Winning what you want may cost you everything you love
They were never meant to be together. As a general's daughter, seventeen-year-old Kestrel enjoys an extravagant and privileged life. Arin has nothing but the clothes on his back. Then Kestrel makes an impulsive decision that binds Arin to her. Though they try to fight it, they can't help but fall in love. In order to be together, they must betray their people . . . but to be loyal to their country, they must betray each other.
Set in a new world, The Winner's Curse is a story of rebellion, duels, ballroom dances, wicked rumors, dirty secrets, and games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
A Quiet, Vivid Story
By YA Book Queen
I knew going into The Winner's Curse that this would be a novel worth reading, if only because of how much I loved the creativity featured in Rutkoski's The Shadow Society. But even knowing that, I was still amazed by how outstanding this novel turned out to be. The story revolves around two main characters: Kestral, a Valerian and the daughter of a great military General, and Arin, a Herrani slave whom Kestral buys on impulse at an auction. Kestral is expected to join the military, while Arin must do whatever it takes to survive as one of the Herrani slaves. Despite their different stations in life, Kestral and Arin slowly form a forbidden friendship that could change the fate of their world's future.Rutkoski excels at painting a vivid picture within her readers' minds – the characters, the world, the culture, everything proved to be easy enough to envision and imagine. But, it was the characters who stole the show. From Kestral's observant and strategic nature to Arin's subtle intelligence and sharp personality, it was easy to root for both of them. Even the side characters were wonderfully developed, and continually intriguing. I went into this expecting a good story, but Rutkoski delivered a quiet, stunning tale that pleasantly surprised me. The Winner's Curse is a surprising, captivating tale of family, love, and honor. This book? It should be on your to-read list. Or, better yet, your bookshelf.Highlights: The romance is slow, subtle, and almost barely beginning. This story focuses on the intelligence of main characters, rather than their ability to be physical threats. I loved how this story was written in a 3rd person POV, because it allowed Rutkoski to go into detail and really show off the fantasy world she crafted. While this as a quieter story, there are bursts of action-packed moments, strategic manipulations, and a couple surprising revelations. Worldbuilding, characters, story – it was all fantastic.Lowlights: It has a slightly slow beginning and a couple moments felt slightly rushed, but I have no big issues with this story. The writing style will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I adored it. The ending was pretty brutal, emotionally. It leaves you wanting the sequel, desperately!
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful.Review for The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
By Alyssa
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***The Winner's Curse by Marie RutkoskiBook One of the Winner's TrilogyPublisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)Publication Date: March 4, 2014Rating: 5 starsSource: Copy borrowed from a friend (thank you, Jess!)Summary (from Goodreads):Winning what you want may cost you everything you loveAs a general's daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin's eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him--with unexpected consequences. It's not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.What I Liked:Let me be clear: I most likely will NOT be doing this book justice, with this review. I loved this book so much, and I already know that I cannot express just how much I love this book, or everything that I love about this book, in one review. But I'll try.This is more of a fantasy novel than anything. I saw on Goodreads that there are labels such as "science fiction", "dystopia", and "historical fiction". The first two are really off, but this book does have historical elements - like, medieval elements. But it isn't set in a real historic period, if that's what people are thinking. It's fantasy - epic fantasy - like Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.Kestrel buys a slave on a whim, and everything kind of goes downhill from there. This slave, Arin, is part of a rebellion that is trying to start a revolution. Kestrel slowly develops a bond with Arin, but she has no idea that she has been played - that Arin and his group of rebels planned everything. And the revolution is happening.I can't really explain the plot of this book, but it is so intriguing and twisting and engaging and interesting! everything is strategic and analytic and set in the story for a reason, for a specific purpose - even if readers don't see it at first. I LOVE this type of book, because I'm the really analytic type, so I enjoy figuring out puzzles and mysteries and looking for things beyond what is told or mentioned. Fun!The book is indirectly split into two parts: the beginning is about Kestrel and Arin - and this has very little to do with romance or chemistry. YES, in this time, they develop a strange friendship, because Kestrel insists that he be honest with her at all times. Kestrel begins to depend on him and his opinion, and takes him as her escort to many places. The first part of the book is spent building their relationship, as well as their characters. Rutkoski does this very thoroughly, in a subtle way.I really like Kestrel's character. She is clever, and in many ways. She has a mind for the military and political maneuverings. She is cunning and brave, even though she is not good with hand-to-hand combat and other forms of fighting. She thinks things over many times, and is rarely wrong. I like her. She is not soft, but she is kind to those she trusts and care about.Back to the plot. The second half of the book is about the revolution. I won't be too specific, but basically, the second half of the book deals with the revolution and Kestrel's role in the revolution. I feel like we get to learn more about Arin in this section of the book, and we get to see who he really is. I find that even though he is a rebel, and on the opposite side of Kestrel, he is a good purpose. I can't see him as a villain. Rutkoski is a genius, because she has spun this story to make readers love both the heroine and the "villain".So, I really liked Kestrel AND Arin. And I love their relationship. Rutkoski has their relationship develop differently from most YA relationships. They are only physically intimate TWICE in the whole book (i.e., the yonly kiss twice), and yet, I find the romance absolutely beautiful. This is a great example of how romance can be more sentimental or emotional, versus physical.Of course, that's not stopping me from hoping from more steamy times in the subsequent novels.Another thing I really liked was the writing style and the setup of the perspectives. Right from the beginning, Rutkoski demonstrates a gorgeous writing style. It was like poetry in freestyle - so lush and descriptive and BEAUTIFUL. And something that I was happy to see was that this book is in third person point-of-view, and while it is mostly limited to Kestrel's point-of-view, Rutkoski threw in Arin's point-of-view every few chapters. I like this!Rutkoski has absolutely no mercy on her characters. She makes both of the protagonists suffer, and in different ways. Arin suffers under the guise of a slave, but he also suffers because he fell in love with a Valorian. Kestrel suffers, because she is constantly pressured to join the military or get married; to always have an escort; to give up her music; and physically, when she is hurt over and over. This is a very "real" part of the book - all the suffering that the two protagonists must endure.The ending is not what I expected, yet, it makes perfect sense with the story. I know this is a trilogy, so I can't be disappointed. But I really cannot wait to read book two (and book three)! Because that ending... what an ending. Oh, my heart!What I Did Not Like:I can't think of anything at the moment - perhaps that I have to wait EVEN LONGER for the next book. That definitely has to be the one drawback.Would I Recommend It:Absolutely! If you love novels by Kristin Cashore and Leigh Bardugo will LOVE this novel! And even if you weren't a fan of those authors, or never read anything by them, TRUST ME - you will enjoy this book! Give it a shot!Rating:5 stars. This is a 2014 novel, but it is definitely one of my favorite novels of 2013! Now, more please!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.stunning
By Miss Print
Choices for Valorian women are limited. Kestrel can join the military, as her father the general plannes for Kestrel since her childhood, or she can marry. No one would ever guess the path Kestrel truly wants to take. No one could imagine another choice in an empire that glorifies war and enslaves all it conquers.Kestrel shouldn't have been tempted at the slave auction. Certainly not by a defiant slave whose every move broadcast contempt and disdain for his surroundings. Even knowing she will pay too much--knowing it will set off a series of disasters even Kestrel can't fully predict--she buys the slave.At first Kestrel is too busy hiding her own activities to think much of the new slave. But Arin has his secrets too. As Arin and Kestrel circle each other they will embark on a journey together that will change both them and their countries forever in The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski.The Winner's Curse is the first book in Rutkoski's Winner's Trilogy.Rutkoski has created a vibrant world with a heroine who is shrewd and pragmatic even as she makes terrible decisions. Kestrel is a brilliant strategist--a skill that shows throughout the novel as she negotiates various obstacles throughout the story.Secrets and lies are key to both Kestrel and Arin's characters, creating a story that is as much about what is said as it is about subtext. This novel is brimming with non-verbal communication and other subtle cues that Rutkoski expertly manipulates as a story of love and other--somewhat darker--matters slowly unfolds.With a fully-realized world and vibrant, flawed characters there is a lot to absorb in The Winner's Curse. Readers will be rewarded with several surprising revelations and a story that manages to succeed both as a standalone story and as the launching point for a stunning trilogy.Grounded in the Ancient Roman Empire's practice of enslaving conquered peoples and all of the ramifications therein, The Winner's Curse is a rich, meditative story on what freedom truly means and the efforts some will take to procure it. Highly recommended for everyone but especially fans of historical fiction and/or Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series.Possible Pairings: The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats, Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers, A Wizard of Earth Sea by Ursula K. LeGuin, Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund, Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
