The Winner's Curse Book Review *no spoilers*

I picked up this book at my library after hearing Sophia from thebookbasement raving about it.

What is this book that I'm speaking of?

Well, you already know.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkowski.

 

I cannot pin point what genre this book is. Some say fantasy others label it as historical fiction. I don't really know, but what I can tell you is that The Winner's Curse it freaking good.

In fact, I cannot recall any cons (wait, one. The end felt rushed). But, I really liked everything about this book such as:

• The main character, Kestral. I love that she is not only a "strong" female protagonist, but she has flaws and feelings too. The thing that bothers me when people say x is such a strong female character is that yes, they are strong, but there are other characteristics that these "strong" women have and that makes them human. I love Kestral because she represents a true human and she's not some one-sided character.
• Arin. He and Kestral play off each other so well. They are so complimentary. I really like how Arin can be so hostile (I don't blame him), yet he can be so warm. Warm like hot chocolate. Yes, hot chocolate. I love hot chocolate. I love Arin. Ah.
• The concept. It's an interesting story line. I, for one, had never read a book about a fictional world where people own slaves. Perhaps that is why some call it historical fiction. 
• Gushy and mushy moments. They make me melt and giddy. They make me believe that love still exists. Whoa, getting to far now. I should stop.
• The end! Oh how I want to read the sequel. It left off in such a wait-what-I-want-to-know-more type state. 

I'm a slow reader. When I tell you that I read this book fast for my normal pace, you would know that this was an interesting read that won't disappoint.

5 out of 5 stars

Vango: Between Earth and Sky Book Review *No Spoilers*

Imagine a book full of adventure, mystery, history, and romance.

Yeah, it's this book.

Vango: Between Earth and Sky, the first of a series (I think), is written by Timothee de Fombelle. The historical-fiction book is about a young man (aka Vango) who finds himself first being hunted down by French policemen for a crime he did not commit. As different people try to track Vango down, he tries to find the secrets to his ambiguous past.

Cons:

• At times, there were some slow points throughout the novel

Pros:

• Interesting characters
• Witty, humorous mini-plot twists 
• True-historical figures play great roles in this book. I for one, did not know that Character A or Character B were actually real people.
• I like how you don't know who the heck Vango is (he's mysterious), but you're rooting for him. 
• Brilliant writing. Even though the book I read was translated into English, I thought the translation was great. I could tell the translations reflected the well-written text of the original book. 

This book is truly great and something that I have not read before. 

4.5 out of 5