Gr 9 Up-A romantic's romance novel, this second volume in Rutkoski's saga picks up where The Winner's Curse (2013) ended. Kestrel, a member of the Valorian ruling class, is engaged and will one day rule the empire. Meanwhile, Arin, Kestrel's former slave, is the leader of the Herrani people, and his subjects are starving thanks to the emperor's taxes. Kestrel is torn between her need to help Arin and her loyalty to her father, a general in the imperial army. Arin, in turn, is unraveled by his uncertainties: Is the woman he loves a power-hungry liar, or is she the spy who is supplying treasonous information that might just help him save his people? Some of Arin and Kestrel's misunderstandings and missed opportunities are more histrionic than wildly romantic, and though the plot is saturated with sword fights, subterfuge, and glittering parties, it isn't suspenseful as the previous entry. Poetic passages demonstrate the depth of Rutkoski's research and talent. "It suddenly seemed that Kestrel had been an empty room, and that all of her wishes came crowding in. They thronged: delicate, full-skirted, their silk brushing up against each other." The ending finds the protagonists again divided and facing life-threatening dilemmas, each thinking of the other. The last sentence resonates so strongly that it might just be enough to sustain fans until the first line of the final volume. Chelsey Philpot, Boston University, MA

Daughter of a Valorian general, Kestrel agrees to marry the emperor's son, Verex, but schemes to ensure the safety of her former slave, Arin, now governor of Valorian-controlled Herran. Kestrel realizes that revealing her political motives or her attraction to Arin to anyone would invite disaster. As Prince Verex cozies up to Risha, Arin tries to eradicate his romantic feelings for Kestrel by concentrating on her cruelty and duplicitousness. Espionage and intrigue swirl everywhere, and Kestrel is in the midst using masker moths to pass on information. As the tactics for dominance play out, they precipitate lost friendships, suffering, and death. Kestrel's father ultimately discovers his daughter's treason, Arin severs her from his life, and Kestrel is taken in shackles to a work camp.Rutkoski's well-written prose is sumptuous. Whether describing the horrific torture of peeling skin off the fingers of a spy or painting Kestrel with the hues of stained glass upon her hands, the author creates exciting visuals. Basically a romance with a side of war games, this novel concocts a potent chemistry between Kestrel and Arin that bubbles throughoutKestrel's dream of Arin slowly removing her stockings. Arin is headstrong and immature but grows in heroism as the plot unfolds. Kestrel is a clever and strong protagonist, and her heartbreaking interactions with her father make her real. Backstory can be picked up easily from this volume if readers have not read the first book. The shocking ending will leave readers hungry for the sequel.Barbara Johnston.

Kestrel offers herself to the Valorian emperor as a daughter-in-law as part of a treaty (secretly) designed to save her beloved Arin's country of Herrani, but court life is nothing more than a twisted game of cat and mouse. Arin believes that she betrayed him, while the cruel emperor waits patiently for Kestrel's first misstep. A rich and complex story of political intrigue, missed opportunities, and thwarted trust fill the pages of this sequel to The Winner's Curse (2014). Rutkoski's world is splendid in its cruelty and beauty, with characters that continue to claim our hearts and leave us impatient for the trilogy's conclusion.