I keep wondering how to shelve this. It's not quite fantasy in my eyes, because there aren't any fantastical elements. It's not historical fiction. It's not dystopian.

Maybe I should create a shelf called "other worlds" and leave it at that.

The Winner's Curse is based on an interesting premise: that the person who wins in an auction is also the loser, because they've paid more for the item than anyone has. The way this plays out in the novel from Kestral buying Arin to the final scene works out really well, and I commend the author for pulling that off. The final page was my favorite of the entire novel.

The first half of the book, however, was incredibly boring. I realize that a majority of the character and relationship building took place there, but a faster pace would have worked a better. Especially because the last half of the book really picks up the pace and then...flat lines again. When focusing on the machinations of society, war, and rebellion, this is a fun, fast paced novel. When focusing on Kestral and Arin, it's boring.

Not to say that I didn't enjoy those aspects of The Winner's Curse. I just wish there'd been more to the build up of Kestral and Arin's friendship/romance before the plot really kicks in. I appreciate the lack of instalove, but unfortunately that meant I had no real connection to them as a couple

Spoiler

when the rebellion began. However, when Kestral found out about Arin's betrayal, I was SO HAPPY she stuck to her guns and hated him for it for much longer than most YA heroines would

. From what I read, I didn't really believe in Kestral and Arin. The spark wasn't there.

That goes for the rest of the novel; it was interesting in places, but some sort of essential spark was missing at the heart of it all.