Review : The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Title : The Winner's Curse
Author : Marie Rutkoski
Genre : YA fantasy
Release Date : July 3rd, 2014
Publisher : Bloomsbury

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 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. 

First thought : this book is awesome! I rarely gave 5 stars to fantasy book because usually there's something I didn't like, but not this one. Okay, the first half of the book is a bit slow, but I never get bored because of it. Instead, it made me more curious.

Instead of doing the usual review, I'm going to make a list of

What to expect from The Winner's Curse

1. Unique Setting
The setting is something I rarely found in fantasy books. It reminds me of 17th-19th century England because of the clothes, the transportation, and the slavery. The only thing that's different is women are allowed to join the military. So that means, these women could fight. They even carried dagger everywhere. My point is, the setting is fresh and unique. You won't get bored because of it.

2. Amazing World-Building
Marie Rutkoski did a good job in describing this world. I admit, it's pretty confusing at first, like "Who's the Valorian and the Herrani?" and "What's Herran war?" confusing (which basically means everything). But, the more I read, the more I understand this world. We even get a little history lesson (which is not boring at all) about this world.

3. Realistic Characters
Let's start with Kestrel. To be frank, I don't know how to describe her. She's General Trajan's daughter (aka a very important person), which means she had a high position in the society. She could be like a lady, be an intelligent soldier, and be a kind, loving woman who likes to play the piano. In short, she's complicated, but good complicated. I admire her for that. Arin, on the other hand, has this closed and rough attitude at first. But after reading more, it became clear that it's just an act. Inside, he's actually a man who's willing to do anything for the one he loves.

4. Forbidden romance
EASILY, my favorite part from this book. I absolutely love forbidden romance. It hurts like hell, yes, and the agony for waiting is sometimes unbearable, but there's something..beautiful from forbidden romance. As the summary says, Arin is a Herrani slave, while Kestrel is Valorian lady, so there's NO WAY in the world they could be together without sacrificing something. At first, I didn't really ship them because Arin's unfriendly attitude toward Kestrel, but my "ship" for them grow like Kestrel and Arin's feeling grow to each other. Their feeling is just honest and beautiful and tragic. I'm definitely rooting for them.

5. Interesting plot
Basically, the plot is about rebellion. It's a plot we often find in Greek-Roman movie or dystopian books (see : The Hunger Games, Shatter Me, etc.). But somehow, Marie Rutkoski manage to turn this overused plot into something new. The plot hooked me up from the beginning, and even though there's many political aspects, it never made me bored.

So that's why you should read this book immediately. If that reasons is still not enough for you, then let me add the sixth : pretty cover. Tell me the cover is not pretty.