The Winner's Crime

By Marie Rutkoski
Published on March 3rd 2015
Published by Farrar Straus Giroux
Source: Publisher
Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

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.


Okay, so I gave The Winner's Curse five stars when I read it originally.  I have to say that since then I backed down a star- I really did love it, but never found the compulsion to read it again.  I was excited to read The Winner's Crime- I wanted to know what was going to happen.  THIS was the book I was waiting for.  This was everything I hoped book one would be.  

It was dramatic, full of intrigue and court happenings, and very dangerous.  I can't even tell you- there are parts that are totally explosive. This book blows the first one out of the water with everything that happens.  If you are looking for kissy parts, you will be disappointed- there are very few.  But this book made me care more about the characters (even when they frustrated me like crazy)- and the plot didn't FEEL like a middle book.  There was no filler here- what happened was important and necessary to the overall story.

If you loved the first book- know that you will love this one too.  If you were only feeling so so about book one- give the second one a chance.  I am so glad I did.




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