The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Kiss 
by Marie Rutkoski 
Read: January 10 - 23, 2016 & March 7 - 12, 2016
Published: March 29, 2016 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Source: Macmillan (THANK YOU!)
Category: YA, fantasy, political intrigue, dual narration
Series: The Winner's Curse #1
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

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?

See my thoughts on the previous two books in The Winner's Trilogy, The Winner's Curse and The Winner's Crime.  The Winner's Kiss is the third book in a series. this post may contain spoilers for the first two installments. 
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The short version: 

This book, this series, are going on my all time favorites shelf. What an incredible ending to a story that began when a girl purchased a boy in a slave market. I - and they - had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. But from the first page, I was hooked, and I knew it would be something special. Oh how this journey has hurt at times. The whole middle book smashed me into tiny pieces. But this series is also filled with an enormous amount of beauty, and this final installment healed my soul. The language alone is so incredible it makes me ache. And the story of Kestrel and Arin - one of tenuous hope, intense heartbreak, and a love that heals the most broken places - has stolen my heart once and for all. 

Highly, highly recommended. 

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The longer, more rambling version:

I have learned to fear finales. After facing some huge disappointments, I always go into series ends with a fair bit of trepidation. Hoping to be blown away, but nervous, because a bad ending will cloud my view of the entire series. Thankfully, I had nothing to fear with this conclusion. From the first sentence of The Winner's Kiss, the language utterly slayed me. I probably highlighted half the book the first time I read it, and then I read it again and highlighted even more. But language alone can't save a story, and this finale also brought me everything I wanted and needed for Kestrel and Arin's last book. 

Let's face it, Kestrel and Arin are the reason I've fallen so hard for this series. I love them fiercely as individuals, but together, they are an unstoppable force. And I am utterly hopeless at seeing the ways in which they've changed and grown since the beginning. 

Even though they grew up on the same peninsula, Kestrel and Arin are from two vastly different nations. When they were both children, Kestrel's people overthrew Arin's. Kestrel purchased Arin as a slave. Arin led a secret revolt to overthrow her country's rule. Then Kestrel brokered a deal to save Arin's people by agreeing to marry the prince. And on and on it went. In the first two books, I felt these power imbalances between them in a visceral way, and I had no idea how they could stand as equals in the same place, going in the same direction.  In The Winner's Kiss, everything has changed for them again, and that equal footing still feels far away at times. But I love that Arin and Kestrel are in the same place, working together for much of this installment. I can't tell you how much I crave that in finales, but especially after everything that transpired in the last two books.

Though they are together in physical space for much of this book, neither Arin nor Kestrel are who they once were. In The Winner's Curse, Arin was very closed off and hard. But in this book his emotions are so much more on the surface and he is not afraid to express them. I fell so much more love with Arin (as if I wasn't already) in this installment, because we get to see further into his mind and heart. But I think I was most surprised by Kestrel's journey. Kestrel comes to a place in this book where she is completely broken and vulnerable, and that was hard to watch happen. But through it all, I love that we never lose sight of the strength within her. This girl is like a phoenix and my love for her is immense. 

Kestrel is a brilliant strategist, but she has never been the strongest physical fighter. Arin has an uncanny aptitude for war, which serves him well in this installment, as he is at war with the Valorians. I love the way this book and the climax, plays to both of their abilities. But even more, I love the way these two see and understand each other better than anyone else. All through this series they push and pull against each other because of that. They do it even unconsciously, but that speaks for how well they know each other. And it's one of the reasons I have read this entire series, desperate for them to fit together, despite the opposing sides on which they were raised. 

Throughout this series, Kestrel and Arin have both faced moments of profound isolation and loss - of friends, of family, of circumstance. Because of that, I love that relationships are such a part of this book for both of them. Of course with each other, but also with others. Some of the relationships that stood out to me in this installment were between Arin and his god, Arin and Roshar, and Sarsine and Kestrel. But this book also features painful relationships, one of the hardest being between Kestrel and her father. All of these different bonds speak so much to these characters, and they especially stood out to me the second time I read this book. 

Some conclusive thoughts: 

I'll admit that I went into The Winner's Kiss with a lot of fear, but author Marie Rutkoski was right when she asked whether we trusted her. She truly delivered in this final installment. I'm even reading this book for the third time - this time on audio - because I adore it so much. The more I read, the greater my appreciation for how Rutkoski has crafted her words, her characters, and their story. My love for Arin and Kestrel also has magnified, if that were even possible. Basically, I am even more in awe of this series and fully in love with this finale.

Finally, I want to say thank you: 

I feel extremely grateful to have been able to watch this series and these characters come to life from The Winner's Curse onward. Thank you Macmillan and Fierce Reads for allowing me to read each of the books pre-release, and for including me in the blog tours and for giving me the opportunity to interview the author on various occasions. Thank you Marie, for writing this story for us to enjoy and cry and swoon over, for answering my questions, (for no love triangles), and for being all around gracious and amazing. I know this post is overlong, and possibly overwrought. But even with all these words, I still feel as if I've fallen short of describing how much I love it. I guess, all I can say is, READ THIS SERIES.

Love Triangle Factor: None 
Cliffhanger Scale: Series end 

Other posts on this series:

• Review of The Winner's Curse
• The Winner's Curse blog tour - Interview with Marie Rutkoski
• Event Recap: Marie Rutkoski and Kristen Cashore author conversation
• Review of The Winner's Crime
• The Winner's Crime blog tour - Interview with Marie Rutkoski
• Fierce Reads Fall 2014 tour recap and author Q&A
• In the Beginning, The Winner's Kiss first lines blog tour
• The Winning Kiss blog tour

Blog Tour: Shimmer by Paula Weston

See full schedule HERE

Shimmer
by Paula Weston
Read: June 17 - 18, 2014
Published: March 8, 2016 by Tundra Books
Source: From publisher (THANK YOU!)
Category: Angels, Demons, Memory-loss, YA/NA
Series: The Rephaim #3
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | Indiebound

Description: Gaby thought her life couldn’t get more complicated.

She’s almost used to the idea that she’s not the nineteen-year-old backpacker she thought she was. She can just about cope with being one of the Rephaim - a 140-year-old half-angel - whose memories have been stolen. She’s even coming to grips with the fact that Jude, the brother she’s mourned for a year, didn’t die at all.

But now Rafa—sexy, infuriating Rafa—is being held, and hurt, by Gatekeeper demons. And Gaby has to get the bitterly divided Rephaim to work together, or Rafa has no chance at all.

It’s a race against time - and history. And it may already be too late.

Note: Click to find my reviews for Shadows and Haze, the first two books in the Rephaim series. 

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Shimmer is the third book in Paula Weston's Rephaim series. If these books are not on your radar yet, it is time to add them, because they are compulsively readable and addicting. This series has also been so much fun to discuss with fellow readers, as information about Gaby's past slowly unfolds throughout each installment. Now is also a perfect time to start reading, because you won't have to wait as long to find out what happens next! 

If you are new to this series, and want more information on what these books are all about and why you should be reading them, start with my thoughts on Shadows. It was too hard for me to talk about Shimmer without giving away some details about the first two installments, and part of the fun of this series is not knowing what is coming, as you try to figure it all out with Gaby. 

If you are already invested in this series, I don't think you're going to to need a lot of convincing to keep reading, but for more information on what to expect in book three, 

Here is my five point breakdown about what is happening in Shimmer: 

1) Gaby + Jude - I love a strong sibling bond, especially twins, and from the beginning of this series, Gaby and Jude's relationship has been of my favorites. Even when it broke my heart in the first book, I was desperate for more of these two. This installment features a lot of Gaby and Jude time, and I could palpably feel the strong bond between them, as well as their struggle to understand who they were and who they are. Although Jude has fit back into this world much easier, both Gaby and Jude share loss that no one else can fathom - loss of memory, and almost of each other, the loss of a shared past they don't remember, and the difficulty of trying to fit into a society that seems to know more about them than they do. 

2) Gaby + Rafa - From the first scene these two shared in book one, Gaby and Rafa have had so much intensity between them that it smolders off the page, and that tension continues to build in this installment. Soon they will catch on fire…I hope they don't get too burned in the process. I was equal parts cheering and biting my nails at the progress they make in this book. I want so much for them to be together and happy, but I know things will change between them again when Gaby gets her memory back.  

3) Sanctuary + Outcasts - For the first time in ten years, both factions of Rephaim are together in this book, which is a lot of strong personalities - with a lot of shared history and hurt - in one place. Although this book does feature action, including a big rescue mission, this installment focuses a lot on the politics and interpersonal relationships between the characters and the different Rephaim factions. We also get a lot more information about the Angel/Demon mythology, especially pertaining to the Fallen. In some senses this book was a bit quieter than the first two and felt like it was setting up for the big finale that will come in the final installment, Burn. 

4) Relationships - I've said this before, but it is the relational aspect of this series and not the overarching mythology plot that has made it such a favorite for me. Gaby's ache to figure out who she is - between people's expectations of her past character, her own fake memories and what she knows of herself now - is one of the best parts of this story for me. As is watching her reform relationships with characters she's known before. When she gets her memories back, will she be Gabe or Gaby or a combo of the two? I've not been able to stop considering that question since this series began. 

5) Cliffy - The ending of Shimmer is another cliffhanger. It is much more revelatory and anticipatory than stressful, in that characters aren't literally in the midst of "hanging off a cliff" in danger as they were at the end of Haze. But it made me no less anxious to get to the finale. You will be desperate for the next book when you finish this! 

In sum: Shimmer is another great installment in the Rephaim series. It is a little quieter than the previous two, but continues to focus on relationships, which is my favorite aspect of this series. I love these books so much!

Love Triangle Factor: None!
Cliffhanger Scale: HIGH on anticipation, Low on immediate danger. 

Blog Tour: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton Review + Giveaway

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See below for the full tour schedule 

Rebel of the Sands
By Alwyn Hamilton
Read: November 5 - 6, 2015
Published: March 8, 2016 by Penguin
Source: Galley from publisher (THANK YOU, PENGUIN!)
Tags: Fantasy, desert, magic, Djini, 
Series: 1 of 3 Rebel of the Sands Trilogy

She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from. 

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | Indiebound

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The first thought I had when I started Rebel in the Sands was that it felt like a western. The book opens in a seedy bar called Deadshot in a small town on the edge of a desert, where a cross dressing girl-bandit is about to compete in a sharpshooting contest. The story also features a journey through lonely desert towns, a railroad chase, captured horses, prison breaks, secret hideouts and a mysterious (and attractive) stranger. All elements found in your typical western. 

But from even the cover, it's clear that this wild west show is decidedly eastern. Ruled by a powerful sultan, these lands are filled with camels and magical horses that form out of the sand, immortal Djinni and the much more sinister Skinwalkers and ghouls, none of which you want to encounter in the dark. Not to mention that Amani leaves town with a lot more fanfare than she expected, including the sultan's army chasing after her. 

Rebel in the Sands is a really great adventure story, starring a girl with a remarkable talent for shooting and survival, who will do anything to escape her dead end life. After Amani overhears her uncle's plans to add her to his number of wives, she is determined to get out at all cost. What she doesn't expect is to meet a mysterious ally at the Deadshot and then keep running into him. Amani thought she was alone in the world, but she soon realizes that working with Jin will serve them each better. Even though he is a fugitive, and the main reason the sultan's army is even after them. 

Although I had a great time reading this book from start to finish, its many layers are what truly enchanted me. The way the story feels like a western at first, but is actually something else entirely. The way it starts with a simple girl escaping a bad situation, but turns into an epic cross country adventure and slow burn romance. The way I was focused on some revelations and completely missed others. I thought this book was fairly straightforward and that I knew all the reveals to come, but this book surprised me in places. 

And of course, as a romance girl, I loved the growing relationship between Amani and Jin. These two spend most of the book in each other's company, but trust and romance between them is slow to build. From the beginning they have fantastic banter and tension, and once they get on the same page, I love how they they scheme and support each other, even when protecting each other means making out :). Both Amani and Jin have a great understanding of when they should step forward and when they should step back and let the other lead a situation, which stood out to me all the more in a society where women have little to no power. I cannot wait for more of these two in future books. 

Nearly every series installment seems to end with a crazy cliffhanger these days, so it was a great surprise (and relief) that this book doesn't have one. Rebel of the Sands is the first in a trilogy, and the ending anticipates more to come, without leaving the characters in angst or peril. Cliffhanger, or not, I cannot wait to find out where Amani takes us next. 

In sum, I loved this book! Rebel of the Sands is filled with exciting adventure, revelations and romance, all starring a gun-wielding, horse-riding, thieving, blue-eyed bandit-girl and the mysterious fugitive, with whom she teams up. Don't miss this one! 

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Low - ends in a good spot, with anticipation of what is to come. 

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About the Author

Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and spent her childhood bouncing between Europe and Canada until her parents settled in France. She grew up in a small town there, which might have compelled her to burst randomly into the opening song from Beauty and the Beast were it not for her total tone-deafness. She instead attempted to read and write her way to new places and developed a weakness for fantasy and cross-dressing heroines. She left France for Cambridge University to study History of Art at King’s College, and then to London where she became indentured to an auction house. She has a bad habit of acquiring more hardcovers than is smart for someone who moves house quite so often.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr

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Tour Schedule

www.fictionfare.com	Fiction Fare	3/7 - Guest post
http://www.whatsarahread.com	What Sarah Read	3/8 - Interview
http://www.myfriendsarefiction.com	My Friends Are Fiction	3/9 - Book playlist
onceuponatwilight.com	Once Upon a Twilight	3/10 - Top 10 list
http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com	Love is not a triangle	3/11 - Review & Giveaway
http://www.katiesbookblog.com	Katie's Book Blog	3/14 - Interview
http://www.foreveryoungadult.com	Forever Young Adult	3/15 - Would You Rather?
http://www.alexalovesbooks.com	Alexa Loves Books	3/16 - Book playlist 2
http://theirishbanana.blogspot.com	The Irish Banana Review	3/17 - 25 Random Things About Me
www.mundiemoms.com	Mundie Moms	3/18 - Review & Giveaway
http://www.twochicksonbooks.com	Two Chicks on Books	3/21 - Guest post 2
http://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com/	The Eater of Books!	3/22 - Interview
http://itstartsatmidnight.com	It Starts at Midnight	3/23 - Top 10 #2
http://bookbriefs.net	Book Briefs	3/24 - Dreamcasting post
www.iceybooks.com	IceyBooks	3/25 - Review & Giveaway

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Giveaway

Win a hardcover of Rebel of the Sands

Two people will be chosen!

Giveaway is for US residents only (Sorry, international readers!)

You must be at least 13 years old to enter

See my policies HERE

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Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

Marked in Flesh
By Anne Bishop
Read: January 12 - 15, 2016
Published: March 8, 2016 by Penguin/Roc
Source: NetGalley (THANK YOU, PENGUIN!)
Tags: Fantasy, Adult, shifters, blood prophet 
Series: The Others #4 (of 5)
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | Indiebound

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…
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Find my thoughts on the previous books in this series: Written in Red, Murder of Crows and Vision in Silver. 

I am obsessed with this series. Truly. It is one of my favorites of all time, and I make myself sick with anticipation each time a new installment releases. Then after I finish the latest book, I am hit with a massive hangover, and just want to keep reading and rereading my favorite parts until a new one comes out. If you've been reading these books as they release, I know I'm just preaching to the choir. If you haven't started them, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Very few series do I adore with this level of devotion, and The Others books are so much of my heart that I have trouble even talking about them coherently. But I'm pulling it together for this post, because I don't want anyone to miss this release or these books. 

What is happening in Marked in Flesh:
After an unsettling phone call at the end of Vision in Silver, the Others in the Lakeside Courtyard - led by Simon - are trying to decipher what the Elders meant when they said they are deciding "how much human they are going to keep." A frightening, pronouncement indeed. The only reason they're considering keeping any human at all is because of their curiosity about Meg, which both relieves and worries Simon. 

As the trailblazer, Meg is of course at the center of this discussion, and her pack of human friends of the Others continues to form and solidify itself in this installment. It is an uneasy alliance at times, but these police officers, and their family and friends, realize that this is the only way to ensure that any humans survive. Because at the same time, the radical Humans First and Last movement are seeking even more extreme ways to rid themselves of the Others. Too bad the HFL doesn't realize they further doom themselves with every negative action they take.

As with all of the books in this series, the Lakeside Courtyard and Meg and Simon are at the heart of this series, but the setting continues to widen in each installment. We get a look at situations happening in different parts of the continent, and it is only near the end that the pieces - and visions - fit together in a nail-biting and intense climax. Thankfully, as with the other books, the ending is not a cliffhanger, and readers can breath a sigh of relief (for now) until the fifth, and presumably final, installment releases next year. 

Three reasons I love this series so much:
For anyone who is unfamiliar with this series, or has yet to take the plunge, or just wants to fangirl with me, I wanted to try and explain some of the reasons I adore these books so much. This is definitely not an exhaustive list, but I hope it will intrigue you enough to pick up the first one and start reading.

1) These books are immersive - From the complex characters to the world that expands further and further in each installment, to the small details about Meg's daily life that are a part of each book, this word building is some of the most intense and immersive I've ever experienced. The Others' world has come to life to me in vivid color and detail, and each time I step back into it, I feel like I'm returning to a familiar, comfortable place. Albeit one that's vicious and dangerous in a way that reminds humans to always stay alert, because they are nowhere near the top of the food chain. 

2) I love the characters - Meg and Simon, of course. But also Sam and Henry and Vlad and Tess and Merri Lee and Monty and Karl and Ruthie and Nathan and Grandfather Erebus and Hope and on and on it goes. This author has made me care deeply for so so many different lives in this story. The narration is third person, rotating and though I always want more of Meg and Simon, I would not want to lose the richness that all these different voices bring to the story. 

3) The romance between Simon and Meg- This series has the most achingly, frustratingly slow burn romance that also succeeds in being extremely low on angst and drama. In each book, I literally hang on each and every one of Meg and Simon's small interactions. Despite how painful the anticipation is, I live for this type of slow and simmering romance. Each installment brings a little more to their relationship, and Marked in Flesh is no exception. These two have a unique relationship because they are essentially a couple already, and there is never any question of the fact that they are it for each other. But because of Meg's past and nature as a blood prophet, and Simon being a wolf, it has taken them a while to figure out what is going on between them. And though I am antsy to get to the "good stuff," I also wouldn't have it develop any other way. With one more book in the series to go, I'm hoping that the long, long simmer is going to be a full blown boil soon. 

In Sum: If you haven't started these books yet, it's time to immerse yourself in the lives of Meg and Simon and friends. If you've already been reading the series, Marked in Flesh is out today - go and get your copy!

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Low (Book 4 of 5 - At least as far as I'm aware, five books have been sold in this series)