The Winner's Curse

Look out 2015! It. Is. On. That’s right. The gauntlet has been thrown, the bar has been set (ridiculously high, I might add), and every book that I read for the rest of the year will be compared to this one—as in, “Yeah, I liked this book, but did I like it AS MUCH as The Winner’s Curse???”—because it was THAT GOOD.

Why did I wait so long to read this book? Whyyyyyyy? I mean, I try to console myself by remembering that I have finally read it and, ooooh, look at the pretty hardcover that I have to add to my shelf, but still. I could just kick myself for waiting so, SO long.

Marie Rutkoski’s writing is so gorgeous and so engrossing that The Winner’s Curse kept me up reading WELL past my bedtime and left me with one heck of a show more book hangover. I couldn’t pick up another book for DAYS. Days, I tell you! All I could do was think about this story and its characters and WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT?! Thankfully, The Winner’s Crime comes out in 42 days +/- a couple of hours. Yes, I’m counting.

Kestrel and Arin’s story is told in dual perspective, which is a brilliant move by Rutkoski if you ask me. Because not only do you get to see the difference in POV between a male and female character (I love this!), but you also get to take a look at the differences between two people on opposite sides of a war-torn country. On one side you’ve got the daughter of a General whose army conquered and enslaved a country’s entire population. On the other you’ve got a slave who has been purchased and brought into the General’s household by that same daughter.

I found this to be a VERY effective (and addictive) story telling technique. Because as the dynamic between Kestrel and Arin shifts and changes—as they make assumptions about each other and find that they might not be so true; as they learn to trust one another and become friends, or possibly something more—lines that were once not meant to be crossed suddenly begin to blur. And, before you know it, nothing is black and white anymore and you’re drowning in a sea of grey.

*Side Note* Can I tell you how absurdly happy I was that we didn’t know Arin’s name for, like, SIX chapters? Absurdly. Happy. Because we don’t learn Arin’s name until Kestrel does. He is simply referred to as “the slave” (even in his own chapters) until he tells her his name. It’s attention to details like that that make me want to do cartwheels and backflips and other acrobatic feats that I’m just not capable of. So, thank you Marie Rutkoski! I could kiss you for this—but I won’t. Okay. I’m done now.

Anyways. The thing that I really loved, the thing that kept me turning the pages into the wee hours of the night—besides the writing. And the characters. And, have I mentioned the world building? No? Well, that’s stellar too—was the whole idea of the Winner’s Curse.

“Looks like someone’s suffering the Winner’s Curse.”

Kestrel turned to her. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t come to auctions often, do you? The Winner’s Curse is when you come out on top of the bid, but only by paying a steep price.”

The Winner’s Curse is not a concept that I’ve ever given much thought to before, but it totally fascinated me. Especially with how it kept presenting itself throughout the story. At least, it did to me. Although, I do tend to read too much into things sometimes. But I seriously don’t think it was just me. And it wasn’t necessarily always big, Earth-shattering things like when Kestrel buys Arin, intertwining their fates and forever changing the world as they know it. No, there were smaller, more subtle battles to be won. And those battles may not have been as big, but they still had to decide what they were willing to do/say/give up to win them. It’s like, yeah, sure, you’re going to get what you want, but what’s it gonna cost you? And, more importantly, are you willing to pay the price?

And that ending! OMG, I can’t even. You guys. You. Guys. I am dying to get my hands on The Winner’s Crime because I HAVE TO KNOW HOW THAT ALL PLAYS OUT. Ahem. show less

The setting for this story really sold it for me. Yes, Ms Rutkoski uses Valorian (conquering empire) versus the Herrani (enslaved, occupied lands), but if we go back to history- it's the Romans and the Greeks- so cool to set a YA novel in that era-ish. The Valorians appropriated the gods, arts, and culture from the Herrani- much like the Romans did to the Greeks [and just about any other group they didn't simply eliminate]. They would absorb them into the fold.

I liked Kestral as well, she is a strategist to her core, always weighing the odds and outcomes of events, observing things others miss as incidental. There is some romance, but it almost takes a back seat to the events going on around them and her misgivings about those events. I show more can't wait to get to the next installment to see where this heroine goes.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know how I feel about the love interest though, I understand why he [Arin] would do certain things, but he’s trying to win her over as he takes back his lands (killing her people, her friends etc.)? [Anyone else see a problem with that?] Yes, he’s continually trying to protect her from this violence, but it’s still happening and she’s still his hostage in a gilded cage. show less

Oh my goodness, where do I even start?! This book was BRILLIANT!!!
There were so many layers to this story; the world, history, politics, social classes, relationships. I’m just in awe of its complexity.

Author, Marie Rutkoski does an amazing job creating a new world that is so vivid and real. A lot of people have been categorizing this book as fantasy, which I don’t agree with. Fantasy is full of faires, hobbits, dragons, and other mythical creatures. My guess for people using this label is because the world she created is so rich in imagery and feels like a whole new world. It is old fashioned, reminiscent of the Roman Empire rather than anything dystopian, making it hard for us to define. In any case, don’t let the fantasy show more label scare you off if your thinking this ones not for you.

Kestrel was such an amazing protagonist! She was richer than dirt but wasn’t your stereotypical rich brat. She was super intelligent, brave, caring, and independent. She also didn’t care what people thought of her. If she wanted to do something she was going to do it regardless of the gossip it would cause. Her strength, while not in the general sense of the word, was something to be admired.

With an amazing protagonist comes a just as amazing love interest. Arin is a Herrani slave that Kestrel buys on a whim while at the market. We get to watch as an unlikely friendship begins to grow between the two until it becomes something more, something forbidden. Arin’s character was so full of depth, both he and Kestrel seemed wise beyond their years.

While the book was told in third-person it honestly felt like first to me, in the fact that I connected so deeply with them and felt I knew both characters inside & out.

Overall, this book has easily become one of my favorites, not just of the year, but ever. If you only pick up one book this year make sure The Winners Curse is that one!

ps.
For those of you who have already read The Winners Curse and want more, Marie has also written a short story called Bridge of Snow that features Arin as a child. It’s not a novella or anything, you can read it for free over at TOR.com or follow this link: Bridge of Snow short story show less

As absorbing as the first time I read it.

The romance is effectively paced, never really allowing either character to forget that they’re on opposite sides, that there is a horrible, ever shifting power dynamic between them, that they aren’t supposed to be falling in love yet they can’t quite help it, the chemistry is intense, the resistance is intense.

The circumstances from the start, he’s a slave, she bought him, that part of the story thankfully never feels romanticized, anything romantic strictly stems from the two of them talking and listening to each other as equals (even if others don’t see them as equals that's how they see/treat each other). The beauty in their relationship is the possibility it holds to change their show more warring world, the possibility of being a uniting force, through Kestrel, Arin is shown that the horrific actions of some of her people isn’t necessarily indicative of all of them, and through Arin, Kestrel, is finally confronted with and educated on the truth of what her people have done, that they slaughtered his, enslaved his, that they were wrong.

This is such a page turner with the tables constantly turning between these two characters, with feelings and conflict constantly bubbling up, and a level of intelligence and shrewdness on both their parts that is endlessly intriguing. show less

The Winner's Curse is a novel of politics, intrigue, and secrets. Kestrel, a general's daughter, is a formidable character with a sharp eye and a clever tongue. Her life is unfulfilling, faced with an inevitable choice between loveless marriage and a future as a soldier. However, her relatively predictable reality is irrevocably changed when she spontaneously purchases an elusive and embittered slave. Arin is equally drawn to Kestrel and her quick mind, but he has secrets of his own that will shatter both of their worlds.

The world of The Winner's Curse is strongly reminiscent of ancient tales of Roman culture and conquests with lush depictions of society life and the harsh realities of slavery. This one was a slow burner for me. I was show more intrigued by the characters and hooked by Rutkoski's unique and arresting style of writing, which kept me invested through an occasionally sluggish development. show less

I really, really enjoyed this one. I don't think that we get to see female protagonists that specifically are not good at combat and only really use strategy and wits to fight. Many have a combination but almost always they can throw a punch as well. I really enjoyed the strategy aspect of this book. I think it was really cool to see people trade secrets and proposals to get what they need instead of just fighting it out. I thought the world building in this book was also very strong. It was clear to me that the author and been influenced and had researched really life empires and societies when writing this book and it really made the world feel real and like something like this could have been possible. I loved hearing about the show more differences in cultures of the two groups of people in this book and having characters that don't really fit the expectations on their particular culture. I also loved the characters. They just felt so real and well rounded to me. Both of the main characters had serious flaws that made them very relatable as characters, which is something I really appreciate. All the relationships also seemed very realistic, wether it was romantic, friendships, or the relationships to parents or parental figures. I think the author also did a really great job with depicting the relationship of two people who have a real power imbalance, a slave and a slave owner. The character development I thought was also wonderful and just noticeable enough. For instance the love interest says at the beginning of the book that a slave cannot truly love their master and later he obviously goes on to fall in love with his master. This just showed me how the author was using subtle phrases and moments to show us readers the character development. I definitely want to read the next book and read it soon. I did genuinely enjoy all the strategy elements in this story and I can't wait to read about those things in the next book. show less

I think lately we have forgotten that a strong female character doesn't just mean that she can physically kick a lot of ass. We have a tendency to paste a label of 'damsel' on any woman who can't fight and kill men 3X they're size. We forget that intellect, being true to yourself, knowing your limitations and making difficult choices in difficult situations is also incredibly strong .

I loved Kestrel for all these reasons. In a world where you must enlist or you wed Kestrel is a generals daughter who lacks skill in combat. She prefers music and intellectual games, music which is deemed for slaves not for any high born. She is a master in planning and can easily plan how to win a battle but the battle itself is just not for her. I cannot show more stress how much I love this. I love diverse characters but especially diverse women. Men have owned stories for a lifetime and it is now that women get to really shine. Kestrel was beautifully written with a realism to her that made me connect. She was never written in a light of perfection, she knows her flaws but she also knows her own strengths. I think most of my love for this book comes from Kestrel's character (not saying the rest wasn't any good but she shined and I wanted more and more and more of her).

Arin was a Herrani slave bought by Kestrel in a moment of weakness to his defiant eyes. He has a mysterious background that I hope we learn more of in the forthcoming books, we got a bit but I want it all. I have back and forth feelings for Arin, on the one hand I completely understand his actions and his hatred is completely valid but on the other hand he endangers Kestrel and dude, not cool.

Overall, I really adored 'The Winner's Curse'. I was really nervous going into it because it's gotten SUCH rave reviews but to me it really lived up to them. It was so beautiful and gorgeous. It sucked me in and I hadn't even realized it. I know zero bookstores in my city have it and if it's the same for you- order it. I really don't think you'll regret it. show less