Review - The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

by Marie Rutkoski
publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Books for Young Readers
date of publication: March 4, 2014
format: ARC
pages: 355
source: publisher
series: The Winner's Trilogy (#1)
buy it: The Winner's Curse (Winner's Trilogy)

From Goodreads:

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.

Having just finished The Winner's Curse, I find myself pondering the best way in which to tell you what I thought of this book.  First, it isn't quite what I had expected.  What I got instead was something so much better.  Expecting a war-time romance, what I found was a story of distrust, betrayal, passion, and grave danger.  The tale of Kestrel and Arin is not a tidy one by any means.  Theirs is not an easy love and by the end of The Winner's Curse you will see their individual struggles between what is right and what is wrong when it comes to both love and country.

Kestrel is one of the most cunning, intelligent characters I have been faced with in a long time.  Even though she has the mind of a strategist, she has a love that outshines any ambition for the military life her father wishes for her.  Kestrel is a gifted pianist and it is her love for music that ultimately changes the course of her destiny far beyond anything she ever expected.  Arin is one of those characters that makes you tease out every little facet, every little blip of information from them.  He is strong, silent, and defiant.  What's more, he is not who he first appears to be.  When these two come head to head, there is no denying the nature of their relationship.  There is distrust.  There is heartache.  First and foremost, there is a series of hard choices that ensures a struggle for their love beyond their wildest dreams.

The landscape of The Winner's Curse is both desolate and rich at the same time.  I'm still not sure how Rutkoski pulled this off, but suffice it to say she did.  The impression of isolation from the rest of the empire is there, yet there is frequent mention of the bounties the region boasts.  When bolstered with details of Harrani turned Valorian estates, sumptuous balls, and high-stakes games of chance, the full picture is painted.  Harran is the now jewel of the Valorian empire, one which the Valorians ruthlessly made their own.

In the end, the first line in the book's above description has it right.  Winning isn't always the thing you need or want the most.  Kestrel and Arin learn this the hard way and take us along for the ride.  The Winner's Curse isn't just about freedom or possessions or even romance.  At the heart of it, betrayal, redemption, and heartbreak are the ongoing themes.  The fact that it isn't a perfect love story is part of its appeal.  It really makes you think and, in doing so, you are drawn right into the story, not knowing who is right.  Perhaps no one is.  Either way, The Winner's Curse is rife with emotion and beauty.  You would be hard pressed to find a better story, at least during this half of the year.

Top Ten Tuesday - April 8, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme from The Broke and the Bookish.  The purpose of this meme is to create a list based on weekly prompts.  Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish, then add your name and blog post to their link widget.  That's it!

Today's topic is Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read.  This is going to be a hard one, but I'll do my best.

Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This is the first time I ever recall having read a story from the perspective of a ghost.  It's also unique in that the crime and culprit are revealed at the very beginning.  Suzy is a truly tragic character and her desperate attempts to obtain justice for herself and retain small shreds of her old life.  It was poignant and haunting in its telling.

The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy by Mary Street

This was my first taste of Jane Austen variations told from the point-of-view of a non-main character.  I absolutely loved the author's take on what Mr. Darcy may have thought throughout the events that took place in Pride & Prejudice.  Though it is in no way the only Austen variation out there, nor is it the only one told by a supporting character, but it was my first and was wholly unique in my eyes.

Divine by Mistake by P.C. Cast

I still remember sitting in my dorm room and reading this really cool book I found at the library's book sale.  Never before had I read a romance that was so funny, so sassy.  I laughed to the point of tears and made my roommate think I was positively crazy.  I still love it to this day.

Firethorn by Sarah Micklem

I first encountered this book at the library in Baton Rouge during the short time my husband and I lived there.  Here was a heroine who was strong, powerful, and gritty.  This is not a romance, in spite of Firethorn's feelings for Sire Galan.  This is far more than that with one of the most unique characters I've ever beheld.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

I love Irish folklore and mythology.  A lot.  When I cracked open the cover of this book and began to read, I quickly realized that what I held in my hands was the first ever retelling of the Children of Lir legend I had ever seen.  It was beautiful.  It was engrossing.  It was one of the best things I had read at that point.  I still love these books beyond distraction for their unique take on one of my favorite legends.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame Smith

Well, I may not have liked it as much as the original, but it was certainly different.  Seeing the Bennett sisters as zombie slayers and Elizabeth doing battle against Mr. Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine, who is in her own right accomplished in martial arts, proved to be quite the unique experience.

The Book of Flying by Keith Miller

Reading this book was like being right in the middle of a surreal dream.  Full of important lessons that the main character, Pico, must learn, the book is like a collection of short stories in a way.  The best way I can describe this book is that it is a lot like reading a painting, which gives it a very unique feel.  It is simply lovely.

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor

Yes, I know there is a lot of Jane Austen-related books on my list this week, but that's because I'm always discovering something new.  In this case, we have a book in which an actual author is the character.  Stephanie Barron shows us Jane Austen in a new light: detective.  That's right.  If that isn't unique, I don't know what is.

Review - Defy by Sarah B. Larson

by Sarah B. Larson
publisher: Scholastic
date of publication: January 7, 2014
format: ARC
pages: 336
source: publisher
series: Defy (#1)
buy it: Defy

From Goodreads:

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Buckle up, because this review may get bumpy.  There were things that I liked about Defy, don't get me wrong.  However, there were also problems with Defy that really left me taken aback.  On the side of like, you have a fantasy element, magic, loyalty, and romance.  On the side of dislike there is insecurity, loss of a sense of self, and, worst of all, rape as a plot device.  Now, if you saw my review of Kinslayer over at Book Brats, you already know my feelings on this topic.  If you haven't, I'll just tell you that it makes me angry.  Super freaking angry.  That being said, why don't we take a closer look at what worked and what didn't in Defy?

As a character, Alexa had a lot of potential... at first.  She is presented as a strong character based upon the hardships she has lived through and the actions she has taken to survive.  Rather than being taken captive by the king for being a girl (more on that later), she chose to shear off her hair and take on the persona of her brother's twin brother instead of his twin sister.  Having been taught to fight by their father, this is an easy persona for her to enact, as it makes the soldiers far less suspicious as to her having another identity.  This is all a great start.  However, it would seem that even Alexa isn't immune to the dreaded love triangle.  Though she thinks to hold her feelings when it comes to the opposite sex in check, she does, in fact, let it affect her.  When her feelings are involved, she slips.  At times, she slips hard, all the time reminding herself that she is supposed to be coming across as a man.  First and foremost, Alexa is a fighter.  When it comes to romantic feelings, however, that seems to almost fall away at times.  It's incredibly frustrating to have this strong female character reduced to a moony-eyed one who seems to forget that she's strong at the drop of a hat.  I don't even know what to do with that.  It left her less sympathetic to me until the very end when she seemed to really start finding herself.  I expect a character with weaknesses.  What I don't expect is a character who falls apart when faced with the fact that she is, in fact, female.  Why can't she be a fighter and a woman at the same time without one affecting the other?

The setting is a complete mixed bag.  On the one hand, there are mysterious magics and lush jungles, a network of hidden caves and rich palaces.  Then, there are the breeding houses where state-sanctioned rape occurs on a daily basis.  What is the purpose, you ask?  That depends on who you ask.  The king in this story will say that it's to bolster his army with new soldiers... every 18 years.  It doesn't really stand up to scrutiny, does it?  Though the kind claims it's to fuel his war machine, a closer look reveals his true purpose: subjugation.  This becomes glaringly obvious due to later events in the story that are too much a spoiler to share here.  I don't know about you, but sex slavery and rape as a plot device is appalling.  There just has to be a better way of showing the king's cruelty than this.  As I said to friends while reading this part, "I just can't even."  As a woman, I found it incredibly offensive.  As a human being in general, I found it equally so.

While I had great hopes for Defy and did manage to find a few things I liked about it, the cons added up until I was just biding my time until the end came to be.  The writing was engaging and illustrative, but the themes used were more than I could bear.  Will I continue with the series?  If I'm honest, I would say it's highly doubtful.  While some of those elements may disappear within the second book, it has left such a sour taste in my mouth that I find myself unwilling to do so.  Life is too short and there are many other books out there I would rather give my time to.

Stacking the Shelves #1 - April 5, 2014

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is a meme dedicated to sharing your book hauls and swag.  Please visit this link to find out more.

Soooo... I have A LOT of time to make up for.  We're already 4 months into 2014 and I have quite the backlog of books to share.  Of course, why wouldn't I?  I haven't blogged here since last March.  Anyway, the following is 3 entire months worth of books.  I know it's a lot, but as I said, I have a lot of time to make up for.  There is no way I'm going to post pics of all of these, so I'll only be posting pics of my review copies and swag and covers of a few of the remaining books.

ARCs, Finished Review Books, & Swag

Everyday Angel: New Beginnings by Victoria Schwab
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
The Door by Andy Marino
Monument 14: Savage Drift by Emmy Laybourne
Followers by Anna Davies
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Ruin and Rising swag box (carved box, chapter sampler, & 3 candles)

The Finisher by David Baldacci (ARC & journal)

Kindle Books

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown
Hounded by Kevin Hearne
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner

Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill
The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Prophecy by Ellen Oh
A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
Taken by Erin Bowman
The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch
The Dark Monk by Oliver Potzsch

Dark Witch by Nora Roberts
Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
The Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna
The Bird Eater by Ania Ahlborn

The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
Splintered by A.G. Howard
How to Eat a Cupcake: A Novel by Meg Donohue
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Astor Place Vintage: A Novel by Stephanie Lehmann
Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder
Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder
Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

eGalleys

The Here and Now by Ann Brasheres
Unmasking Juliet by Teri Wilson
House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter
The Dark World by Cara Lynn Shultz
The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst
Empire Girls by Suzanne Hayes & Loretta Nyhan
Foretold by Rinda Elliot
The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross

Strange Sweet Song by Adi Rule
Witchfall by Victoria Lamb
In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis
Feral by Holly Schindler

The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 6 edited by Ellen Datlow
Born of Deception by Teri Brown
Amity by Micol Ostow
Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday
Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

 The Oversight by Charlie Fletcher
Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Allies & Assassins by Justin Somper
The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero

Review - Cress by Marissa Meyer

by Marissa Meyer
publisher: Feiwel & Friends
date of publication: February 4, 2014
format: ARC
pages: 550
source: publisher
series: The Lunar Chronicles (#3)
buy it: Cress (Lunar Chronicles)

From Goodreads:

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

Things in the Lunar Chronicles universe are really starting to get exciting.  After Scarlet and Wolf's narrow escape, Cinder and company were left to orbit earth in order to avoid the authorities.  Enter Cress, computer hacker extraordinaire and prisoner of the Lunar crown.  Her biggest wish is to be released from her exile in space and to experience the planet she sees from her satellite's port window everyday: Earth.  Little does she know, her chance is about to arrive.

Cress was a very surprising character.  Usually when a girl in a story is daydreaming of being rescued, I'm silently yelling, "Save yourself, girl!"  This time, however, I was surprisingly patient about it.  That's probably due to the location of her prison (space) and the fact that she wasn't exclusively waiting on a prince-like figure to come save her.  While she was attracted to Captain Thorne, she was also aware that Cinder and her cohorts would play a large part in her release from the satellite.  When you take her naivete into account, it makes even more sense.  Here is a girl who has been isolated from interactions with all but one living being.  Her only company is a computer generated voice that she programmed to be her friend, after a fashion.  Seeing her learn her way through life outside the satellite is all the more fascinating because of all the aforementioned reasons.

The plot in Cress is really cooking now.  Here is where all planning ceases to be plans and becomes action.  Here is where Cinder and crew prepare to make their move.  Everything is on the line and the tension is just what it should be.  The world at large is nothing short of spectacular.  It takes on a special emphasis when you observe the characters moving about in it.  All in all, Cress absolutely comes alive.  You can't help but jump right in and get lost for a while.

This series continues to amaze me.  Each book is better than the last.  Cress is no exception.  I can only imagine what book 4, Winter, has in store.  If these past 3 books are indication, it's going to be phenomenal.  If you have yet to pick up book 1, Cinder, trust me.  You must read these books, especially if you enjoy science fiction and/or fairy tales.  The nuances the adaptation of each fairy tale lends to the story overall makes it something you won't want to miss.