Review: Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski (The Winner's Trilogy #2)
417 Pages
Release Date: March 3rd, 2015
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5 STARS

Goodreads Summary:

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.

             In case you missed it earlier this is a review of the second book of The Winner's Trilogy. DO NOT CONTINUE TO READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ WINNER'S CURSE! YOU WILL REGRET IT FOR YEARS TO COME! Now that we have that out of the way I'm not really sure what else to tell you lovely people. This book is brilliant. The characters are wonderful, the worlds and cultures created are insane and amazing, and its just ridiculously addicting. Don't read this book thinking its going to be a nice casual read. It is not. This book will mess you up, you wont sleep till you finish (or *cough* at least I didn't). Like the first one (actually maybe a little more intensely than the first one) this book is just an emotional roller coaster. It grabs on to you and doesn't let you go until you have the worst book hangover you've had in a while. Basically I think this book is brilliant. If you liked the first book READ THIS ONE, if you thought it was ok seriously consider reading this one, if you didn't like the first one...still consider reading this one.

          SO! I'm going to move on or else I will be trapped in a pitfall of emotions...KESTREL! Yeah...her, we left Kestrel in an interesting place last time. She holds all the cards in a game she can't quiet see clearly but feels secure thinking that those cards are hers to use and know alone. I have a very love/hate relationship with Kestrel. I love her because she's smart and witty and courageous and amazing and she tries to be so selfless (when it comes to Arin at least). But then at the same time she's such an IDIOT and indecisive and she put herself and Arin through this and ugh. And yet I still love her because she's actually really amazing. So there. Honestly, in this book she does get a little annoying but she makes up for it I swear!!

       I can't even talk to you about Arin. HE SO SMART AND AMAZING AND YET AGAIN, LIKE KESTREL, IS A COMPLETE DUMBASS AND UGH! JUST UGH! I can't even get into this. I'm sorry but I honestly would not be able to stop myself from spoiling everything. UGH! He's just so god damn trusting! Gah! GAH I tell you! GAH! (I really hope I'm not the only one who feels this way...)

      I basically spent this entire book groaning in emotional pain, dying from an overload of everything, and getting really, really worked up about the plot, and the characters. At one point when I was home (why am I admitting this? I don't know) I needed to talk to someone about it but I had no one who it would't spoil/take forever to explain so I ended up talking to myself. I had to get Taherah to stop from flipping to the and spoiling it for myself (which I do when I'm too nervous or worked up about the plot) on multiple occasions. If you liked Winner's Curse or maybe even if you didn't I really do think you need to go out and find this book and read it. And on that note I'm going to go now, BYEEEEEEE!