The Winner's Curse: Gambling for Her Future

Image Courtesy of Mac Teens Books

Imagine yourself dragged to a slave auction. You do not want to be there but alas, your friend is aching for some action. You are rich and well-known throughout the city because your father is the general.

Kestrel found herself in that very situation. She didn't want to be there but her friend, Jess, pulled her to the spot where Kestrel will make the decision to bet or not to bet...

I LOVED this book! Everyone has been raving about it, so I decided to give it a spin and it is an absolute keeper. After I read the book, I found out that the winner's curse is an actual event. I thought that was pretty wicked: 

It happens when the bidder, in this case Kestrel, wins by bidding the highest amount of money but at the same time, losing. The loss comes from having to pay a ridiculous amount of money for something that had a lower price before the auction. My mind - officially blown!

Kestrel and Arin have become part of my fan-club for very cute couples. Even though each of them denies it externally, we as the readers, know there is growing love no one can ignore.

Kestrel is the girl who doesn't think of the consequences very often, which explains why she had to bid on Arin... But she has a quick and strategic mind that helps her escape sticky situations. As custom, Kestrel has to either enlist or marry before the age of eighteen and being the daughter of a very high ranking and famous general, the two decisions are becoming harder and harder to choose.

Arin is also a quick-thinker but he hides many talents under his careful and wary expressions and gestures. Although Arin looks like an ordinary blacksmith slave, he has a dangerous secret that Kestrel will have to pay for in the future. For me, Arin is not quite a fictional boyfriend I have in mind but he does have hidden talents (that I can't exploit) and he seems like a caring young man if he didn't have the secret(s) he had.

Image Courtesy of The Starry-Eyed Revue

Marie Rutkoski did an excellent job with writing this book; I had no problems with reading it. I loved the character developments and setting and the cover artwork is beautiful. The action and suspense is thrilling; especially when you get to the end of the book... *wink wink

I loved how everything fit together and there was no plot holes at all... Maybe there were some but I was too engaged to notice! The story is unique but there wasn't much humor (not like that's a big deal or anything). 

Personally, I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good young adult read and has an appetite for deception. If you have already read it or you read it after reading this awesome post, tell me your thoughts! I am always there for my book friends!