David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite! discussion

Karen, Rose and I are starting a buddy read for starting Saturday Dec 13th! Everyone is welcome to join!

There are no set chapters per day, we just read at our own paces and start each post with how far along you are, i.e., Chapter #, %, using spoilers where needed. Have fun!

Gosh, I've had this book on my Nook forever! About time I read his one! So happy to be reading with the girls!! :)

Yay @Karen!!!! Me too!!! I am SO excited to read this book, especially with my girls!

Great book guys, you'll love it! c:

Just started The Winner's Curse for my buddy read with @Karen and @Jenny!! Oh my gosh!! Already hooked from the first paragraph in! You know its going to be a good read when you are pulled in from the very first page!!!!

I just started it today, and I was also sucked in right away Rose! Up to 30 % at the moment (view spoiler)[ Oh WOW, talk about star-crossed lovers!! Jeez...okay, I love both Kestrel and Arin. I love how independent she is, and intelligent and compassionate. I love how intelligent and brave Arin is. I have no idea how this will turn out, him plotting her and her peoples downfall! (hide spoiler)]

Gosh guys, I'm being a bad buddy but I haven't had any reading time until bedtime and it seems as soon as I start reading, I get a few pages in and I conk out. I'm 2 chapters in. :-D I'll try again tonight. I do really like where this is heading so far!!

No worries Karen! I haven't read anymore either :) I was going to last night, but my Nook needed to be charged! UGH So tonight I guess for me too!

Okay, I started reading tonight and I just can't put this down! I'm up to 85% and will probably finish tonight! LOVING this and I'm actually feeling bad for both Arin and Kestrel. I said it before, but talk about a "loving the enemy" type of story!!

I'm way behind you @Jenny! I'm at page 80! So good! Love this book!

I'm at 27%. I wasn't expecting that (view spoiler)[Arin's placement was planned. That really upped the ante! Arin just beat her in the tile game. I agree with you, Jenny, about the starcrossed lovers! (hide spoiler)]

This book has all kinds of twists and surprises, LOVED that!!

I finished this the other day. I'm sorry I ended up reading so far ahead, I was HOOKED and couldn't stop!!

5 star read for me, LOVED it!!

(view spoiler)[ I think overall my fave thing about it was the whole concept, and the idea of the Winner's Curse. Who was going to win? Arin or Kestrel? It really was a toss up, they were very well matched. In the end, neither really won--Arin is still indebted to the empire, although he is no longer a slave. And he lost Kestrel. Kestrel was able to take back her homeland and save her friends, but she has to marry someone she doesn't want to and lost Arin. I love how this all played out, I had no idea how it was going to! (hide spoiler)]

CAN'T WAIT for the sequel!

I finished!! I really enjoyed this for the most part. (view spoiler)[I got a bit annoyed at Kestrel when she got all angsty about Arin. I get that his people just slaughtered her people, but he kept her safe. I could understand in the beginning but I felt it got dragged out a little bit longer than it should have. I was glad when she finally got it.

And her choice did make sense to save everyone. (hide spoiler)]

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Oh, and I also got hooked once I had the time to read and finished the last 60% in one sitting!

Yay Karen!!

On Kestrel and Arin (view spoiler)[ That part didn't bug me at all. She wasn't looking at it objectively at all, but more emotionally. It was a very definite betrayal on his part, and I thought he was a bit of an idiot to think he could smooth things over with her so quickly! I'm amazed they could reconcile at all, actually, since they were on such opposing sides! I think once Arin killed that one evil guy (can't remember his name) things got a lot better. What an evil man! (hide spoiler)]

Who were you rooting for to "win" Karen? I was rooting for Kestrel, in general, I liked her better than Arin. But I was satisfied with the ending.

Maybe that's why the (view spoiler)[angst was bothering me. I guess I was rooting more for Arin. ;)

I felt more for him throughout, especially when you find out Inex was living in his childhood home.

And, yea, once Arin killed Cheat was when Kestrel finally believed in Arin.

I liked how their roles were completely reversed.. twice.

I didn't mind Kestrel's angst about Arin as much as I just thought it got dragged out just a bit too long. It was so clear to me that Arin kept trying to protect her and why couldn't she see it sooner. Heheheh... (hide spoiler)]

I keep going back and forth on my rating. It's a 4.5 for me so I think I'll bump it up to a 5 now that I've had time to think about it. :)

I have to give it 5 stars for originality, the characters, THAT ENDING, the twists, and the whole concept. And by how entertained I was! Read the last 2/3 of it in one sitting!

THAT ENDING!!