismantle the systems that created them.

In a desperate move, they infiltrate Cressida’s crypt—a sacred, magically warded space holding the Roseblood sisters’ corpses. Rune learns the horrifying truth: her death isn’t needed; Cressida just needs her consent. 

She resists, choosing instead to use a forbidden counterspell provided by her mentor Seraphine. The spell unleashes chaos—destabilizing the resurrection and damaging Rune physically and magically.

The climactic battle is both magical and emotional. Cressida, consumed by power and madness, begins to unravel. Rune bargains with the ghost of Elowyn, offering memories of love in exchange for peace. 

Gideon, unwilling to let Rune lose herself, intervenes and sacrifices his own memories instead. They both emerge scarred, with faded recollections of one another but having thwarted Cressida’s plans.

The aftermath is bittersweet. Rune survives but with diminished power. Gideon, exiled from the Republic, becomes a mythic figure—the rebel who loved a witch. They part ways, uncertain if they remember each other fully. 

Rune builds a sanctuary by the sea, teaching orphaned witches and planting flowers in memory of those lost. Gideon helps refugees in secret, choosing mercy over vengeance.

In the final scene, they pass each other on a shoreline—no words, just a silent recognition of shared history. 

Their memories fractured, their bond transformed, Rune and Gideon stand as symbols of resistance and quiet hope in a world they helped reshape.

Characters

Rune Winters

Rune Winters is a complex character driven by conflicting emotions, loyalty, and a deep sense of responsibility. She starts off as the fiancée of Prince Soren, caught in the political web of the witch court and her duties as a powerful witch.

However, Rune’s journey is one of internal struggle, where she grapples with guilt over the loss of her loved ones, including her friend Alex, and her emerging feelings for Gideon, the very man sent to assassinate her. Throughout the story, Rune demonstrates strength, resilience, and vulnerability.

Her choice to betray Cressida, despite the political ramifications, shows her moral compass and her desire to protect the witches from a power-hungry ruler. Rune’s connection to her past, particularly her memories of Alex and her mentor Seraphine, adds depth to her motivations.

By the end of the novel, Rune’s character evolves from a pawn in political games to a symbol of hope and transformation. She begins to build a new world for those like her, shaped by loss and rebirth.

Gideon Sharpe

Gideon Sharpe starts the story as a hardened revolutionary with a singular focus on revenge. His backstory is marked by deep trauma—his family’s murder, the loss of his brother Alex, and his commitment to the cause of the New Republic.

At first, Gideon views Rune as an enemy, a witch to be destroyed. However, as the narrative unfolds, his initial hatred transforms into a reluctant alliance, and eventually, a deep, conflicting love.

Gideon’s internal transformation is one of the novel’s most compelling arcs. His struggle to reconcile his past loyalty to the Republic with his growing feelings for Rune—and his disillusionment with the New Republic—pushes him to challenge his own beliefs.

Gideon’s decision to offer his memories to the spirits of the Roseblood sisters shows his willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, even at the cost of his identity. By the end, Gideon becomes a mythic figure, no longer defined by the violence of his past, but by his actions to help the vulnerable and create a new path.

Cressida

Cressida is the main antagonist, a powerful witch with a singular goal: the resurrection of her dead sisters, the Rosebloods, to reign over both witches and non-witches alike. Initially, she comes across as cold, calculating, and manipulative.

Her desire to control the witches and reshape the world according to her vision of power knows no bounds. Cressida’s actions are driven by a combination of grief, ambition, and a twisted sense of entitlement to rule.

As the story progresses, we see her desperation intensify, particularly as her magic begins to fail and her body starts to fracture under the strain of her own dark spells. Despite her villainous role, there is a tragic element to her character, as her actions are deeply rooted in a loss of loved ones and an obsessive desire to restore them.

Her eventual downfall marks the collapse of her vision for the world, and the destruction of her crypt symbolizes the end of her tyrannical influence.

Soren

Soren is a character defined by his conflicting emotions and loyalties. Initially introduced as Rune’s betrothed, he represents the political aspirations and the old power structures that Rune is trying to break away from.

His devotion to Rune seems genuine, but as Rune’s betrayal comes to light, Soren’s true allegiance to Cressida and his sense of honor are tested. While Soren is not as central to the plot as Rune or Gideon, his role as a catalyst for Rune’s actions is undeniable.

His public denouncement of Rune signifies the end of their personal and political relationship, and it propels Rune further into the rebellion. Soren’s trajectory represents the breakdown of the old world, where power and control are paramount, and the beginning of a new order that challenges the established hierarchies.

Elowyn and Analise Roseblood

The Roseblood sisters—Elowyn and Analise—serve as haunting figures throughout the narrative. Their deaths and the resurrection spell become a central element of the plot, as they are tied to Rune’s fate.

Elowyn, in particular, plays a significant role after her death, as Rune and Gideon must navigate her spirit’s fractured state. The Roseblood sisters represent the legacy of power and sacrifice, and their potential resurrection threatens to alter the balance of the world.

Their relationship with Cressida, and their role as the key to the resurrection spell, make them central to the conflict. Despite their tragic end, their presence in the story offers a glimpse of what might have been—a world ruled by a different set of values had they lived.

Themes

The Clash Between Duty and Desire in the Aftermath of War

In Rebel Witch, the central tension lies in the characters’ struggle to reconcile personal desires with the weight of political and moral duty. Rune, once a dedicated witch bound by her loyalty to Cressida, finds herself torn between the love she once had for Gideon and her duty to the witch court and the New Republic.

The political landscape in which Rune operates is fraught with betrayal, manipulation, and sacrifice. Caught between the desire to preserve her personal identity and the need to align with larger forces, Rune is forced to choose between the greater good and her own personal attachments.

Her bond with Gideon complicates this further, as their shared history and emotions cloud their decision-making. This conflict between love and duty, exemplified by Rune’s evolving relationship with Gideon and her allegiance to Cressida, forms a key theme in the novel.

It reflects the tension between individual desires and larger, often contradictory, social responsibilities.

The Unraveling of Identity in the Face of Sacrifice and Memory Loss

The theme of identity is deeply explored in Rebel Witch, particularly through Rune and Gideon’s experiences of memory and sacrifice. Rune’s internal battle revolves around her self-worth, both as an individual and as a symbol of rebellion.

The magical warfare she engages in leaves deep emotional and physical scars, eroding her sense of self. The irreversible sacrifices she makes—especially her decision to bargain her memories—force her to confront the fragility of identity.

The destruction of her memories, particularly her relationships and personal history, exemplifies the theme of identity loss. It is portrayed as a consequence of war and power struggles.

Similarly, Gideon, who has been shaped by trauma and a sense of duty, faces a similar unraveling of identity. His efforts to protect Rune, as well as his eventual sacrifice of his own memories, forces him to lose a part of himself.

Both characters struggle to retain who they are as they sacrifice pieces of their essence for survival, love, and justice. The theme underscores the high emotional cost of both personal and collective transformation.

The Perils of Resurrection and the Burden of Power

Another prominent theme in Rebel Witch is the exploration of resurrection, both literal and metaphorical, and the consequences of seeking to reverse death or undo past mistakes. Cressida’s resurrection ritual forms a key plot point, where the theme of power and its corrupting influence comes into play.

The resurrection of the Roseblood sisters is a literal attempt to bring back the dead and shift the balance of power. But it also symbolizes the temptation to rewrite history and alter the natural course of life.

This theme challenges the characters to consider the cost of such actions, as well as the unintended consequences of attempting to manipulate life and death. For Rune and Gideon, the notion of resurrection transcends magic—it becomes a matter of personal loss and renewal.

Rune’s ability to harness powerful magic to undo Cressida’s plans, at the cost of her own memory and identity, showcases the peril of wielding such power. It suggests that some forces, once tampered with, cannot be controlled or undone, leaving irreversible damage in their wake.

The burden of such power is central to the character development of both Rune and Gideon. It highlights the dangers of meddling with forces beyond one’s control.

Healing and Rebuilding in the Aftermath of War and Betrayal

In the final chapters of Rebel Witch, the theme of healing takes center stage as Rune and Gideon seek to rebuild their lives after the tumult of war, betrayal, and sacrifice. Their journey is not one of returning to what was lost but of creating something new from the wreckage of their past.

Rune’s decision to establish a sanctuary by the sea, teaching young witches who survived the purges, marks a shift from destruction to nurturing. Similarly, Gideon’s anonymous efforts to aid refugees reflect his desire to create a gentler world, one where mercy and kindness replace violence and hatred.

Both characters, though scarred by their experiences, strive to contribute to the rebuilding of a world that no longer relies on vengeance and war. This theme of healing is not just about recovering from personal trauma but about crafting a new society built on compassion and mutual understanding.

The novel suggests that while the past cannot be undone, the future can be shaped by the choices individuals make in the present. This is symbolized by Rune and Gideon’s quiet reunion at the story’s conclusion.