The Winner's Crime Book Talk

The Winner's Crime

by Marie Rutkoski

Release Date: March 3rd 2015


Spoilers

Synopsis:

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.

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 4.5 stars. I liked it slightly less than the first one, but that was only because when I first got my copy, the book was missing 30 pages in the middle. When I returned the book I had to wait a week or so for a new copy to come in. By the time I started reading the book again I had to get back into the rhythm of reading it. It is by no means less of a book, it was just a bit harder for me to get back into it.

Every scene with Kestrel and Arin was heartbreaking because they couldn't catch a break. They couldn't be together and that's all I wanted in this book. They would get all passionate and then Kestrel would push Arin away and I just wanted him to see through her lies.

That scene with the tiger and the cub had me all kinds of sad. It reminded me Brother Bear, you know, the Disney movie. Because they kill the mother, and then they end up having to care for the cub and that is really twisted because, what if you had to be raised by your parents killer and then you grew to love them? Twisted.

I don't know how I feel about Verex. I mean, I don't hate him, but I sure don't like him. I really did not want Kestrel to marry him. Honestly the whole thing was like a very lopsided love triangle, like you know that one of them never stood a chance. Very weak point.

I'm really mad at Jess. She is being such a spoiled brat and she won't even hear Kestrel out. Okay so she came close to death, but she didn't because Kestrel got the use for her, she made sure that Jess wouldn't die. And then there is Ronan who hates Kestrel just because she wouldn't marry him. Like, are you serious. He's being an asshole to her for her right to say no. I am however sad that he died, I'm still mad at him though.

I loved the General, but alas, I am also mad at him. He was such a good father until the end of the book where he gave up his fricken daughter to the Emperor. Seriously, apparently blood is not thicker than water to him. I hope he dies a bloody death.

Roshar is my new favourite character. He is the funniest one in the book, therefore he has won my favour. He is scarred and damaged, but he covers that up with his "stories" I should say. He rambles and I find them very entertaining. He always talks about how he is going to kill Arin. Beheading with a dull ax, hanging, raising a baby tiger named after Arin and then feeding human Arin to the grown up tiger Arin. I love scenes with this guy in them.

Quotes:

“If you won’t be my friend, you’ll regret being my enemy.”  

“Marry him,” Arin said, “but be mine in secret.”  

“She’d felt it before, she felt it now: the pull to fall in with him, to fall into him, to lose her sense of self.”  

“Her fierce creature of a mind: sleek and sharp-clawed and utterly unwilling to be caught.”