The Winner's Kiss (Winner's Trilogy, #3)

by Marie Rutkoski

[ladygrey]

Sometimes in a story the author will give the reader information that is withheld from the characters—to create suspense, anticipation, excitement. Sometimes when an author is trying to create that suspense they just annoy the reader. Because that moment we’re waiting for is the moment the story gets interesting. Until then it’s... not.

The Winner’s Crime never reaches that tipping point into interesting. Even at the last minute when it could have, it kept pulling back and pulling it’s characters apart for the sake of false tension. It never goes anywhere and it never gets interesting.

The Winner’s Kiss is dragging its heels. It’s obvious and its annoying.

But once it does get going it’s perhaps my favorite book of the trilogy. It dwells with the characters; dives down into the moment in dialog; explores how Arin and Kestrel shift and evolve and make choices that change the other.

This book is almost entirely them (except for a few war scenes that are important to the plot but not that interesting but quick enough that they don’t bog the story down) and that might not work for some people but I enjoyed it. I think I might have enjoyed it more if it felt more evenly balanced throughout the series instead of all torn apart in book two and then all condensed in book three.

Roshar is a great character—fun and moody and exactly what Kestrel and Arin needed to continue propelling them forward. Plus he makes the scene amusing.

Nearing the end, I thought there were too many things to wrap up that would be left unfinished, but it takes the time to touch on all the loose threads and ends well.