The Winners Kiss

Synopsis From Goodreads: 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? 

My Review:

The Winners Kiss was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. I'd somehow forgotten how beautifully written The Winners Trilogy is. But I was impressed, inspired, in awe.

Perfectly paced, the story picks up right where The Winners Crime left off. Riding North for the prison camps, which promises unspeakable horrors. So many times I held my breath, completely captivated as I sat completely still oblivious to what went on around me. While the prison camp is physically hard, it's emotionally hard. It gave me so many feelings! I wanted to cry for Kestrel, that abandoned feeling she had. Unloved.

Arin Oh My God! I cannot swoon enough, no I cannot.  He fearlessly lead his people to a revolution. Such a nice simple guy. What you see is what you get. And yet he loves so fiercly. His family that he lost. His cousin, his home, Kestrel, Roshar. He was all sweet pliable pudding for Kestrel. Anything she wanted, he tried to give her. Even if it weren't wise for himself. But he was never weak. He stuck to his morals, he defended his home. Incredibly smart, he knew how to undercut the enemy, sneak and out trick him. Kestrel was known for her slick ways which were often slippery and dangerous. But without Kestrel, Arin was clear headed, focused and making precise decisions that usually turned out to be right.

The amazing love between these two. They both have their own share of emotional trauma. They each need to heal themselves and find their own way to each other. Rebuild their trust. Rebuild their confidence. And when they did, it was beautiful. Kestrel was a completely new person in this book. She faced a number of truths she'd denied throughout her life, mostly surrounding her father. She seemed more open, with her love and with her pain. Her recovery was moving.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the way she talked about the gods. The God of Death specifically, blessing him. He had survived more than any other person there. From a kid, becoming a slave, to being the leader of the rebellion. His whole country looking to him for guidance. It's a lot when I'm pretty sure he's only about 20 years old. He must be blessed. I'm not very religious, but the way she gave the god within Arin so much life and he realized he was the god was great to me.

See The Winners Curse