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A review by thevintagechronicles
The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
3.0
Libby/audio
I have to give this series credit for being a YA political fantasy in a time when Dystopia was the it thing. That said, this series has a lot of elements that seem to pop up out of nowhere. The first book was my favorite of the bunch. (It's simply an average series though). The end of the second book intrigued me, and this book starts out where that one left off.
Kestrel is hauled off to a prison camp. Im not sure what they are mining, but poisons are used to docile the prisoners. They work incredibly well. They are hinted at in book two in a minor role. (but in later events, I'm surprised they are not utilized. (Ie: the betrayal of the general against Kestrel, why doesn't the Emperor use it on his son, Kestrel? My only guess is that they die eventually.)
She is eventually rescued after a frankly laughable delay by Arin, but has memory loss. I enjoyed the journey back between them. And her journey to gaining her memory back.
But this brings me to a gripe i had with this book. Arin in the last book, while held prisoner in the Eastern (hostile) land kisses the Queen. At this point, Kestrel spent the entirety of last book engaged to the Prince, and repeatedly insulted/rejected him (Arin) through until the very end. He has the impression that she wants nothing to do with him. Obviously we know this is mostly untrue, and that they both obviously love each other, and she has no choice but to lie.
Needless to say, he loves her, so after this kiss, where he is trying very hard to pretend the Queen is Kestrel(and i would argue the queen is actually the aggressor/power player here) he stops it, and goes off to win a war. Circling back, he kisses this lady. Okay. That sucks. He feels guilty and he confesses. Kestrel also kissed the prince in the last book, i believe. She has no guilt. (Book 2 particularly suffers a lot on miscommunication) Anyway(sorry, squirrel! ) my point is that in this book Arin is constantly bending over backward/walking on eggshells and apologizing to Kestrel. This isn't the only subject he acts this way about. It's constant. He is always subservient to her. Let's not forget that this series starts out with him being purchased by her as her slave.
It's not that i have a problem with his attitude per se. But she is actually the one who lied, who hides things, who keeps secrets, who betrays people, who sneaks off and puts herself in danger (and has to be rescued), who makes mistakes that get people hurt, who refuses to risk herself/her feelings/her heart for Arin. She is wrong most of the time. She never apologizes or grovels. It's really irritating.
Then we have this weird god touched/god of death element that comes out of nowhere. It's convenient. For sure.
Kestrel fights in some battles, i suppose that could have been worse, considering her history and her refusal to learn to fight in book one. She does win more often than it feels like she should, but she doesn't magically know how to do a lot more than before, I suppose. Also, Arin somehow is a bit magical in his warrior fighting skills, so idk, it's just odd all around i guess.
The story i believe is written in 3rd person(i may be wrong-but it isn't 1st person) which makes the story ping pong between characters, and though that tension can be exhilarating at times, it really prevented me from being highly attached to these characters.
The best i can say is the series is okay. I don't love the world or the final outcome. I liked this book more than the second, the second left me feeling icky and uneasy, and this one at least brings the MCs back together, and moving together toward the climax. It has more action. It still left me feeling unsatisfied ultimately, and many aspects are kind of dropped. (The drugs/god-touched) i still have questions, but thankfully this is the final book, and i can move on with my life.
Overall, i guess it wasn't for me.
I have to give this series credit for being a YA political fantasy in a time when Dystopia was the it thing. That said, this series has a lot of elements that seem to pop up out of nowhere. The first book was my favorite of the bunch. (It's simply an average series though). The end of the second book intrigued me, and this book starts out where that one left off.
Kestrel is hauled off to a prison camp. Im not sure what they are mining, but poisons are used to docile the prisoners. They work incredibly well. They are hinted at in book two in a minor role. (but in later events, I'm surprised they are not utilized. (Ie: the betrayal of the general against Kestrel, why doesn't the Emperor use it on his son, Kestrel? My only guess is that they die eventually.)
She is eventually rescued after a frankly laughable delay by Arin, but has memory loss. I enjoyed the journey back between them. And her journey to gaining her memory back.
But this brings me to a gripe i had with this book. Arin in the last book, while held prisoner in the Eastern (hostile) land kisses the Queen. At this point, Kestrel spent the entirety of last book engaged to the Prince, and repeatedly insulted/rejected him (Arin) through until the very end. He has the impression that she wants nothing to do with him. Obviously we know this is mostly untrue, and that they both obviously love each other, and she has no choice but to lie.
Needless to say, he loves her, so after this kiss, where he is trying very hard to pretend the Queen is Kestrel(and i would argue the queen is actually the aggressor/power player here) he stops it, and goes off to win a war. Circling back, he kisses this lady. Okay. That sucks. He feels guilty and he confesses. Kestrel also kissed the prince in the last book, i believe. She has no guilt. (Book 2 particularly suffers a lot on miscommunication) Anyway(sorry, squirrel! ) my point is that in this book Arin is constantly bending over backward/walking on eggshells and apologizing to Kestrel. This isn't the only subject he acts this way about. It's constant. He is always subservient to her. Let's not forget that this series starts out with him being purchased by her as her slave.
It's not that i have a problem with his attitude per se. But she is actually the one who lied, who hides things, who keeps secrets, who betrays people, who sneaks off and puts herself in danger (and has to be rescued), who makes mistakes that get people hurt, who refuses to risk herself/her feelings/her heart for Arin. She is wrong most of the time. She never apologizes or grovels. It's really irritating.
Then we have this weird god touched/god of death element that comes out of nowhere. It's convenient. For sure.
Kestrel fights in some battles, i suppose that could have been worse, considering her history and her refusal to learn to fight in book one. She does win more often than it feels like she should, but she doesn't magically know how to do a lot more than before, I suppose. Also, Arin somehow is a bit magical in his warrior fighting skills, so idk, it's just odd all around i guess.
The story i believe is written in 3rd person(i may be wrong-but it isn't 1st person) which makes the story ping pong between characters, and though that tension can be exhilarating at times, it really prevented me from being highly attached to these characters.
The best i can say is the series is okay. I don't love the world or the final outcome. I liked this book more than the second, the second left me feeling icky and uneasy, and this one at least brings the MCs back together, and moving together toward the climax. It has more action. It still left me feeling unsatisfied ultimately, and many aspects are kind of dropped. (The drugs/god-touched) i still have questions, but thankfully this is the final book, and i can move on with my life.
Overall, i guess it wasn't for me.