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emily_gaynier's review against another edition
5.0
I really like how Kestrel isn't a strong fighter and instead is really good at strategy and discovering secrets.
I was also worried about how the romance would go in this book. I didn't want Arin to fall victim to that situation where he wouldn't be able to say no, but thankfully that didn't happen!
I was also worried about how the romance would go in this book. I didn't want Arin to fall victim to that situation where he wouldn't be able to say no, but thankfully that didn't happen!
laurenbookishtwins's review against another edition
5.0
First Impressions: I really enjoyed this, particularly Kestrel who is a fantastically developed, fierce and intelligent protagonist. I also loved the slow building romance between Kestrel and Arin. I can't wait for the next book.
Review: Kestrel is the general's daughter of an empire where they conquer and enslave. Kestrel has only two choices, either marry or join the army. Yet Kestrel wants neither - she wants music, she wants something different, she wants to do what she wants. During an auction of a slave, Kestrel makes a rash decision and buys Arin, something of a kindred spirit. This proves to be a disastrous move and Kestrel has to pay a price higher than she ever intended.
I had heard some fantastic things about The Winner's Curse, and when I read the novella [b:Bridge of Snow|20345368|Bridge of Snow (Winner's Trilogy, #0.5)|Marie Rutkoski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388822013s/20345368.jpg|28356003], I was set. The Winner's Curse was something I had to read. And the cover is really pretty, right?
I am a massive fan of high fantasy and this one certainly did not disappoint. Perhaps the world-building did feel lacking, but I loved it nonetheless. I loved that the women had gowns equipped with daggers, I loved how women can fight in the army, how they have influence, how they can fight in duels and WIN and it's not considered strange.
Kestrel isn't a fighter. She's not strong in the sense that she can physically kick butt. However, she's strong in her own right. She's a strategist, and she's smart, cunning and attentive. She wins with her mind, not with her fists and it's something that I deeply admired her for because she's different from all the other heroines. She's one of the smartest protagonists I've met.
Another thing I really enjoyed in The Winner's Curse was the slow building relationship between Arin and Kestrel. It wasn't instalove, thankfully, but they slowly learnt to appreciate and care for each other. Arin was a slave, Kestrel was his mistress but she treated him fairly. They're both very protective of each other, care for each other, even love each other but they don't let it override the most important factor: they're unequals in the eyes of society, they face some very real and dangerous problems.
Overall, The Winner's Curse was a highly enjoyable and enticing novel.
Review: Kestrel is the general's daughter of an empire where they conquer and enslave. Kestrel has only two choices, either marry or join the army. Yet Kestrel wants neither - she wants music, she wants something different, she wants to do what she wants. During an auction of a slave, Kestrel makes a rash decision and buys Arin, something of a kindred spirit. This proves to be a disastrous move and Kestrel has to pay a price higher than she ever intended.
I had heard some fantastic things about The Winner's Curse, and when I read the novella [b:Bridge of Snow|20345368|Bridge of Snow (Winner's Trilogy, #0.5)|Marie Rutkoski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388822013s/20345368.jpg|28356003], I was set. The Winner's Curse was something I had to read. And the cover is really pretty, right?
I am a massive fan of high fantasy and this one certainly did not disappoint. Perhaps the world-building did feel lacking, but I loved it nonetheless. I loved that the women had gowns equipped with daggers, I loved how women can fight in the army, how they have influence, how they can fight in duels and WIN and it's not considered strange.
Kestrel isn't a fighter. She's not strong in the sense that she can physically kick butt. However, she's strong in her own right. She's a strategist, and she's smart, cunning and attentive. She wins with her mind, not with her fists and it's something that I deeply admired her for because she's different from all the other heroines. She's one of the smartest protagonists I've met.
Another thing I really enjoyed in The Winner's Curse was the slow building relationship between Arin and Kestrel. It wasn't instalove, thankfully, but they slowly learnt to appreciate and care for each other. Arin was a slave, Kestrel was his mistress but she treated him fairly. They're both very protective of each other, care for each other, even love each other but they don't let it override the most important factor: they're unequals in the eyes of society, they face some very real and dangerous problems.
Overall, The Winner's Curse was a highly enjoyable and enticing novel.
scaredygoose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
candyperfumegirl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sunsetsnbooks's review against another edition
5.0
“People in brightly lit places cannot see into the dark.”
¿Cómo empiezas una review de un libro que te ha hecho pasar por todas las emociones posibles? ¿Cómo explicas con palabras lo epic que te ha parecido o que tus ojos se llenaron de lágrimas porque una escena estaba escrita de forma preciosa? ¿Cómo salgo de la piel de Kestrel y vuelvo a mi mundo después de pasar días sumergida en el de ella? ¿Si deseo muy muy fuerte que esta historia tenga un final feliz se cumplirá?
(Kinda spoilery, sorry...)
Cuando abrí la primera página no sabía lo que me iba a encontrar y ahora, un día después de haberlo terminado, ya sé que ésta va a ser una de mis sagas favoritas y que siempre voy a adorar a Kestrel. Tengo debilidad por las heroínas que no son lo que parecen en un principio. Siendo la hija de quien es podría parecer que Kestrel lo tiene todo y no es así. Vive en una encrucijada entre lo que su padre desea para ella y la libertad que ella misma anhela y que tampoco puede tener porque solo dispone de dos opciones: ejército o matrimonio. Pero entonces surge otra con la que no contaba, y ahí se complica todo.
“If her heart were truly a scroll, she could burn it. It would become a tunnel of flame, a handful of ash. The secrets she had written inside herself would be gone. No one would know.”
“Kestrel had bought a life, and loved it, and sold it.”
Kestrel es increíble. La madurez que tiene a su edad respecto a ciertos temas, lo asumido que tiene su destino, su fortaleza, su vulnerabilidad, su humanidad. Todo. Y lo difícil que es su situación y que a pesar de ello lo afronte con esa valentía.
Tengo sentimientos encontrados porque me ha encantado la relación que tiene con su padre pero a la vez le desprecio un poco porque sé que para el no hay nada más importante que el imperio que tiene que defender. Cuando tienen escenas juntos ves todo el amor que hay entre ellos pero es desgarrador ver los intentos de Kestrel por agradarle. Y es más triste cuando sabes que al que quiere hacer sentir orgulloso no es a su padre, sino al General.
“Kestrel.” The general touched her shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was uncharacteristically hesitant. “It’s every child’s duty to survive her parents. My profession isn’t a safe one. I would like—Kestrel, when I die, do not mourn me.”
She smiled. “You do not command me,” she said, and kissed his cheek.
Marie hace magia transportándote al imperio donde se desarrolla la trama. Al principio te pierdes un poco entre tanto detalle pero es normal cuando se trata de dos culturas que no conoces. Un pueblo colonizador y otro esclavo. Los Valorian vs Herrani. Kestrel y su esclavo. ¿Puede ser todo más complicado? SI. Porque si piensas que este libro va a ir por un camino y que solo van a tener que esquivar unas pocas piedras es cuando la autora coge y le da la vuelta a todo y la partida vuelve a empezar. Es lo que más me ha gustado del libro. Las sorpresas, los giros inesperados cada pocas páginas, lo rápido que se tienen que adaptar los personajes a las nuevas situaciones, el adentrarte tanto en ellos que te duelan las decisiones que tienen que tomar para seguir adelante.
Arin ha sido una joya por descubrir. Yo que me indignaba con él al principio por no saber cuáles eran sus intenciones ni lo que sentía realmente. Creo que es brillante la forma de Marie de ir descubriendo cosas poco a poco, de dejarte creer lo que quieras de él para más tarde mostrarte que hay mucho más y que no lo puedes juzgar tan a la ligera. Arin, que lleva siendo esclavo desde niño, que aprendió a sobrevivir para vengarse de las personas que le habían arrebatado todo lo que tenía. Arin, el que odia a todos los Valorian hasta que una se cruza en su vida y le va desmontando por dentro. El que se odia por empezar a pensar que tal vez no sean todos iguales, que puede que por ella merezca la pena poner en peligro su plan.
“Stop it,” he said. “Stop pretending to mourn someone who wasn’t your blood.” His hand was iron around her wrist. She pulled free, the cruelty of what he had said bringing fresh tears to her eyes.
“I loved her,” Kestrel whispered.
“You loved her because she did anything you wanted.”
“That’s not true.”
“She didn’t love you. She could never love you.”
The light dimmed. The sky through the windows turned emerald. It was the first green storm of the season, and as Kestrel heard the wind pummel the house, she knew that Arin was wrong. He had wanted to punish her for months now. Hadn’t she bought him? Didn’t she own him? This was his revenge. That was all.
Y el Arin que cuando acepta lo que siente se entrega por completo a esa persona sin importar que sea la hija de uno de sus mayores enemigos. EPIC MUCH?? Pero es que hay tantos paralelismos entre Kestrel y Arin que LLORO. Los dos son esclavos en su propio mundo y ninguno puede traicionar al otro sin que haya consecuencias. Kestrel consigue tenerlo todo por un breve instante y cuando su mundo se pone patas arriba es Arin el que tiene que luchar para ganarse otra vez su confianza. Ella es la prisionera ahora, la que tiene que vengar a su gente mientras su corazón le dice otra cosa. Es tan doloroso todo el recorrido, todo lo que viven y todo lo que se transforman. Si ya me derrito con las historias de amor complicadas ésta que es casi imposible tiene todo lo que siempre he querido.
They rode on in silence until Arin said, “Kestrel.”
She waited, then realized that he wasn’t speaking to her, exactly. He was simply saying her name, considering it, exploring the syllables of the Valorian word.
She said, “I hope you’re not going to pretend you don’t know what it means.”
He shot her a wry, sidelong look. “A kestrel is a hunting hawk.”
“Yes. The perfect name for a warrior girl.”
“Well.” His smile was slight, but it was there. “I suppose neither of us is the person we were believed we would become.”
En el fondo es una historia de sacrificio y de cuánto están dispuestos a renunciar el uno por el otro. La palabra DOLOR se queda corta and I'm all in hasta el final, porque nunca pierdo la esperanza y tiene que haber recompensa.
Y Bel, Amp, leer esto sin vosotras no sería lo mismo. Nos queda tanto por llorar juntas :(
bel_saturnreads's review against another edition
5.0
Relectura que hago de esto libro después de 8 años y lo he vivido tantísimo que me lo he acabado en un par de dias, la relacion de Arin y Kestrel es que es una relacion enemies to lovers tan bien construida me ha tenido en un sin vivir de sentimientos
TRILOGIA FAVORITA EVER ♥
----------------
La verdad que no sé por donde empezar porque ha sido una historia de muchos feelings sobre todo de la historia tan complicada que tienen kestrel y arin y toda las complicaciones que les rodean pero que a pesar de todo el amor del uno por el otro es lo que destaca a pesar de que se jueguen la vida para ello.
Kestrel se ha convertido en una de mis protas favoritas sin duda con todo lo que pasa sigue siendo ella y la que mas sufre y Arin es que no le puedo juzgar por nada porque él tiene sus razones pero se ve que siempre va a poner a Kestrel antes y lo que siente por ella
y es un libro que te atrapa su historia que sabes desde el principio que se va a complicar mucho todo pero aun asi amas cada una de sus paginas y que ganas de empezar el 2º con mis niñas Jess y Amp y bueno menos mal que hemos comentado el 1º juntas para aguantar el sufrimiento jajaja
"You don't, Kestrel, even though the god of lies loves you."
TRILOGIA FAVORITA EVER ♥
----------------
La verdad que no sé por donde empezar porque ha sido una historia de muchos feelings sobre todo de la historia tan complicada que tienen kestrel y arin y toda las complicaciones que les rodean pero que a pesar de todo el amor del uno por el otro es lo que destaca a pesar de que se jueguen la vida para ello.
“Isn't that what stories do, make real things fake, and fake things real?”
Kestrel se ha convertido en una de mis protas favoritas sin duda con todo lo que pasa sigue siendo ella y la que mas sufre y Arin es que no le puedo juzgar por nada porque él tiene sus razones pero se ve que siempre va a poner a Kestrel antes y lo que siente por ella
y es un libro que te atrapa su historia que sabes desde el principio que se va a complicar mucho todo pero aun asi amas cada una de sus paginas y que ganas de empezar el 2º con mis niñas Jess y Amp y bueno menos mal que hemos comentado el 1º juntas para aguantar el sufrimiento jajaja
jess_walkinshaw's review against another edition
This book was quite the read. I was really excited to read this book after having a book hangover from The Throne of Glass series.
This book is about a girl who in society has a big reputation as she is the General's daughter her name is Kestrel. She has a best friend and her name is Jess and Jess has a brother who is in love with Kestrel.
In this world we dive into has been conquered by the Valorian's and the people who have been conquered are the Herrani, who are now slaves of the Vslorian people.
Kestrel is tricked in to purchasing a slave (Arin) Kestrel at first is very disgusted by the fact that shes bought a slave, but she has and eventually becomes infatuated with him. They learn he is an exquisite blacksmith, and through this book you learn a lot about Arin you wouldn't believe and Kestrel catches on to some of these things and looks to find out how he came to learn these things and after a big price is made and Kestrel has to defend Arin they both find out that they have indeed falling for one another, And near the middle of this book you find out just who both of these characters are to them selves and to each other. The end of this book leaves a big shock and left me wondering what is going to happen to these to love birds.
This book I'm not going to lie took awhile to get into, but not in the way you would think. I knew all the little details would matter after reading the first few chapters and I paid attention to them knowing they would be important later and as I read I just wanted to know what all these little things were leading up to and when it happens you know why it took so long and why all those little details mattered. It truly is a great book and I cannot wait to read the second book.
I will becoming at you with a Throne Of Glass series Reviews soon Thank you!
For more comment and if you have any requests please leave a note below :)
Sowden.Book.Tells.
This book is about a girl who in society has a big reputation as she is the General's daughter her name is Kestrel. She has a best friend and her name is Jess and Jess has a brother who is in love with Kestrel.
In this world we dive into has been conquered by the Valorian's and the people who have been conquered are the Herrani, who are now slaves of the Vslorian people.
Kestrel is tricked in to purchasing a slave (Arin) Kestrel at first is very disgusted by the fact that shes bought a slave, but she has and eventually becomes infatuated with him. They learn he is an exquisite blacksmith, and through this book you learn a lot about Arin you wouldn't believe and Kestrel catches on to some of these things and looks to find out how he came to learn these things and after a big price is made and Kestrel has to defend Arin they both find out that they have indeed falling for one another, And near the middle of this book you find out just who both of these characters are to them selves and to each other. The end of this book leaves a big shock and left me wondering what is going to happen to these to love birds.
This book I'm not going to lie took awhile to get into, but not in the way you would think. I knew all the little details would matter after reading the first few chapters and I paid attention to them knowing they would be important later and as I read I just wanted to know what all these little things were leading up to and when it happens you know why it took so long and why all those little details mattered. It truly is a great book and I cannot wait to read the second book.
I will becoming at you with a Throne Of Glass series Reviews soon Thank you!
For more comment and if you have any requests please leave a note below :)
Sowden.Book.Tells.
monetsmith8's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing.
If you ever want to read an adventure book with lots of drama, plot twists, cunning characters, action, romance and everything in between... This book is for you.
Not only does Rutkoski have a way with words that bring everything to life, she has a way of describing emotions in a way you rarely see, and can only feel.
It was absolutely beautiful, kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the entire novel, and I am already looking for the follow up! I cannot recommend this book enough...
If you ever want to read an adventure book with lots of drama, plot twists, cunning characters, action, romance and everything in between... This book is for you.
Not only does Rutkoski have a way with words that bring everything to life, she has a way of describing emotions in a way you rarely see, and can only feel.
It was absolutely beautiful, kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the entire novel, and I am already looking for the follow up! I cannot recommend this book enough...
syl_val15's review against another edition
4.0
Why haven't I read this sooner and why don't readers talk about this more often?
I've been feeling the urge to read 'The Winner's Trilogy' since last year and ever since I've been seeing the series everywhere on my social medias and that urge only increased when I saw Illumicrate's edition. (it was surely a sign of pushing me to pick up these books asap!)
I wouldn't say high, but I definitely have expectations for this trilogy and I really don't want them to be DNF worthy.
I've been feeling the urge to read 'The Winner's Trilogy' since last year and ever since I've been seeing the series everywhere on my social medias and that urge only increased when I saw Illumicrate's edition. (it was surely a sign of pushing me to pick up these books asap!)
I wouldn't say high, but I definitely have expectations for this trilogy and I really don't want them to be DNF worthy.