I stayed up 'til 2:30 to finish this thing. I read the whole book in just a few days, which is probably part because it was quick-moving and part because it was a relatively small book. 
 I liked the characters. I liked Kestrel's fierce determination, but also that she had her share of weakness, too. That her military strength was solely strategic, with no combat skills to speak of. She was a different take on the strong, badass type of heroine that's been so prevalent lately. 
 Arin was very likable too. The struggle between his feelings for Kestrel and his need to help his people was very well-balanced and believable. 
 The storyline itself was well done, with obvious thought put into strategy. Into actions, possible actions, and repercussions. The one thing I did not like was the ending. I had originally thought that The Winner's Curse was meant to be a stand-alone, so I started getting anxious as I got toward the end of the book and realized that the number of pages left wasn't enough for an acceptable solution to be reached. The last couple of chapters were terrible. Not in that they were poorly written, or that they didn't fit with the rest of the story. I understand and appreciate that the ending was a deliberate "winner's curse" of its own. It just seemed like things came together quickly and coldly, like the writer was ready to be done. With the new knowledge that this is meant to be a trilogy, however, I feel much better about things, and have high hopes for the sequel. 
 The book itself was very well-written, which seems to be getting rarer and rarer these days. The author had a way of spinning words together in a beautiful, poetic way. She did it just enough to give this book that extra spark, but not so much that it made the words gaudy and clogged up the story. I really appreciated that extra bit of poetry. 
 Another thing that I really loved was that this book had short chapters. It's so much easier to say "just one more chapter!" when chapters aren't 30 pages long. I always seem to get through a book much faster that way, and the story never seems to suffer for it. 
 One last note I thought was interesting was something I discovered while reading the acknowledgements at the back of the book. The author lists Kristin Cashore (author of the Graceling books) as a peer who helped with her story. I hadn't thought of it while I was reading, probably because I was so wrapped up in the story, but as soon as I saw Cashore's name I realized that this book really does have the same kind of vibe that Graceling did. Sure, there are no magical powers or exotically colored eyes, but the strong characters, political and military undertones, and sense of the characters' world are all still there. I'm confident that fans of any of Cashore's Graceling realm books would enjoy the Winner's Curse as well.