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

by Marie Rutkoski

[ladygrey]

ETA: 2nd read I was more bored by the second half because almost nothing really happened. And it was told from a removed voice with a lot of description. I feel like that half could have been cut in half without losing anything.

*********

This really isn't a fantasy. I mean, it's set in a world that is not our own. But there's really no magic or supernatural forces at work.

And it's a decent enough story. I liked the world that's created and the different cultures. I would have liked a little more depth in them, but really it wasn't bad. The Valorian acceptance of violence and war was presented in an interesting way for such a cultured and supposedly savage people. But the more sophisticated Herrani really felt more wild and simpler. I liked the politics of the cultures and the conflict it created. The politics and the rules were a little too close to having more depth than the characters.

I also liked the it's different. The world and the plot was all unique in the YA landscape. And the plot, was both predictable in some ways but also surprising when I reached what I thought would be the end of the narrative and it was only half way through the book. I liked that - the the story expanded beyond what I expected.

The characters were alright. Kestrel and mostly interesting. Arin was... also. I wanted more from him though. And I wanted more depth in the secondary characters. Which can be difficult to convey in a first person narrative, but it can also be done. Jess was good. Ronan I wanted more of. Again, he's a character the narrator is distant from and doesn't understand but the author can give the reader insight the narrator lacks if they're clever and develop characters more.

I think that's the only thing I'd say - I liked it all well enough but I would have liked it quite a bit better with just a bit more depth in the world and the characters.