(Quick shout-out to the best friend ever Brooke who, upon my realization on FaceTime that I had yet to get a post up due to lack of bookish photography, stepped outside onto her little Japanese plot of land and took a photo of her copy of The Winner’s Kiss. *collective deep breath because that was a run-0n sentence* And isn’t it beautiful?)

MARIE RUTKOSKI DID IT AGAIN.

This book is the third in The Winner’s Trilogy. I read the first two books in January and was forced to wait another two months before the final book was published. (Three if you count the month I was agonizingly broke and couldn’t buy the book.) I adore everything about these stories.

1) The writing is purely a masterpiece. So poetic I savored every word; right up my alley indeed. It’s elegant and vague but effective.

“She didn’t like to open the box. The sight of her heart was unsettling. It always looked both smaller and bigger than she expected. It thumped against the white porcelain. A fleshy red knot.” 

2) The political intrigue is my favorite part. The war strategy and positions and race and slavery and MUAH it was so wonderful! I appreciated the fact that the main character’s strengths lie not in her physical attributes but her mental strategy. She is quick and intelligent. Every detail of the war ensuing in Marie Rutkoski’s world is believable and realistic.

3) The love story obviously tickles the romantic bone in my body. (Who am I kidding, every bone in my body is romantic. *swoon*) Kestrel and Arin had enough of both struggle and affection to have me fully invested in their relationship. I love them because they’re not the average frustrating immature couple that is portrayed in a majority of young adult books. They would literally walk the ends of the earth for each other in the midst of a war that divided them in half. It was beautiful and endearing.

Can we talk about the cover(s) for a moment? There are two completely different covers, both US editions, and it really irks me. To me, both are completely misleading and I feel like there ought to be one that’s a combination of both. The first looks too feminine and the second looks not enough. I prefer the first though it still sends me into a tailspin. whyyyy.

I can’t say it enough: The Winner’s Kiss is a winner.

CONTENT DETAILS: For cautious readers, my one complaint was a steamy scene in the end of the book. I was annoyed and very frustrated that it had to be added right at the end. As a heads-up, it is easy to skip over in the chapter and won’t interfere with your understanding of the plot.

five stars. ★★★★★