The Winner's Kiss / Marie Rutkoski

2/5

My expectations were a little higher for The Winner's Kiss than they would have been for any other trilogy's conclusion because this series has been amazing. I did keep in mind that sequels are never as good as the first, which is why my expectations weren't too high, but because the first book was so good the decline hit me a little harder than usual, resulting in two stars. 

The first book had me obsessed, and the second was strong enough to keep me going, but unfortunately, this third book made the mistake of focusing too strongly on the relationship that was developed during the first two. I was all for the relationship, and I very strongly shipped Kestrel and Arin and couldn't wait to see them together. But what made the first two books so great for me was that both Kestrel and Arin were incredibly smart, calculating, and strong. They were perfect partners, and enemies, and I loved how that played into the dynamics of their relationship and the course of the war. 

In the third book, nearly all of that is lost and instead their relationship becomes the focus of the novel-- and it isn't an enjoyable relationship anymore! Kestrel becomes weak as Rutkoski pulls the cliche and unnecessary trick of erasing her memory. I was willing to forgive that horrible plotline, but Arin also becomes rather unbearable. He's obsessively protective of Kestrel and lets this stand in the way of his role in war. I would say about 65% of the text is boring language dragging on about how sad Arin was over Kestrel. It was all very self-pitying and whiney, which I don't like. Bringing me to my next point: Rutkoski's writing has really declined. Most sentences are less than five words long, and a lot of them don't contain verbs. I understand that this is a dramatizing tool, but it was overused.

Sure, The Winner's Kiss was far from ideal. I wanted to see our two main characters stronger than ever in this series finale, I wanted to see Herran and Valoria go head-to-head with each leader at his/her full potential. But I'd say that most flaws were forgivable because the trilogy is definitely good enough to be worth finishing. I loved Roshar, I loved the war, and I loved the final scene. I would highly, highly recommend this series; don't let the lower rating for this novel scare you off, because the first novel was absolutely amazing and 100% worth it, and I'd bet it's enough to pull you through to the third.