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

by Marie Rutkoski

[shannonmiz]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Full Review Here.

This is a hard book for me to review, so I am going to break it down to likes and dislikes. Because I really really liked some aspects of it, and really didn't like some others.

Things I Liked:
Kestrel and Arin. Let's start with Kestrel. Kestrel.. well, she had her good points and her infuriating points. I kept trying to tell myself that when she behaved like a dolt, it was likely because she didn't really know any better, considering her upbringing as a society elite. Add to that the fact that her father basically just tries to goad her into being a soldier, and I am pretty sure parenting was a complete fail for our Kestrel. Even though she isn't always particularly likable as a character, she does make sense. And I felt like she wanted to do right, even though most of the time she hadn't a clue what that was. I liked Arin from the start. Sure, he was being awful, but wouldn't you? If some privileged chick bought me for the hell of it, you'd bet I'd be nasty as anything. But I think deep down, he's a good guy, who like Kestrel, wants to do right but doesn't know how.
Kestrel & Arin. I mean this in the relationship sense, of course. I loved their interactions. I never knew what to expect from them, and that was part of the charm. There was no insta-love, just a complicated and taboo relationship that made me want more!
There were times I simply couldn't put this book down! I loved the political drama (which was akin to tabloid-like behavior from some of the Valorian elite), I loved the friendship between Kestrel and Jess.
Things I Didn't Like:
I got bored. Remember how five seconds ago, I said that there were times when I couldn't put the book down? That's true. But there were other times when I was flat out bored and started looking around the room for something more interesting. I don't think I've ever read a book during which I wavered so much from chapter to chapter. One minute, I'm all in. The next, my eyes are glazed over and I am thinking about grabbing a snack or watching Friends. I can't completely pinpoint all the spots that bored me, but when the heavier military action came into play, and the plot got very, very cumbersome, I was out. And that is my absolute biggest gripe with the book: I don't want to be bored while reading! Ever. Especially not for a good 20% of the book (just an estimate, I didn't actually sit around with a calculator and a tally sheet).
The World Building. Here's my general problem with fantasy: I need to know stuff. Where are we, why is this happening, who are these people? I don't know. We're... somewhere. With Valorians and Herrani. Who are they? I haven't a clue, your guess is as good as mine. They're near some water somewhere, so we've narrowed it down to about 90% of all places. I am hoping there's more information in the next book, that would make me happy.

Bottom Line: It's a good book. If you can get past the world building stuff, you'll like it even more. The writing was lovely, and I did enjoy the book and will certainly read the sequel, but I don't think I will be completely clamoring to read.