A review by shadowbunny101
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Honestly I really enjoyed this. The writing is excellent for a romantasy book. The reason I rated this as a 3.75 (instead of something higher) is largely because I didn’t feel convinced that the main characters truly loved each other? Yes, they cared deeply for one another but I didn’t really see them connect outside of their shared love for music. So, I think this limited my interest in the book series as a whole. Additionally, the fantasy world was pretty tame. One nation conquers another yada yada. If I wanted to read about conquests I could pick up any book about the Roman Empire. The beauty of fantasy (in my mind) is the magical elements. The lack of a magic system is another reason I didn’t love love this book. Overall, my appreciation of this book was driven by the quality of the writing rather than the subject matter.