Book Review: The Winner's Curse (The Winners Trilogy, #1)

About The Book:

 

  Title: The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)

  Author: Marie Rutkoski 
  Pub. Date: March 4th, 2014
  Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 
  Pages: 368

  Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads 

  Rate: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis :

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.

Review:

Going into this book, I wasn't 100% sure what it was about. I saw that a lot of people I'm friends with on Goodreads really enjoyed The Winner's Curse. I also saw that Marie Rutkoski was going to be going to New York Comic Con, which made me want to read the book so if I like it I wouldn't regret missing a chance to meet her! And let me tell you - I'm so happy I decided to read this book. It was just what I needed at the time and gave me a huge book hangover! 

“Happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous."

Fan Cast of Kestrel:
Natalie Dormer

One thing I really liked about this book is that it blurs the line between good and bad people, right and wrong. You never know what side the characters are on, it keeps you on your toes. This book definitely has a historical feel to it - Kestrel's people are the Valorians who conquered and enslaved Arin's people, The Herrani. There are plenty platonic relationships in the story that really make you love the characters. Kestrel isn't close to many people, but the people she is close with she fiercely cares about. The book tended to be a little slow at times, but other than that I found the plot to be great. 

Fan Cast of Arin:
Henry Cavill

Kestrel was a great female protagonist. While Kestrel is very impulsive, she always tries to rectify her actions. She never lets her caring about Arin get in the way of what she thinks is right, which I really like because a lot of main characters in love tend to cloud their judgment when they around someone they like. She's so strong and reminds me almost of Lia from The Remnant Chronicles series. Arin on the other hand, did seem to let his love for Kestrel affect his judgment a little, LOL. But honestly I thought it was ok because he was protecting her and I thought it was adorable. Kestrel and Arin have a great romance. They had so much chemistry it was basically exploding through the book! 

“People in brightly lit places cannot see into the dark."

So, I was really pleased with this book. I already have the second one, which I bought at New York Comic Con, right before I met Marie! She was so nice! So I'm definitely planning on getting to that book as soon as possible. I'd recommend this to people who were fans of An Ember in the Ashes or maybe other fictional books that kind of have a historical feel to them. I definitely don't think that this is a book you'll regret reading! 

- Jocelyn