I liked the second book in this series better than the first. The romance between Arin and Kestrel is not the main focus in this book, which was a pleasant change of pace. The characters spent notably less time together in this book, so it made me anxious for what would happen during the times that they were together. I just felt like this book had a better plot. I liked Kestrel better in this book. You get to see how complex and intelligent she is. 
 The ending of this book....it made me excited for the third book and it made me anxious about what would happen to the characters. I can't wait to read The Winner's Kiss!