Review: THE WINNER'S CURSE by Marie Rutkoski

Title: THE WINNER'S CURSE
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Published: March 4th, 2014
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 368
POV: 3rd, multiple
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Format: Printed ARC, e-ARC
Source: Publicist
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

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.

I knew going into The Winner's Curse that this would be a novel worth reading, if only because of how much I loved the creativity featured in Rutkoski's The Shadow Society. But even knowing that, I was still amazed by how outstanding this novel turned out to be. The story revolves around two main characters: Kestral, a Valerian and the daughter of a great military General, and Arin, a Herrani slave whom Kestral buys on impulse at an auction. Kestral is expected to join the military, while Arin must do whatever it takes to survive as one of the Herrani slaves. Despite their different stations in life, Kestral and Arin slowly form a forbidden friendship that could change the fate of their world's future.

Rutkoski excels at painting a vivid picture within her readers' minds – the characters, the world, the culture, everything proved to be easy enough to envision and imagine. But, it was the characters who stole the show. From Kestral's observant and strategic nature to Arin's subtle intelligence and sharp personality, it was easy to root for both of them. Even the side characters were wonderfully developed, and continually intriguing. I went into this expecting a good story, but Rutkoski delivered a quiet, stunning tale that pleasantly surprised me. The Winner's Curse is a surprising, captivating tale of family, love, and honor. This book? It should be on your to-read list. Or, better yet, your bookshelf.

Highlights: The romance is slow, subtle, and almost barely beginning. This story focuses on the intelligence of main characters, rather than their ability to be physical threats. I loved how this story was written in a 3rd person POV, because it allowed Rutkoski to go into detail and really show off the fantasy world she crafted. While this as a quieter story, there are bursts of action-packed moments, strategic manipulations, and a couple surprising revelations. Worldbuilding, characters, story – it was all fantastic.

Lowlights: It has a slightly slow beginning and a couple moments felt slightly rushed, but I have no big issues with this story. The ending was pretty brutal, emotionally. It leaves you wanting the sequel, desperately! 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf. I love this book, so it is going on the top shelves in the royal library where everyone can see it. I'd highly recommend The Winner's Curse, because it is an incredible story.

Review: THE TESTING by Joelle Charbonneau

Title: THE TESTING
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Published: June 4th, 2013
Series: The Testing #1
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Pages: 336
POV: 1st person
Format: e-ARC
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4 out of 5

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust."

Only the best and brightest are selected for the Testing. Cia's father was selected as a teen, but no one from the Five Lakes colony has been deemed worthy for quite some time. But then Cia and three classmates are chosen, and are swept off to Tosu city for the Testing. As Cia struggles to pass and survive the Tests – mental, physical, alone and as a team – she also battles with her feelings toward her friends, and the warning her father gave her before Cia left home. In the Testing, sabotage is fair game, and no one can be trusted....

Gritty and even a bit disturbing at times, THE TESTING introduces a world that is attempting to rebuild itself by using only the best of the best as its leaders. But, the selection process is pure hell. Seemingly normal in the beginning, the tests quickly take on a sinister aspect and become downright deadly as the Testing narrows down the pool of candidates. While there is a small and realistic budding romantic subplot, THE TESTING's biggest strength is its eerie and disquieting world, along with Cia's no-nonsense, highly observant narration. THE TESTING is a fascinating story, and I'm eager to see what happens next in the sequel. 

Highlights: Everything begins innocently enough, before Charbonneu slowly reveals the deadly nature of the Testing. Despite the futuristic setting, Cia's narration keeps this story grounded in reality. She's a smart girl, and it's nice to have a heroine who is willing to think for herself, instead of relying on other characters to do everything for her. I'm always fascinated by novel's that delve into the crazy things people will do in order to win or survive, so I found that aspect intriguing. 

Lowlights: Parallels to THE HUNGER GAMES (strange and dangerous humanoid mutant creatures) and BATTLE ROYALE (kids killing other kids in order to win and survive in an arena of some sort, which is also an HG parallel), but that didn't really bother me. I'm mostly concerned about why – why do the officials allow so many candidates to die? Even ones who are exceptionally brilliant, but were fooled by more malevolent characters? Do they really want sneaky, evil people to control their families futures? While Cia speculates on this, the answers provided are not satisfactory or even logical - realistically, it's counterproductive to let your nation's best and brightest die. I'd also like to know more about the world. Hopefully the sequel will provide more answers. 

Received a digital advanced review copy from publisher in exchange for my honest review.