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The Winner's Trilogy #0.5
Bridge of Snow
Ignore the stirrings of war. Let the carriage to a royal ball wait. There is a story to be told: of a starless night, a mother and her sick son, and a mortal who falls in love with the snow god, and will do anything to have her...
64 pages, ebook
First published January 28, 2014
About the author
Marie Rutkoski
33 books8,154 followersMarie Rutkoski is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for children and young adults, including THE HOLLOW HEART (September 14, 2021). Her debut for adults, REAL EASY (January 18, 2022), is a psychological thriller.
Born in Illinois, Marie holds degrees from the University of Iowa and Harvard University. She is currently a professor at Brooklyn College and lives in Brooklyn with her family.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/marier...
(photo credit: Beowulf Sheehan)
Born in Illinois, Marie holds degrees from the University of Iowa and Harvard University. She is currently a professor at Brooklyn College and lives in Brooklyn with her family.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/marier...
(photo credit: Beowulf Sheehan)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 603 reviews
January 18, 2021
"For a moment, he was silent. He muttered, “I’m afraid to die.”
“You won’t.” She made her voice cheerful, brisk. Her son felt things too deeply, was tender to the core. It worried her."
I don't know why I didn't read this story until after the release of The Winner's Kiss, and I won't even try to make up an excuse. It probably is all a matter of timing. Its time, for me, was now.
As I have said -and repeated, and rerepeated- elsewhere, with an abundance of reasons and details, I worship Marie Rutkoski. The delicacy and the elegance of this short story are unmistakably her best trademarks, and the best qualities of her sweet, striking writing.
You can find the short story and read it for free here: http://www.tor.com/2014/01/28/bridge-...
“You won’t.” She made her voice cheerful, brisk. Her son felt things too deeply, was tender to the core. It worried her."
I don't know why I didn't read this story until after the release of The Winner's Kiss, and I won't even try to make up an excuse. It probably is all a matter of timing. Its time, for me, was now.
As I have said -and repeated, and rerepeated- elsewhere, with an abundance of reasons and details, I worship Marie Rutkoski. The delicacy and the elegance of this short story are unmistakably her best trademarks, and the best qualities of her sweet, striking writing.
You can find the short story and read it for free here: http://www.tor.com/2014/01/28/bridge-...
January 8, 2016
Arin's mother telling him a bedtime story. What more could you want? This was heartbreaking.
September 1, 2016
So very lovely and haunting, and does exactly what these short stories are supposed to do: whet your appetite for the book if you haven't read it, and illuminates a new corner of this world if you have.
A perfect companion piece, and one very reminiscent of a fairy tale. Read it free on Tor.com here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/01/br...
A perfect companion piece, and one very reminiscent of a fairy tale. Read it free on Tor.com here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/01/br...
June 6, 2016
For a novella, Bridge of Snow is a terrific masterpiece. It's a story about Arin's childhood and how he's related to Herrani Gods in The Winner's Curse. I personally think you don't have to read this before starting the trilogy, but there's nothing to complain when it comes to our beloved new bookish boyfriend, right?
Short story as it is, there's still something I love and hold dearly in the tale his mother told him when he's little and sick. I knew my passion for cosmology and everything stars-related didn't come from nowhere! ;)
I really hope this story and Arin's past will connect with whatever happens in the sequels. Maybe this is a foreshadowing of his meeting Kestrel. Just maybe.
Short story as it is, there's still something I love and hold dearly in the tale his mother told him when he's little and sick. I knew my passion for cosmology and everything stars-related didn't come from nowhere! ;)
They scattered the sky, piercingly bright. They fell in patterns, in the images he had drawn for her. That is why we see constellations. The stars show his memories, which became hers. We still see them when we look up into the night at a black bridge covered with snow.
I really hope this story and Arin's past will connect with whatever happens in the sequels. Maybe this is a foreshadowing of his meeting Kestrel. Just maybe.
Read
June 3, 2018I’m excited to be jumping back into the series again. I’ve missed these characters and their world. A reread is needed.
August 6, 2019
4 How stars were made ★'s
“We don’t think too well when we want too much.”
Wow! Even though this prequel to The Winner's Curse was only a few pages long it sure had an impact. It was very touching that it gave me so many feels!!! It was beautifully written and I so loved the tales of the gods and their superstitions. This sweet gem takes place back when Arin (one of the main character in The Winner's Curse trilogy) was just a little kid and a mother who loved him dearly. Arin was very sickly when he was a boy. Ugh, this novella hurt my heart. His asks his mom to tell him a story, a story on how the stars were made. It was like a little fairy tale about love, gods, siblings, constellation, myths, and desires. This was way too short and it was certainly a sad story. I really really enjoyed it! Recommend
Such a beautiful cover that invokes a kind of sadness I think.
“We don’t think too well when we want too much.”
Wow! Even though this prequel to The Winner's Curse was only a few pages long it sure had an impact. It was very touching that it gave me so many feels!!! It was beautifully written and I so loved the tales of the gods and their superstitions. This sweet gem takes place back when Arin (one of the main character in The Winner's Curse trilogy) was just a little kid and a mother who loved him dearly. Arin was very sickly when he was a boy. Ugh, this novella hurt my heart. His asks his mom to tell him a story, a story on how the stars were made. It was like a little fairy tale about love, gods, siblings, constellation, myths, and desires. This was way too short and it was certainly a sad story. I really really enjoyed it! Recommend
Such a beautiful cover that invokes a kind of sadness I think.
February 28, 2016
Arin de pequeño era un amor y su familia demasiado bonita. No sabía de este cuento y me hubiera gustado leer más sobre Arin y su infancia antes de que los Valorianos invadieran sus tierras y ver como los herraníes pensaban sobre los demás y sus tradiciones. Como ya dije en el review de La maldición del ganador esta historia me ha enamorado y poder leer más sobre Arin (mi bonito bebé) me ha alegrado la noche.
Ojalá Marie Rutkoski haga un libro donde cuente historias parecidas a estas, me encanta como escribe y como a través de cuentos y todas las narraciones te hace ver las cosas de una manera distinta.
Ojalá Marie Rutkoski haga un libro donde cuente historias parecidas a estas, me encanta como escribe y como a través de cuentos y todas las narraciones te hace ver las cosas de una manera distinta.
May 31, 2016
“What could you possibly like about a Valorian book?”
“Valorians are interesting. They’re different.”
I know people have mixed feelings about Arin, but I've always loved him. I can't even help it, you know?
He's flawed, beautiful and broken. He's lonely and life made him hard- until he met Kestrel. And don't even get me started on the last book & how fucking adorable him & Kestrel were. I honestly can't even.
So anyway, this little story made me adore him even more and my heart melted when I pictured big-eyed, little Arin laying beside his mom, who he absolutely adored.
I'll just be crying in a corner over here.
March 9, 2016
Buddy Read with my girl McKenna!
“Her son felt things too deeply, was tender to the core. It worried her.”
This was a masterpiece! A truly gorgeous piece of work-- I didn’t think such a short story could affect me so deeply but it I did and I feel I know our main man Arin that little bit more. This powerful novella will move you and make you yearn to read The Winner’s Trilogy all over again…. And that’s exactly what I intend to do!
“She had meant to tell him that the cook’s cat had had kittens. But something in his tentative smile caught at her heart, and she leaned to whisper in his ear. She said what no mother should say, yet it was the truth. Months later, when a Valorian dagger pressed into her throat, and there was a moment before the final push, she thought of it, and was glad she had spoken. “I love you best,” she said.”
Don’t mind me, those are just my hysterical tears you hear! *Cries*
Literary-ly Obsessed (Blog) | Twitter | Instagram
“Her son felt things too deeply, was tender to the core. It worried her.”
This was a masterpiece! A truly gorgeous piece of work-- I didn’t think such a short story could affect me so deeply but it I did and I feel I know our main man Arin that little bit more. This powerful novella will move you and make you yearn to read The Winner’s Trilogy all over again…. And that’s exactly what I intend to do!
“She had meant to tell him that the cook’s cat had had kittens. But something in his tentative smile caught at her heart, and she leaned to whisper in his ear. She said what no mother should say, yet it was the truth. Months later, when a Valorian dagger pressed into her throat, and there was a moment before the final push, she thought of it, and was glad she had spoken. “I love you best,” she said.”
Don’t mind me, those are just my hysterical tears you hear! *Cries*
Literary-ly Obsessed (Blog) | Twitter | Instagram
April 16, 2016
See, this is how you write an amazing short story. Marie's writing is breathtaking, but that shouldn't come as a surprise anymore, and the atmosphere in this short novella was beautiful and almost dreamlike. I can see so much of Arin in the curious and still somewhat somber boy he once was. He is a god amongst gods. He is the god of lies.
April 26, 2016
"But we don’t think too well when we want too much."
Bridge of Snow tells a short story of Arin when he was still very young. It is a story within a story. It tells the tale of a love that knows no boundaries.
It is beautifully written, and kind of sad and heart-breaking like The Winner's Trilogy. It will remind you of your childhood when you were still a kid curled up in bed, listening to bedtime stories.
Make sure that you don't miss this!
You could get your copy on Kindle or simply read from http://www.tor.com/2014/01/28/bridge-... where it was first originally posted.
Bridge of Snow tells a short story of Arin when he was still very young. It is a story within a story. It tells the tale of a love that knows no boundaries.
It is beautifully written, and kind of sad and heart-breaking like The Winner's Trilogy. It will remind you of your childhood when you were still a kid curled up in bed, listening to bedtime stories.
Make sure that you don't miss this!
You could get your copy on Kindle or simply read from http://www.tor.com/2014/01/28/bridge-... where it was first originally posted.
November 5, 2015
You can read this for free at:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/01/br...
Oh. My. Stars. (Did you see what I did there?)
A fourteen page prequel and I got goosebumps no less than three times. Fourteen pages. THREE TIMES.
I'm not as informed about the constellations myths, so it's possible my awe is misdirected, but that has got to be the most beautifully, heart-wrenching explanation for the stars that I've ever heard. And the insightfulness of this child--good god man.
I was dying to get my hands on this book before reading the prequel. Now I'm dying in AGONY. Gah.
http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/01/br...
Oh. My. Stars. (Did you see what I did there?)
A fourteen page prequel and I got goosebumps no less than three times. Fourteen pages. THREE TIMES.
I'm not as informed about the constellations myths, so it's possible my awe is misdirected, but that has got to be the most beautifully, heart-wrenching explanation for the stars that I've ever heard. And the insightfulness of this child--good god man.
I was dying to get my hands on this book before reading the prequel. Now I'm dying in AGONY. Gah.
March 7, 2016
* 4.5 Stars *
AHHHHHH. The feeeels !! This is too much!!!
THAT ENDING WAS EQUAL TO BEING STABBED AND TURNING THAT STUPID KNIFE WHILE IT'S STILL INSIDE MY HEART !! * Sobbing *
MY HEART IS STILL BLEEDING FOR ARIN !!!
June 21, 2014
4 STARS
So haunting and very beautiful! A tiny prequel to the Winner's trilogy. Can be read both before and after The Winner's Curse(may be after is better). It will whet your appetite for the book if you haven't read it and give you an interesting view from another part of this world, if you have.
It's a glimpse in Arin's childhood. A fairy tale story about love, gods, snow, moon, constellations myths and desire. Rutkoski really knows how to weave her words with beauty and passion.
Read it for free here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/01/br...
August 6, 2015
Goodreads doesn't show the whole cover, and since I find it gorgeous (and it was one of the reasons I chose to read this one) I shall:
4 Stars
Bridge of Snow is a fun little shortie, and at a mere 10 pages it is on the shorter end of shortie, about a sick boy-child and his mom.
The voice of Arin (the little boy) is believably innocent and curious. Arin asks his mother to tell him a story before she leaves with the rest of the family for a ball. However, this isn’t just any story, it’s the story of how the stars were made. His mother contemplates particular scenes which may not be suitable for her young son but eventually relents.
"They became friends," the mother said finally.
"Not friends." Arin was reproachful
*snicker, snicker*
I loved the fairy tale style of this story within a story and found it relatively complete despite its 0.5 status. It was a light read with sinister undertones that was both compelling and fulfilling.
4 Stars
Bridge of Snow is a fun little shortie, and at a mere 10 pages it is on the shorter end of shortie, about a sick boy-child and his mom.
The voice of Arin (the little boy) is believably innocent and curious. Arin asks his mother to tell him a story before she leaves with the rest of the family for a ball. However, this isn’t just any story, it’s the story of how the stars were made. His mother contemplates particular scenes which may not be suitable for her young son but eventually relents.
"They became friends," the mother said finally.
"Not friends." Arin was reproachful
*snicker, snicker*
I loved the fairy tale style of this story within a story and found it relatively complete despite its 0.5 status. It was a light read with sinister undertones that was both compelling and fulfilling.
May 29, 2018
This is a small glimpse of Arin's childhood.He was eight namedays at that time and his family was alright.He was very sick all the time in childhood days and when he's family were going to attain a royal ball to which his mother didn't want to attain, he asked her for a story.Thats when his mother told him the tale of how the stars were made.
Although his real reason behind it was his fear for the year of the God he was born in.He still carried that burden to his adulthood later on.
It was a beautiful story. Arin is one of my favourite character of all times,revisiting his childhood memories was bonus and I really loved this short sweet book.
Although his real reason behind it was his fear for the year of the God he was born in.He still carried that burden to his adulthood later on.
It was a beautiful story. Arin is one of my favourite character of all times,revisiting his childhood memories was bonus and I really loved this short sweet book.
January 5, 2021
10 out of 10
That's what series' bonuses should be like. Not some POVs from different characters, not the scenes we've already read, but something tiny, slight, subtle, and really important. From a simple (and beautiful!) fairy-tale I've learned of Herrani more than I got from the first 20 chapters of The Winners Curse. Rutkoski has a way with words, I swear. And Arin... I feel sorry and proud of him at the same time. He became such a man!
The Winner's Trilogy (Проклятье победителя):
— Bridge of Snow (Снежный мост) #0.5/3
— The Winner's Curse (Проклятье победителя) #1/3
— The Winner's Crime (Преступление победителя) #2/3
— The Winner's Kiss (Поцелуй победителя) #3/3
September 17, 2020
I love stories that sound like fairytales.
Arin's mother is telling him a story about the gods and it is just beautiful. It is about how the stars came to be and it's just such a beautiful story.
It makes me want to go sit out on my roof and star gaze. Even though it is snowing. And it's freezing. But that kind of fits the setting of the story anyway.
Arin's mother is telling him a story about the gods and it is just beautiful. It is about how the stars came to be and it's just such a beautiful story.
It makes me want to go sit out on my roof and star gaze. Even though it is snowing. And it's freezing. But that kind of fits the setting of the story anyway.
April 1, 2018
little Arin + his mom:
my tears
my tears
May 26, 2016
"Arin, don't you want your secret?"
He smiled a little. "Yes."
.........
"I love you best," she said.
May 6, 2017
“She looked at the boy. He knew her weakness for storytelling. And it was, after all, only a story. Still, she wished he had chosen a happier one.”
Bridge of Snow was such an achingly beautiful little story. It's true that all that happened changed Arin, but I can still very well see the similarities between this young child and the man from the Winner's trilogy. This is a must read for all fans of this series, and of course, for those who love Arin just as much as I do. This novella will help you understand his character a bit better.
“Her son felt things too deeply, was tender to the core. It worried her.”
“But we don’t think too well when we want too much.”
Bridge of Snow was such an achingly beautiful little story. It's true that all that happened changed Arin, but I can still very well see the similarities between this young child and the man from the Winner's trilogy. This is a must read for all fans of this series, and of course, for those who love Arin just as much as I do. This novella will help you understand his character a bit better.
“Her son felt things too deeply, was tender to the core. It worried her.”
“But we don’t think too well when we want too much.”
September 27, 2015
There is a God of Snow, a God of the Moon, a God of Lies.
But there's also a God of the Written Word, and her name is Marie Rutkoski.
But there's also a God of the Written Word, and her name is Marie Rutkoski.
June 6, 2014
These .5 stories kill me.
That moment when your heart melts for a character, that perfect back story that takes you from mediocre to extreme fan. This should be read with The Winners Cruse!
No joke, this author is the shit.
That moment when your heart melts for a character, that perfect back story that takes you from mediocre to extreme fan. This should be read with The Winners Cruse!
No joke, this author is the shit.
March 14, 2016
I'm never going to look at the sky the same way again. Marie writes the most beautiful things, it's not even normal. This has just made the wait for winners kiss infinitely worse.
December 30, 2016
SO CUTE!
December 18, 2016
Arin es lo más bonito del mundo entero.
April 29, 2018
1st Read - 06/02/2017
It's a nice bittersweet story between a mother and her son ~♥
2nd Read - 30/04/2018
I still love it. ~♥
It's a nice bittersweet story between a mother and her son ~♥
2nd Read - 30/04/2018
I still love it. ~♥
September 4, 2019
Wonderful!
It reminded me of the original Andersen's fairytales where the story ends badly.
It reminded me of the original Andersen's fairytales where the story ends badly.
June 20, 2014
This was an interesting prequel from Marie Rutkoski's Winner's trilogy. It was very short but gave us a little glimpse into Arin's childhood and his relationship with his family. We also got to enjoy another intriguing myth of the Herrani Gods.
It was an enjoyable tale on par with the main series.
Rating: 4 stars.
It was an enjoyable tale on par with the main series.
Rating: 4 stars.
October 19, 2015
What a perfect little story.
"But we don’t think too well when we want too much."
I liked the explanation behind the constellations and it shows a little background story of an important character in the Winner's curse.
"But we don’t think too well when we want too much."
I liked the explanation behind the constellations and it shows a little background story of an important character in the Winner's curse.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 603 reviews