When I first heard about this book, I was pretty excited, since I’ve consistently enjoyed Marie Rutkoski’s work (and LOVED her first trilogy). My enthusiasm suffered a slight ding when I read The Book Smuggler’s review, but I still looked forward to reading it a lot.

So, what to say, after actually reading? The writing is wonderful, which is not surprising. Rutkoski is a skilled prose writer, one of those people who can make it look so effortless. The world and characters are engaging and the pace really sweeps along, making for a breathless read, especially in the second half.

I very much liked and appreciated the fact that Kestrel is a heroine with a lot of agency and strength who is not great at fighting. Her talents lie in strategy and planning. Since I am always going on about the need for all kinds of heroines, this was a very nice thing to see.

I’ll also note that while I didn’t love the cover at first glance, and even really now, since it puts Kestrel in a weirdly passive pose, it does include a number of nice little details from the book–her braided hair, the dagger, etc.

Going in, I was worried about the romance between Kestrel and Arin, the slave she buys. It sounds fairly dicey in the abstract. That aspect actually turned out to be really well done, in my opinion. There’s a sense of meeting of the minds, rather than the purely physical “He’s so cutttteee” attraction which I personally feel is the downfall of many paranormal romances. They’re both complicated enough characters that their relationship is not a smooth one, but it’s also written in a way that I bought and became invested in.

So, all of those are positives, but I was left with some niggling issues and a whole post-it of notes. These are mostly related to the implications of the wider political scope of the book. Now, I’ll note that this is the first in a trilogy and I may later eat my words. However, I’m not entirely convinced that this will happen.

I’ll note now that the rest of this review will probably be mildly spoilery–if you want to avoid any and all spoilers, this is the place to stop reading.

Overall, I was left with a sense that, although lots of things happen–lots of huge changes in the characters’ lives and in their world which have huge implications for the way things will go in the future–the decisions and the consequences of those decisions are too easy. This is revolution, but it is a carefully planned revolution in which there is no chaos, no rioting, no uncontrolled bloodshed.

Similarly, because Kestrel’s strength is strategy, many of her decisions are made on the level of intellect rather than emotion. Although I certainly like seeing this as a strength, I also felt that it gave her actions a deliberate, bounded quality. Certainly there are consequences she doesn’t see or intend–the resolution of the book proves that–and yet, even in the twists, I felt that things were planned.

I also felt pretty strongly that Arin and Kestrel are both too Special. This is more of an issue in Arin’s case than in Kestrel’s, who is at least the child of one of the most rich and important men in the empire. Her skills make sense given her upbringing, special tutors, and so on. In Arin’s case, he’s about ten when the Herrani are subsumed into the Empire. He is then a slave, working in a quarry, in the docks, as a blacksmith. His being able to read makes sense; his knowing enough to successfully plan a revolution doesn’t work so well.

Underlying all of this is a key objection I have: that for a book dealing with the breaking down of privilege and a revolution against an oppressive government, the status quo remains oddly unchanged. We never really see the effects of slavery on the Herrani; there is no sense of the everyday violence they suffer, except the beating that Arin suffers at the hands of the Trajan family guards. The violence that we actually see as readers starts with the revolution.

I kept comparing this portrayal of Greco-Roman style slavery with that in A Conspiracy of Kings, which also deal with a child of privilege being confronted with the reality of slavery, but which has–at least for me–a much different effect. Sophos, in that instance, is himself directly affected and changed because of his experiences; his assumptions about the way the world works are completely broken down. While The Winner’s Curse makes many of the same moves, Kestrel has to be almost impossibly sympathetic, even at the beginning.

And although Arin is a point-of-view character, he is far more static than Kestrel. Kestrel, whose changing understanding allegiances are at the heart of the story. It’s her journey that is important, a kind of privileging of privilege. And Arin is, of course, a child of privilege himself, despite his current position. He is the natural leader of the Herrani resistance, because he is naturally charming and well spoken and strategically gifted–in a word, he is well born, with all that phrase implies. His conflict as a character comes with his growing attraction to Kestrel and the tension between that and his duty to his people, which is all good and interesting as it goes (I do like when main characters want to do the right thing), but it’s never resolved and I never had a sense that he had grown as a character.

All of this probably sounds more negative than I really mean it to. They’re certainly questions and concerns I have, but at the same time, I would say that I did enjoy The Winner’s Curse and intend to read the rest of the books. I’ll be interested to see if my perception changes once the series is complete. And I’ll add the caveat that other readers may not notice, or may not care about, or may disagree with my reading of the implications of the political aspects of the book. That’s all perfectly valid.

Other reviews of The Winner’s Curse:
Shae
The Book Smugglers
Stacked Books

When I first heard about this book, I was pretty excited, since I’ve consistently enjoyed Marie Rutkoski’s work (and LOVED her first trilogy). My enthusiasm suffered a slight ding when I read The Book Smuggler’s review, but I still looked forward to reading it a lot.

So, what to say, after actually reading? The writing is wonderful, which is not surprising. Rutkoski is a skilled prose writer, one of those people who can make it look so effortless. The world and characters are engaging and the pace really sweeps along, making for a breathless read, especially in the second half.

I very much liked and appreciated the fact that Kestrel is a heroine with a lot of agency and strength who is not great at fighting. Her talents lie in strategy and planning. Since I am always going on about the need for all kinds of heroines, this was a very nice thing to see.

I’ll also note that while I didn’t love the cover at first glance, and even really now, since it puts Kestrel in a weirdly passive pose, it does include a number of nice little details from the book–her braided hair, the dagger, etc.

Going in, I was worried about the romance between Kestrel and Arin, the slave she buys. It sounds fairly dicey in the abstract. That aspect actually turned out to be really well done, in my opinion. There’s a sense of meeting of the minds, rather than the purely physical “He’s so cutttteee” attraction which I personally feel is the downfall of many paranormal romances. They’re both complicated enough characters that their relationship is not a smooth one, but it’s also written in a way that I bought and became invested in.

So, all of those are positives, but I was left with some niggling issues and a whole post-it of notes. These are mostly related to the implications of the wider political scope of the book. Now, I’ll note that this is the first in a trilogy and I may later eat my words. However, I’m not entirely convinced that this will happen.

I’ll note now that the rest of this review will probably be mildly spoilery–if you want to avoid any and all spoilers, this is the place to stop reading.

Overall, I was left with a sense that, although lots of things happen–lots of huge changes in the characters’ lives and in their world which have huge implications for the way things will go in the future–the decisions and the consequences of those decisions are too easy. This is revolution, but it is a carefully planned revolution in which there is no chaos, no rioting, no uncontrolled bloodshed.

Similarly, because Kestrel’s strength is strategy, many of her decisions are made on the level of intellect rather than emotion. Although I certainly like seeing this as a strength, I also felt that it gave her actions a deliberate, bounded quality. Certainly there are consequences she doesn’t see or intend–the resolution of the book proves that–and yet, even in the twists, I felt that things were planned.

I also felt pretty strongly that Arin and Kestrel are both too Special. This is more of an issue in Arin’s case than in Kestrel’s, who is at least the child of one of the most rich and important men in the empire. Her skills make sense given her upbringing, special tutors, and so on. In Arin’s case, he’s about ten when the Herrani are subsumed into the Empire. He is then a slave, working in a quarry, in the docks, as a blacksmith. His being able to read makes sense; his knowing enough to successfully plan a revolution doesn’t work so well.

Underlying all of this is a key objection I have: that for a book dealing with the breaking down of privilege and a revolution against an oppressive government, the status quo remains oddly unchanged. We never really see the effects of slavery on the Herrani; there is no sense of the everyday violence they suffer, except the beating that Arin suffers at the hands of the Trajan family guards. The violence that we actually see as readers starts with the revolution.

I kept comparing this portrayal of Greco-Roman style slavery with that in A Conspiracy of Kings, which also deal with a child of privilege being confronted with the reality of slavery, but which has–at least for me–a much different effect. Sophos, in that instance, is himself directly affected and changed because of his experiences; his assumptions about the way the world works are completely broken down. While The Winner’s Curse makes many of the same moves, Kestrel has to be almost impossibly sympathetic, even at the beginning.

And although Arin is a point-of-view character, he is far more static than Kestrel. Kestrel, whose changing understanding allegiances are at the heart of the story. It’s her journey that is important, a kind of privileging of privilege. And Arin is, of course, a child of privilege himself, despite his current position. He is the natural leader of the Herrani resistance, because he is naturally charming and well spoken and strategically gifted–in a word, he is well born, with all that phrase implies. His conflict as a character comes with his growing attraction to Kestrel and the tension between that and his duty to his people, which is all good and interesting as it goes (I do like when main characters want to do the right thing), but it’s never resolved and I never had a sense that he had grown as a character.

All of this probably sounds more negative than I really mean it to. They’re certainly questions and concerns I have, but at the same time, I would say that I did enjoy The Winner’s Curse and intend to read the rest of the books. I’ll be interested to see if my perception changes once the series is complete. And I’ll add the caveat that other readers may not notice, or may not care about, or may disagree with my reading of the implications of the political aspects of the book. That’s all perfectly valid.

Other reviews of The Winner’s Curse:
Shae
The Book Smugglers
Stacked Books

My review is going to be short simply because The Winner’s Curse is raved about everywhere and therefore I just want to touch on the main points that drew me in. Normally a book with so much hype would turn me away or wouldn’t live up to it for me. I don’t seem to follow the norm on my book obsessions. This book however was very different. It did start off slow for me and I wasn’t instantly enthralled but as I got into it, I became that way. Marie Rutkoski blew me away with her fantastic writing on this breathtaking and heartbreaking story. She carried me into another world and held me hostage. I loved every second of it.

Kestrel and Arin have such an intense relationship! It’s amazing the chemistry that they have without ever touching. They don’t even interact that much at first. They just kind of watch one another. Their romance gives you chills and affects your heart. It’s really emotion evoking and there are only a few fictional couples that I feel this way about. It’s also a relationship that changes both of them, speaking to human nature. How there are two sides of love and a betrayal of love can harden someone and change them into someone else. You can forgive someone you love for what they have done but you can not forget. It’s one of those things that scars your heart because you do love them. Such a complicated emotion and that this book showed so many facets of it is why I loved it. Going both directions because Kestrel bought Arin and Arin betrayed Kestrel. Back and forth betrayal because they also had to think of people beyond themselves. All the feels.

I liked the political intrigue more than I thought I would. I noticed one of Arin’s strategies was quite similar to how the Americans won the Revolutionary war. Of course there are similarities to the Civil War as well and even at times I saw some David and Goliath moments. Especially with the fact that Kestrel is a warrior in the sense of strategy, rather than brute strength. It made me feel like the book was well researched and plotted out. 

I loved this book but it also traumatized my soul. I need the sequel sooner rather than later. I’m sure this a book that I will periodically think about and say, when is the next one coming. Is it time yet?

So if you are someone who is afraid of books with too much hype then I say ignore that. It was excellent and definite deserves the accolades.

Audiobook
The Audio book is narrated by Justine Eyre and at first I was put off a bit by the accents but the more I listened the more I really enjoyed Justine’s narration. She did a fantastic job of capturing all the characters and I think that when I read the future books I will hear her voice for Kestrel in my head. Even Arin’s is pretty decent.

Giving away my ARC at the above link. See review below.

Ten Likes/Dislikes:

1. (+) Kestrel, the protagonist - In some ways Kestrel reminds me of Bitterblue. Both are competent enough to defend themselves should they fall into dangerous situations, but their assets do not lie in physical tests of strength. For that reason they can be underestimated, but they are both strong female characters with capable minds and fiery temperaments when their values are threatened. Kestrel, in particular, is a strategist, and the cold edges of her mind derived from her logical perspective are softened by her love for music. She is easy to like not only for her cleverness and the unfairness of her situation (marriage or military) but also for her compassion - she does not relish the attitude adopted by other Valorian conquerors with regard to the Herrani, and as shown in the first chapter, finds herself sick at the auction.

2. (+) Arin, the romantic interest - It's hard not to like Arin, or at least to feel pity for or try to understand his situation. Of course he's angry. Of course he's focused, rebellious, and secretive. As a slave he does not have the luxury of being open, and he refuses to be happy about what's happened; he has years worth of memories of better times and times spent horridly as a slave, separated from anyone and everything he loves. There's more to him than this, but I don't want to accidentally include a spoiler, and suffice it to say that he provides a good match for Kestrel. It's obvious to see the chemistry between him and Kestrel because they also have similar personalities.

3. (+) Romance - Probably one of my favorite aspects is that the romance works in tangent with the character and plot development. It doesn't overwhelm the main plot, and while forbidden romances can sometimes include too much angst, this one never strays into that realm. The characters also don't stop being who they are because of the romance, and that provides the majority of the struggle and tension underlying their interactions. This is probably one of my favorite types of romances too because it's subtle and sneaky and fits entirely with who the characters are and the feel of the novel at large.

4. (+) World-building - The first question you should ask yourself is whether you're okay with not knowing all the details of the world right now. Rutkoski gives just enough details for you to feel immersed in the world for this novel, but it's obvious that things have been left out so they can be explored in future novels (e.g. other peoples like the barbarians, etc.). Here we have subtle hints as to the different customs adopted by the Herrani and Valorians, the differences in how their houses are organized and how they viewed the other culture, and in their religious beliefs and what they valued in daily life. We're exposed to the Valorian arrogance and degrading perspective they take with regard to the Herrani and vice versa, and how the Valorians came to rule the Herrani.

5. (+) Plot - To me the brilliancy of this plot was not because it was unpredictable but because it excels at building your anticipation for the events to come. Every scene seems to be doing more than two things at once - promoting the romance, your understanding of the world and characters, etc. etc. And the tension and conflict are perfectly executed, constantly there for the entire novel.

6. (+/-) Characters - I loved learning more about them - about Cheat, General Trajan, Jess, Ronan, etc. - but at the same time, never felt entirely attached to or invested in anyone beyond Kestrel and Arin. Even still, I loved this book and not feeling attached to the other characters did not prevent me from feeling invested in the novel at large. This book is mainly about Kestrel and Arin and their people, and so the other characters naturally fall into the background.

7. (+) A Little Bit of Everything - Perhaps my favorite part of this book is that it really has a bit of everything for every reader. There are compelling emotional stakes for both main characters and a forbidden, sweet and steamy romance that doesn't derail from the main plot but instead adds an underlayer of tension throughout the novel. There are action scenes appropriate to all the hints of unrest and sure to satisfy Cashore fans who wanted more of that from her novels. The book's set in a pseudo-historical Greco-Roman inspired world, and I don't know about you, but I loved the show Rome and I loved Megan Whalen Turner's Byzantine-Greek inspired series, and I particularly loved how the two were meshed into this fantastical world from Marie Rutkoski. There are a lot of literary allusions that add extra layers that are well worth pondering on or examining in your free time. They give the book an extra layer of depth and dimension that's not necessarily found in every YA novel. (I particularly like the bit about girls either joining the military or becoming married, and how Kestrel's father says "a woman soldier has proved her strength, and so doesn't need protection" (25). It seems to engage with a lot of the discussion on strong female characters and how they do not necessarily need to be "kick-ass" or wield all sorts of weapons.) And this book is masterfully plotted, every scene infused with multiple purposes so that you're never left questioning why it's been included. So basically, readers who are more action-oriented, or character-oriented, or plot-oriented - all of them can find something to love in this novel.

8. (+) The Writing - Gorgeous. I am reminded of a mix between Cashore's more literary style and the style in Cruel Beauty (somewhere between purposeful, practical prose and poetic lilt). I'd say it's more similar to Cashore's writing style, though, and this may be one of the only comparisons to her work that I've found really and truly accurate.

9. (+) The Pacing - More action-oriented readers might find this a tad slow, but I thought that its pacing was perfect for the literary-commercial vibe and allowed for us to get attached to the characters and understand the Herrani/Valorian situation before upping the stakes.

10. (+) The Cover - This is a beautiful cover that's sure to catch the attention of any bookstore browser. It captures part of Kestrel's inner struggle and that dress is, I think, included in the novel. I wish it also hinted at the pseudo-historical fantasy feel though.

This is a surefire win for Kristin Cashore fans. I know that that comparison is used a lot in YA marketing, so I am not using it lightly. I said in my pre-review that it would also appeal to Megan Whalen Turner, Rae Carson, Rachel Hartman, and Melina Marchetta fans. MWT fans because the world reminds me of hers and because the feel of the central romance somewhat reminds of that in her novels. Plus the strong character development and political intrigue. Rae Carson fans because Kestrel and Arin's cleverness and strategy are shown in the way that Elisa's cleverness and ability to rule are shown, and it's clear that both Arin and Kestrel respect each for that, again shown in the way that I've heard happens with the central romance in Carson's trilogy. Hartman fans because there's a similar balance between the romance, political intrigue, and internal character struggle. Marchetta fans because I think her Lumatere Chronicles would make for great comparison to The Winner's Curse and because they have similar literary-commercial vibes to me. Basically I would recommend this novel to all fantasy lovers.

The Winner's Curse is an absolute gem of a pseudo-historical / Greco-Roman inspired fantasy, packed with breathtaking star-crossed romance, strong strategist main characters, and enough political intrigue, action, and tension sure to enthrall its own legion of fans.

Don't believe me? This one has already gotten rave reviews from Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly. And here are other reviews:

[5 stars] Lauren at Love Is Not A Triangle - "This book is so good that you definitely want to read it now so that you can discuss it with friends, and then read it again before book two releases."
[4 stars] Mary Christensen - "This book is excellent!"
[3 stars] Pam at Bookalicious - "I definitely want to read book two. I think it's going to be full of action."
[2 stars] Fiona - "I approved of a lot of elements, but I regret to say I didn't enjoy it very much."
[1 star] at the time that I am writing this (1/12/2014), there are no one star reviews.