
The Crown's Game
Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Balzer + Bray
May 17, 2016
Kindle
416 pages
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26232292-the-crown-s-game

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.
Two enchanters, one game. There should be one winner to become the Imperial Enchanter of the Tsar (King). The rule of this game is they must use their skills to prove to the Tsar that one of them should be the chosen one. But, aside from the game, it will become more difficult for Vika and Nikolai to fight each other as they will not expect that friendship will grow inside the game, but as a rule – one enchanter should be the only one EXISTING.
While reading The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye I can’t help to mumble these words “This book has a big potential”. I just love the idea of two enchanters fighting to be the sole adviser or imperial enchanter for their King or what they called Tsar. For the characters, it was a big privilege and responsibility for them to be in this game and to prove to their loved ones that they can win the game.
But that potential disappeared as the story became “flat” from the middle until the last few chapters of the book. In my opinion, the reason for this was the story focused too much on making it a love story of the two enchanters, and the game itself became like a side dish only or not that important. Yes, they still showed their capabilities inside the game, and I expect too much on what they could do if the game started, but I ended up disappointed. There were also some unanswered questions that I sought to find until the end of the story, but I didn’t find any.
I hope I can find the answers regarding how and when the game started? Why are they restricted from having one enchanter? Is it because people no longer believe in magic? Maybe I can find it in the sequel, but I’m not sure if I will read it soon. If you have read the sequel, you can tell me, and I don’t mind the spoilers. 😊
For Nikolai and Vika, they are not that remarkable characters for me. I didn’t feel any connections towards them while reading the book. I don’t know, they just felt flat to me, as if their emotions didn’t strike through my heart. There were several characters in some of the books that gave that vibe, but their characters are an exception. Plus, they don’t have any character development because they just maintained what characteristics they have throughout the story.
Well, that’s my opinion on this one, and overall, I still like this book but I’m a bit poignant because the story lost its potential. Maybe the sequel of The Crown’s Game can be the one to pull it off.
Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be picking it up any time soon…
Just give it a try soon. Some of my book friends love it. And update me about your thoughts about it! 🥰
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