Sailing in a Sea of Words

Book: The Winner's Kiss

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance

Summary: 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? -Farrar Straus Giroux Books, 2016.

This is probably one of the longest Young Adult books I've read, but that's not a bad thing. There was a lot that Rutkoski needed to accomplish in this final novel and she takes the time to do so. This, really, is the only thing I would have seriously criticized her on if she hadn't taken care of proper pacing.

That being said, I think, for what it needed to do, Rutkoski did the best she could. I can see how some might think events occurred too quickly. It's one big event happening after another with barely any time to breathe in between. However, between this method or skipping around and prioritizing one thread over another, I think this was the better choice.

Picking up immediately after The Winner's Crime, Kestrel and Arin must go through their final trials - resolving the question of their feelings for each other while making a final stand against their enemies with their new allies. With the last battle against the emperor approaching, Kestrel and Arin have to decide what to do among the forces pulling them in different directions. Kestrel must come to terms with what happens to her following her failure as a spy. Arin will need to figure out if he can balance his two great loves  - his people and Kestrel.

Rutkoski balances the two main plot threads - Kestrel and Arin's relationship and the war with the emperor - well. After taking all three books in stride though, I find myself trying to reconcile Rutkoski's conception of love and romance with what I traditionally recognize as romance and affection. While I understand Kestrel has her own troubles to work through, I found the resolution to her love trouble anticlimactic and yet in character. She was never going to do a passionate confession of love - that would've been grossly out of character. It's something that, in the end, I need to reconcile with myself. Knowing Kestrel's background, she was never going to be a girl who would be openly affectionate. As a character, Kestrel is not a girl with "traditional" female characteristics. She has a sharp mind, but she's emotionally stunted.

Arin, on the other hand, is emotional due to his cause and his life's experiences. He fuels his causes with his passion and zeal. He is the fire to Kestrel's ice. It's an interesting relationship and unique to most Young Adult novels out there.

Whereas The Winner's Crime was Kestrel's book, The Winner's Kiss is more Arin's book. Kestrel still plays a large part of the book, but Arin's part takes over the larger part of the book. It creates a nice balance to the trilogy as a whole.

Just because the romance is resolved doesn't mean Rutkoski ignores the political and military battles. It's not George R.R. Martin by any stretch, but Rutkoski delves into battles without completely censoring them too much. It's at the level of a typical Young Adult novel, so it's fine. She ties all of the plot points together very well.

It's a good finale to the series and I think it's a great culmination of Rutkoski's skills. It's definitely worth a read.

I give The Winner's Kiss an A.

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