Poudelivre

Sometimes I find it hard to get into a book. Really enter that place when all you do is read, read, read and all you think about is that book. If I don’t attach myself to a book right when I start reading I usually end up doing everything else but reading and it takes quite some time to finish it off. But if you give it a chance and push through those first fifty, hundred pages, it’s usually worth it. The Winner’s Curse is a stellar example for that.

Kestrel is General Trajan’s daughter and lives a comfortable live surrounded by everything she could wish for. But being only three years away from turning twenty, when she by law must either marry or enter the army, Kestrel finds her freedom slowly being taken from her. She doesn’t want to be a soldier, but neither does she want to marry. Her view of her future is clear – to her – but her father disagrees. And one day Kestrel makes a choice that turns everything she ever wanted and everything her father ever wished, upside down. A defining moment that changes their lives forever.

I’ve heard a lot about this novel and naturally my expectations were high. At first, like mentioned earlier, I had a hard time really getting into the story. It was a little slow, but the plot still held interest to me and I pushed through. This is something I’m very glad of now. I wouldn’t say The Winner’s Curse is the best book I’ve ever read, but it is among a selected few on my All time favorite list.

Now, Marie Rutkoski’s novel is the first in a trilogy, so it’s hard to say very much about the plot. So far, so good, but also not unpredictable. Some who reads may be surprised at certain events, but I wasn’t. Though I thought, more than once, that this story reminded me of other novels I’ve read, I still wasn’t bothered by it. Yes, it is similar to other stuff I’ve read and yes, it didn’t hold very much unexpectedness, but it was nonetheless a good story. It was a mix of a few other novels I’ve read, but it was still its own story and I’m very, very curious to see where Rutkoski is going with this.

I found Kestrel to be pretty much everything I look for in a female main character. She is strong and stubborn but also has a warm heart and she does care for people around her. She’s brave without coming of as cocky and arrogant and she extremely intelligent. In the end she does the best she can with what she has and I really admire her sense of seeing everything as a game of Bite and Sting and thus easier deciding what she has to do to get what, and where, she wants. Some may think she’s a little cold and hard to get close to, but I think she’ll let that guard down a bit more during the course of the following two books.

Our other main character is Arin. He’s a Herrani slave, as smart and intelligent as Kestrel but a bit more cunning. They remind me of each other, both head-strong and stubborn but Arin a little softer, when he wants to be. Though she’s a noble and he’s a slave they share one very important thing. The love for their people and their freedom, which is something that is put to test more than once during the novel.

Other character come and go, like Kestrel’s friends, Jess and Ronan. Her father. Other Herrani slaves. Nobles and aristocrats. But the story center around Kestrel and Arin and I like it that way. Maybe I’d like to see a bit more character development in the second installment, but for being the foundation of a trilogy, I think Rutkoski is off to a great start!

The prose was lovely, soft and lyrical. Though a slow brewer, the novel did not lack excitement. After a while I couldn’t put it away and ended up finishing it in only a few days. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel and learn more about the fate of Kestrel and Arin. For me, this novel has most certainly lived up to its expectations.