Review: The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game #1) by Evelyn Skye

The Crown's Game

(The Crown's Game #1)

by Evelyn Skye

May 17, 2016

416 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

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.
 

 

Review

I was lucky enough to have gotten an early copy of The Crown's Game but I delayed reading it because I was afraid it wouldn't live up to the huge hype. I didn't want to be disappointed. When Brittany @ Brittany's Book Ramble announced a read-along, I joined since it's the perfect opportunity to have others to talk to and not read the book alone. We had a timeline for which chapters to read each week but I ended up enjoying the book so much I didn't follow the schedule. Oops. #sorrynotsorry

 

I love the writing in The Crown's Game, I devoured this book. Normally when I inhale a book, it's at a frantic I-can't-stop-flipping-the-pages rate. The Crown's Game was not like that. I read it continuously but it was at a slow pace. The steady pacing of the story made it so enjoyable. It allowed me to absorb the majestic world and witness the magic in the story and inside the characters. The short chapters and alternating viewpoints made my reading experience even better. Simply put, I was never bored. Evelyn Skye excelled at keeping the readers' attention.

 

Now when one comes across a story that promises an intense competition to the death between two powerful enchanters, one normally would think action, action and more action! This was not the case with The Crown's Game. Personally I didn't mind- I was surprised but not bothered at all. The story wasn't all blood and guts but rather colours and beauty. The enchanters' duels were artsy in nature and I found them quite special and beautiful to read about. The amount of creativity and hard work put into Vika and Nikolai's "fights" made it all very grand and glamorous. The intricate details stole the show and gave the store life.

 

I was mildly annoyed with the insta-love and love triangle. Really no surprises there. It was kind of hard to take the relationships seriously when the characters become enamoured with (each) other just after meeting. Vika and Nikolai's attraction I could get behind because of the connection through their magic but Pasha's infatuation with Vika made me cringe. I didn't enjoy his desperate pining and was pretty frustrated with his actions. They felt childish most of the time so I'm expecting him to make up for this in future books. I'm both excited and nervous to see how these relationships will work out.

There's a plot twist. It surprised me. I can't say much except that it remains unsolved by the end of the book. It will be most interesting to see where this twist will take us in the sequel. It's a big game changer for sure.

 

I hope to more fully explore the beautiful world inside The Crown's Game. I feel like we just grazed the surface of the story and its characters. There must be so much more to show and tell us. I'm beyond thrilled there will be more books!

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way.