The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

[MerryLove]

This is 3rd and final book of the Winner's Trilogy, and was published March 29th, 2016.

At the end of the last book, Kestrel is betrayed by her father and turned in for treason. She is sent to a prison camp and her death is faked. Her only hope is the masker moth she managed to give to a horse tender with a message to deliver it to Arin.

Arin discovered that the peace with the Valorian people was false and that they have secretly been poisoning the Herrani water supply. He creates a new weapon and convinces the Dacran people from the east to ally with his people against the Valorians.

I really enjoyed this final book. I got to see a completely different side to Kestrel. She's more defeated, less confident than before, but I got to watch and grow with her as she brings herself back from her despair. She goes through some brutal circumstances that she's not used to, and the reader gets to follow her journey through experiencing and coping with these things. This different, more vulnerable side to her only makes her feel more human and more real as a character. She even says that her previous self sounds like some sort of saint. =)

While Arin is not quite a further developed as Kestrel, he goes through his own changes that are just as intriguing to follow. He's got a war within himself, constantly deciding between what he wants for his people and what he wants concerning Kestrel. He goes through a lot of soul searching where Kestrel is concerned, trying to figure if he can still read her like he used to or if she's changed too much. To top it all off, he has the burden of ruling and leading his country to war, when leadership was never something he aspired for. Yes, his character's story is just as engaging.

Unlike the first two books, this volume has a much sadder tone to it as the reader follows both main characters through their many trials. It was a bit of an emotional ride, but well worth it in the end. The author does an excellent job of unwinding to a satisfying conclusion that leaves relief where there was stress.

The only part I wasn't a huge fan of was the memory loss that served to show the changes in the characters. It seemed a bit canned and overdone. They same plot development and discovery of character changes could have occurred just as effectively without it. Still, it does not take away from the otherwise great reading experience of this book.

It is really a page turner. After a bit of a slow start to remind the reader of all the crucial things that happened at the end of the last book, it kept me going.The style, especially the parts where it switches from the perspective of Kestrel to Arin and back again wae exceptionally well done and page grabbing. It reminded me of some of the character story endings between chapters in The Game of Thrones series, but with a much shorter wait before you get back to that character again. It was very satisfying.

Rating

This book was a solid 4 out of 4 stars. It was a great, satisfying book that I am sure I will read again in the future.