Review: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Goodreads Summary:

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Publication Date: March 4, 2014

I’m really torn over how I feel about this book and I definitely think it has to do with a mix of the novel being super hyped and my personal reading preferences. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book a lot, but it took me a while to get into it.

The setup was intriguing: a fantasy setting where two people from warring nations find love. Kestrel is a general’s daughter and Arin is the slave she purchases at auction. The romance is slow building and sweet and the author has a wonderful way of invoking emotions with her words. The writing was exceptional in the book and I really felt like I could picture the world in my head.

Kestrel was interesting and the author made it easy to see Kestrel’s two sides at war with one another. She has a lot of expectations placed on her because of her father, but she also empathizes with the plight of the slaves. Arin was a little bland to me and I guess I was expecting to read about the horrors of his enslavement. Obviously, slavery is horrible no matter how it happens, but the lack of urgency of his plight took away from some of the tension. And despite Kestrel being the slave owner, Arin bosses her around and she gives in every single time. It was just a strange dynamic from what I was expecting.

The book was slow for me in the beginning and this is definitely where my personal reading preferences come into play. Some readers won’t mind the pages and pages depicting balls, card games, fancy gowns, etc. But to hold my attention, I need more conflict. Luckily, the second half picked up and I was able to find myself getting further invested.

However, despite it all, I am a fan of the author’s works. I read The Shadow Society by her last year and honestly I liked that book more than this one. I’ll continue the series because after the ending there’s no possible way readers can’t.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Review: The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski

Goodreads Summary:

Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn’t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn’t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But Conn’s interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she were his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades’ latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . .

In this smart, compulsively readable novel, master storyteller Marie Rutkoski has crafted an utterly original world, characters you won’t soon forget, and a tale full of intrigue and suspense.  

Publication Date: October 16, 2012

I liked many of the aspects found in The Shadow Society including a unique world and interesting characters. I liked how the author used a parallel dimension and an existence of creatures known as shades to create a unique story.

The beginning and the final chapters had the best pacing. Some of the middle dragged a little as Darcy and Conn’s romance develops. I liked that it wasn’t an insta-love connection between the two of them, but after a betrayal occurs, I found it hard to root for them as a couple.

I liked the concept of the parallel dimensions and how the Great Chicago Fire caused a split between the two worlds. The shades were cool creatures as well, but I wished they were more fully developed. There wasn’t an explanation on how they came to exist or how their powers worked. For instance, the characters state that their bodies ceased to exist, but I couldn’t understand how Darcy could hear, see and speak while in the form. The Shadow Society is one of those stories where you just have to go with it and ignore logic.

Darcy was a great protagonist. I liked the complexity of her character and how she could be equal parts tough and vulnerable. Her relationships with her friends and foster mother were also touching. I would’ve liked to see more of these characters in the story.

Conn was a confusing character and I think the author purposely made it hard to get a read on him. I understood some of his motivations, but some of his other actions felt forced. Another romantic interest is thrown into the mix, but didn’t really serve much to the overall storyline.

I enjoyed The Shadow Society more than I expected. I believe this is a standalone, but there is certain room for additional stories about the shades and Darcy.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this novel for review!