Sunday 23 February 2014

Review: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love  
 As 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.

Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: March 4th 2014 by Farrar Straus Giroux 
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance

Kristine's Thoughts:

* I received an advanced readers copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.*

I'm not going to re-tell the story because you can read the synopsis to know what this book is about. What I will tell you is that I adored this book. Lately it seems like the young adult genre has been giving me everything that I need in a book. I use to avoid books that were grouped in this category but I have since realised that you don't need to be young to enjoy them. I'm so glad I came to my senses otherwise I never would have picked this book up.

Kestrel and Arin should not like each other, should not be friend, should not even talk to each other. Arin is a slave and Kestrel is the daughter of the General. What makes it so wrong for these two to be together is what makes it so right in my opinion. All the things working against them and their total denial of feelings make for some pretty amazing reading. I found myself routing for them and hoping but at the same time thinking it was impossible. Major lies are told and ultimate betrayals committed and I just couldn't see how anything could possible work out in the favour that I desired.

The book takes place in a time that is different from what we know but not so different that it is not believable. I appreciated this fact because I find some books are just too "out there" to grasp. It is a world where woman have to join the military or get married but is reminiscent of kingdoms and battles of our past. It is a battle of good against evil but shows that things aren't always black and white and that good and evil are in the eye of the beholder.

My only complaint is that I didn't get enough Kestrel and Arin and this book is the first in a trilogy so I have to wait to find out what happens to them. I went on Goodreads to put the next two books on my tbr list to find out that they are both untitled! Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Does that mean that they are not finished yet? How long am I going to have to wait to finish their story? I can't take it because there is still so much story to be told.

A very good read for people of all ages who want to get lost in a few hours of forbidden love. I really enjoyed it!




About the Author
Marie Rutkoski is the author of the YA novel The Shadow Society and the children's fantasy series The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of Wonders, The Celestial Globe and The Jewel of the Kalderash. Her next project is a YA trilogy that begins with The Winner's Curse, which is scheduled to be published in March 2014.

Marie grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She holds a BA from the University of Iowa and a PhD from Harvard University. Marie is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children's literature and fiction writing. She usually lives in New York City with her husband and two sons, but she and her family  lived in Paris for the 2012-2013 academic year. 
Twitter-marierutkoski 

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