Title: The Winner’s Kiss

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 484

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

 

Some kisses come at a price.

 

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?

 

Review:

I am so sad that this series is over! I can’t believe how much I fell in love with this series!

The book starts out with Kestrel headed to a work camp to pay for her treason! What she experiences at that camp is unbearable, yet she tries her best to persevere! Meanwhile, Arin is busy planning a war that he knows is inevitable, and if lost, he not only will lose his country, but his life as well!

The characters were written with such thought that you can’t help but fall in love with them! Kestrel learns what her heart truly desires, and she struggles to come to terms with her relationship with her father! In a sense, Arin didn’t change at all in this book, which was kinda a relief as he was perfect at the end of the book! I love how the author wrote his and Kestrel’s relationship, and how they went from slave/master, to prisoner/keeper, to an engaged Valorian/Herrani governor, an finally, they became equals! This progression was cool to witness, and I think they are two of my favourite characters now!

I highly recommend this book if you like reading young adult fantasy, and if you are a fan of series like A Court of Thorns and Roses!

 

Happy reading bookworms!