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
I thought that Rutkoski did a fantastic job of developing this intricate and vibrant world. I was quickly sucked into the novel and read it in a few days, flying through 250 pages of the 355 page novel in one sitting. I also want to throw in that the cover is absolutely beautiful and the concept of having the title and the chapter numbers written vertically instead of horizontally was definitely attention getting.
The writing, while not my favorite I've ever read, was easy to follow and there were plenty of lines that I thought were done beautifully. The characters were dynamic, especially Kestral and Arin as their opinions of the rivaling race and each other changed over the course of the book, which is a theme that is timeless.
My main issue with this novel, and the reason why I didn't give it a higher rating, was the pacing mixed with the point of view. The story is told from third person limited, which I normally don't have an issue with however, the events moved at such a quick pace that I constantly felt like I didn't understand the emotions that were happening at the given times, which can be a problem when it comes to interpreting characters reactions.
This problem complicated a lot of things for several reasons but the most important being around the slave uprising. It felt rushed and underdeveloped and I would've liked to see everything flushed out and explored more: relationships, (not just the main love interests), conflicts (both external and internal) and the events that the characters go through. I didn't like how quickly it moved from the initial uprising to the battles with such little explanation in the middle. As a reader, you knew what was going on but Kestral was completely blindsided and there wasn't a lot of dialogue between her and Arin about it which was disappointing because it was something I would've really liked to see.
There is a lot that is politically happening in this book and at times I felt like it got brushed under the rug or summarized with just a few conversations or thoughts. That being said, I know that this is the first novel in a trilogy so maybe those concepts get explored more then. If I get around to reading the next two novels I'll be sure to write an updated review.
There is a lot that is politically happening in this book and at times I felt like it got brushed under the rug or summarized with just a few conversations or thoughts. That being said, I know that this is the first novel in a trilogy so maybe those concepts get explored more then. If I get around to reading the next two novels I'll be sure to write an updated review.
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