Review: The Winner's Crime

Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: Winner's Trilogy, #2
Released: March 3rd 2016
Publisher: FSG
Length: 416 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

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. 

Frequent readers of The Nocturnal Library know me for the coward I am. I like my books light and my romances breezy. I do not enjoy putting myself through pain and misery nor do I relish heartbreak in any shape or form. It is therefore not surprising that I waited so long to read The Winner’s Crime. Having read The Winner’s Curse, I was fully aware of Rutkoski’s ability and willingness to subject us to this ordeal and trust me when I tell you that my fears were not exaggerated.

The Winner’s Crime is gorgeous, dazzling and absolutely exhausting. It offers cruelty, misunderstandings, despair and death without a single ray of hope to ease our way. Marie Rutkoski puts Kestrel and Arin through so much, torturing us right alongside them. This is the type of book that demands your undivided attention, loyalty and love, for why would anyone put themselves through this if not for unwavering devotion to the characters.

Arin and Kestrel fell in love under extraordinary circumstances, and while they both risked so much for each other, they never had the opportunity to develop their relationship in peaceful times. There is a price to pay for that, a lack of trust between them that slowly erodes them and leads to far too many misunderstandings. A lot could have been avoided with a bit of confidence and faith, but neither of them really trusted the other. Arin is too headstrong, too proud, too unused to thinking things through and listening. His anger so often gets the best of him, stopping him from seeing things that are right in front of him. As readers, we are meant to be angry with him in this book, but we are also meant to understand and pity, and dream of happier times. Kestrel is a bit braver, a bit more determined, but she too has trust issues. She is the true center of this book, her sacrifice, her decisions, the constant danger she finds herself in. Surrounded by vipers in the Emperor’s court, Kestrel has no one to trust, not even her two best friends.

Rutkoski’s writing is gorgeously lyrical, deeply insightful and intelligent. The sentences she weaves thrill and inspire, leaving us breathless with admiration and awe. She may be cruel with her plots, but stylistically she is a wonder.

The Winner’s Crime ends with a vicious cliffhanger, but the final book is now out and the torment doesn’t last long. It is, perhaps, best to read these back to back, for the sake of sanity. The worse thing one could do, however, is not read them at all. This is one of the best trilogies YA has to offer.

 A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.