Review : The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1)
Author : Marie Rutkoski
Publication Date : March 4th 2014
Publisher : Farrar Straus Giroux
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Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Personal Thoughts

If you haven't heard of The Winner's Curse, then you've been living under a rock. This is a book that has been so hyped even months before its release. I try not to go into books with huge expectations, but when a book is as hyped as The Winner's Curse, I can't help, but set the bar high. So, how was The Winner's Curse for me? Read on to find out!

The Winner's Curse is a very much character-driven story and if you've been reading my reviews for some time, you'll know how much I appreciate it when an author takes his/her time in order to flesh out the characters and make them stand out. Marie Rutkoski is a champ at that, from what I could tell by reading The Winner's Curse. These characters are beautifully developed over the course of the story, so you actually get to watch them grow, blossom and find their identity throughout your reading experience. Kestrel, our main character, was an absolute delight. She starts off the story being a young, naive girl, but by the end of the book, she had undergone a tremendous amount of growth and was much much stronger than she ever thought she could me. She had this gentle soul to her that immediately pulled me into the story and made me want to befriend this girl. She's sweet and down-to-earth despite being the general's daughter and belonging to the Valorians, the elite. Her kindness towards the Herrani, the slaves, was quite touching. She might have been a naive main character at times, but when the situation called for it, she knew how to stand up to herself and to others. Arin, the slave that Kestrel purchases at an auction out of pity, was yet another strong main character. Arin undoubtedly had his own secrets and motives, but watching him grow fond of Kestrel over the book might have been the highlight for me.

The romance was The Winner's Curse's strongest point and I'm not complaining because I enjoy romance as much as everyone else. And it also had my favorite kind of romance; forbidden romance. It is clear from the beginning that Arin and Kestrel have a lot of tension between them. There's a bit of hate-love kind of relationship between them, but they never blatantly mentioned that they hated each other. I loved the slow-burn progress of the romance, because it made me FEEL so much. I was so completely invested in their relationship and there were points where I was honestly so frustrated because I needed them to kiss already and they still hadn't. All in all, the romance was one of the best I have read in a very long time. Now that I've gotten the positive aspects out of the way, I'll talk about why The Winner's Curse was not as perfect as I expected it to be. For one, the pacing of the plot. The beginning of the book was so slow for me. Nothing substantial happened as regards to the plot up to around 60% of the book. So if I had to rate the first half, I would give it 3 stars out of 5. However, the second half was phenomenal. It was intense and had me on the edge of my seat, so by the end of the book, I was left devastated and hurt because the book had only started to get good. Secondly, the world-building. The world-building isn't weak by any means, but part of me wanted more. However, I'm convinced that the next books will delve more into that aspect. I did love the history in the book though and the themes of slavery that were explored beautifully. Rutkoski has an almost poetic writing style that just pulls you in, so it's rather hard not to fall in love with the story.

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed The Winner's Curse and I strongly recommend the book to fans of YA historical romance. A book with strong characters and a gorgeously written romance, The Winner's Curse is sure to make many readers swoon.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 5/5