Oh boy, oh boy! I loved this book just as much as the first! and I'm devistated I will likely have to wait TWO YEARS for the next one!!?!? 
 Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. 
 Full review can also be found on: Paein and Ms4Tune's Book Blog 
 So, it took me a long time to read this book, I picked it up on a Tuesday evening, two weeks from the end of term. Not only is this a usually busy time, it was the run up to Christmas. Worst idea I've had in recent memory, except for the one where sorting my hair out myself is the way to go, but that's reoccurring one and not relevant here. Somewhere around 1.30am and 55% I realised my idea of casually reading it over the rest of the week was simply pipe dreams, it was going to be all or nothing so I subsiquently had to ban myself from reading more until I had time. Today was that day! Here are the notes I made at 55%: 
 A few issues; 
 I'm currently lacking in sleep. No sleep here. 
 And there's no option for stopping at the end of a chapter, BECAUSE THERE'S NO CHAPTERS! Of course this is a digital ARC copy and that will be sorted when I have the real thing. 
 Bittersweet! The word for this book is bittersweet! 
 Now that I've read the whole thing, this is how I feel on the matter: 
 WHEN IS BOOK 3 OUT??! 
 No really... 
 Certainly the first half was bittersweet and while the theme continued into the second half, I feel that my self imposed ban helped me to focus better and notice something. When you aren't trying to cram one more chapter in several hours after you're meant to be sleeping, you can almost feel the Sting and Bite tiles lining up, even as the rug is pulled out from under you. At this point, we're 2/3 through so I'm pretty sure that they've been lining up from the first word, but the exact players are hard to pin down. 
 I couldn't tell you my favourite character. Perhaps the Princess, for there is more to her than we seem to know, Arin seems a little too dense sometimes, I really just want to whack him over the head with a trout and Kestrel, for all her skill, is easily distracted into thoughtless moves. The Emperor is there to be hated and to be honest, he's over confident in his moves. Even when all the pieces were mine, I wouldn't have been mean about it all.That's the perfect way to get what he's going to get! I'm assuming. 
 Where book 1 made me cry, this one gave me hope. As I said, I could almost see the tiles lining up and while there are still several ways this could still go, the Emperor has lost far more than he seems to realise and I can't wait to find out how it all comes together in the end. 
 Also mentioned in a 2016 thowback with The Winners Curse HERE 
 Just a super quick read through to refresh my memory before I start on The Winner's Kiss. Not as quickly as I was intending however, because there were many, many sections I just wanted to read again. 
 As always the last line of The Winner's Curse makes me tear up. Not in and of itself, of course, it's something repeated several times in the book after all, but at this last point, it means something more - so pay attention every time the God of Lies is mentioned because it links back!! 
 Book two, I said, gave me hope - not sure why, as it ends pretty direly. But perhaps for the possibility of where it can go from here. Foolish Emperor, you know how dangerous these people are, and yet...you've made it so that they have nothing to lose. I hope your fall gives you enough time to analyse every single thing you did wrong in exacting detail because I'm so going to gloat. You are a bully and I don't like bullies. 
 I couldn't choose between Kestrel and Arin for a favourite, they are so similar. Though, I can't help but be put out by Arin for Kestrel's sake. Goodness me man, you're stupid! I just can't wait for you to be whacked over the back of the head by everything in book 3! You'll be devastated at you're own idiocy, you were nearly there and then you gave up. I'll feel horribly guilty for being so satisfied about it all, But I don't care. 
 In my review for The Winner's Crime, I said something wickedly clever about feeling the Bite and Sting tiles lining up, which I had forgotten about. I should have perhaps read these two slower so that I could see the build, but truthfully, I wont see the full genius of Marie Rutkoski's writing until the last word of the last book has been read. I've no doubt that once I'm done I'll wish to start again - but I won't. I'll savour it and wait a few years so that I've almost forgotten and then I'll start all over again. As one always should with a spectacular series. 
 I was also under the delusion that Arin was a fool for not seeing. He was a fool and he was slow on the uptake. And then at the most important moment, he doubted himself and made all sorts of messes. I was quite entertained, reading back my commentary on goodreads - I hope I successfully kept it spoiler free for anyone who stumbles across it! 
 I seem to like the bittersweet stories yet I hate the splits in the middle of a series - possibly a contradiction, especially as I can't work out what makes them different.