Book Review // The Winner's Curse

Coming off of my Throne of Glass reading marathon (click this link to check out that blogpost), I was looking for a story that was similar in content. Goodreads came through recommended fantasy novel The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski .

The Gist of the Story:

The Winner's Curse takes place in a fictional empire that's split into two social groups: the aristocrats, called the Valerians, and the slaves which are Herrani. Our main character, 17 year old Kestral, is the daughter of the Valerian General and has lived a life filled with privilege. Arin, a young Herrani slave, has not. Kestral buys Arin at an auction and her entire world is turned upside down as they develop an unlikely friendship that goes against all social norms. However, things aren't always what they seem and soon it isn't just her world that's changed but the entire empire's.

In A Nutshell: 

I would recommend this novel as a quick fantasy read for those who already have an interest in the genre. I liked the story and the world that was created and developed, I'm just not in love with it. There were points in the story that really felt rushed and underdeveloped, which was disappointing since I found myself really invested in the characters.

3 out of 5 

Keep reading for my full book review, which contains spoilers.

January Wrap Up and February TBR

January

I spent all of January completely wrapped up in in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and I can honestly say that it was one of the best series that I’ve read. For those who haven’t heard of or read the series here’s a spoil free summary of the first book along with my thoughts and ratings.

“After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.”