Review: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse 
by Marie Rutkoski
Released Date: March 4th 2014 by Farrar Straus Giroux
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Pages: 368
View/Purchase: Author's Website, Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks 

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.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review: 

I loved every aspect of this book, not only did Marie Rutkoski grabbed my attention with the synopsis and the lovely cover, but the whole story as a whole was just amazing. With a romance between a general's daughter and a slave, plot twists, a love triangle and secrets,The Winner's Curse is a must read.

From the start we meet Kestrel,a seventeen-year-old girl who is the daughter of a general of a very powerful empire that also happens to be known for their warriors/fighting skills. But living in such a powerful empire comes with its sacrifices. Kestrel has been given two choices: she can join the military and fight or get married. But she doesn't want to do neither one. 

Having lost her mother, Kestrel lives with her dad, which doesn't make things easier for her when he is constantly insisting her to make a choice, especially the one guided towards the military. Kestrel knows that she has to make a choice, but everything changes the minute she accidentally attends a slave auction. She wasn't expecting to bid for a defying slave, but his eyes and how he was being treated made her want to bid for the slave even more without thinking of the consequences that it would bring to her and her people in the future.

Soon the two start to form a bond over their experiences, and it sort of forms into a friendship. The more time they spend together, the more Kestrel starts to feel for the young slave. She trusts him by inviting him to her home and by telling him more about her life and likes. But in reality she doesn't know that Arin has been hiding a secret, one that will make her regret ever biding on him from the start and for giving him her heart. That's the minute she realizes that she has to make a choice, whether to help her enemies and betray her people or figure out a way to stop the rebellion going against her people. 

There are so many things that happen in the book that were intriguing and interesting. The writing and the different perspectives in the book made it that much more interesting to read as well. Rutkoski does a good job describing this new world and the characters. Kestrel is a strong, independent girl that just wants to do what she wants. She may not be good in combat, but she has a passion for music and her planning skills when it comes to planning a combat come naturally to her. She is a very brave and smart character. On the other hand, Arin is kind and attentive that anyone would really like. Overall, the story was amazing, from the characters to the setting, everything was well thought out and I'm really looking forward to reading the second book in the trilogy. I highly recommend it. :) 

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

My Rating: 

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