The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy Book 1)

I rarely write reviews, but this book is worth taking the time.I’m going to give it 5 stars, not because it’s perfect--what is?--but because it is so, so good despite its imperfections.I could not put this book down. Well, I had to, because I had to go to class, but I was thinking about it the entire time, and I had it pulled up on my kindle app every free second I got until I could get back home and finish it.The romance between Kestrel and Arin is slow-burning in a way that is believable and refreshing. They are attracted to each other, yes, but are in denial about it for a long time. A large part of what draws them to one another is who they are as people, and what they are willing to do to protect one another. The way their relationship builds over time was what hooked me, and I stayed hooked all the way through.Also, PoC MAIN CHARACTER, y’all! And he’s complicated and well-drawn! That’s a big enough deal that I wish everyone would read this. It even has parts from his POV. Get excited!I’ve also seen it mentioned that Kestrel is a great change of pace, and I agree. She is a general’s daughter, and she isn’t some insanely honed killing machine. But she also isn’t bad at fighting. She’s average in an area where she’s expected to excel. I loved that, even though she isn’t a great warrior, she is a brilliant tactician. Kestrel’s perspective--the way she solves puzzles, the way she notices details--is a really cool headspace to visit. I also like that Arin is her match in these things. He’s not a strategist in the same way that Kestrel is, but he is very sharp, and musical. They come across as very different people, but with similar talents and mindsets.I’ve seen a few people criticize Kestrel’s “convenient” distaste for slavery. I don’t think that’s a particularly sensible critique. After all, there’s a reason that we read about characters who are extraordinary. This story *could not exist* if Kestrel didn’t have misgivings about the slave system. That’s a big part of it. And the reasoning behind it makes sense: Kestrel was, more than most of her peers, raised by a slave. Her mother had died young, her father was the general, busy and often away. Even other children with Heranni nurses wouldn’t have been as close to them as a girl who had only that woman as her primary parental figure. And it’s not as if her misgivings translate into “free all the slaves”. She doesn’t always like the system, but she still goes along with it. The main thing is that she is lenient; she allows herself to begin to see her slaves as people because she lets them act like real people. With Arin, she insists upon it. Sometimes, that insistence means that she lets him step pretty far over the line in what he should be allowed to say and do, sure, but what I got from that, more than anything, is that Kestrel is in desperate need of a clever confindante (Jess is her dear friend and all, but she isn’t on Kestrel’s mental level, and everyone else wants something from her). What she craves more than anything is a clear head, because it’s what she strives to have, so a slave that talks back a little too much doesn’t bother her if she gets his honesty in the bargain. As motivation, that does make sense to me.And the best part? It’s not as if they have a magically easy relationship. It’s fraught with very realistic difficulties.SPOILERS:One of the things that I love most about this story is that both characters have so much self-respect. They may ultimately accept their mutual attraction, and each other’s love, but both value their freedom just as much. Even though I didn’t want the revolution to tear apart Arin and Kestrel in the carriage scene, I was glad that it did, because it meant that Arin would not be her subordinate lover. And as bittersweet as it is when Kestrel leaves after their kiss when the tables have turned and she is the “slave”, I was sort of cheering her on. I’m happy that, if they have a relationship in future books, it will be as equals, or at least they will both be free citizens. And I think that’s really important. I’m glad to see that kind of narrative existing. It would have been an easy out if Arin had just continued to be Kestrel’s slave and depended on her goodwill. But that even had a time limit. It would have been even easier for Kestrel to allow herself to stay under Arin’s protection, but it wouldn’t have been right for either of their characters. They are both independent and proud. They are both strong. They have both proven that they value their freedom and agency above almost everything else. And because of this, I think that staying true to themselves, and not allowing themselves to settle, is really excellent.Also, I’m sure that Kestrel’s actions in the second half of the book will get some negative reactions. “She just stands around” or “she doesn’t forgive him for so long, even though what he did is understandable,” or “she forgives him too easily when he just took down her entire social order.” And I don’t think any of those accusations are accurate. I think they’re oversimplifications, so I’m going to have a brief In Defense of Kestrel section.Kestrel doesn’t “just stand around”. She is captured. She considers suicide to escape, but chooses (wisely) against it. And then she is locked in a room/house for weeks, by people who *know* what a good strategist she is, and so plan in such a way as to make it impossible for her to escape for a good long while. She takes that time to reconstruct herself, as she’s really suffered a lot of serious emotional damage. And she gains information which she does ultimately use to make her escape, so it’s time that’s necessary, not wasted.As for not forgiving Arin for a while, I think that’s pretty understandable. He did betray her, and even if that is forgivable, considering that he was winning freedom for himself and his people, it’s also forgivable for Kestrel to be hurt. She had risked everything for Arin--her life and her reputation. All that without knowing that he cared for her at all. He’s told her a lot of lies, and her world has been turned upside down. It’s logical that it takes some time for her to make sense of who he really is.Finally, in regard to the “she just forgives him” accusation, which I’ve seen: no, I don’t think she does. She agonizes over it. Her forgiveness is slow to come, and even when it does, she’s still angry over what happened to her people. Kestrel has always been able to balance multiple perspectives, which is how she was able to admit that the slave system was flawed. By that same token, she can understand why the slaves revolted, and why Arin was a part of that. She cares for him. He saves her, he lets her go, even, and she doesn’t want him to die. She doesn’t want to be the cause of all those people’s deaths (she’s already mentioned several times that she’d never wanted deaths on her conscience). Considering those things, I’d say all of her hesitation makes a lot of sense, and makes her a more realistic, admirable character.END SPOILERSCritiques:The prose is often very beautiful, but occasionally errs too far on the side of the poetic. Honestly, as faults go, it’s not a bad one. No one gets it right 100% of the time, and I’m pretty picky when it comes to writing style. Rutkoski paints many lovely descriptions, and if a few of them are a little overdone--meh, I’m not bothered.I’ve seen it mentioned that the slavery depicted “onscreen” so to speak, is pretty mild. I think it’s a fair point. However, since most of the slaves we see are Kestrel’s own, I think it does make sense. She’s the lady of the house, and it’s pretty clear that, in household matters, her father often lets her have her way. We know that Kestrel has misgivings about slavery because she was basically raised by a slave, so she wouldn’t willingly allow slaves in her house to be abused. And if it *was* happening, she probably wouldn’t know about it. I agree that it would have been better if we’d seen a little more of the violence of enslaved life to help us really understand the stakes. However, from the descriptions that were given, as well as from my knowledge of slavery and all the feelings that the term conjures up, I understood well enough.Overall, I think The Winner’s Curse is a really excellent story that I would definitely recommend picking up on an evening where you can sit and read it all the way through. I am eagerly awaiting the next book. Seriously, when does it come out? There are things I need to know!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.Music is seventeen year old Kestrel’s Achilles’ heel. It is her comfort, and if someone ever asked where her heart lay, she would probably say it dwells in keys of her piano. It is a strength, a talent, but it is also a curse in some ways, too. Kestrel never thought of it that way until after one fateful day in the market when she found out just how bad her weakness for music was. Kestrel could never have prepared herself for what was to come because of her choice that day, how a purchase of a slave could change her life, her world, forever.The young man’s eyes had glittered that afternoon with something very familiar to Kestrel: rebellion. She had purchased him mostly because the slaver claimed he could sing, but also because of that look in his eyes, and she wondered if she’d found someone with the same fire burning in them that burned within herself. Kestrel, however, finds herself to instantly regret the purchase when he refuses to sing for her, kindred spirit or not. What was she thinking, buying a slave for so much money just because the slaver said he could sing? But there is more to this slave boy than meets the eye, more than Kestrel could have ever imagined. As the world around her begins to crumble, Kestrel wonders if this slave could be her savior, or if he will be the death of her.“The Winner’s Curse” is a really hard book for me to review because I honestly don’t know how to put into words what I felt while reading it. Where do I start? Should I begin this post with how much I loved it, how beautifully and intricately woven the plot is, or how the characters grow on you the more time you spend with them, just like an actual person would? I just don’t have the right words to describe this book; anything I say in the written word won’t do this story justice, and that bums me out. A lot. *Sighs.* Despite not knowing exactly what to say, I am still going to write a review for this book.Okay, I think that the wisest place to start this post is with Marie Rutkoski’s world. Can I just say how gorgeous it is before I write anything else? It’s gorgeous, and I LOVED it! Kestrel doesn’t belong to our world; her’s is make-believe, but it feels so real the way Marie wrote it that it seemed more like a beautifully written history book! I felt like I was being drawn into the story, and Kestrel’s world really came alive. One of the reasons that I think made it came alive for me was that Marie’s world is modeled after the Roman-Greco period in history, which just so happens to be my favorite. I love the Roman and Grecian influences that are in “The Winner’s Curse” because they added so much depth and weight to the story, and it made for a more believable story. I feel that Marie did a great job of drawing from these two magnificent civilizations while still making Kestrel’s world her own. I think that is one of the (many)reasons that made this such a stunning read for me.Besides Marie Rutkoski’s beautiful world building, I loved how cunning and intelligent her characters were. They were shrewd, and calculating and I liked that because you didn’t know exactly what they were thinking, or competely understand their intentions. They held their cards close to their chests, and the author waited until precisely the right moment to have them lay one down; one card was revealed at a time, and it made for a slowly building that eventually blew my mind! I mean, my brain was making the connections and putting things together, so not everything was a surprise, but it was kind of fun to read into actions and to understand what a character was doing without being told. It was clever of the author because it made me even more invested in the book and its characters.I feel that there is a character in this book for everyone to choose from, and I personally became a fan of Ronan, one of Kestrel’s friends. (Yeah, I know, I tend to go for the sweet friend who’s always been there for the main female character. I guess I’m predictable, but I prefer to call it faithful and dependable). Ronan was an intelligent character, with a good wit that made me smile whenever he was around, and he cared deeply for Kestrel even though she didn’t care for him that way in return. Unrequited love just so happens to be one of the many afflictions ninety percent of the characters I like end up experiencing, so it’s no surprise that I fell for him. Let me warn you now, though, if I ever REALLY like a character and you want them to either be alive at the end of a book, or end up with your other favorite character, run far, far away! I’ve accepted this fact in life, but sometimes it still hurt (except for the very few, but veryprecious times that my OPTs have ended up together. They are rare but sweet!). Ronan is one of those times, but you know what, I am just looking forward to seeing more of him in this series even if all he will ever be is a friend to Kestrel. I can live with that. All of the characters in this story, though, are all really well developed; there are no pointless or meaningless characters in this book because they all serve some kind of purpose, and there’s also no filler in this book, which is new and refreshing.What I really want to explain now is what made me realize that I liked “The Winner’s Curse.” For most of the it I wasn’t thinking about what I liked or disliked about this book, I was just absorbed in the story and experiencing each moment alongside the characters. The moment that I realized just how much I loved this book, I had been reading the last fifty or sixty pages, and it was a scene between Kestrel and Arin. Before that moment I hadn’t thought about my likes or dislikes, whether I wanted them together or not, or if I even liked them as individuals. I hadn’t thought about any of those things until after they were in the kitchen, and they had this really beautiful moment together. This scene with them doesn’t last long at all, but afterwards I noticed that I had been holding my breath in anticipation. I don’t know what I was waiting for, but I had been waiting for something.“The Winner’s Curse” is the first book to do that to me. Sure, I’ve screamed at books/book characters before, I’ve held my breath in dread or fear, and even in excitement, but this is the first book that made me sit, literally, on the edge of my seat, waiting for something, anything to happen.That was the moment when I figured out that I loved “The Winner’s Curse.” I guess the best way to describe it is that this story, its characters, and its world, they all snuck up on me. I was just going along with the story when suddenly, and unexpectedly, I was like, “Wow, I really love this book!” After I had finished it, I went to discuss the book with my sister and all I could say was, “Uhhhhh,”, and, “It just snuck up on me!” I sounded like an idiot and I probably looked like one too because I just kept repeating myself over and over again, blinking in shock. I looked like a fool, but it was totally worth it!“The Winner’s Curse” was a stunning read. I feel that it and “The One” by Kiera Cass are, so far, my epic reads of 2014. I love a lot of books, but only a few have the potential to be eternally epic stories. What Marie and Kiera have in common, and why I love their books so much, is that their societies, worlds, plots, and characters are all beautifully thought out, intricate, flawed, and real despite being fictional; they stay with you even after you’ve walked away. You can tell that they’ve put their heart and soul into their books, and that in turn makes you invest more in the stories they write. That is how I differentiate a good book from an epic one. They make me speechless in a really good way kind of way. Bravo!!! Check-out my blog: http://booksandwonderfulthings.wordpress.com

Não tem jeito. Eu me apaixonei completamente por esse livro e essa história. Só de ler a sinopse do segundo, já sei que vou amar também. Tem uma razão bem específica para isso, esse livro tem uma coisa que me faz amar histórias e saber que não importa sua quantidade de páginas, eu sempre vou querer mais. Mas logo falo dela.Antes de começar meus elogios bem específicos e uma pequena ressalva, quero deixar bem claro que o infeliz classificou esse livro como distopia estava completamente errado e nem sabe o que a palavra distopia significa. Eu só recomendaria esse livro para pessoas que são apaixonadas por romances, principalmente de época; romance de verdade mesmo, de tirar o fôlego e proibido, em um ambiente antigo, mais parecido com o século dezenove. Não tem absolutamente nada de distópico aqui. Pelo contrário, a ideia da história e da situação dos dois países veio da ocupação romana na Grécia, e não tem como negar que a parte mais importante do livro é o romance.E que romance maravilhoso! Qualquer livro de romance que essa autora resolver escrever, eu vou ler. Ela soube criar o romance devagar e ir alimentando com cuidado, com tantos detalhes sutis, que foi impossível não me apaixonar junto! A escrita da autora é muito bonita e deixa tudo ainda mais emocionante.Como eu mencionei, ela deixa muita coisa sutil, mas muita coisa mesmo. Quando você for ler, precisa ver mais do que as palavras escritas ali, precisa ler nas entrelinhas e entender um pouco do simbolismo que ela mostra, mas nunca deixa na cara. Foram tantos detalhes pequenos e ainda assim significativos, que dá vontade de criar um manual para futuros leitores. Tenho medo de muita gente ter lido sem prestar atenção a eles e achado que a história é superficial, só porque sua leitura foi. Para mim, esse livro tem muito significado e muito peso, o que é essencial para um romance emocionante como o que teve.Além disso, eu amo romances entre mulheres de classes sociais mais altas do que a do cara. Krestel é da aristocracia Valoriana, é claro que ela vai se preocupar com roupas, joias e bailes - e que vai se preocupar com decoro, com os costumes do seu país e de seu ranking. E eu adoro isso! Mas tenho que admitir que nunca vou ficar confortável com escravidão (ainda bem que me incomoda, né?). É uma escravidão diferente da que aconteceu aqui, foi bem inspirada na dos gregos pelos romanos, mas isso nunca vai ser fácil ou aceitável. A pior parte para mim foi o leilão do Arin. Nunca tinha lido um livro que me fez ficar tão incomodada assim por uma cena, principalmente, que eu estava esperando desde a sinopse.Mas a escravidão é abordada, não é só uma desculpa para colocar Krestel em uma posição acima de Arin. É possível que alguns leitores não percebam o efeito da escravidão em alguns dos questionamentos que aparecem, se eles não ficarem atentos aos detalhes que mencionei. Então, fique!Mas a verdadeira razão de eu ter me apaixonado tanto pela história e saber que leria milhares de páginas dela sem nem parar para ver em qual estou (adoro livros que fazem isso!) é a Kestrel. Só personagens conseguem me fazer amar livros como eu amei esse.Ela rapidamente se tornou uma das minhas protagonistas favoritas! Como adoro romances de mulheres da alta sociedade com caras mais simples, é claro que eu adoro mulheres que agem como da alta sociedade. Não faria o menor sentido se Kestrel fosse super humilde e não um produto de sua criação. Ela é privilegiada, sim, mesmo que dê para ver desde o começo que não se considera superior aos escravos, só os vê como consequência de uma guerra de conquista de território, uma que foi liderada pelo seu pai. Em muitos momentos, dá para você ver a compaixão que ela tem e o potencial para desenvolver bem mais. E ela se desenvolve, e ela evolui, e esse livro é incrível, porque ela é incrível.Aliás, desde o começo você também consegue ver claramente o quanto ela é inteligente, e talvez essa seja minha parte favorita. Eu gosto também de história de mulheres guerreiras e tudo o mais, mas estava começando a sentir muita falta de uma mulher que fosse mais inteligente do que o normal, cuja força fosse seu cérebro, que pensasse com bastante lógica e conseguisse planejar até as manipulações mais simples. Fiquei encantada por esse jeito da Kestrel e também por seu amor à música. Ela saber lutar, mesmo que mediocremente, ainda ajuda, já que seu amor por tocar piano não é sua única habilidade, mas uma escolha.E o Arin também é incrível, não tem como não se apaixonar por ele! A relação entre os dois é maravilhosa, a química deles é impecável e a inteligência de um combina perfeitamente com a do outro! Existem poucos casais tão bem criados e entrosados! Mal posso esperar para saber o que vem no segundo livro. Mal. Posso. Esperar!Agora, para minha única ressalva mesmo. O ritmo do livro é um pouco incerto. Vi muita gente falando que a segunda metade do livro é muito superior à primeira, mas eu amei a primeira e foi ela que me fez perceber que esse livro é um dos meus favoritos. A segunda é ótima também, muita coisa acontece, muita coisa que muda toda a situação, o que eu acho extremamente essencial em um livro. Só que o clímax do livro é perto demais do meio e o resto parece um começo de segundo livro, que tem uma certa evolução um pouco devagar (ou incerta, na verdade, já que não dá muito para prever o caminho que a história vai levar). Chega a parecer que terá outro momento digno de clímax, mas acaba se tornando uma preparação para o próximo livro. Isso não significa que foi ruim, em nenhum momento eu fiquei entediada, continuei amando tudo da história até a última página, mas não posso negar que em alguns momentos senti essa sensação de não saber bem aonde a história estava indo. Se tornou um pouco uma espera, ainda que curta e pontuada por momentos interessantes.Mas é uma mini ressalva, porque eu amei o livro e vou começar o segundo agora mesmo! Estou me sentindo um pouco besta de ter demorado tanto para comprar e ler, por ter ficado tão apreensiva com a história! Esse livro é maravilhoso e vai encantar todo mundo que é apaixonado por romances de época (mesmo que o mundo dele seja fictício).

El libro esta mal cortado (roughcut) y no se menciona ninguna advertencia o descripción de ello. Es algo que se mira muy mal en apariencia.

Ho cominciato a scrivere questa recensione più e più volte; per diverso tempo sono rimasta bloccata alla frase iniziale perché volevo che fosse un faro d'attrattiva per questo libro, una luce che reclamasse l'attenzione su questa perla che non viene sufficientemente protetta e promossa.Alla fine, qualunque cosa io scrivessi, non era capace di spiegare, nemmeno in minima parte il turbinio di emozioni e pensieri che hanno intasato la mia testa da quando ho letto “The Winner's Curse”.Io mi sono innamorata, completamente e irrimediabilmente.Non riesco ad essere razionale, penso a diecimila cose, provo centomila sensazioni diverse e non riesco a metterne per iscritto nemmeno mezza, a meno che non voglia sembrare una bambina alle prese con un'interrogazione di fisica quantistica.Quali corde personali, questo libro, ha toccato del mio profondo essere, non ne ho la minima idea, ma so che alle volte, non importa il contenuto scritto, le parole usate o il genere scelto, un romanzo ti entra dentro, e rimane lì per sempre. Non scadrà mai, nemmeno dopo averlo riletto talmente tante volte che non riesci a ricordarlo.A proposito di riletture, ho comprato questo romanzo in ebook a giugno perché volevo testare la mia abilità nella lettura in lingua e il prezzo molto basso mi ha convinta ad acquistarlo. Ad oggi l'ho riletto tre volte, in sei mesi, e sto valutando una quarta, in prossimità della conclusione della serie a Marzo 2016 (piango).The Winner's Curse si apre ad Herran, la penisola più grande del continente immaginato da Marie Rutkoski. Qui, da dieci anni, l'acculturato, artistico popolo Herrani, è stato reso schiavo dal più potente, implacabile e bellicoso Impero di Valoria (Romani e Greci sono stati una fonte di ispirazione per l'autrice).Kestrel e Arin sono i due protagonisti. La prima ha diciassette anni ed è l'unica figlia del Generale Trejan, colui che, in nome dell'imperatore, è riuscito a conquistare la bellissima e ricca terra peninsulare. Marie Rutkoski mostra fin da subito la volontà di staccarsi fortemente, dall'immagine della protagonista perfetta che troppo spesso incontriamo negli YA, che pressappoco ha queste caratteristiche surreali: bellissima, intelligentissima, buonissima, che possiede un forte senso di giustizia interno, tanto da spingerla a rivoluzionare il mondo, anche andando contro tutto ciò che le hanno insegnanto.No, no, no, tutto questo è irrealistico e, in tutta onestà, davvero frustrante. Tutti hanno pregi e difetti, e trovo molto idealista quell'autore che si ostina ancora a perseguire l'immagine del protagonista paladino del mondo o della protagonista bella e buona e pronta ai massimi sacrifici per proteggere chiunque abbia conosciuto in vita sua.Kestrel è in gamba, ma nonostante la sua cultura e il suo popolo siano considerati più guerrieri che intellettuali, la sua forza sta più nel carattere che ne fisico, nello sfruttare l'astuzia e la strategia, piuttosto che la spada o il pugnale. Quello che mi ha subito legata a lei è la sua umanità, la sua aderenza alla realtà. Come tutti noi, è vittima del dubbio, delle paure, degli errori, ma anche delle aspettative e dei desideri altrui. Sa chi è, da dove viene e qual'è il suo popolo e rimane fedele ad esso sempre, anche quando non farlo, sarebbe la scelta più giusta o più in linea con il suo cuore. Proseguendo nella lettura, ci si rende davvero conto che lei è figlia del sua società e non smette mai di esserlo, con le conseguenze che questo comporta.Arin invece è un herrani, comprato all'inizio del libro da Kestrel, in un'asta per schiavi.Il primo pensiero dopo questa informazione già la sento vibrare: ecco qua, un altro libro con il solito cliché d'amore impossibile tra la ricca e il povero, dove il finale è talmente scontato che mi sembra di averlo già letto un centinaio di volte.Vi assicuro che non è affatto così. O meglio, la storia d'amore c'è, oh eccome se c'è, ma non è lineare o semplice e non si conclude nemmeno come uno ci si aspetta. A differenza di molti altri romanzi fantasy YA, il romance è una funzione alla trama e mai il contrario. I cambiamenti non avvengono perché i due protagonisti si amano e insieme decidono di lottare contro il loro mondo. Il legame tra loro cresce lentamente, man mano che cominciano a conoscersi e ad ammirarsi, ma non dimenticano mai i loro obiettivi e i loro scopi. È un continuo crescendo di tensione e suspense, di passi avanti e passi indietro che non ti permettono di staccarti dal romanzo, per più di un'ora.Un altro fondamentale motivo per cui ho amato questo libro e per cui lo consiglio davvero con tutto il cuore è lo stile di Marie Rutkoski. Giuro che nel mio ebook ho evidenziato praticamente metà libro e ho continuo a rileggere quelle frasi che mi fanno sospirare ogni volta che voglio farmi del male (l'ultimo libro esce a marzo e io sto fremendo senza pace da mesi perché non vedo l'ora di tenerlo tra le mani). C'è della vera poesia in questo romanzo, ci sono dei passaggi, delle righe che ti entrano dentro, che riescono a toccarti nel profondo e creare quella fantastica magia per cui, alla fine del libro, senza che tu te ne sia reso conto, tieni talmente tanto ai personaggi che la loro felicità o il loro dolore riesci ad empatizzarli benissimo.È un libro fantasy completo, dove c'è la parte romantica, un world-building credibile e ben strutturato, con un intrigo politico e sociale che intriga e cattura.Saltuariamente controllo le news di varie case editrice italiane, nella speranza di vedere l'acquisizione dei diritti per la traduzione di questa trilogia che merita tantissimo. Durante i periodi di noia rischiavo di mettermi a tradurla io stessa per obbligare tutti i miei amici a leggerla, anche sotto costrizione.Continuo a pensare che i gusti son gusti e la possibilità che non piaccia è sempre dietro l'angolo, tuttavia sono diventata talmente tanto protettiva nei confronti di questo romanzo che eviterò di prendere in considerazione qualunque commento negativo, siete avvisati!(Amatelo!)

The writing is smooth and elegant. The "ladies" use proper language, there is no cursing and the society is strictly build with strong rules and etiquette.With the subtle balance between depiction and dialogs the author paints a vivid universe and realistic characters.This is a story of a winning turned in a curse.Kestrel, the General's daughter, buys a slave "Smith" (aka Arin). She does not intend to but feels compeled to bid higher and higher to gain his ownership. She does not know what has possessed her as she is no slave master and has even freed her nanny a long time ago.Now the owner of Arin, a blacksmith, he will be put to use in her father's forge.Ketrel's father dreams of his daughter joining the army but she does not want to kill others. Quiet with a sharp intellect, she is a strategist in games, human relationships or at war. She knows her inability to master weaponry. Brave, proud and strong, all she wants is to play the piano even if it's frown upon. A Lady does not occupy herself with the arts as those are meant for the slaves to entertain their masters.She has a gentle heart and sees the wrong the Valerian did to Arin's people.Arin is proud and defiant but hides his true nature, bidding his time. We feel early on he has a hidden agenda and soon the stakes will be revealed.Arin is drawn to Kestrel, his daughter's enemy. He admires her beauty, her spirit and her kind heart toward his people. He'll struggle to remain unmoved by the girl but it's a lost battle.Coming from two different universes, one from and enslaved nation and the other from the conqueror, Arin and Kestrel will learn to know each other and surpass these prejudices.Romeo and Juliet from a lost time, their uneasy friendship evolves into forbidden love. Slave and master, conqueror and conquered.While the plot unfolds, they will both be torn between their loyalties. Each choice will bear consequences and could mean losing the other or losing their friends and family. They'll try against all odds to save a love condemned by their respective societies.This book is powerful and has the right pace: not too rushed but none too slow either. All characters are well depicted from friend to foe and it will please all the fans of Kristin Cashore and Rae Carson's books.

The Winner's Curse was another one of those hype books that turned right for me, as These Broken Stars was. I had read so many fantastic reviews for this one from fellow book lovers and bloggers that I trust that I knew I was going to like it, but there's always that little voice in the back of your head going "what if I you expect so much of this book that it can't live to those kind of expectations".Well, thankfully it did! I loved this book to pieces, even if it was a big rollercoaster of emotions and it broke my heart more than once! I loved the writing, the characters, the world and loved & hated the romance. I will try to keep my review as spoiler free as possible, but be warned that from now on I might or might not comment on things some of you rather not know about the book.If I had to define the genre for The Winner's Curse I'd say is fantasy with historical fiction touches. As a history buff and lover of all things Ancient Greece and Rome, I felt that there were so many bits and pieces that reminded me of them, and those made me love the story and world building even more! Conquest, Empire, assimilation of conquered lands customs & gods, military progress, slaves... everything seemed familiar, but it is weaved in a way that creates its own world. i was very much fascinated with the world building, full of details but that never stumped the plot narrative.As for the plot, it progresses in a way that gives us loads of world building and character growth and progression, without never really losing sight of the main plot point. At first you might not suspect what's going on, but early on you can see hints and begin to wonder how there was no more suspicion when events started piling up, but it can be atributed to the winner's mentality, thinking that you've broken the conquered thoroughly.Krestel is a fantastic character, and has become one of my favourite heroines. She lives a life of privilegue but still is a nonconformist. She keeps trying to be true to herself and tries very hard to find a way to be herself without disappointing her only family, her father. But when your father is a Valorian general and national hero, there are very many expectations on you, and those don't sit well with Krestel. She doesn't want a military career, she loves her music and she wants to be able to choose her own destiny. She's got a sharp mind, very strategic and she also has a big sense of loyalty for family and friends. Seeing her being challenged by Arin on some of her convictions and abilities and grow stronger for it was great.Arin, oh dear. Arin is a complex character. A slave that has never forgotten who he was before the war and that has not sat and accepted his fate, not without fighting. He has a mission but he doesn't expect getting some of his preconceptions shaken up, and he really doesn't foresee respecting and caring for a Valorian. His choices become even tougher then, but he was a fantastic character through and through.The romance, ah the romance! For a self-declared not-a-big-fan-of-romance this one totally captured my heart! I will not say much about it except that it's fantastic, subtle, intense and very much heartbreaking!This was one fantastic book, has become one of my absolute favourites of the year and I'm dying to get my hands on the sequel! Very much deserved 5 stars!!