The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1)
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Published On: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Source: Bought
Synopsis:
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.
MY THOUGHTS:
Rating: 5 Stars
Whoa!!!! What an intriguing read. I just loved it.
From the very first I had a felling that nothing is what it seems and I doubted Smith aka Arin from the very first time when he started keeping an open eye for everything that happened at Kestrel's place. So I think that part of the main mystery just got discovered by me at the very first but it didn't dimmed my excitement, rather it just increased my curiosity about what was his ulterior motive.
Lady Kestrel is a wonderful character. She is strong, clever and though she doesn't have the physical strength like her father who is a General but she had the power of planning and plotting which at last saved her life and her people's lives as well.
Being torn in between two feelings is not pleasant and Arin felt tormented by his feelings for Kestrel and on the other hand his feeling for his people and his lust for freedom. This lust made him walk on the path of massacre where he became responsible for the death of Kestrel's people and as a result he lost Kestrel's trust and faith which made him hate himself.
There are so many emotional events in this book that won over my heart and each kind of emotion, be it hate, love, etc, was brilliantly strewn in to words that made me laugh and cry and shocked too. I just loved the writing style of the author and she made me believe that I'm a part of Kestrel's and Arin's life and I enjoyed this feeling.
The side characters were fabulous too. I hated Cheat very much but I also understood his feelings even though his methods of getting back his freedom wasn't correct. Then there are Jess and Ronan who are the best friends one can get.
All in all I loved this novel very much. There is romance though it's not passionate, it's sweet. Then there is mystery, suspense and above all the emotional turmoil that both Arin and Kestrel faced brought tears in our eyes. So go for it guys if you haven't already.
Glad you enjoyed this one. The hazards of enjoying a book that's a part of a series is the waiting game. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteThis one was absolutely fantastic indeed! I loved everything about the book, from the characters, to the world building to the very complex relationship between Arin and Kestrel!
ReplyDeleteNow we need to wait for book two!