{Book Review} The Winner's Curse #1: Marie Rutkoski

Rating: 50%

Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1

Genre: High Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult, Fiction, 

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Publication Date: March 4, 2014

Page Count: 359

Format: eBook

Source: Amazon

The Book Depository | Barnes & Nobles | Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis: 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.

Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

Fans of Pompeii/Ancient Rome, Political Intrigue, Legend (Marie Lu), Kiss of Deception (Mary E. Pearson)

Would I Buy It?

I already have.... the image of the book is from my Instagram -*shameless self-promo @sslluvsbooks & Marie Rutkoski RTed it on Twitter also @sslluvsbooks*- I bought it for $2.50 from BookOutlet's Boxing Day Sale. To my disappointment, I ended up not loving it and am glad I didn't splurge too much. From my peer book bloggers, this is either a love it or hate it novel, and I would advise borrowing a copy from the library or some other means of book obtaining unless you are CERTAIN you will love it, just in case you feel the same way I did.

Background & Backstory?

Spring 2014 was a HUGE new release season in publishing and The Winner's Curse was the most hyped, most anticipated Macmillan Series Debut. Even if you didn't know what this story was about, you head ALL of the bloggers rave about the gorgeous cover and it's even prettier insides.

I was one of those ravers. I was a baby blogger (still am, but at least I know more about upcoming releases) and if everyone else was raving.... it HAD to be good, right? I actually encouraged one of my greatest twitter BFF's Nath to read this book, and she ended up not loving it (for these reasons). I also borrowed The Winner's Curse from the library 50 billion times and I never read it and ended up returning it to the library ANOTHER 50 billion times.

Finally, I bought The Winner's Curse in eBook form when Fierce Reads was having their holiday eDeals AND I bought the hardcover off of BookOutlet. Can you say putting all of your eggs in one basket?

And now I shall proceed with telling you my unpopular opinion for this novel that everyone and their mothers seemed to adore. I hope I can show my face later on Twitter.


[I saw this video in my subscription feed a few days ago by Thoughts on Tomes about dealing with Hype and Disappointment and I HIGHLY recommend you check it out because she does a better job than I ever could with explaining my disappointment because of the Winner's Curse]

What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?

Suspenseful ending! It tipped the rating to 3 stars, I want to read the sequel. But.... the overall story was a huge, boring disappointment ;(

Con | Political Intrigue Promises: *imagine I'm 2 years old for this sentence* I was promised political intrigue and I didn't get it! *stomps foot indignantly*

Yes there was political dealings with the military and Kestral's father was a general, but when I hear the two magic words, my expectations are sky rocketed to LEGEND status. Aka the queen of making politics actually sound like fun. We got a bit of an idea of how the military worked and the expectations for females in this world, but there weren’t any dirty dealings pertaining to a plague or swoon-worthy, well-meaning Elector’s sons who want to change the way things are run…. so I would say that this book did not fulfill that particular expectation.

Pro | Tacticians for the WIN!: While I disliked the two protagonists as characters themselves, I adored the characteristics the were given. Arin and Kestral have extremely intelligent minds built for leadership and the military. The book would have been awesome if the ENTIRE thing was the two of them being presented with various problems/battles and them attempting to find a solution together. I loved how they were quick-thinking, and witty at times, Arin knew he had to push to envelope, but knew how to do it in a way so that it would gain him respect and not a beating. In these aspects, they were a lot like June and Day…. my favorite power couple of all time. 

This is going to sound like one of the most unusual statements EVER for someone talking about The Winner's Curse but my favorite character in this novel was Kestral’s father. The intimidating, powerful, rich, and vicious general of the emperor’s army. This goes along with my borderline-unhealthy obsession with loving psychopaths in Young Adult literature. He reminded me immensely of the Commander (Warner’s father) in the Shatter Me Trilogy. I loved how ruthless and unapologetic he was, and the word “regret” wasn’t even in his vocabulary…. like every all-powerful, life-ruining psychotic leader should be. 

Con | Romance: A lot of people loved the way that the developed and cheered for Arin and Kestral whenever an external factor pushed them together. I’m not sure how this could scientifically happen (if book writing is in the least bit scientific), but even though nothing physically happened between them until around 60% of the book had passed, it felt entirely too rushed, insta-lovey, and out of no where. Of course I knew this book had romance in it…. that’s one of the biggest attractions for the reader. Of course I knew they would eventually fall in love and there would be chaos ensuing because slave/master love affairs are taboo. Yet, I could not wrap my head around them. There was no foreshadowing, in terms of chemistry and the dynamic between them. If anything, they seemed more suited to a parabati relationship than a romantic one. There was sincere mutual respect… that’s why Kestral purchased Arin in the first place. Yet, there were no electrifying touches, sarcastic remarks, or other indicators that proved they were attracted to each other or would make a good couple. 

Neutral | Would anyone like to explain to me the kind of world/genre are we in?: On the world subject, I felt as if I was reading a novel set in Ancient Rome, set in Pompeii. Yet, this was a completely made-up world. There were slaves, an emperor with generals and province-like locations. There was a strong focus on military and protection. Women were expected to marry or join the army at age 20 (that one was unusual). All of the usual parties, galas, and overall frivolity that comes with being rich was present. So let me break it down for you - I felt like we were in Ancient Rome (historical fiction), but the world was made up (high fantasy), and there was a somewhat corrupt government slaves were determined to overtake (dystopian). What does this mean? What genre do I classify this as? *cries and collapses from confusion*

Con | Pacing: *We resume Sofia’s two-year old rant with this statement* I was told this book was fast-paced! *sits on ground to pout* but I was able to tear myself away for the sake of twitter. A good book should NOT be able to let Twitter get in my way. The entire novel, I was thinking, “When are we getting to the big climatic scene?” Things started happening around the 60% point, but once they did, they weren’t able to hold my interest very well and I grew bored quickly. 

Pro | Writing Style: As an author trying to please Sofia Li, the number one thing you can do to boost your star rating is writing well. There isn’t a magic recipe or equation for greatness, but readers can just sense good writing when they read it. It wasn’t so much the way Rutkoski told THE story, but how she TOLD story. Her word choice was exquisite and (as odd as this may sound) the arrangement of her words was flawless. This mostly shone through with her descriptions/metaphors when painting a beautiful picture of minuscule details. She made exiting a room eloquent and playing a game lyrical.

How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?

40%
There is so much pre-publication hype from a ton of bloggers I know, love, and respect their opinions. I'm obviously not going to purchase the hardcover at full retail price, but I am considering borrowing it from the library because Rutkoski could have a wonderful sophmore novel in this series. But it is most definitely not at the top of my list. (On top of putting too much faith in hype, I keep coming back for more.... no wonder I'm not in a romantic relationship with anyone)

Conclusion:I let the hype surrounding this novel get the best of me and didn’t enjoy the story or romance as much as I could have, but the way it was told was exquisite.

Let's Discuss~
Did you read/enjoy The Winner's Curse?
Was your reading experience spoiled for you because of hype?
Who was your favorite character?
Did you think this novel was fast-paced?
Do you ship Kestral & Arin together?
What do you think will be in store for us in The Winner's Crime?  

{Book Talk} The Assassin's Blade: Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 8/10
Series: Throne of Glass 0.1-0.5
Genre: High Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Romance, Young Adult, Fiction,
Publisher: Bloomsburry Childrens
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Page Count: 435
Format: Hardcover/eBook
Source: Library

Barnes & Nobles ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis: Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

***In Loving the Language of Literacy, a Book Review means that the review is spoiler free. Meanwhile, a Book Talk means that the review has spoilers. So in case you haven't read the book.... you are forewarned***

Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

Anyone in search of a high, epic fantasy with the perfect blend of kick-assery and a touch of romance

Would I Buy It?

There's a 90% chance I would buy The Assassin's Blade to grow my collection of Sarah J. Maas novels, and I am hoping to go to her book signing in September, so I would obviously want to own the book for that occasion.

Background & Backstory

I have read Throne of Glass, and while I did not ever finish writing my review of it (it's literally sitting in my drafts), I did give it 4 out of 5 stars. So obviously, I would want to dig my teeth into anything else Maas has written. And to be honest, I actually enjoyed The Assassin's Blade more than I enjoyed Throne of Glass.

The backstory for this novel is that I had borrowed the eBooks of novellas 0.1, 0.3-0.5. I would have borrowed 0.2, but it's exclusive ONLY to the hard copy of The Assassin's Blade. Long story short, I read the ones I was capable of borrowing on my iPad, then had to go to the library to pick up the book in hard copy so I could read 0.2 aka The Assassin and the Healer. 

What Was My Reaction After I Finished This Book?

Why must the world be so cruel to me?

How Necessary Is It To Read The Assassin's Blade?

While The Assassin's Blade isn't ABSOLUTELY needed in the series (Maas provides enough back story and explanation in the novel), it is absolutely necessary so you, as the reader, can get more out of the series by knowing everything that had happened before and all of the catalysts for what happened in Throne of Glass. As I said, I enjoyed The Assassin's Blade more than Throne of Glass itself, so that alone should tell you at least something about the enjoyment level, if not informational content. 

How Necessary Is It To Read The Novellas In Order?

Even though you can read each novella on its own and in any order, you could also consider The Assassin's Blade a complete, 50,000 word count novel. I read them in order, but skipped one and was confused, because even though it isn't vital to read The Assassin's Blade from cover to cover, it was as if you read Chapters 1-5 then 11-25, THEN came back for Chapters 6-10.

Pros:

I tweeted the other day that I know Sam died, but I am officially Team Sam. Basically forget you Chaol and Dorian. This is because Celaena and Sam are just so darn cute. While Celaena's relationships with Dorian and Chaol seemed a little insta-lovey to me, Sam and Celaena have had years to develop their friendship, and as luck may have it.... they've fallen in love with each other. The way their relationship came about could be considered cliche, but I loved being able to see their progression from the first novella to the last, and that made it all the more heartbreaking when we learned exactly how Sam was brutally murdered.

"Death, at least, was quick. Especially when dealt by her hand. But slavery was unending suffering." --- 47% The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

While Celaena annoyed me to no end, it was fascinating to see her views on slavery, and the level of passion she had for slavery. In both 0.1 and 0.4, her downfall is caring too much about them, which is ironic considering how cold-blooded she can be.

Cons:

Celaena. That was literally the only con in the entire novella bind-up. Celaena. 

"Oh it was so nice to be back in civilization, wither her beautiful clothes and shoes and jewels and cosmetics and all the luxuries she'd have to spend the summer without." --- 17% The Assassin and the Underworld.

I can't tell you how many times I have read or watched reviews that admire Celaena as a strong, badass female protagonist and that annoys me SOOO much. In my humble opinion, she's a whiny, self-entitled, riches-obsessed, selfish, spoiled brat. I know I'm being harsh on her.... but come on! I highlighted every section where Celaena annoyed me, and let me tell you, there are a lot. Because the amount of times she said she was "Ardalan's Best Assassin" got on my last nerves. She acted like, "Poor me, I'm not the center of attention any more."

"As she walked back to her room, Celaena had a horrible feeling that here, being Ardalan's Assassin might not count for much." ---The Assassin and the Desert 32% 

0.1 The Assassin and the Pirate Lord 5/10

"I'm surprised Arobyn hasn't made you check your arrogance," --- 29% The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

I'm sorry, I flat out didn't like this novella. While what Celaena did was valiant -freeing the slaves- there was a lot of excess fluff, and I personally believe that it could have been a heck of a lot more fast paced. On the flip side aka. the +5 in the rating, I have to give it some credit since we were just being introduced to the new cast of characters, and the writing style was incredibly descriptive and rich without being boring.

"A city of light and music, watched over by an alabaster castle with an opal tower so bright it could be viewed for miles." ---53% The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

0.2 The Assassin and the Healer 7/10

Going into this novella, I thought the story was about Ben, the other man Celaena briefly fancied before Sam and the Silent Assassin's son. Obviously, it was mentioned that Ben had died in the previous novella, but for some reason, my brain was convinced that the story would go back in time. So I was surprised to learn that TAatH was set in the period before Celaena went to the Red Desert. The concept of the story was nice, it wasn't fast paced, but it did provide some insight on Celaena's ability to feel compassion for people other than herself, and her ideals on feminism in whatever fantastical time period Throne of Glass takes place in.

0.3 The Assassin and the Desert 8/10

"For all she knew, Ansel might be better than her. The thought didn't sit well." --- The Assassin and the Desert 11%

As you can see, this was my favorite novella of all of them and I think that it's because I loved how Maas plopped us into an ENTIRELY different environment with new characters, rules, and customs. In fact, if she wanted to write a novella about Celaena going back to or getting helped by the Silent Assassins, I would read it in a heartbeat. While the assassins of the north are brutal, the Silent Assassins kill with a purpose and are strangely zen, kind of like the stereotypical ones from the Disney Channel move - Wendy Wu Homecoming Warrior.

"Her taste for very expensive and very delicate underwear wouldn't do much for her reputation." ---14% The Assassin and the Desert

0.4 The Assassin and the Underworld 7.5/10

"Father, brother, lover - he'd never really declared himself any of them. He loved her like family, yet he put her in the most dangerous positions. HE nurtured and educated her, yet he'd obliterated innocence the first time he'd made her enda life. He'd given her everything, but he'd also taken everything away." --- 6% 

This is the novella where Sam and Celaena FINALLY get together, so that's what takes presidency in my mind, but the story is interesting as well. We also got closer look at Arobyn and how he raised Celaena, as well as their complex relationship. He's basically the Anderson (Shatter Me Reference) of the Throne of Glass world. He's manipulative, a psychopath, and powerful.... just my kind of guy. Just kidding, but I feel an urge to give him kudos for how he tricked and twisted Celaena's perception.

0.5 The Assassin and the Empire 7/10

I have to admit, at the beginning of the novella, I had no idea how it would end where Throne of Glass began, but the way everything came together was glorious, if not a little painful for my feels. I was on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what wire Celaena would trip, to make her end up in Endovier. Of course, it was love that was her downfall, and her fragile state of mind after Sam was murdered - turning her gullible. 

How Likely Is It That I Will Re-Read This Book?

I'm not sure I would ever re-read the book from start to finish, unless it was 2016 and I was rereading the entire series so I could marathon all of the books. But I do know for a fact that I would want to re-read my favorite novella from it.

How Likely Is It That I Will Continue On With The Series?

I will 100% be continuing on with the Throne of Glass series especially because Crown of Midnight is actually the next book on my TBR after I finish up what I'm currently reading (Don't library holds rock?).

Conclusion: The Assassin's Blade was a much-needed addition to the Throne of Glass series so us readers could be further exposed to the fantastical world Maas has created, and to provide in-depth background when it came to the catalysts behind so many of the characters seemingly odd exteriors.

{Blog Tour+Giveaway+Review} Fury (Book 1: Cure): Charlotte McConaghy

 Tour Page and Schedule

Fury: Book 1 of The Cure by Charlotte McConaghy
Page Count: 348 

Publication Date: March 25, 2014 

Publisher: Momentum Books, Pan Macmillan

In the tradition of Divergent comes a novel about a world where negative emotions are stolen ... and only those with fury can stand up and fight.

Eighteen-year-old Josephine Luquet wakes naked and covered in blood that is not hers on the same day every year—when the blood moon is full. Josi has not responded to the "Cure"—an immunization against anger mandated by the government—and believes herself to be a threat to others.

Then she meets Luke. Luke has had the Cure but seems different to the other "drones"—and he's dead set on helping Josi discover the truth about herself before the next blood moon.

But time is running out. Is Luke willing to risk his life to be near her? Does he truly understand what violence she is capable of?

Raw and full of passion, Fury is a story of love in a dystopian world, and how much we are willing to forgive in the struggle to remember our humanity.

Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author:

Charlotte started writing her children’s fantasy series ‘The Strangers of Paragor’ as a teenager and has since gone on to publish five novels. After a Masters degree in Screenwriting she wrote ‘Avery’, the first in her adult fantasy series ‘The Chronicles of Kaya’, published by Random House. She now lives in Sydney, Australia, and has just released a new dystopian sci-fi novel called ‘Fury – Book One of The Cure’, published by Momentum.

Connect with the author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

   

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received this book from CBB Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review. 

"I am a flame of fury. The last flickering flame in a world long since burned out. I have rage threaded through my skin, whispering against my ears, tied tightly around each of my bones. My eyes, one brown and one blue, leak with it. 

Most of the time this frightens me.

But sometimes I like it."

--- 1% September 11, 2065 Josephine

Can I just say that I loved this book? Oh well, too late, I said it. This quote encompasses and explains what I can't say about it. Not only is this one of the best beginnings of a book that I have ever read, but it displays Charlotte McConaghy's excellent writing, as well as portrays exactly who the main character -Josephine- is.

Premise: Fury was such an interesting novel to read because of how it dealed with emotions, a subject I am very interested in. I suppose that's what I enjoyed most about the novel as well. Even with the cookie cutter dystopian plot line, an author has to come up with some sort of selling point. A world where anger is eradicated, simply fascinates me. When I told my mom about the book I was reading (for the umpteenth time I might add), she thought it was great that anger had been eradicated.... until I told her what the effects of this were.  An example the author gave was when she said that wives whose husbands had cheated on them, didn't react, and a family who was being burglarized just sat there and laughed while their possessions were stolen. 

Romance: So the romance in Fury was a bit of an insta love situation, something deeply despised by 99% of the blogging community. I actually am not usually effected by instalove, but in this particular situation, I was. There is some background that would spoil things that would explain why it isn't so creepy that Luke picks up Josephine and takes her home after just meeting her, but it still doesn't compensate for the instant connection the two of them had. 

On the other hand, no self respecting teenage girl can deny the swoonworthiness of Luke. I mean, WHHHHHY does he have to be so old? Not in general, but for me at least. Even though we learn that his motives weren't exactly pure 100% of the time, he was still so charming, and attractive, and charismatic, and all the other adjectives that I can't think of at the moment.   

Points of View: We all know that I gotta have my good narrators, and Fury does not disappoint. I think the best way it can be described is if it were to be compared to All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. All Our Yesterdays is a book set in two separate times, before and after a horrific event, and told in in two points of views from different times.... so basically four points of view, even though there are only two people narrating. It is the same way with Fury, but better with three different narrators. Present and Past Joesphine and Luke, as well as present Anthony. McConaghy does this in such an amazing way, making each person (even if they're the same) have their own voice, and making it 100% understandable. Fury could have been confusing when it jumped from one time period to the other, and the narrators could have all sounded the same. 

Characters: 

"Perhaps you're right.... I did imagine them. Sometimes I think I must have, I don't know how something so wild could exist within a world like this, one that is so unforgivably void of life." 

I don't tell her what's on the tip of my tongue: that this is exactly what I see when I look at her.

--- 29% September 13, 2065 Anthony 

I simply fell in love with the characters of Fury, both their past and present selves. Anthony, is one of the many in this world thas has been given the Cure, yet there is still emotion left in him, and a lot of times throughout the story, that emotion is love for Josephine. While his thoughts about making Josephine love him, despite Luke, were malicious to say the least, you could still feel empathy because you knew where that desire came from. He was a very puny character at times, kind of like Nathan in All Our Yesterdays, in that he was a geek when it came to some of his different talents. 

Josephine was also a little spitball of fire, as she was not given the Cure, and still feels anger and other emotions. She was an independent, strong female character that could take care of things by herself, and didn't want to accept help from anybody, but realized that she still needed it, like Josephine March from Little Women.

"Music," he says, but not to me. "Blue and white."

Music starts to play from speakers, something I've never heard that's fun and lovely. "Blue and White?" I ask, assuming this must be the name of the band.

"I'm synesthetic," he explains. "Means I remember things in color and shape and texture. Blue and white music for me is upbeat, something with a lot of bass, stuff that makes you want to danc. I programmed my sound system to understand color cues."

--- 17% September 20, 2063 Josephine

Not only is this a unique character trait for Luke, but I just had to share it with you because it sounds insanely cool, similar to Josephine's eidetic (remembers EVERYTHING) memory, but without all of those nasty repercussions and side effects.

Cover: Oh my god! Somebody give me a hard copy of this novel so I can stroke and caress it to death. I don't know where McConaghy got the image, or even what the image is, but it is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. It appears to be the Earth surrounded by a ring of fire, and manages to express everything this novel is about.

Plot: What did make me stumble at times during Fury were certain events, as well as chains of events that I didn't understand because I didn't understand what triggered that chain. I will definitely be rereading Fury, so I will be able to catch more of the subtle nuances and explanations, but it was definitely confusing at times. The whole situation between the Bloods and the Greys and the Reds and the Blues was difficult to understand at times, and I would totally explain what each of those are.... if I could comprehend them myself.

Writing Style: Need I say more than the quotes below? I have now concluded that Charlotte McConaghy is the goddess of setting the scene in stories. She offers so much description to her readers without it being tedious, or boring.

Ending: What I was disappointed in, was the ending of Fury. It's not as if it let me down, trust me it was freaking EPIC. What I mean is that it seemed too predictable after the roller coaster of thoughts, emotions, and relevations that had just unfolded. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's along the lines of Reboot (Amy Tintera) and Uglies (Scott Westerfeld). That's all I'm going to say.

Continuation 85%: If CBB Book Premotions does another tour for the sequel, somebody reserve me a prime spot on it this very moment. I loved Fury so much and am extremely interested to see what Charlotte McConaghy does to capture her readers.

Conclusion:  I will definitely be recommending Fury because it was a fabulously written novel, in terms of narration and characters, as breath of fresh air concept wise.