The Winner's Series by Marie Rutkoski (Yomna's Review)

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Rating: 4.5/5

First of all, I photoshopped the lovely cover into purple and it looks absolutely gorgeous. 
In the history of covers, these covers are some of the most gorgeous. The dresses and the blade blend a perfect mix of grace and power. I love it. I love looking at them, they're so pretty. 
In the beginning: I don't think this was one of those books that are boring in the beginning. I think in the beginning you are involved but it doesn't jump right in. It was very interesting to see her first without Arin and how she came to know him. I liked Ronan a bit because he seemed a very nice guy but I was a little scared that there would be a love triangle (hate those) between him in Arin. 
The Winner's Curse Idea: So basically, the winner's curse is an actual thing in bidding. And I found this picture online of the winner's curse explained. 

It's a pretty cool idea. I also read the interviews at the end of my book (or somewhere online I can't remember) that Marie Rutkoski's idea was what if what you won was a person, and the cost was emotional. Points to Marie Rutkoski for creativity.

The first book: It was a great book. I think it had a lot of tests of bravery which usually in a series you don't see until the later books. I don't think there was enough romance. But honestly, I don't think there's enough romance in anything. 

I usually don't like to read in third person, but this book was very well-written and I loved it. I liked the different chapters for Arin and Kestrel and thought that was pretty cool to see their thoughts as they fall in love. 

Favorite part: Probably the kissing scene at the end of the book. That was so cute. I don't know about you guys, but I was swooning all over that scene. I also liked the part where she expects to escape through that garden but finds Arin there, you could really see her struggle to not go and sit with him. 

  

“He lifted her up onto the table so that her face was level with his, and as they kissed it seemed that words were hiding in the air around them, that they were invisible creatures that feathered against her and Arin, then nudged, and buzzed, and tugged.

Speak, they said.
Speak, the kiss answered.”  

Arin: was actually a really cool guy. He's a very amazing love interest for Kestrel, and he can sing, but I think the fact that at the beginning of the book he was working against Kestrel brought him down.

The second book: I thought the second book was even better than the first. Even though it had a few moments where it was a little grim, it still made for a much greater book.
I thought the title, like the one for the first book, was very relevant and made sense since the whole book is spent with Kestrel lying, like a lot, to Arin. 

“She’d felt it before, she felt it now: the pull to fall in with him, to fall into him, to lose her sense of self.” 

Oh god. This series is amazing. I love the politics, the girl power (#feminism), the world, the characters, it was all incredible. I think I just expected this series to be a filler series, one of those you read and are just okay with, but this exceeded my expectations. 

The cover for the last book is incredible and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Hence the title, I am expecting a LOT of kissing. 

“An emotion clamped down on her heart. It squeezed her into a terrible silence. But he said nothing after that, only her name, as if her name were not a name but a question. Or perhaps that it wasn’t how he had said it, and she was wrong, and she’d heard a question simply because the sound of him speaking her name made her wish that she were his answer.”