After Kestrel makes a risky deal to save the Herrani people, she is stuck walking a fine line in order to keep the peace. The emperor is already suspicious of her, and she has to do her best to make sure her performance is flawless. That means forgetting her heart, and her love for Arin, the new Governor of Herran.
However, Arin is not convinced by Kestrels performance, and is more determined than ever to have her back. As he makes his way to the capital to find Kestrel and confront her about the treaty, he finds himself questioning his own judgement and sanity.
In a stunning sequel to The Winner’s Curse, we get to follow our star crossed lovers down a darker and more intricate world. The plot thickens and treats become promises. You get to explore more of the kingdoms within Arin and Kestrel’s world, and see the destruction that the Valorian war has brought to the empire.
In The Winners Crime, you are introduced to new characters, and you say goodbye to old ones. I love some of the new cultural and societal constructs that are explored, and I think the villainy is done classically. The political and court intrigue are engrossing, everyone is a friend, and everyone is an enemy.
My biggest complaint about the sequel in The Winners trilogy is how much time is spent watching Kestrel hide the truth from Arin and vice versa, how much time is spent watching Arin battle with whether or not to believe Kestrel’s act or not. I am just not a fan of the way their relationship dynamic worked in the book, but that is solely because my biggest turn off on a ship is when one pushes the other away for safety. And that happened the WHOLE book. I kept waiting for Kestrel to just give in and let herself find another way, but it never happened.
Overall though, I still really enjoyed reading this installment, there was no second book slump. It was still wonderfully paced and intriguing. I love the culture in these novels, I love Kestrel’s friendships and family strains. I love watching Kestrel come to know herself and her kingdom better. I though Arin was true to his character in a lot of ways, he is driven and independent. But he is also fierce and loyal, can it killed me that every ploy that Kestrel through at him, he knew was a lie, but still went along with it anyway.
In the next novel, I really am looking forward to the angst being resolved. I was hoping it would have been in this novel, but alas, it was not.
Would still recommend as a Young Adult fantasy, its definitely a fun time and a great plot.
Final Rating: 3.75/5
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