Book: The Winner's Kiss

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance

Summary: War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn't forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people - and certainly more than she did for him. At least, that's what he thinks. In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they've done to her. But no one gets what they want just by wishing. As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win? -Farrar Straus Giroux Books, 2016.

Book: The Winner's Crime

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Genre: Young Adult/Fiction/Fantasy/Romance

Summary: A royal wedding means one celebration after another: balls, fireworks, and revelry until dawn. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement: that she agreed to marry the crown prince in exchange for Arin's freedom. But can Kestrel trust Arin? Can she even trust herself? Kestrel is becoming very good at deception. She's working as a spy in the court. If caught, she'll be exposed as a traitor to her country. Yet she can't help searching for a way to change her ruthless world . . . and she is close to uncovering a shocking secret. This dazzling follow-up to The Winner's Curse reveals the high price of dangerous lies and untrustworthy alliances. The truth will come out, and when it does, Kestrel and Arin will learn just how much their crimes will cost them. - Farrar Straus Giroux Books, 2015.

I wanted to continue on with this series because I had enjoyed the first book and I thought it was quite a different YA experience. This one was not really my favorite though. Kestrel was really annoying sometimes; I was rolling my eyes at her stupid decisions. I was not captivated by the book and felt myself distracted a lot while reading.

However, the ending was really interesting and I was quite surprised by how fast it happened. I knew it was going to be bad because Kestrel was really careless and she put herself in really risky situations. Still, it was not expecting that and it was good.

I will read the last book in the trilogy because I really want to know what is going to happen. But I found this book a bit too slow and too long, some parts of it did not interest me at all and I was distracted a lot.

If you enjoyed the first book I still recommend you to read it because it was a nice continuation to the series, but it could have been a bit shorter in my opinion.

Book: The Winner's Curse

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Genre: Teen/Romance/Adventure

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Kestrel is an aristocratic citizen of Valoria, a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers. Here, a girl like Kestrel has two choices: to join the military or to get married. Despite her skills in military strategy, Kestrel's real passion is music. Which is why she feels compelled to buy Arin, a slave sold as a singer, at auction. It's not long before he begins to change the way she sees everything . . . but he himself is not what he seems. Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for him is much higher than she ever could have imagined. The first novel in a brilliant new series,
The Winner's Curse tells of the star-crossed romance of Kestrel and Arin. It is a story of masters and slaves, spies, rebellion, ballroom dances, wicked rumors, dirty secrets, and games where everything is at stake. The gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart. -Farrar Straus Giroux, 2014.

Truly a worthy conclusion to an incredible tale that starts with a whisper and ends with savage and raw poetry. What I found unique and masterful about this tale is the seamless incorporation of two points of view, with the story alternating mid-moment from one treasured narrator to the other. The beautiful writing, the incredible emotional intelligence of the characters, the ability of the reader to embody the minds of people both flawed and good - these all collide with an epic tale of love and war, guilt and joy, pain and transcendence. A winner all around - 5 gods-touched stars. ✨