Dazzled by Books

"The Crown's Game" by Evelyn Skye has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2016. I was lucky enough to be blessed with an ARC. Two opposing enchanters are set against each other in something called 'The Crown's Game.' This 'Crown's Game' is to compete to see who will get to be the Imperial Enchanter for the Tsar. This novel takes place in Imperial Russia. I don't know too much about Imperial Russia but it was definitely a lot of fun to get to know.

The concept of this 'Crown's Game' was so interesting because it wasn't just a game that someone would leave defeated but a game where someone would end up dead. If they didn't kill each other, the game itself would end up killing the loser because there can't be two enchanters. Already the reader is faced with two main characters knowing that one of them will die. How do you choose who to cheer for?

Vika is a 16 year old that lives where her loving father. The people in her village know what she is, so they are slightly afraid of her. She is unaware that there is another living enchanter. Before she found this out, she thought that she was just waiting until she turned 18 to serve the Tsar. Nikolai is 18 years old and he was an orphan. Under the training of the Countess Galina, he has learned how to wield his magic. Nikolai has always known that he would have to compete for the title of Imperial Enchanter.

Nikolai is also best friends with Pasha, the future Tsar. Pasha isn't really interested in being Tsar. He just wants to live his life how he wants too. Then he stumbles upon Vika and her magic and he instantly becomes infatuated. All Pasha wants to do now is find out more about Vika.

Skye's world building abilities are amazing. I felt like I could truly immerse myself into this story. The setting was so beautiful. You can tell that Skye put a lot of time into her research with also being creative at the same time. I really loved how beautiful it was all written. I may not know much about Imperial Russia, but now I want to learn more.

This novel was  not a disappointment. I loved every bit of it so much. I felt addicted. It will definitely be hard waiting for the next book. Hopefully the time will go by fast. This is a book that you really need to get your hands on. The book is beautiful and you won't regret it.