Reading Order
Winner's TrilogyThe Winner's Trilogy Reading Order
Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Trilogy is a complete three-book YA fantasy series set in a world where the Herrani people were enslaved by the Valorian empire a generation ago. The trilogy follows Kestrel, a Valorian general's daughter, who buys a Herrani slave at auction — and in doing so sets in motion a political and personal crisis that neither of them can control. The series must be read in order.
Where to start
The Winner's Curse
Complete Winner's Trilogy Book List
- 1Buy
The Winner's Curse
Marie Rutkoski·2014·Book 1 — Kestrel buys a Herrani slave named Arin and discovers she is already in a game she didn't know had started - 2Buy
The Winner's Crime
Marie Rutkoski·2015·Book 2 — Kestrel is now betrothed to the emperor's son; the political situation demands choices she cannot afford to make - 3Buy
The Winner's Kiss
Marie Rutkoski·2016·Book 3 — The trilogy conclusion; the war Kestrel has been trying to prevent arrives
Winner's Trilogy — Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Winner's Curse reading order?
Read The Winner's Curse (2014), then The Winner's Crime (2015), then The Winner's Kiss (2016). The trilogy must be read in order. The series is complete.
How many Winner's Curse books are there?
The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski consists of three books: The Winner's Curse, The Winner's Crime, and The Winner's Kiss. The trilogy is complete.
Is The Winner's Curse enemies to lovers?
Yes — The Winner's Curse is one of the defining enemies-to-lovers YA fantasy series. Kestrel is a Valorian, whose empire enslaved Arin's people; Arin is her slave and her enemy. The trilogy does not let them escape the political and moral weight of what that means, even as their personal feelings become more complicated.
Is The Winner's Curse similar to The Cruel Prince or An Ember in the Ashes?
Yes — The Winner's Curse shares core DNA with both. Like The Cruel Prince, it features a morally complicated power dynamic and a protagonist who weaponizes intelligence against everyone around her. Like An Ember in the Ashes, it features two protagonists from opposite sides of a colonial system falling in love in ways that complicate both of their political positions.
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