A review by vel629vet
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Listened to on Audible.
Took me a bit to get used to the narrator (audiobook) and her strange use of accents. Why did Kestrel have an accent when she was the main character and Arin did not, other than I suppose she was part of the foreigners that conquered Arin's home.
I appreciated how different Kestrel was than your typical YA adventure heroine - not good at combat, not interested in changing the world... but still had the typical beauty.
I felt that Arin's dynamic changes were a bit abrupt around 2/3 of the way through.
Overall I enjoyed the story and will go on to read book 2. I was impressed by Rutkoski's prose at times and while I don't feel incredibly attached to any of the characters, I do think the author is a good storyteller, and doesn't fall into too many YA tropes.