The Winner’s Crime

Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Cover image and summary from Goodreads:

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.

I was really looking forward to reading The Winner’s Crime because I had so enjoyed The Winner’s Curse. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next in the story and with Kestrel and Arin.

This book felt like a much slower read than its predecessor. It was a great book, but it took longer for me to feel pulled in and see where everything was going. However, once I reached a certain point in the story, things really picked up and I couldn’t put the book down.

I loved the new characters Marie Rutkoski introduced in this sequel. They were so interesting and I enjoyed the way their stories combined with Arin and Kestrel’s stories. They aren’t one-dimensional secondary characters. Rutkoski provides them all with significant, interesting backstories and it’s made me super excited for the end of the trilogy. I really want to know how not only Kestrel and Arin’s stories end, but those of the new characters as well. I feel totally invested in all of them and in what happens to them.

The intrigue and political maneuvering in this book was so great, and I am thankful for the opportunity to read this e-ARC ahead of the book’s release date. Despite the slow start, if you loved The Winner’s Curse, you must read The Winner’s Crime!