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

by Marie Rutkoski

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I'm not exactly sure what I think about this book? It's a weird feeling. It's... forgettable, I guess. It was an entertaining enough read, butI don't feel any emotional connection to the characters and the romance was hella cheesy. There were moments where I thought that Kestrel was going to have some real depth or purpose - Arin too, I suppose - but then they just kept turning back to this fated love story? That's such a pet peeve for me... when all pretense of a great political action drama is put on the back burner for a cringy romance? *sigh*

At the same time... I dunno, I guess I felt compelled to keep reading? I listened to 85% of this in one sitting and it was such a breath of fresh air at the time. Not because of itself, I suppose, but because it was *not* the other book I was listening to? I'm not sure if this comparison gave it more love than it deserved from me, or if I transferred some of my impatience on to it.

As for being shelved as fantasy... ... no? There's no fantastical elements for me here, nor dystopian ones. It's an alternate world with a Romanesque vibe. I'd call it historical fiction if it wasn't a made up place, which I suppose is what makes it fantasy... but it didn't feel like fantasy to me. The world itself was good, the political elements were interesting. So were the customs and social classes. These were all presented as background, though. The book would have been stronger with the romance as a subplot and everything else front-and-center.

I'll be reading the next book - I'm intrigued, if not attached. I think The Winner's Curse is worth reading, but it's not something I'll be adding to my personal collection.