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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This series, you guys. This. Series.
"The Winner's Curse" was one of my favorite books of 2014, and "The Winner's Crime" only ups the game. (Because really, so much of the plot in this book in particular is about political gameplaying, and it is so great.)
This book takes up shortly after where the last one left off. Kestrel is trapped in an engagement to Verex, the emperor's son, while remaining very much in love with Arin. Arin--very much in love with and very much mad at Kestrel--is frustrated/confused/hurt by her actions in the previous novel, which, among PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENS creates a massive rift in their semi-nonexistent relationship.
The tension. Few writers do unresolved/angry sexual tension better than Marie Rutkoski. There are not that many Kestrel/Arin scenes in "The Winner's Crime". They spend a lot of time physically apart, and even when they're in the same room, they're so full of secrets and betrayals and hurt feelings that they can barely interact. So much of their interactions here rely on miscommunications, which normally would frustrate me but makes perfect sense here. Because really, they have little reason to trust one another. They can't truly have relationship because of the dangerous political atmosphere (something that Arin chafes at, which I understand because UM, DUDE WAS ENSLAVED FOR YEARS AND IS KINDA TIRED OF BOWING TO THE OPPRESSORS). And even if they could it's not like they trust each other. Kestrel and Arin have basically made a career out of betraying each other--sometimes in a misguided attempt to help one another, but it never really works out and either way... The point is, I completely understood why these two couldn't be together.
But still. Again, there wasn't even a lot of physical connection in this book. Yet--and there is a theme here, I think, of Kestrel's blossoming sexuality--a mere touch sets both of them on fire. Rutkoski doesn't mince words or skirt around how badly her protagonists want one another, I love that. There's this aching long between Kestrel and Arin that the reader just feels, and it makes their relationship one of my favorite in YA at the moment.
However, romance isn't the point of this installment (much less so than it was in the first book). Arin is trying to keep his barely-semi-liberated nation afloat. Though the Herrani aren't slaves anymore, they're still under the emperor's thumb. Which is, as it turns out, an out of the frying pan into the fire situation. You can tell that though Rutkoski is working with a fantasy world, she's done her research. Just because Herran has become a colony doesn't mean the Herrani's troubles are over. Exactly the opposite, in fact. Plus--particularly within Arin's chapters--another country is entering the fray. (We get to meet a whole new royal court here, which I loved. And they come with quite a twist.)
On Kestrel's end, things get exceptionally dark and twisted. Which is saying something, as Arin is dealing with some dark and twisted happenings himself. Kestrel is the emperor's pawn, a pet with whom he likes to play cat and mouse. He holds her loved ones over her head, all the while knowing she's smarter than she looks. And oh, Kestrel is so cunning--but appropriately in over her head, especially when you consider her age. I love her. Girl has to make some truly awful decisions in this installment. Nothing is black and white. Kestrel, though the future empress, is more of a slave to the emperor than she was to the Herrani in the last book.
One aspect of "The Winner's Crime" that I found incredibly compelling was Kestrel's waning sanity. I don't know--maybe it was just me, but it felt like as the book went on, the pressure started to get to her more and more, chipping away at her psyche and leading her to indulge in these eerie fantasy scenes that made my skin crawl. (In a way that I loved, of course. I love strong, cunning heroines losing their minds and getting them back.) It kind of broke my heart; as strong as Kestrel is, there's only so much heartache and betrayal and constant anxiety/terror that she can take. She's a brave, strong, smart teenage girl... But she's still a teenage girl. (And much more in touch with her emotions than many YA heroines I've seen lately. I hate the trend of frozen, unfeeling girls in YA.) Honestly, I don't know how she's going to get past the betrayal that happened at the book's end. Oh, right--that betrayal. Yeah, I'm still not over it. It was awful. It killed me. Let's not talk about that.
I can't recommend the Winner's Trilogy enough. Rutkoski takes the darkness of the last book to another level here, without forgetting the intrigue and adventure that keeps the story from getting bogged down. And though I was already enamoured of Kestrel and Arin, "The Winner's Crime" only made me love them and their relationship more. I can't believe I have to wait so long for the final installment (and I can't believe it will be the final installment).
"The Winner's Curse" was one of my favorite books of 2014, and "The Winner's Crime" only ups the game. (Because really, so much of the plot in this book in particular is about political gameplaying, and it is so great.)
This book takes up shortly after where the last one left off. Kestrel is trapped in an engagement to Verex, the emperor's son, while remaining very much in love with Arin. Arin--very much in love with and very much mad at Kestrel--is frustrated/confused/hurt by her actions in the previous novel, which, among PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENS creates a massive rift in their semi-nonexistent relationship.
The tension. Few writers do unresolved/angry sexual tension better than Marie Rutkoski. There are not that many Kestrel/Arin scenes in "The Winner's Crime". They spend a lot of time physically apart, and even when they're in the same room, they're so full of secrets and betrayals and hurt feelings that they can barely interact. So much of their interactions here rely on miscommunications, which normally would frustrate me but makes perfect sense here. Because really, they have little reason to trust one another. They can't truly have relationship because of the dangerous political atmosphere (something that Arin chafes at, which I understand because UM, DUDE WAS ENSLAVED FOR YEARS AND IS KINDA TIRED OF BOWING TO THE OPPRESSORS). And even if they could it's not like they trust each other. Kestrel and Arin have basically made a career out of betraying each other--sometimes in a misguided attempt to help one another, but it never really works out and either way... The point is, I completely understood why these two couldn't be together.
But still. Again, there wasn't even a lot of physical connection in this book. Yet--and there is a theme here, I think, of Kestrel's blossoming sexuality--a mere touch sets both of them on fire. Rutkoski doesn't mince words or skirt around how badly her protagonists want one another, I love that. There's this aching long between Kestrel and Arin that the reader just feels, and it makes their relationship one of my favorite in YA at the moment.
However, romance isn't the point of this installment (much less so than it was in the first book). Arin is trying to keep his barely-semi-liberated nation afloat. Though the Herrani aren't slaves anymore, they're still under the emperor's thumb. Which is, as it turns out, an out of the frying pan into the fire situation. You can tell that though Rutkoski is working with a fantasy world, she's done her research. Just because Herran has become a colony doesn't mean the Herrani's troubles are over. Exactly the opposite, in fact. Plus--particularly within Arin's chapters--another country is entering the fray. (We get to meet a whole new royal court here, which I loved. And they come with quite a twist.)
On Kestrel's end, things get exceptionally dark and twisted. Which is saying something, as Arin is dealing with some dark and twisted happenings himself. Kestrel is the emperor's pawn, a pet with whom he likes to play cat and mouse. He holds her loved ones over her head, all the while knowing she's smarter than she looks. And oh, Kestrel is so cunning--but appropriately in over her head, especially when you consider her age. I love her. Girl has to make some truly awful decisions in this installment. Nothing is black and white. Kestrel, though the future empress, is more of a slave to the emperor than she was to the Herrani in the last book.
One aspect of "The Winner's Crime" that I found incredibly compelling was Kestrel's waning sanity. I don't know--maybe it was just me, but it felt like as the book went on, the pressure started to get to her more and more, chipping away at her psyche and leading her to indulge in these eerie fantasy scenes that made my skin crawl. (In a way that I loved, of course. I love strong, cunning heroines losing their minds and getting them back.) It kind of broke my heart; as strong as Kestrel is, there's only so much heartache and betrayal and constant anxiety/terror that she can take. She's a brave, strong, smart teenage girl... But she's still a teenage girl. (And much more in touch with her emotions than many YA heroines I've seen lately. I hate the trend of frozen, unfeeling girls in YA.) Honestly, I don't know how she's going to get past the betrayal that happened at the book's end. Oh, right--that betrayal. Yeah, I'm still not over it. It was awful. It killed me. Let's not talk about that.
I can't recommend the Winner's Trilogy enough. Rutkoski takes the darkness of the last book to another level here, without forgetting the intrigue and adventure that keeps the story from getting bogged down. And though I was already enamoured of Kestrel and Arin, "The Winner's Crime" only made me love them and their relationship more. I can't believe I have to wait so long for the final installment (and I can't believe it will be the final installment).
A huuuuuge miscommunication trope. It did move the plot forward, but still...
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Ui der zweite Teil steht dem erste in nicht nach meiner Meinung nach.
Intrigen und Machtkämpfe stehen an der Tagesordnung. Kestrel und Arin haben es wahrlich nicht leicht in irgendeiner Art und Weise zu ihren Gefühlen zu stehen. Schon gar nicht da Kestrel verlobt ist, mit des Imperators Sohn. Der so ganz anders ist als sein Vater. Denn beim Imperator muss Kestrel auf jede Geste und jedes Wort achten.
Spannend gemacht und durch die beiden Perspektiven von Arin und Kestrel sehr abwechslungsreich. Beide bewiesen besonderes Geschick der Täuschung.
Gegen Ende hat es sich was überschlagen und ich habe nicht mit diesen Ausgang gerechnet, daher bin ich wirklich auf den nächsten gespannt.
Intrigen und Machtkämpfe stehen an der Tagesordnung. Kestrel und Arin haben es wahrlich nicht leicht in irgendeiner Art und Weise zu ihren Gefühlen zu stehen. Schon gar nicht da Kestrel verlobt ist, mit des Imperators Sohn. Der so ganz anders ist als sein Vater. Denn beim Imperator muss Kestrel auf jede Geste und jedes Wort achten.
Spannend gemacht und durch die beiden Perspektiven von Arin und Kestrel sehr abwechslungsreich. Beide bewiesen besonderes Geschick der Täuschung.
Gegen Ende hat es sich was überschlagen und ich habe nicht mit diesen Ausgang gerechnet, daher bin ich wirklich auf den nächsten gespannt.
This book sits on a knife edge between dangerously romantic and just dangerous! Every turn of the page leads you deeper into the maze and political intrigue!
I forgot this book suffers from major second-book syndrome. A few plot points that are relevant but mostly a lot of pining and being angry at each other. And could’ve been a chapter or two in the last one.