The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

Some kisses come at a price.

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win? @goodreads 

MY REVIEW:

4 STARS 

 Satisfied with this ending =)





So lets talk spoilers =)



So many things took a turn in this book.

Kestrel was found out! She had been supplying information to a spy for Arin and the Herrani. Of course, Arin didn't know this because Kestrel had to keep him at a safe distance. Otherwise he would do a dick move and get them all killed.

Arin is a twat at times and he thought everything Kestrel did to make him not like her was true. Men! So he decides he doesn't care for her any more. Yeah. . . .

Meanwhile. . . . Kestrel's father finds a letter she had written to Arin coming clean about helping him and loving him and wanting to be with him. That twat of a father let the emperor read the letter and they put Kestrel in a prison!!!!!!!!! Your own father. Pffft!

In this prison, Kestrel was drugged morning and night. They were too different drugs. One was to wake her up and energized to work in the caves where they got the powder. What's it called, the cannon powder - anyway the stuff to blow sh•t up.

At night she was given a drug to make her sleepy so she wouldn't put up a fight. All of the prisoners were given the same drugs in their food and they all lost their memories and became drug addicts. Fun times!

Then some dude comes and gives Kestrel a key to escape so she stops eating and drinking to get a little sense back into her. BUT, she's an idiot and does get free but makes stupid moves and gets caught. SLAP her.

BUT THEN, Arin finds things out and he comes to her rescue. Then we have to go on the journey of her getting off the drugs, remembering who she is and who Arin is and what her father did to her.

She helps out in the war Arin is fighting against her father. Her father gets wounded but not killed and they just keep him around.

Kestrel goes and kills the emperor! Oh happy day!

The emperor knocked over the wine. He seized up against the table, hand clamped around Kestrel's dagger.

She stepped back from the table as he shuddered against it. She felt a relief. It plunged straight into exhaustion.

"I lied," Kestrel told him.

The emperor tried to push himself upright. She thought he might be trying to do something with the dagger, but his arm had gone rigid. It thumped into the spilled red wine.

"I lied when I said I hadn't come to murder you."

His eyes were wide, stark.

"It never mattered whether I won or lost the game," Kestrel said. "Only how long the poison would take to kill you. It comes from a tiny eastern worm. In its purest form, the poison is clear. It dries to a shine. I painted it onto four Bite and Sting tiles. You touched them."

Foam dribbled from his locked mouth.

His breath rasped. It became glottal, the sound of bubbles popping.

Then it ended

I mean if your an evil b••tard long enough your bound to get killed right?

Anyway, I liked this book better than the second book. Overall, I enjoyed the trilogy =)

GOODREADS REVIEW:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1911093432