A review by elcoles99
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

adventurous 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? Yes

3.25

I’m not really sure what to rate this book. It starts out as a relatively classic YA plot that reminded me of The Selection, and I thought it would be a slow-burn romance. But the second half of this book turned it into something more like The Cruel Prince, full of politics and betrayals and war. For this reason the pacing felt a bit off, and I wasn’t fully on board with the romance (tbh we don’t actually get much romance just hints). I also felt like the world building was a bit half-hearted which made the second half of the book feel a bit unexpected- we don’t know how long ago the invasion happened or what the wider world looks like, really we were missing a map! I was also kind of comparing this to We Hunt the Flame even though the plot is not similar at all, but I didn’t enjoy that book so I think that kinda carried into this. I will carry on with the series because I’m excited to see where it goes but overall I can’t quite decide if I enjoyed the book or not!