Short review, 'cause I seem to have misplaced my groove.

This seems to be the running theme with most of the reviews I've read about this book, but I did NOT expect to like this. But I think that my newly discovered love for Jane The Virgin and Telenovela may have sorta rekindled my weakness for soap opera drama, because I found this entertaining as heck.

This was my first foray into NA (I've been meaning to pick up some Leah Raeder, but I just haven't got around to it. Shut up), and I've gotta say, if all NA books are written this way, I think I might like it?

The entire thing reads like good fanfiction. And if you think that's an insult, you need to get the hell out of my sight because I do not need this kind of negativity in my life. It wasn't great, highbrow literature, and it could get overly angsty from time to time - but I think that was the appeal of the book. At least, for me. I've been going through a pretty hardcore reading slump, and this was exactly the sorta thing I needed to break it. Something entertaining, that didn't take itself too seriously. (Thanks, Lola!)

Paper Princess did a lot of things right.

The main character, Ella, was very likable. She was a fighter, she refused to stay down when kicked to the ground, and I liked her. The males, however... they were sort of problematic faves. Look, I can appreciate a good alpha male. Adam Hauptman, for instance. Only violent when he has to be, and never ever a douchebag. The Royal Boys, were sorta the opposite of the kind of of alphas I like. They were constantly violent and has severe douchebag tendencies. But I felt like the authors did a pretty good job of making their faults seem redeemable and believable. Their backstory worked, and their complexes worked, so I didn't find myself rolling my eyes at this and going, "Yeah, sure that makes everything so much better." If I'm being honest, I actually found myself liking the Royal boys towards the end.

Except Gideon. I have some REALLY shady feelings about Gideon. But that's not important.

The book also had a female relationship. Yay! Ella and Valarie had a pretty solid and believable friendship, which was great because otherwise this book would have been one giant sausage fest. It (the book) also tackled date-rape and slut shaming, and honestly, I think it did a decent job.

I'm going to end this now, because I haven't blogged in a while and I feel like this entire thing is really scattered. But before I go I will say this - Paper Princess is not, y'know, great lit. It's a fun, easy, ENTERTAINING read and I honestly really enjoyed it. So much so that I actually can't wait for the next book.

This review and more on my blog

4.5 teary stars

Okay, I'm not gonna lie - this didn't have me weeping from emotion overload, but man, what a great ending to a wonderful trilogy.

It's not secret that I enjoyed The Winner's Curse and The Winner's Crime. While not without their faults, I found these books a delight to read - sweeping war novels with beautiful prose and a romance-centric plot that didn't make me want to drink a gallon of unsweetened lemon juice. Rutkoski's writing is beautiful - purple prose done right. Her characters are tangible and likable - they make mistakes, do incredibly stupid things, and you root for them anyway. And the romance? Very shippable.

It's rare for me to enjoy a novel as romance-heavy as this one. Especially when it's a series. Because after a while I just get really annoyed with the soppy couple and am like, "Yeah who cares? Show me the war!"
And if you remember, I was very skeptical when I picked up the first book in the trilogy. I thought I was getting Romeo and Juliet. I was wrong.

Because, see, Kestrel and Arin have such good chemistry. Their relationship, no matter the bumps in the road, is very believable. They learn and grow around each other. Do they have their sappy moments? Yes. Do they make questionable decisions? Yes. Do they let their romance distract them from the war they're smack in the middle of? Nope.

And that's really what I loved about this one. Kestrel and Arin's relationship never pushed the war to the backseat. Rutkoski did a marvelous job of weaving the two together - love and war twisted together in a beautiful, emotional braid. There was a maturity to The Winner's Kiss that I absolutely adored. Kestrel and Arin have grown up since the first book - they've turned into completely different people, while somehow staying exactly the same.

This makes sense. Trust me.

Despite how much I loved this, I did think it had a few issues, hence the 4.5 stars. The pacing wasn't quite right. Sometimes it would be be racing, and then suddenly drop to a slow shuffle. Also, the whole

Kestrel's inability to remember/realize whether or not she loved Arin] got a little old. The whole Ross and Rachel will they, won't they aspect of it felt drawn out

AND THIS IS SUCH A SHAME. Because if it hadn't been for these two tiny tiny things, I would have given this puppy five stars. Easily.

Ugh. Just, just read it.

This review and more here

I genuinely don't see what all the fuss is about.

In the beginning, I guess I could see it. The start, with Cecelia's death and all, was interesting. I found myself intrigued, uneasy, and a little bit sad. But the book quickly lost steam, it started droning on and on - and I was wishing it would get to the point. This whole thing was masturbatory with a side serving of dull. It wasn't about the girls at all, and I think it should have been. Because the way it was told, their deaths meant nothing. I kinda wanted something to matter here.

Geh.

The first time I read this, I was in grade four. I loved it. I read it multiple times.
It's been a little over a decade since then, and while I still think this is a cutesy little fluff book, I remember it being a LOT longer.

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