The Winner's Curse

This book is amazing and definitely ranks in the top tier of what I've read this year. Kestrel and Arin's story is enticing and pulls you right in. There are so many nuances and intricacies to the world that Rutkoski has built. The history of the Valorians and the Herrans is fantastic and captivating. Rutkoski blends politics, revolution, and history together with the story of Arin and Kestrel to create this novel.

The characters alone in this novel are so intricate and have so many layers they shape who they are. Kestrel and Arin both have countless reasons for their actions and have many difficult choices to make as the novel progresses. Other than Kestrel and Arin, the side characters are just as intriguing. The romance is a large part of this novel, but it didn't take central stage which I appreciated. It was more of a friendship that blossomed into something more.

I felt like the beginning of this book was a little weak as Rutkoski built the world and set the stage for the Revolution. But once the revolution happened, the pace picked up and the twists and turns began. There were so many times throughout this book where Arin or Kestrel's choices were unexpected. I was convinced they were going to do one thing and then they would do something else entirely.

Overall, this was an amazing read and I cannot wait to read more about Kestrel and Arin and the aftermath of the revolution. This book pulled me right in and I couldn't stop reading it. I'm not really sure how this book should be classified, it definitely has elements of historical fiction, but there is a fantasy feel as well. Regardless, I would recommend this book to anyone that wants a book with true intrigue, drama, and action.

Let's do this one in English, shall we?

So, you already saw the rating, I Mcfrigging™ loved it.
Spoiler alert, this review might be a little biased. (And will probably contain, duh, spoilers).
Ready? Go!
We find ourselves in a fictional land where there's an empire on the grow: Valoria. The story follows young Kestrel, the daughter of the most renounced general, who has given the valorian territory several conquers, within them: Herran, a fertile peninsula, former home to the Herrani people, who are now slaves. One day, Kestrel accidentally finds herself witnessing an auction, impulsively, she buys a herrani slave that captures her attention, things escalate big time from there.

When I first came across this book I had the impression that this was a dystopia or set in outer space, I was certainly expecting a voice like that of The Red Queen, very... YA heroine™.

First off, characters.
You haven't the faintest idea of how much I enjoyed the characters.

Kestrel is everything I wanted of a YA heroin and more, she is not your average protagonist, she is a skilled liar, a deep observant, a brilliant strategist and also a gifted musician... yet she is far from perfect: she is too trusting, exactly because she believes her judgements to be without fail, she thinks she is foolproof.

She is a cold and calculating strategist. But she can also be kind. She is stubborn, she is selfish and proud, and caring and selfless too. She feels balanced and human.

She is pretty but, and here goes something I really like about the way this book is written, we never have a description of her looks. Yes, there are hints of she looks like but that's it. We know she's blond, fair and has brown-ish eyes... because every valorian has those traits. We know she is agreeable, not unattractive by the emperor's words.

And last, for now, I like the fact that she is average to bad with weapons. The thing is... she isn't a helpless damsel in distress, she's been trained, but her weapon of choice (though sometimes isn't a choice because she does suck with weapons) is her intellect. There's a common trope these days that our female characters must be deadly fighters for them to be badass. Well, not you, Kestrel, not you.

Now onto Arin. Oh, you little shit.

Arin is also very intelligent, he beat Kestrel in several Bite and Sting games (a board game based on deception, strategy and reading your opponent) and also in life, like, she shared information with him that helped murder a ton of people, but then, he was trying to free his people.
He's a little brooding, tall, dark and handsome but he deserves it, with having your family killed and being enslaved and all. He is, indeed, quite the looker, however, he's not the typical cold bastard with the huge ego that knows what he's got going and knows also how to use it at his advantage (don't get me wrong I do love my fair share of sexy bastards), quite the opposite actually; he, as with Kestrel, is not described outside of his ethnicity. Kestrel really doesn't pay attention to his appearance until the very end, she concentrates on the color of his eyes, the sound of his voice, and the things he says (and doesn't say).
Although, this doesn't mean that he is a modest nun, he is prideful and it is this very thing that catches Kestrels attention at the auction, his refusal to bow down, his defiance.
Arin wouldn't know how to be cold even if an ice cube hit him on the face. He is cold blooded, surely, he isn't squeamish when it comes to kill but he is ruled by his emotions, his feelings draw the best and worst of him. He is intelligent and has a mind for strategy, but ultimately he would choose his heart over what is wise.
He, too, is a breath of fresh air.

The story & writing

The plot is very simple. What makes you stay is not the fast pacing but the way the author decided to take on the story.
The way she deals with this kind-of-a-taboo-thing that is Kestrel and Arin's romantic plot, this master/slave thing, is masterful. The feelings the characters have in the first place are the correct ones: curious indifference (Kestrel does find him intriguing but she doesn't really care) and hatred/contempt on the other side, but then they strike this deal that sets them both in a position of equals which allows for the relationship strive forward in a way that lets them build a kind of kingship between them, then respect, friendship and something else by putting aside the elephant in the room that is Kestrel's position of power.
Not much is described about the internal struggle that Arin has throughout the narration but we do see Kestrel's gradual change, trust, grow at finding someone that sees things in a light not unlike her own.

I think that one thing that I like the most about this is the slow burn of feels, and that it is not built on looks alone but upon thoughts and the understanding of the other.

There are some other things I think I could mention but you got the point of my gushing.

Ps. There was just one thing I did not like and was this... thing about (spoiler?) Arin being a singer. Did she have to make him a music prodigy too?

Only took me 16 days to read this.. but it's one of the most fast paced books I've ever read. The start of it was slow, it took me 15 days to read the first 50 pages but the rest of it? SO FAST and I reckon people could read this whole trilogy in one day.

Loved the characters and story although it was confusing at times. in LOVE with the writing.

actually excited to read the next book for once!