As a general's daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. Kestrel has other ideas. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in Arin, a young slave up for auction. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him - and for a sensational price that sets the society gossips talking. 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 him is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
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"The Winner’s Curse" has quickly risen to the top of my favourites list – right up there with "Dragonfly" by Julia Golding, "Throne of Glas"s by Sarah J Maas, the Tortallian series' by Tamora Pierce, among others.
The main characters are brilliant (I mean that both in a descriptive and literal way – they are both wicked smart), the world building fantastic and the plot line all that I could have hoped for and more.
Fantasy, romance, intrigue, friendship, betrayal, high society, rebellion, revolution, torn loyalties… “The Winner’s Curse” is beyond epic.
Strange as it was, there was only one character that I hated, and it is not the obvious one. To keep this spoiler-free, let’s just say that I actually started out liking the person in question, but that quickly turned to loathing as his true character came out. Not only is he unwise and disrespectful, but he is a sexist pig with seemingly no regard for human life. When misfortune befell him I laughed – and felt no remorse whatsoever. I do, however, admit to loving to hate him – but that’s hardly the same thing.
If you loved "The Winner’s Curse", read "The Winner’s Crime" and are now suffering from withdrawal symptoms, I highly recommend checking out "Dragonfly" by Julia Golding. It is a high fantasy standalone and is one of my all time favourite novels – I've probably read it about seven times already. - Melissa (QBD)
Guest, 03/11/2017
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The Winner's curse is not what I expected at all. I started this expecting your usual cookie cutter YA love story and instead I was left with an epic story of conquerers and the rebellion of the conquered. And yes, there is romance, but it is so beautifully entwined in this story of war that it tends to take a back seat, and I need more of this kind of storytelling in my life. - Lisa (QBD)
Guest, 26/08/2017
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Guest, 11/08/2017