“Gorgeous and richly imagined.”—Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series“Teeming with hidden magic and fiery romance.”—Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the AshesPerfect for fans of Shadow and Bone and Red Queen, The Crown’s Game is a thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy set in Imperial Russia about two teenagers who must … Game is a thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy set in Imperial Russia about two teenagers who must compete for the right to become the Imperial Enchanter—or die in the process—from debut author Evelyn Skye.
Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.
And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.
Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?
For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.
And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love . . . or be killed himself.
As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear . . . the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.
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I’ve recently had a run of good luck in picking out fantasy set in rich non-Western cultures. The Crown’s Game involves some wonderful use of magic, but it’s the Russian backdrop that’s the real star of the show.
The Crown’s Game is named for a contest between Russian enchanters; a battle of wits meant to both impress the tsar and demonstrate superiority over the other enchanter. Because there is a finite source of magic in Russia, it’s to the advantage of the tsar for there to be only one enchanter, and for him to have that enchanter in his employ. This is the story of two young enchanters, and their Game.
I loved, loved the Russian backdrop for this book. It certainly could have been set in a completely fictional land, but there is just enough historically accurate detail woven into this book to make the reader wonder, if just for a moment, if it could be real. Fantasy is fun to read, but the kind that makes you half-believe is my favorite.
This is the first of a series, obviously; a major character disappears at the end, in a way that leaves the story unresolved, and a menacing antagonist is left on the prowl. I’ll nurse my wounds over this ending as I impatiently await book 2.
The Crown’s Game is just the story I was looking for. I must admit I have had it on my bookshelf for a good year but every time I looked up reviews, they were three stars, and the reviews were middle of the road, so I put it off. Well, that will teach me to listen to others. I LOVE this story.
The story is about two young adults who thought they were the only enchanters (magic wielders) only to discover each other and be tossed into a game of magic and survival! The story is a brilliant mix of Russian history and culture and magic and imagination. I feel as much in love with the world building as I did the characters and their journey.
Vika and Nikolai were bold in their choices and full of passion and heart. I loved how they came to regard each other as well as their magic. They stayed true to themselves rather than give in to the outside pressures of the game and the Tsar.
The Game itself was a wonderful take. It is not what you expect. It is about showing off their magic skills rather than a fight to the death. I mean that is what some want but… There is a romance within the pages, and there might be a love triangle, either way it is a clean YA romance (one kiss), and it was all emotions and heart.
I could not love this story any more than I did, and I will be going back to it repeatedly. I am off to read the next book (this is a duet so there is an ending that reflects that) and I am beyond excited to do so. Five stars!!
A promising start to a new duology.
First let me say that I love the Russian setting for this book. It was a refreshing surprise. I also liked that the Crown Games only involved two players as a battle to the death. While there were hints of a love triangle, it neither fully formed or took over the story. The imagery written in this book is so beyond anything else I have ever read. I looked forward to how each enchanter would demonstrate their power.
Now I will say that this book was off to a fast start which I really enjoyed but suddenly slowed down in the middle. The ending was over too quickly but left room for a sequel. I also wished to get something more the main characters Vika and Nokolai, the two enchanters, and Pasha he best friend and tsar’s son. The romance is sparse, although I’m not sure if this was done on purpose. I just wanted more from the obvious building romance.
With this being said, I still really enjoyed this book even if some of it was a tad bit predictable, it did not matter to me. I am interested to see where the series will go from here.