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A review by catpingu
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This little book probably turned out to be a niche fandom at the time it was published, because of the growing popularity of Sarah J. Maas and Kiera Cass, and remnant hype over Rick Riordan's The Heroes of Olympus, Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments, Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles, Veronica Roth's Divergent side stories, Marie Lu's new series The Young Elites, etc. It wasn't very big in my circles, nor did I ever hear a lot about this particular series afterwards. It's something that was missed and people should be more hyped about.
Lady Kestrel, daughter of the fabled Valorian General Trajan, makes an unexpected slave purchase at the market, a brawny, silent, muscled Smith. The fifty keystones she spent on him is the talk of the town, spent not for blacksmithing at her father's estate, but for his supposed ability to sing. Arin does not sing, but he has achieved his goal of infiltrating the general's household to provide information for the Herrani rebellion to take back their city from their Valorian conquerors. Kestrel and Arin are smart and like winning, and as they dance around each other with suspicion and interest, the undercurrent of violence and conspiracy is too strong to stop.
My synopsis summary is weak for the stilted-but-progressive steady "not really an enemy but definitely stranger I don't trust" to "kinda lovers but we never really said we were". Slow-burn, obviously. "Dancing around each other" is probably the nicest way and clearest way of describing these two.
Okay in other news, this is way better than [book:An Ember in the Ashes|213075476]. The master-slave relationship isn't annoying, overblown, or even like a huge factor in their relationship. It's a means to an end of infiltration and character development, as Kestrel has to figure out what to do with this slave that she technically bought, and whose free time is spent in the smithy because it's a great marketable skill.
They're judgemental of each other. Kestrel being a Herrani sympathetic yet blind to all the disgusting chores and harsh treatment the Herrani and other slaves face from her race, only bought this slave because she heard he could sing and she loves music. Arin, a spy, judges Kestrel for being the daughter of the man who conquered his city. The relationship between these two characters develop implicitly through actions and thoughts that aren't voiced anywhere. It's very much a read-between-the-lines book, as neither character wants to openly admit their attraction for each other.
Lady Kestrel, daughter of the fabled Valorian General Trajan, makes an unexpected slave purchase at the market, a brawny, silent, muscled Smith. The fifty keystones she spent on him is the talk of the town, spent not for blacksmithing at her father's estate, but for his supposed ability to sing. Arin does not sing, but he has achieved his goal of infiltrating the general's household to provide information for the Herrani rebellion to take back their city from their Valorian conquerors. Kestrel and Arin are smart and like winning, and as they dance around each other with suspicion and interest, the undercurrent of violence and conspiracy is too strong to stop.
My synopsis summary is weak for the stilted-but-progressive steady "not really an enemy but definitely stranger I don't trust" to "kinda lovers but we never really said we were". Slow-burn, obviously. "Dancing around each other" is probably the nicest way and clearest way of describing these two.
Okay in other news, this is way better than [book:An Ember in the Ashes|213075476]. The master-slave relationship isn't annoying, overblown, or even like a huge factor in their relationship. It's a means to an end of infiltration and character development, as Kestrel has to figure out what to do with this slave that she technically bought, and whose free time is spent in the smithy because it's a great marketable skill.
They're judgemental of each other. Kestrel being a Herrani sympathetic yet blind to all the disgusting chores and harsh treatment the Herrani and other slaves face from her race, only bought this slave because she heard he could sing and she loves music. Arin, a spy, judges Kestrel for being the daughter of the man who conquered his city. The relationship between these two characters develop implicitly through actions and thoughts that aren't voiced anywhere. It's very much a read-between-the-lines book, as neither character wants to openly admit their attraction for each other.