The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1) in The Wide Web of Friends in YA Books

Mar 08, 2013 Kat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: wishlist, best-covers, one-of-the-best, fantasy

I'd nearly forgotten what book hangover feels like, but holy crap, do I have it. This book...it's stupendous, and epic, and romantic, and so many words I can't even begin to express.

Thank you, Hafsah, for convincing me to buy it.

This book has reminded me why I love to write, and why I want to share my words and my characters and my stories with readers. I want them to feel book hangover after they finish my story. I want them to gasp and cry and get angry at my characters and feel emotion that ...more

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Nov 23, 2013 Alexandra rated it really liked it

Shelves: standalone-books, alternate-world

There is nothing that I did not like about the Winner’ Curse. There are just some things missing.
The concept of star-crossed lovers is well-put in the story. Kerstel, the daughter of the Valorian general, won a bid on a slave, Arin, who is more than what meets the eye. The push-and-pull vibe is well-timed, no feel of rush. The build-up between Kerstel and Arin was not overrated. The heroine is plausible and reliable. She has been portrayed consistently: cunning but vulnerable. But she developed ...more

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Mar 28, 2014 Carie rated it really liked it

Maybe even 4.5 – this was a totally riveting book!! The premise grabbed my attention immediately and the story, strategies, and power shifts were fascinating. I liked the main characters, yet at times I hated them. I also thoroughly sympathized with their situations, yet when I tried to reconcile their separate situations/actions with each other, I had a lot of trouble doing it--I felt torn and frustrated for a lot of the story--not sure who or what exactly I should be rooting for. And, WOW, thi Maybe even 4.5 – this was a totally riveting book!! The premise grabbed my attention immediately and the story, strategies, and power shifts were fascinating. I liked the main characters, yet at times I hated them. I also thoroughly sympathized with their situations, yet when I tried to reconcile their separate situations/actions with each other, I had a lot of trouble doing it--I felt torn and frustrated for a lot of the story--not sure who or what exactly I should be rooting for. And, WOW, this story was very fresh and unpredictable, with exciting, scary action and constant twists and turns to the plot! I loved the romance, yet felt frustrated (and rather depressed) by it--I couldn’t see how it could work out satisfactorily, yet I REALLY wanted it to! I actually think the ending (view spoiler). I loved how similar Kestrel and Arin really were--though their situations were SO disparate. I loved the strategizing, the music, and the taking care of each other--regardless of their circumstances. The power struggle was addictive and fascinating to watch/read about. I had NO idea how this book would end! The very gray nature of many of the characters and plot turns was also fascinating. In addition to Kestrel and Arin, the supporting characters added a lot to the story--people to love ((view spoiler)) and people to loathe ((view spoiler)). And, I loved the author’s beautiful, quotable writing!

I’m VERY anxious to see where the story goes from here! Hopefully (view spoiler)!

Overall, this was a FANTASTIC read--I really couldn’t put it down! And I LOVED the last line of the book—perfect :)
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Jan 05, 2014 Catherine Keaton rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, reviewed, read-in-2014

Where is Book 2?! I find myself actually wanting to read the next book right away, and this is not normal reading behavior for me. This must indicative of how much I enjoyed reading this book.

I had originally given this a 4.5-star rating because it does have some flaws. But, I realize now that the story and characters are kind of staying with me after finishing it, and I want to know where the entire series is going from here. I’m willing to give it the full 5-star treatment because it doesn’t h ...more

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Feb 19, 2014 Amber rated it really liked it

This was amazing! I have no clue why I didn't read this earlier. I think I went in to The Winner's Curse thinking that it would be something very different from how it turned out. Obviously, I had high expectations since the hype for this book is insane, but it really lived up to everything.

First off, the world building was great. Most of the time, when authors try to describe a world that they created themselves, they get lost in explanations of culture and geography - things that the reader d This was amazing! I have no clue why I didn't read this earlier. I think I went in to The Winner's Curse thinking that it would be something very different from how it turned out. Obviously, I had high expectations since the hype for this book is insane, but it really lived up to everything.

First off, the world building was great. Most of the time, when authors try to describe a world that they created themselves, they get lost in explanations of culture and geography - things that the reader doesn't actually need to know and doesn't really help in any way. Rutkoski did an excellent job of keeping her descriptions both brief and understandable. She told us everything we need to know without overwhelming us with useless information. My main issue with this is that I never really got a feel for the setting. Most of it was very character and plot driven, so the actual descriptions of the places were rushed a little.

I loved the plot as well. For the most part, I'm pretty familiar with this story line since I probably have two other books on my shelves that are basically the same thing, but Rutkoski really made it her own. Granted, there are plenty of cliches floating around here, but none that I wouldn't forgive immediately. I'm a firm believer that execution is always more important than worrying about cliches all the time.

The characters were amazing. They were believable, relatable, and I genuinely wanted to root for them, even if some of their goals didn't really align. It was really hard to want the Herrani to get their freedom when I also wanted Kestrel to have her lavish lifestyle. Another thing I noticed were the actual personalities of the Herrani and Valorian cultures. As two different peoples, they had very distinct values and appearances. It helped me distinguish them as much as the generalizations frustrated me. It seemed a little too easy to make sure that only the Herrani value music in their lives. I was willing to overlook this though, considering how much I loved everything else.

Also, if you're on the hunt for a romance, look no further! It's not immediate and it definitely took time to grow, but once it was there, I just HAD to know what would happen next with them. Arin and Kestrel both were clever and interesting, both in dialogue and in thoughts. I was really impressed with how well Marie Rutkoski was able to develop their relationship so that it wasn't too rushed nor was it dragged over hundreds and hundreds of pages.

Can't wait to see what happens next! ...more

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Oct 31, 2016 Nat rated it it was amazing

Shelves: summer2016

I found this main character to be immensely relatable. A lot of the plot twists were actually surprising, and I really appreciated that. While this book was very similar to others of the genre, it still felt unique in a way I adore. Rutkoski's writing reminded me of Maria V. Snyder

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