One of the best series I've ever read. Each book was its own unique piece in a beautiful puzzle that is the mind of Marie Rutkoski. Let the book hangover commence.

I love Marie Rutkoski's writing so much! Her words are so lush and her characters so well rounded. This series was gorgeous and I can't wait to read more from her.

A truly inventive and spectacular fantasy series comes to an explosive conclusion in The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski.

Every book in this series has been just so good: beautiful writing, tightly plotted storytelling, a rich and developed world populated with complex and intriguing characters, perfect pacing, and gripping twists, turns, and romance. The Winner’s Kiss is no exception. A masterful book in its own right, as the finale to this trilogy it truly shines — elevating everything that has come before and bringing the entire series to a stirring and emotionally powerful climax.

There are very real consequences at stake as the events in The Winner’s Kiss unfold, and the characters tackle them with a sobering realness. That’s part of what makes this book, and the entire trilogy, so compelling. Because while it is “fantasy” — in that it takes place in an imagined world and in an imagined time — it is very much a world grounded in reality. There is no magic and there are no whimsical tricks to solve anyone’s problems, big or small. Instead, there is war and humanity and compromise and negotiation and emotion.

That’s part of what makes this series so brilliant, is how Rutkoski has created this alternate world where she can tackle real life issues — race, class, war, loyalty — in a context outside our own lives. Because isn’t it so much easier to examine these things when they are not our own? When they do not face us on a daily basis? It’s a tactic J.K. Rowling used throughout the Harry Potter series, and Rutkoski has done so quite successfully here, as well.

And of course, her characters continue to be compelling reasons to return to this world. They are engaging and enchanting, and as readers we want to root for them. We want to see them succeed. The Winner’s Kiss dishes out twists and turns and unexpected challenges — but on the whole should leave readers wholly satisfied.

It is a stunning conclusion to an already brilliant trilogy.

After months of putting off reading The Winner's Kiss I've finished it. What a beautiful finale to one of the best fantasy trilogy I've ever read. Since this is the conclusion to a three book series I'll try not to spoil too much.

My heart is happy because The Winner's Kiss couldn't have been more perfect. Marie Rutkoski's lyrical and entrancing writing throughout the trilogy had my unconditional attention. It was impossible not to be invested in the story and care for the wellbeing of the characters. They have been through so much- surviving trials and weathering hardships- I'm elated to them prevail. The sacrifices they made and the pain they withstood were worth every sweet second of victory.

The POV jumped around quite a bit but there was never any doubt as to whose head we were in. I loved seeing each characters' undisguised feelings. With emotions running high and power struggles complicating matters the tension in the air was no joke. Nothing was simply black and white. Arin, Kestrel and company had to really use their wit to persevere.

For all the suffering Kestrel endured I wanted vengeance for her. Especially on her father given the way he turned his back on his own flesh and blood. It wasn't easy though so I loved how Ms. Rutkoski presented the warring feelings within Kestrel. His death wouldn't have made her hurt less. The emperor, on the other hand, got exactly what he deserved. Clever of Kestrel to employ his own games against him.

Marie Rutkoski ends the trilogy on a very satisfying note. I definitely see threads of possibilities for spin-off series which I definitely wouldn't mind. Hopefully some day Marie Rutkoski will let us revisit this keen world. If you're a fantasy lover, I can't say enough good things to push you to read The Winner's Trilogy. A must-read.

In keeping with my goal this year of finishing off my started series, I was excited to see how Arin and Kestrel's story would end. It's been a little while since I've read the first and second books, but I think Rutkoski did a good job of recapping the important details from the previous books.

The story picks up around where it left off, Arin working to lead his forces against the Valorians and Kestrel is being taken away to the mines at the order of her father after intercepting a letter from her to Arin explaining everything that happened. The story just kind of goes from there, with the battles between the Herrani and Valorian forces.

In taking a break from these series, I definitely forgot how much I loved the first books. Kestrel is such a strong character and her relationship with Arin is so adorable. There are plenty of super cute moments between the two in this book, despite the tension between them and the threat of war.

I want to talk briefly about this novel's portrayal of the value of life. I think with all the dystopian/over-throw/rebellion novels I've read in the past two years, I've become numb to the amount of bloodshed and loss of life within them. It's at the point where when there is a battle between two sides, it's hard to recognize that there are real people with families and people who love them fighting on both sides, not just the 'good side.' This book definitely touched on this aspect quite a bit throughout the story, from Kestrel not being able to kill those who are keeping her captive when she gets the opportunity to escape, to Arin not being able to kill the one person he had been trying to kill since before everything started. This wasn't a pronounced element of the book, but it was noticeable enough to pick up on. And I think it's an important reminder, especially when we've grow desensitized to such actions in novels.

I also really loved Kestrel - all throughout the series, but especially in this book. She is such a smart character - it was nice to see a "strong heroine" who isn't necessarily physically strong, but mentally extremely strategic. I loved the little parts where she helped figure out what to do next and where to send the troops; it floored me how intelligent in battle she was. And then this element of her character was contrasted with her holding a sword in the middle of the battle not having a clue what to do - it was refreshing!

Once again, Rutkoski's writing style sucks you in, the chapters were just long enough to keep me interested, but short enough that I kept reading "one more" before putting it down to do something else. She weaves the story beautifully, alternating between third-person perspectives of Arin and Kestrel, showing sometimes only half the battle, and creating tension about the other half.

I really enjoyed this book overall, but if I was to nit-pick, I wasn't crazy about the pacing. For me, it felt a touch too slow at times, but Rutkoski's writing style is so beautiful it almost isn't an issue. I just found towards the end, there were one too many battles, I think I would have been okay with one large one, or even two medium ones, instead of three smaller battles. But that didn't kill the novel for me, that's just being picky.

I wasn't crazy about the ending, not necessarily what happened but the general way it felt tacked on after such a momentous battle for victory. I mean, it answered all the questions I had, but I just felt like it could have been more.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this trilogy and I look forward to reading more from Rutkoski!

I loved this, but I felt there were too many spoilers in the third book, so I couldn't review it without giving too much away!

The perfect ending to a trilogy that I have loved since book one. Rutkoski gives her reader the conclusion that honors the characters' journeys and will make all fans of the series happy with the ending.