The Winner's Crime

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Well, I finally finished this book! I really enjoyed the Winner's Curse and was excited to finally be able to read The Winner's Crime. I am disappointed with this one. I had some problems with the pacing and the amount of action happening in the book but all's good! I know the Winner's Kiss is going to be an epic ending so it was all worth it! Definitely read this series if you're a fantasy lover.

The Winner's Crime is very different from The Winner's Curse. I feel as though this one was more political than the Winner's Curse, which was more of a "fighty" book. This book takes place a few months after the ending of The Winner's Curse and we pick up with Arin and Kestrel's story again. The one thing that really brought my rating down was how slow The Winner's Crime went. I just felt like nothing was happening at one point. Usually, this would only affect the rating in a small amount but the pacing was so slow to the point where I had to put the book down so I had to drop the rating a bit more than usual.

I kind of missed reading from Kestrel. I loved how smart, sneaky, and fierce she is. There wasn't many times where we could see Kestrel in action and fighting but this book did reveal the very logical and tactical side of her mind. She was able to find ways to hide her secrets and I thought the way she did that was extremely smart. Arin, of course was very interesting to read from. We get to know more about him. How he is so vulnerable at times and how his feelings just break him down. This book really revealed his emotional side and I liked that because it made my connection with him a bit stronger. Plus, we get to read more of his blacksmith skills, which is something that was super cool because his blacksmith skills get's tossed around in The Winner's Curse but we get to actually read about it in this book and it was greattt.

The plot wasn't as great as I hoped. People have really liked this book and have said this was a great sequel. I wouldn't say this was a bad sequel but it wasn't my favorite. It just got so slow and hard to read to the point where I did have to put the book down for about a month. I think this was all just due to the lack of things going on and how there was so little fighting and action in this book. In The Winner's Curse, I could easily pinpoint where the book just got 10x better than before but with this book, I can't do that. I just feel as though not much has happened in this book. I am expecting the next book will be better for me because the ending of this book was just the best thing ever and whether I mean that in a good or bad way is going to remain a mystery. It just sets the next book and I am so excited for book 3. Plus, The Winner's Kiss is supposed to be the ending of this trilogy and the last books are always so exciting so I am excited to read The Winner's Kiss. 

I gave this book 3.5 stars because I liked it but I feel as though there was a lack of things going on and it did get a bit slow in the middle of the book.
Is it bad that I'm just not feeling Arin and Kestrel's relationship? In the first book, I convinced myself their romance was going to get better but gah! I just really can't imagine them getting together and living happily ever. To me, they just don't seem like they like each other. I mean based on what I know about these two books, either one of them is going to die or Marie is able to do some witchcraft to be able to have Arin and Kestrel end up together! I liked Ronan! You guys remember him right? You know, Jess's older brother? Yeah! Him! Anyway, he did offer to marry Kestrel in the first book and my heart was just crushed when she said no. I understand she doesn't love Ronan and she doesn't want to get married and all that but ohhhh I just felt so bad for him when she rejects him. THEN, we see more of him in his fighting match and signs up for the army and

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I'm sorry. I just really like Ronan and if he dies I will cry my soul out. UGHHH give him a happy ending. Please don't hurt him.
One thing I wanted to happen in this book was for Verex and Kestrel to become friends. I hope that happens in the next book though because it would definitely take more sense... Anyway, I know these two are not friends but not enemies. Their acquaintances, if I must say. If they have a common enemy it would be so fun see them become allies and Kestrel apologizing for not being able to have the wedding and all...