{Mini Reviews} THE WINNER'S KISS and MARKED IN FLESH

Title: The Winner's Kiss
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Narrator(s): Justine Eyre
Series: The Winner's Curse, book #3
Length: 12 hrs 13 mins
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR
Publication Date: March 29, 2016
Source: purchased audiobook
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

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?

This finale was brutal and sublime and just everything I could have wanted for these beloved characters. I don't feel like I can thoroughly review this final novel in The Winner's Curse trilogy without fear of spoilers, so I'm just gonna lay out my feelings in this mini review and call it a day.

Basically, what I loved most about The Winner's Kiss is the strides it makes in rebuilding the severed relationship between Kestrel and Arin. They are both so broken by what they've seen and done, by the horrors of war and the sacrifices it requires. While they work through all of that, the story becomes one of redemption, regret, and remembering.

And it is a thing of exquisite beauty, thanks to the lovely words of Marie Rutkoski. I bet she could take even a mundane thing like a grocery list and make it sound absolutely heartbreaking, so evocative are her words. But try as I might, I will just never love Justine Eyre as the narrator for this series. I can see why some do because she is able to convey such raw emotion in her narration. It's just not for me, though. Why, then, did I listen to The Winner's Kiss, you ask? Because I wanted to "read" the full book before someone spoiled me, of course! And she's not terrible.

Oh, oh! I can't forget the bromance because, my god, it is perfection. The book heavily featured Arin and Kestrel and the coming war, but the side characters were still brilliant. Most especially Roshar and his pet tiger Little Arin. For a boy whose last friend utterly betrayed him, Arin has made a strong ally in Roshar, despite owing his life to him...or maybe in spite of that. Roshar and Arin have this fantastic back-and-forth, give-and-take in their relationship, and I loved that for them because both desperately needed that in their lives.

As I said in my pre-review on Goodreads, it makes me feel all melty and warm when a series finale ends on just the right note. (Pun intended.) And The Winner's Kiss was the perfect ending to Kestrel and Arin's story. I'll be re-reading this series again...and again...and again.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Marie Rutkoski is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including The Winner’s Curse (March 2014). She grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois as the oldest of four children and decided early on that she was Someone Who Loved Books.

After attending the University of Iowa and living in Moscow and Prague, she studied Shakespeare at Harvard University, where she honed her skill in referring to herself in the third person.

Marie is now a professor of English literature at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance drama, children’s literature, and fiction writing. New York City is her home, and she thinks there must be birds of prey living in Washington Square Park; she can see large, wheeling wings from the window where she sits and writes. Marie has two small sons who try very hard to make friends with the family cat, only to be snubbed for the dark quiet of a closet. Marie can tie a double figure-eight knot with her eyes closed. She’s learning how to play the violin. She’s a sucker for fancy tea, and her favorite dessert is crème brulée. Or maybe sticky toffee pudding. Tough call.

Find Marie:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

Title: Marked in Flesh
Author: Anne Bishop
Narrator(s): Alexandra Harris
Series: The Others, book #4
Length: 15 hrs 21 mins
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication Date: March 8, 2016
Source: purchased audiobook
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they’re willing to tolerate—both within themselves and within their community...

Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the delicate dynamic between humans and Others changed. Some, like Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn, see the new, closer companionship as beneficial—both personally and practically.

But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don’t realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land that belongs to the Others—and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is theirs…

This series is slowly killing me. The more entrenched I become in the world of the Others, the more I fear for them...and for the humans they've made allies of. And though the main characters are all supernatural, I still feel that this story echoes the discrimination and bigotry we see in the world to this day. A war is on the horizon and though I'm fairly certain the terra indigene would come out on top, it's still worrisome.

These books are fairly long but not a lot happens. But it never feels slow or bogged down in world-building. You can just tell that every bit of information is leading up to something big...something that will make all of this wait and anticipation worth it. Especially with certain events and individuals now seeming to be linked.

I mentioned in my review of the last book how slow-burning the romance is in this series, and that honestly still hasn't changed, though the characters have. Meg and Simon are more attuned to each other than ever, and it's made some of their encounters downright awkward. I want to see more of that. See them learning who they are to each other. Besides, you know, kissing. Even when they're not on the page, I'm still screaming internally to JUST KISS ALREADY DAMMIT. I'm not proud of it, but it is what it is.

If you haven't started this series yet, I highly recommend going the audio route. It took a bit to get used to Alexandra Harris' narration, but I can't imagine these characters without her voices in my head now.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Anne Bishop lives in upstate New York where she enjoys gardening, music, and writing dark, romantic stories. She is the author of fourteen novels, including the award-winning Black Jewels Trilogy. Her most recent novel, Twilight’s Dawn, made the New York Times bestsellers list. She is currently working on a new series, which is an urban dark fantasy with a bit of a twist.

Find Anne:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: adult, anne bishop, audiobooks, fantasy, favorite authors, favorites, macmillan, marie rutkoski, mini reviews, mythology, paranormal, penguin, reviews, shifters, the winner's trilogy, vampires, werewolves

Waiting on Wednesday: The Witch Hunter & The Winner's Kiss

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selections are...








's Pick:

Title: The Witch Hunter
Author: Virginia Boecker
Series: The Witch Hunter #1
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 2nd, 2015

The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. When she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to die at the stake. Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can track down the person who laid a deadly curse on him.

As she's thrust into the world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and all-too-handsome healers, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

This one wasn't really on my radar, but then I saw it on NetGalley and read the description. It sounds pretty good. I've always enjoyed witchy books! :)





's Pick:



Title: The Winner's Kiss
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Trilogy, book #3
Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
Publication Date: March 1, 2016

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it, with the East as his ally and the empire as his enemy. He’s finally managed to dismiss the memory of Kestrel, even if he can’t quite forget her. Kestrel turned into someone he could no longer recognize: someone who cared more for the empire than for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she cared for him. At least, that’s what he thinks.

But far north lies a work camp where Kestrel is a prisoner. Can she manage to escape before she loses herself? As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover unexpected roles in battle, terrible secrets, and a fragile hope. The world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and Kestrel and Arin are caught between. In a game like this, can anybody really win?

I don't know if I'll be able to handle this final book, but I need it in my hands NOW. I mean, that summary doesn't leave much hope that Arin and Kestrel will be together much in this book, but what's new, right? Aaagh...I have faith in Marie Rutkoski, but I also know what she's already done to her readers' hearts, and it ain't pretty. o_O


What are you desperately waiting for this Wednesday? Let us know in the comments or share a link to your own WoW post!

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Labels: beautiful covers, fantasy, favorite authors, favorites, grabby hands, Little Brown Books, macmillan, marie rutkoski, the winner's trilogy, the witch hunter, virginia boecker, waiting on wednesday (wow)

Review: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Crime
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Curse, book #2
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

The Winner's Curse was one of my favorite reads of 2014, and its sequel did not disappoint. This installment was as powerful and evocative as the first book but twice as heart-breaking. And so much darker than the first.

Rutkoski used this novel to explore her characters in more depth, to show us what makes them tick, and in doing so, she's made the series even stronger. The romance is on the back burner for now, putting the political intrigue and threat of war at the forefront, but that doesn't mean that Kestrel and Arin are separated for the entire novel. Though when they are together, there is so much tension between them that it's almost palpable. They speak sparingly, but what is said is purposeful. Yet, as is often the case with forbidden love such as theirs, their encounters often lead to misunderstandings and wounded pride and general agony -- for the characters and the reader.

Kestrel is ever the strategist, and just because she's accepted her role as fiancé to the emperor's son, doesn't mean she's stopped plotting and planning. But for all of her scheming and strategizing, she can't predict what Arin's going to do or what trouble he'll find himself in. It was pretty obvious in the first book that Arin was the more emotional of the pair, but it's even more apparent in The Winner's Crime. In this sequel, he spends a lot of time reflecting on his feelings toward Kestrel and analyzing her actions and how she might feel about him. And to be fair, Kestrel does send a lot of mixed (read: secret) messages, and Arin isn't as savvy with the subterfuge as Kestrel. Things happened rather quickly at the end of the last novel, and Kestrel was engaged to someone else before they ever got to discuss their feelings…not that it mattered much since Arin is Herrani and Kestrel is Valorian and a union between the two is next to impossible.

While a lot of their thoughts might be for each other, both Kestrel and Arin are determined to aide the Herrani people and keep the Valorian empire in check…separately and in their own ways, of course. The Emperor and General Trajan obviously have other ideas, and Kestrel does her best not to betray her own people while helping Arin's, but it is a very fine line she walks. And her soon-to-be father-in-law is a very suspicious man. Kestrel is under constant scrutiny and is forced to make some very difficult decisions, but sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Kestrel can only rely on herself, and it's mostly because of this that she keeps Arin at such a distance.

Betrayal seems imminent. Friendships are severed. Love does not conquer all. And that ending was pure torture! There is no guarantee of a happy ending here. Some stories you at least have an inkling that things will end well...maybe not for everyone, but on the whole, things will be alright. But I'm terrified of what Rutkoski will put us through in the next book. I expect it'll be the darkest book of all. Though I'm sure I'll love every torturous second of it because if nothing else, these books are absolutely captivating.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Marie Rutkoski is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including The Winner’s Curse (March 2014). She grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois as the oldest of four children and decided early on that she was Someone Who Loved Books.

After attending the University of Iowa and living in Moscow and Prague, she studied Shakespeare at Harvard University, where she honed her skill in referring to herself in the third person.

Marie is now a professor of English literature at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance drama, children’s literature, and fiction writing. New York City is her home, and she thinks there must be birds of prey living in Washington Square Park; she can see large, wheeling wings from the window where she sits and writes. Marie has two small sons who try very hard to make friends with the family cat, only to be snubbed for the dark quiet of a closet. Marie can tie a double figure-eight knot with her eyes closed. She’s learning how to play the violin. She’s a sucker for fancy tea, and her favorite dessert is crème brulée. Or maybe sticky toffee pudding. Tough call.

Find Marie:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

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Labels: all the feels, beautiful covers, fantasy, favorite authors, favorites, historical fiction, macmillan, marie rutkoski, must-read, reviews, the winner's curse, the winner's trilogy

{Blog Tour} What's Your Winner's Curse + Giveaway

The Winner's Curse was one of my absolute favorite books last year. I've read or listened to it no less than three times already. And I'm currently devouring The Winner's Crime. So, when I was asked to participate in a promotional tour for The Winner's Curse in anticipation of the sequel, which is due out in March, I couldn't say YES fast enough.

As part of this tour, bloggers were provided the following prompt:

The ‘Winner’s Curse’ is an economics term that means you’ve gotten what you wanted – but at too high a price. What would you pay too much for?

I've often found myself a victim of buyer's remorse over the years. Even as a teenager, buying CDs or clothing made me feel guilty because I knew that money should be going toward college expenses or the purchase of a car. As an adult, I suffer from this affliction much less often because I'm more attuned to my financial situation and have better spending habits. But it still happens.

The one thing I tend to overspend on these days is books. I'm sure that's probably a given, since we're all book bloggers. But if I'm being honest, I never feel guilty for those purchases, even if I have bought a certain book in every format available to me. ;0)

No, the one thing that comes to mind recently that I spent a great deal of money on -- most definitely too much -- is a good night's rest. My husband and I had been talking about buying a new bed for some time, but we never discussed it seriously. While we were at the State Fair in September, we walked into the Mattress Firm tent "just to look around". They were running a special where you could pair a new mattress with a massaging chair or a hot tub or some combination of those three things. It sounded great, but we weren't really in the market for any of those things.

We tried out a few beds, just for kicks, but I kept telling the husband we should get a move on before we got cornered by a salesman. Too late. The guy shows us this awesome Tempurpedic bed that massages and adjusts, raising the head, the feet, or both. We were sold. And then it came time to discuss the price. Then we were not so sold.

But we did need a new bed. We'd had ours since before we got married and it was beyond uncomfortable, neither of us getting a decent night's sleep in ages, waking up with more back pain than we went to bed with. So, we financed the bed and it was delivered two days later.

We sleep so soundly now; it's one of those that leaves your partner undisturbed when you move on your side of the bed, and the massaging feature is sooo nice. I love showing off the bed, too, and hearing people oooh and aaah over how comfortable it is and telling their significant other that they need a new bed now. :) Some make fun, saying it's an old people bed or that it's like a hospital bed, what with that function to raise the head up, but it's perfect for watching movies in bed...or reading. =)

What I don't like is when they start asking how much it cost. Because the thing was NOT cheap. I did mention we had to finance it, right? A mattress. But a very nice one. Still, if and when I finally do own up to the total cost, literally everyone has shaken their head, as if that price is astronomical. And I didn't even tell them that we got a discount because they were running a special while at the fair. o_O

A good night's sleep was worth the cost to me in the end because being rested and happy transfers to all other aspects of your life. Sure, we could have used that money for so many other things. Sure, others see this purchase as wasteful. Yes, I paid too much -- it cost more than all of our living room furniture combined -- but in the end, I got what I really, really wanted.

So, now that you know how crazy insane I am for good, restful sleep, what would YOU pay too much for?

You can see the rest of my fellow bloggers' answers to this question here.

About the books:

Title: The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Curse, book #1
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Title: The Winner's Crime

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Series: The Winner's Curse, book #2

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR

Publication Date: March 3, 2015

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

For more info about the Winner's Trilogy, visit the website dedicated to the trilogy. You can also play the Bite & Sting game from the book or visit author Marie Rutkoski's website and chat with her on Twitter.

The generous folks at Macmillan are offering up a copy of EITHER The Winner's Curse OR a copy of The Winner's Crime as part of this tour.

Rules:

• This giveaway is US only. The publisher will be providing the prize for this giveaway.
• One entry per household. 
• Entries will be verified. Any entry found to be falsified will result in disqualification of all entries for that participant. 
• Winner will be notified via email. Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. Please check your SPAM folder!!! 
• We are not responsible for lost packages. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck & happy reading!

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Labels: beautiful covers, blog tour, discussion, favorites, giveaways, macmillan, marie rutkoski, promotions, the winner's curse, the winner's trilogy

Waiting on Wednesday: Charisma & The Winner's Crime

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selections are...








's Pick:

Title: Charisma
Author: Jeanne Ryan
Series: n/a
Publisher: Dial
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2015

A chance at the ultimate makeover means deadly consequences in this Sarah Dessen-meets-Robin Cook thriller

Aislyn suffers from crippling shyness—that is, until she’s offered a dose of Charisma, an underground gene therapy drug guaranteed to make her shine. The effects are instant. She’s charming, vivacious, and popular. But strangely, so are some other kids she knows. The media goes into a frenzy when the disease turns contagious, and then deadly, and the doctor who gave it to them disappears. Aislyn must find a way to stop it, before it's too late.

Part medical thriller, part social justice commentary, Charisma will have readers on the edge of their seats.

The description to this book sound really interesting to me. I tend to love medical thrillers. Also, the fact that there are bunnies on the cover and it comes out approx a month before Easter is a total plus.





's Pick:





Title: The Winner's Crime
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Trilogy, book #2
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Publication Date: March 3, 2015

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

The Winner's Trilogy is far and above one of my favorite new series...and I've only read the first book. But the quick wit, the moral dilemmas, the depths of the characters...not to mention the most gorgeous "girl in a dress" covers...these are all things I value in a good fantasy series and The Winner's Trilogy has them in spades. After the high stakes and that ending in The Winner's Curse, I'm salivating to know what's to come.

What are you desperately waiting for this Wednesday? Let us know in the comments or share a link to your own WoW post!

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Labels: alternate history, beautiful covers, bunnies, Charisma, fantasy, favorites, Jeanne Ryan, macmillan, marie rutkoski, Medical thriller, the winner's trilogy, waiting on wednesday (wow)