Scan barcode
jazmin's review against another edition
4.0
“The Winner’s Curse is when you come out on top of the bid, but only by paying a steep price.”
This is my first Marie Rutkoski book so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really liked this book! I really enjoyed the writing, while it was similar to the writing in other fantasy books, it was easy to stay on track and get immersed in the world. From the first chapter I found myself being interested in the story!
“My soul is yours," he said. "You know that it is.”
I really enjoyed Arin and especially Kestrel as main characters! I adored Kestrel’s personality and was constantly entertained by the way she escaped from difficult situations using her smarts!
Overall: I can’t wait to read the next book after that great ending! I hope more characters are introduced or that some of the side characters have a bigger role because if you know my reading habits, you know I love character development ;)
This is my first Marie Rutkoski book so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really liked this book! I really enjoyed the writing, while it was similar to the writing in other fantasy books, it was easy to stay on track and get immersed in the world. From the first chapter I found myself being interested in the story!
“My soul is yours," he said. "You know that it is.”
I really enjoyed Arin and especially Kestrel as main characters! I adored Kestrel’s personality and was constantly entertained by the way she escaped from difficult situations using her smarts!
Overall: I can’t wait to read the next book after that great ending! I hope more characters are introduced or that some of the side characters have a bigger role because if you know my reading habits, you know I love character development ;)
writings_of_a_reader's review against another edition
4.0
It's always a plus when you love a book not just because the story is good, but because the book itself is beautiful. Everything about this book was good; the story, the cover, the pages in between. I'm categorizing this one as fantasy. It's set in a fantasy world even though there is no magic in it, and it reads like a traditional fantasy in many ways. I'm not really sure what other category I could put it in.
The world in The Winner's Curse is so full of gray. It is about the conflict between two nations of people. One has been conquered by the other and is enslaved. There is no easy answer for either side. I felt for both sides of the conflict. It illustrates how, even if one side's intentions might be in the right, there are good and bad people on both sides of a war. I wanted the Herrani to be able to be free, but I felt some of the things their leader did were wrong and made him just as bad as the Valorian leaders who had enslaved his people. All of this made the story a very compelling read.
I enjoyed the way Kestrel was written. It was refreshing that she wasn't good at combat. That in no way made her a weak character. She had a sharp mind and was a good strategist, who also happened to really love music. So we got something a little different here. I liked the way the relationship between Kestrel and Arin unfolded. No insta-love here. Thank goodness! There is what some people would call a love triangle, but I didn't really consider it one since its clear from the beginning that Kestrel doesn't feel that way about the other guy.
I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in this trilogy.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
The world in The Winner's Curse is so full of gray. It is about the conflict between two nations of people. One has been conquered by the other and is enslaved. There is no easy answer for either side. I felt for both sides of the conflict. It illustrates how, even if one side's intentions might be in the right, there are good and bad people on both sides of a war. I wanted the Herrani to be able to be free, but I felt some of the things their leader did were wrong and made him just as bad as the Valorian leaders who had enslaved his people. All of this made the story a very compelling read.
I enjoyed the way Kestrel was written. It was refreshing that she wasn't good at combat. That in no way made her a weak character. She had a sharp mind and was a good strategist, who also happened to really love music. So we got something a little different here. I liked the way the relationship between Kestrel and Arin unfolded. No insta-love here. Thank goodness! There is what some people would call a love triangle, but I didn't really consider it one since its clear from the beginning that Kestrel doesn't feel that way about the other guy.
I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in this trilogy.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
nopi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
lotusross's review against another edition
5.0
“Isn’t that what stories do, make real things fake, and fake things real?”
if i had a heart, it would be bleeding.
secretdearest's review against another edition
3.0
Well, it started off good, then halfway through the book, it had lost it's touch. I began disliking Arin and began doubting Kestrel's decisions. For example, I did not like how she refused Ronan's offer. The ending was not surprising to me, although I did not predict it, it had seemed like the right thing to do after everything. I was relieved. This book was of medium pace, it was not fast, nor was it slow. I do wish that there was more depth and complexity. I enjoyed the society of Valorians, and how the book circled around it in the first half. Kestrel was a general's daughter, and she did not disappoint. Later, however, her clear logic was clouded by emotions, which I did not understand her having. I do recommend to give it a read. At times it felt like reading poetry, not prose. One does not have to read the further instalments if it is not enjoyed. I will, however, read the next in line, after some time.
stressiex's review
3.0
There wasn't anything overly fantastic about this book other than the fact that it was short with sizable font.
jonaxx's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Wow. And a bit more wow.
This was so good, you guys! And so different!
THE WINNER'S CURSE tells of a world - very similar to our own, only with greatly differing traditions and histories - where, seemingly, the bad guys are winning. Kestrel, our heroine, is Valorian. The Valorians, lead by Kestrel's own father, enslaved the Herrani people about a decade ago after attacking and "colonising" their beautiful country. They now rule over them from the comfort of old Herrani mansions - which takes a special kind of audacity, right? - and use them as unpaid servants, often horribly mistreated.
You really can't help but put yourself in the place of each side of the argument in The Winner's Curse. What kind of master would I be if I were Valorian? How would my pride get me in trouble as a Herrani? And as I myself did this, I found I wasn't happy about the view from either side. When it comes to slavery and "owning" people, there are no nice easy answers or solutions. It's an impossible situation, with no hope of any happy endings that I can conceive. It was a real STOP and THINK book, that's for sure.
Plot wise, it starts out quite gently. There is a very slow and subtle building of a relationship between Herrani slave Arin and Valorian noble Kestrel. The author also shows slices of Valorian life, which is seemingly all balls, tea parties and garden games. Which kinda makes you want to slap them just a bit more. That they could be so obtuse as to be panicking about this season's colours while nearby, slaves are being beaten for dropping a spoon. Luckily for my sanity, Kestrel has about as much patience for that sort of nonsense as I do. All she wants to do is play her piano, and avoid her father's urgings to either join the military, or get married to a nice Valorian boy. Neither of which she wants to do.
As for Arin? Oyy. What a great character. He's most definitely a "still waters run deep" type of young man. And you watch him and think, "You must be so angry! How can you act so calm?". And then... yeah. We find out.
The next book in this series has the potential to be completely explosive. There are so many turbulent feelings between Arin and Kestrel, and the new situations they're each in as The Winner's Curse closes... Surely they can only lead to heartache of the highest order? Well, one thing's for certain. I will be tuning in to find out! Eep!
5 Stars ★★★★★
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was so good, you guys! And so different!
THE WINNER'S CURSE tells of a world - very similar to our own, only with greatly differing traditions and histories - where, seemingly, the bad guys are winning. Kestrel, our heroine, is Valorian. The Valorians, lead by Kestrel's own father, enslaved the Herrani people about a decade ago after attacking and "colonising" their beautiful country. They now rule over them from the comfort of old Herrani mansions - which takes a special kind of audacity, right? - and use them as unpaid servants, often horribly mistreated.
You really can't help but put yourself in the place of each side of the argument in The Winner's Curse. What kind of master would I be if I were Valorian? How would my pride get me in trouble as a Herrani? And as I myself did this, I found I wasn't happy about the view from either side. When it comes to slavery and "owning" people, there are no nice easy answers or solutions. It's an impossible situation, with no hope of any happy endings that I can conceive. It was a real STOP and THINK book, that's for sure.
Plot wise, it starts out quite gently. There is a very slow and subtle building of a relationship between Herrani slave Arin and Valorian noble Kestrel. The author also shows slices of Valorian life, which is seemingly all balls, tea parties and garden games. Which kinda makes you want to slap them just a bit more. That they could be so obtuse as to be panicking about this season's colours while nearby, slaves are being beaten for dropping a spoon. Luckily for my sanity, Kestrel has about as much patience for that sort of nonsense as I do. All she wants to do is play her piano, and avoid her father's urgings to either join the military, or get married to a nice Valorian boy. Neither of which she wants to do.
As for Arin? Oyy. What a great character. He's most definitely a "still waters run deep" type of young man. And you watch him and think, "You must be so angry! How can you act so calm?". And then... yeah. We find out.
The next book in this series has the potential to be completely explosive. There are so many turbulent feelings between Arin and Kestrel, and the new situations they're each in as The Winner's Curse closes... Surely they can only lead to heartache of the highest order? Well, one thing's for certain. I will be tuning in to find out! Eep!
5 Stars ★★★★★
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.