Review: The Winners Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski

The Winners Crime

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Series: The Winner’s Trilogy

Pages: 417

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Amazon 

Release date: 3rd March 2015

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

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.

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

Contains possible spoilers for the first book

The Winner’s Crime has everything I enjoy in a Fantasy YA novel, betrayals, conspiracies and scheming that kept things highly entertaining; it is a wonderful sequel and begins where The Winner’s Curse ended.

Kestrel is now engaged to Valoria’s crown prince after the deal she made at the end of the first book, I enjoyed her way of thinking and her enthusiasm; she wasn’t without her faults but I really liked her and feel she progressed as a character immensely in this book. I absolutely adore Arin! We see a different side to him in this book now that he is Governor which I enjoyed but at the same time my heart was breaking for him, he was continually fighting for the Herrani people which I admired, aligning himself with dangerous allies to protect his countries freedom.

As with the first book, the romance wasn’t at the forefront of the story which I missed, I liked the forbidden aspect in the first book but there was virtually nothing in this and I honestly kept hoping that Kestrel would have told Arin of her feelings at some stage and what she had done for him instead of allowing him to believe her cold and heartless – within reason of course but I was waiting for the moment. There was certainly a lack of resolution concerning their relationship.

I found the world-building to be lacking in The Winner’s Curse but it was certainly expanded upon in this book and was quite complex; I found myself intrigued by the politics and the differing lands as we learnt more about the Valorian’s, Herrani’s and the people of the East, it has all come together nicely.

I found the plot to be extremely slow moving but it seemed to work, I was very eager to see how all the plotting and scheming would unfold; I was waiting for the moment where the characters would be caught for treason and their betrayals. The build-up was quite exciting and after the ending we are left with the next book has been set-up perfectly.

We are introduced to a number of new characters in this book that I feel will end up playing a pivotal role overall – Prince Verex and Risha, the Eastern princess especially. Jess was a big shock, my heart broke for Kestrel, it would have been nice for her to have a friend close by. The Emperor and Kestrel’s father certainly surprised me; throughout this whole book I never knew who could be trusted, I enjoyed this aspect.

Marie Rutkoski’s writing is wonderfully engaging, I was hooked on every word. We are left with a cliff-hanger so the wait for the next book is going to be excruciating!

Overall, filled with political intrigue, danger, betrayal and drama; The Winner’s Crime is a fantastic sequel.

About the author: Marie Rutkoski is the author of the YA novel The Shadow Society and the children's fantasy series The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of Wonders, The Celestial Globe and The Jewel of the Kalderash. Her next project is a YA trilogy that begins with The Winner's Curse, which is scheduled to be published in March 2014. 

Marie grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She holds a BA from the University of Iowa and a PhD from Harvard University. Marie is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children's literature and fiction writing. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/marier..

Review: The Winners Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski

The Winners Curse

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Series: The Winner’s Trilogy

Pages: 369

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Amazon (Only $3.38 on kindle at the moment)

Release date: 10^th April 2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads): Winning what you want may cost you everything you love 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

I was quite hesitant about reading The Winners Curse, fantasy is either hit or miss for me and the hype for this book was overwhelming when it was first released but I’m pleased to say that I found myself enjoying it.

Seventeen year-old Kestrel is the General’s daughter and needs to decide if she want to join the military or get married to an elite Valorian; she prefers to make music and doesn’t wish to conform to the rules much to her father’s dismay.  On a whim at an auction Kestrel purchases a Herrani slave at a ridiculous price, she’s intrigued by this stranger and eager to learn more.

Characters: Our MC was wonderfully developed! Kestrel was a strategist not a fighter, I enjoyed her passion and eagerness; she wasn’t without her faults but I really liked her, Arin was mysterious and I came to truly appreciate the moments he would spend with Kestrel, there was bitterness in his persona and as the story progressed we come to find out why.

Plot: I found the first part of the book extremely slow, we have a small inkling that something is going down but the what was a mystery - the plotting and scheming had me curious so I was eager to see how it would all unfold.

We do get a sweet forbidden romance, my favourite type. The conflicting cultures were intriguing as was the slavery aspect; the Valorians took over the lands and conquered the Herrani many years ago.

What a liked:

*Marie Rutkoski detailed imagery

*The romance wasn’t at the forefront of the story, I liked the forbidden aspect.

*The stunning cover

*Enjoyable, detailed world-building, the build-up was quite exciting and after the ending we were left with the next book has been set-up perfectly.

What I didn’t like:

* Some parts were slow and my interest was starting to taper off before something exciting would happen again.

* It lacked tension and frequent action sequences I tend to find myself enjoying

* That shocker of an ending! I neeeeed a HEA in my books and the outcome was not what I was expecting.

*Arin’s lack of a back-story.

Overall, The Winners Curse is a nice start to the series, I  look forward to reading the next book in the Winner's Trilogy.

 

About the author: Marie Rutkoski is the author of the YA novel The Shadow Society and the children's fantasy series The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of Wonders, The Celestial Globe and The Jewel of the Kalderash. Her next project is a YA trilogy that begins with The Winner's Curse, which is scheduled to be published in March 2014. 

Marie grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She holds a BA from the University of Iowa and a PhD from Harvard University. Marie is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children's literature and fiction writing. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/marier..

ARC Review: The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski

 

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Pages: 416

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Pre-order Amazon: The Shadow Society

Release Date: 16^th October 2012

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn’t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn’t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But Conn’s interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she were his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades’ latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . .

In this smart, compulsively readable novel, master storyteller Marie Rutkoski has crafted an utterly original world, characters you won’t soon forget, and a tale full of intrigue and suspense. 

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

The Shadow Society was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and is a book which kept me riveted from start to finish.

16-year-old Darcy Jones has no recollection of her life before the day she was abandoned outside a Chicago firehouse at the age of five and would never have guessed that she is what is known as a Shade and belongs in an alternate world where events such as the Great Chicago Fire didn’t occur and her type terrorize the human population.

Darcy has never quite belonged anywhere, she has been passed from one foster family to the next and labeled a troublemaker but things are beginning to pick up for her, she has made a tight-knit group of friends at Lakebrook High and is enjoying living with her foster mother; with the arrival of a newcomer at school, Conn who piques her interest and pays her attention things are settling down for her.

Connor McCrea was an interesting character, strong, determined and fierce in his beliefs but his treatment and betrayal of Darcy left me baffled, he was hot and cold, vague and at times horrible; he was likeable in parts but I wanted to smack him in others. He is also a devoted member of the IBI (Interdimensional Bureau of Investigation) and was tasked with arresting Darcy.

When the IBI asks for Darcy’s help to infiltrate The Shadow Society – a terrorist organization made up of other shades in order to uncover their latest plot, she accepts to avoid the alternative – being held prisoner.

The concept of shades was fascinating; imagine spending your days incorporeal and not aging as a human would; I enjoyed reading about their abilities and their weaknesses. The way in which the interdimensional split was explained was also quite fascinating.

Ms Rutkoski has written the main characters well, Darcy initially came across the pages as bland and without any real emotions but she came into her own as she unraveled more about her past which allowed her personality to shine through. And Conn, despite his initial betrayal was really intriguing; I was so eager to find out how these two would work together and I had my fingers crossed romance would ignite between them – they were both flawed but also likeable.

There are some interesting supporting characters like Jims, Raphael and Lily, I was eager to learn more about Orion and actually felt a tad sorry for him – he started of fun and flirty but soon turned vindictive; Savannah was also a likeable character.

The Shadow Society had a well-balanced, realistic level of suspense, a small amount of action and a gripping plot. Ms Rukoski’s writing was easy to follow and flowed well. I had no trouble staying interested in the story she has written.