Title: The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy#2)
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Genre: Young Adult // Fantasy // Romance
Publisher: Farrar Staux and Giroux
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Format: Physical
Source: Purhcased (Bookstore)
The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. 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... if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.
As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them (goodreads).
The Winner's Crime has shown me that we are all gluttons for punishment.
Plot: If you're looking for a happy ending reuniting our two star crossed lovers, please turn around and go put on a Disney movie or something. The Winner's Crime takes place a few months after the events of The Winner's Curse with Arin and Kestrel trying to make since of their roles in life. They are constantly torn apart by a perverse sense of justice and by their own actions.
Seriously, The Winner's Crime is like watching this:
So close, yet so far
BUT FOR THREE HUNDRED PAGES.
Much like The Winner's Curse, The Winner's Crime is a slow build. While I found The Winner's Crime to be a slower build than its predecessor, a lot more is at stake and the dangerous is near and very obvious!
Characters: Arin and Kestrel spend more time apart than they do together, so we really get to see them grow into their own independent person and make difficult choices in life. We are introduced to the cunning emperor and Kestrel's timid betrothed. While castle life was full of dangers and betrayal (as expected), I found myself more obsessed with the Eastern people which are introduced for the first time.
World Building: As I mentioned, we are introduced to the Eastern tribes and how they play into the emperor's master plans. I found them to be intriguing and I hope to see more of them in the next book. It was also hinted that we will explore even more of this war-torn world in the final book, and I'm most excited by what awaits us in the month.
Short N Sweet: The Winner's Crime is a painful read and the perfect setup for the conclusion. I cried in public and I am not ashamed to admit it.
Labels: 4 stars, book review, farrar straus giroux, marie rutkoski, review, the winner's crime, the winner's curse, the winner's trilogy
