Rating: A+ | ★★★★★ Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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. Non-Spoiler Review: To date, I have never read a book series as engaging and heart-pounding as The Winner's Trilogy. (And yes, I'm going to insist on using the original covers because I'm weak when it comes to fluffy skirts.) Kestrel, Arin, and their story are indelible, igniting flickers of excitement in me even now, years after finishing the series. I can almost see Arin's scar in my mind, hear Kestrel's fingers sliding across piano keys. Rutkoski's writing is gorgeous and precise, creating a rich, real world; while mostly advertised as a romance series, The Winner's Trilogy also boasts a complex and nuanced understanding of politics, with kings, slaves, generals, and two vulnerable protagonists caught at the heart of this sprawling web. This series is the modern literary standard for political drama. The reader can feel how tangible the stakes are, how many tasks and risks the characters balance with every action. Kestrel and Arin are at the heart of the story, planetary bodies attracting and repelling each other. She’d felt it before, she felt it now: the pull to fall in with him, to fall into him, to lose her sense of self. In short, it would be a crime not to adapt this series for television or film. Hulu, Netflix, HBO—please call Marie Rutkoski soon.
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From the ArchiveWhile my main reviews are organized by seasons and I try to write reviews immediately after I finish reading, there are always stories that lose to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. From the Archive is a redemptive collection of mini-reviews of books I read in the past that continue to captivate me.
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