This flowed seamlessly from the previous book, and as I predicted, it left me feeling very angry that I have to wait for the third and final installment. I need to know what happens noooow.

This book focused more on the politics of the society at the emperor's castle and on Kestrel figuring out ways to get around the emperor.

This book is very plot driven, and there is definitely more action than world development, which is a little disappointing because what world building we do see is very intriguing and leaves me wanting to know more. Rutkoski has quietly built an intriguing and captivating world that I want to know more about.

I enjoyed seeing the conflicts in Kestrel between her family and what she thinks is right, between her love and her allegiances. There is no right solution to many of her problems and it's understandably a struggle for her to accept this. I love seeing the scenarios she's put in and how she reacts--and how she bears through the consequences.

This series is still probably mainly a romance, but there was very little in this book which only makes me have more anticipation to see what happens in the next.

Definitely a good follow up to The Winner's Crime, this book was another solid read and I eagerly anticipate the third. ( )

Ugh this book was so frustrating to me - if people could just be honest with each other so much could have been avoided.
Obviously I will be reading the next installment. Also, I'm glad my father isn't a douche bag. ( )

I mean basically not much happened in this book, it was all conversations and miscommunications and misunderstandings and people not saying what they really want to say and a whole lot of thinking and thinking and thinking going on in the characters' heads with not too much actual action.... but it was still a great read. I really cannot predict where the author is going with the story or how she can actually wrap it up with a happy ending for Arin and Kestrel but I am definitely sold on this series and Marie Rutkoski's writing and storytelling abilities. ( )

Wow, The Winner’s Crime took me by surprise. This book was intense.

We talk a lot about how middle books are a bridge between books one and three and are a bit blah. That was not the case with The Winner’s Crime. This book – particularly Kestrel’s POV – was a constant rollercoaster. I loved listening to it.

Well, I loved listening to Kestrel’s POV chapters. As I found with The Winner’s Curse, Arin’s chapters were ridden with a lot of stereotypical poor decisions and I found him underwhelming. Honestly, I don’t know what Kestrel sees in him as a person because Arin is reckless and shortsighted and frustrating. Please know – when I say “stereotypical poor decisions”, I’m not giving Rutkoski enough credit. Even though Arin makes a lot of expected choices, Rutkoski chose to take the story in a different direction than I expected. This book stressed me out in a lot of the best ways and I appreciated it.

Kestrel, Arin, and the emperor all fit neatly into character tropes and are easy to get to know in a short period of time. As far as characters go, Rutkoski hasn’t done anything spectacular. These characters aren’t memorable on their own and won’t bring readers back for their own sake. The Winner’s Crime relies heavily on its plot to bring in readers. If you aren’t interested at the beginning or if you’re a very strong character reader, this series may fail to interest you.

For myself, I wasn’t overly impressed with The Winner’s Curse, but I was intrigued enough to pick up the sequel… and I’m glad I did. The interesting parts of the story flourish in The Winner’s Crime and this book stressed me out. In a good way. In that “yelling at the TV ‘NO DON’T GO IN THERE'” kind of way. I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I picked it up. I have no idea how this trilogy is going to end and I can’t wait to find out. ( )

After I finished reading the first book, I decided that I didn't want to give this series a chance just because I wasn't in a place in life where I'd enjoy it. I caved and I love the second book!!
What I found lacking in [b:The Winner's Curse|16069030|The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)|Marie Rutkoski|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1377023523s/16069030.jpg|21861552] was that it didn't touch my heart and the characters emotions didn't feel real. However, [b:The Winner's Crime|20443207|The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy, #2)|Marie Rutkoski|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411741455s/20443207.jpg|31174003] pulled at my heartstrings. The book started at a moderate pace and then the tragedies struck one by one. Then there were those moments of make-believe that not only Kestrel but I wanted to be real. By the end of the book, I felt as though my heart was torn in shreds by the tragedies; the heart that once danced in a fantasized serenade. ( )