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The Crown's Game

(The Crown's Game #1)

Evelyn Skye (Goodreads Author)

3.85 · Rating details · 16,768 ratings · 3,279 reviews

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 e ...more

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Hardcover, 407 pages

Published May 17th 2016 by Balzer + Bray

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YA Novels of 2016

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3.85 ·

Rating details

· 16,768 ratings · 3,279 reviews

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Dec 17, 2015 Emily May rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, 2016, arc, young-adult

She was the sun, and he was a mere rock, drawn in by her gravity. He needed to be closer, to feel her magic, to touch . . . her.

Anyone for another boring, fluffy fantasy full of ~~magic and murder~~ instalove, love triangles and ballgowns?

I'm just going to get the ultimate, overarching problem out of the way first - this book is so so boring. To be honest, I didn't expect that. The blurb alludes to the love triangle and romantic elements so I was prepared for googly eyes and some fast-paced thrill ...more

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Feb 19, 2015 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it it was ok

For the winner of the game, there would be unimaginable power.
For the defeated, desolate oblivion.
The Crown’s Game was not one to lose.

Awesome. Great. That's an excellent thing to keep in mind. Do. Not. Lose. Except someone forgot to tell the main characters cause nobody seems to give a shit about winning the game the instant their nether regions start tingling in the presence of the opposite sex.

Having a Russian setting and involving magic, one cannot help but compare this to Leigh Bardugo's ...more

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Feb 08, 2017 Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned, historical-fiction, fantasy

Spoiler free review and spoiler discussion: https://youtu.be/1JqZYOOBxwU

Overall really enjoyed it, only had a few issues. Watch my review to find out more!

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May 22, 2016 Lola rated it did not like it

Shelves: magic, fantasy, did-not-finish, insta-love

The Crown's Game is not worth it.

Do you want a magical book? Something with romance that will make your heart flutter? A world-building that you’ll never want to leave? And characters you’ll come to worship?

The Crown's Game has none of that.

At first, I was curious about the game. I love the factor of competition that it brings, but here, we only have two players. Now I want to disclaim that I only read sixty percent of the story, so everything I say, I base it on what I read.

So we have two play ...more

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Feb 12, 2015 C.G. Drews rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, foodie-fiction, 4-star, epic-fantasy, read-2016

I had a very severe suspicion that I would like this book when the first chapter started off in a bakery.. I MEAN, HELLO?! CAIT BOOK MUCH?! Also, my #1 favourite thing of recently is Russian inspired fantasy. (Yes I am a big fan of the Shadow and Bone series. OF COURSE.) And walloping me in the face with a) magic, b) Russia, c) dual to the deaths, and d) CAKE...this book + I = very happy together, thank you very much.

While the story DOES have magic, it also fetl really historical fictiony? (Ple ...more

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Jul 01, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

wow, what an enjoyable story! this has been presented as ‘the night circus’ meets ‘imperial russia’ and it totally delivers in that regard.

i am such a fan of russian history, so i think that was the highlight of the book for me. although the history was slightly skewed (as mentioned in the authors notes at the end), the story was so alive with culture. i loved it! as for ‘the night circus’ part, the only thing in common was that both stories focus on two people who find themselves in the middle ...more

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Dec 04, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-all, own, young-adult

I loved this book so much! I put off reading it forever because of some not so great reviews, but I have learned my lesson once again!

Vika & Nikolai ♥

Vika & Nikolai are pitted against each other as the only two enchanters in Russia. They are to fight to the death to be the next Imperial Enchanter to the tsar. Well I think that's rude. They could both live!

Pasha is best friends with Nikolai and he has no idea what Nikolai is until later on. Pasha is the prince but doesn't act like one. ...more

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Dec 23, 2016 Elena rated it it was ok

White moon, angel moon.
Blood moon, demon moon.

Even knowing the mixed reviews this book actually has, I wanted to go into this book without caring about them and not bothering to pay attention to them. It was hard, but I managed to do it. The Crown's Game involves magic and magical elements, involves killing one or the other to become an imperial enchanter, and it even has a Russian setting! Sadly, none of that was something I enjoyed.

The Crown's Game is known as a fantasy novel, but in real ...more

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Jan 07, 2017 may ❀ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 300-pgs, fantasy, i-will-go-down-with-this-ship, perfection, tears-so-many-tears, ded, historical, i-am-trash, love-triangle-ugh, trilogy

What a wonderfully magical and whimsical book – don’t be fooled though, it ripped my heart in half.

description

I’m personally offended that I have to wait 6 entire months before the release of the next book. Like um, no my feelings need to be repaired. #Rood

The Crown’s Game is a historical fiction book that fuses magic with Russian history. Vika Andreyeva and Nikolai Karimov the only two enchanters in Russia and with political unrest increasing in neighbouring empires, the tsar needs an enchanted by hi ...more

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Jul 30, 2017 Sana rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, i-have-a-heart, badass-chicks, romance

Wow, talk about going into a book expecting to be bored as fuck and trashing the shit out of it....and then coming out screaming and loving the crap out of it and screaming so much BECAUSE AHAHAHAHA this was great.

So, I've read The Hunger's Game, but never once, did it occur to me, that THIS BOOK, is literally just like that book. Not once did I compare it even though IT IS SIMILAR. There's just something so???? original and captivating about this book and it was so fun!!! It wasn't until afterw ...more

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Jul 09, 2016 Ben Alderson rated it it was amazing

Just know, this is my FAVOURITE YA book of all time...
more to come on a video review soon!

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Jan 07, 2016 Brittney ~ Reverie and Ink rated it it was amazing

Shelves: recommended-fantasy, fantasy

I.... I barely know what to say right now... so here goes ~ a mess of words and emotions. Don't worry, this is spoiler free.

"Imagine, and it shall be. There are no limits."

First of all, the elephant in the room. The plot of this book is nearly IDENTICAL to the Night Circus. Maybe I should rant about that but you know what.. I didn't really care? I love both books so I didn't mind the nostalgia. There are parts I liked more about each of the books- but I just found myself savoring this book t ...more

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Jan 27, 2016 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016, young-adult, historical-fiction, fantasy

The thing that intrigued me most was the impossibility of the situation. One of our main characters would have to die in the end due to the rules of the Crown’s Game. From the start I was fighting to decide who I wanted to root for. And that was before all the additional drama laced in.

The Crown’s Game is the opportunity of a lifetime. It is a competition between enchanters where you demonstrate your magical abilities in an attempt at being chosen as Imperial Enchanter. The Tsar selects the winn The thing that intrigued me most was the impossibility of the situation. One of our main characters would have to die in the end due to the rules of the Crown’s Game. From the start I was fighting to decide who I wanted to root for. And that was before all the additional drama laced in.

The Crown’s Game is the opportunity of a lifetime. It is a competition between enchanters where you demonstrate your magical abilities in an attempt at being chosen as Imperial Enchanter. The Tsar selects the winner who also becomes his most respected advisor, while the loser gets sentenced to death. Like I said…rough situation. Kill or be killed.

Vika is sixteen, lives with her loving father, and believes she is the only enchanter in the empire. (There is usually only one due to lack of magic left). She is under the impression that she is just waiting until she turns 18 to go serve the Tsar. In the meantime, training so that she’s the best Imperial Enchanter she can be.

Nikolai is an eighteen year old orphan who was taken in at a young age by cruel Countess Galina in order to train him to use his magic for the future Crown’s Game. Unlike Vika, he’s always been aware he would have an opponent for the Imperial Enchanter title.

Pasha is prince, future heir to the throne, and also happens to be Nikolai’s best friend. He cares way more about hanging with his friends than becoming Tsar. He is doesn’t know about Nikolai’s abilities. (or magic in general). And finds himself falling for the new arrival in town, a peculiar girl with seemingly magical abilities.

The story is atmospheric with deep world-building and strong characters. I actually can’t rave enough about Evelyn Skye’s world-building. Set in 1825 in Russia, it is clear that she did her research, while also taking an imaginative approach. The setting is detailed and written so beautifully. The characters charmed their way into my heart. There are multiple POVs, even with additional secondary characters that I also couldn’t get enough of. I hope there’s more of them in the second book.

The love triangle thing was meh. It was annoying by merely existing, but less of an issue than I thought it would be. However, the insta-love kind of threw me off where that came into play. Dumb. I was hoping for a darker competition or at least one that was more deadly..less “let’s paint the city” more of this:

And it was the first time it truly sank in that the things she could do were not only fascinating, but also possibly deadly. She shivered at her own potential; if she were honest, a small part of her thrilled at it, too.

Other than that, The Crown’s Game was engaging and unpredictable. I enjoyed the thrilling nature of the story. Can’t wait to see what happens in book 2! ...more

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Jan 30, 2016 Chantal (Every Word A Doorway) rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, published-2016, listened-on-audio, read-in-2016, young-adult

Well...for a book about magic The Crown's Game was decidedly unmagical.

Here on Goodreads I ask people to answer a challenge question when they send me a friend request, the question being: What are some of your biggest bookish pet peeves? The answers are usually pretty similar and include some of the following:

- Insta-love
- Love triangles
- Characters who seem to lose all sense of reason or rational brain function when they meet another character they consider “hot”
- Lackluster worldbuilding
- Bor ...more

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Mar 29, 2015 Katerina Kondrenko rated it did not like it

Shelves: dragging-plot, no-ship-in-this-harbor, royals, bromance, fantasy, read-in-2016, cliche-much, expected-smth-better, magic, finished-with-an-effort

1 out of 10

Ревью в моем блоге/This review on my blog
Living A Thousand Lives (please use Chrome/Yandex browser or Android/IOS to see the page; otherwise, spoiler-tags I use to make my post compact may not work)

Genre: historical fantasy, AU, YA
Stuff: Imperial Russia, magic
Fail: the story and its filling
POV: 3rd-person, multi
Love-Geometry: pissed me off

Quote-Core:

“There are things more dangerous than a little magic.”

Buddy-read with Vera and Nastassja.

This May was cruel to me: bad book after ...more

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Apr 12, 2016 Mikee Andrea (ReadWithMikee) rated it liked it

❝I hereby swear my loyalty to the tsar,
And promise to abide by the rules of the Game,
A duel of enchantment, until a winner is declared.
To this and all traditions here before established, I commit myself
As an enchanter in the Crown's Game.❞

Rating: {★ ★ ★ }

Sadly, I wasn't too blown away with The Crown's Game. This book was one of my anticipated releases of May and I even met Evelyn Skye at YallWest! You could not imagine how disappointed I was to have to rate The Crown's Game only three stars.

❝I hereby swear my loyalty to the tsar,
And promise to abide by the rules of the Game,
A duel of enchantment, until a winner is declared.
To this and all traditions here before established, I commit myself
As an enchanter in the Crown's Game.❞

Rating: {★ ★ ★ ½}

Sadly, I wasn't too blown away with The Crown's Game. This book was one of my anticipated releases of May and I even met Evelyn Skye at YallWest! You could not imagine how disappointed I was to have to rate The Crown's Game only three stars. I was expecting it to be like the Grisha trilogy but instead, it reminded me of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern a tad bit TOO MUCH.

The Crown's Game was literally The Night Circus set in Russia. The premise and the characters were the exact same: two rival mentors who have been training their protégés since they were young to prepare them for a competition to the death by showcasing their magic and outdoing the other until eventually, only one is left standing.

If this was The Night Circus, Nikolai would be Marco and Vika would be Celia. Nikolai is an orphan. Marco is an orphan. Vika is the "daughter" of Sergei (mentor). Celia is the daughter of Prospero (mentor). The hero learns about the heroine's identity even before the competition starts. A side character named Renata (unrequitedly in love with Nikolai and reads tea leaves) was the parallel character of Isobel (unrequitedly in love with Marco and reads tarot cards) from The Night Circus. Both Marco and Celia started off competing each other in the competition, but as the story progressed, they began to collaborate on their magic. Coincidentally, Nikolai and Celia also collaborated on an enchantment together. And so much more! The similarities were uncanny.

I can understand one or two similarities but these two books were the same exact story. Just change the venue from Circus to Russia, change a few names and characters, tweak the plot here and there, and you have The Crown's Game.

I believe this book would've been so much better if it wasn't so similar to a book that already existed. To be honest, it's hard to think of something new to write about because almost everybody has done it all, but this was just way too similar. Even if it were inspired by The Night Circus, I wished Evelyn didn't stick to the outline so closely. I feel like unless you read The Night Circus, you wouldn't recognize the resemblance but it is one of my favorite books of all time. Unfortunately, The Night Circus is an older book and not many new people to the YA community would have read it so maybe not a lot of people would notice the similarities. But I could recognize the similarities like the back of my hand.

Overall, even if I didn't to compare it to The Night Circus, I found The Crown's Game to be fairly slow. Two hundred pages in and I still wasn't intrigued or blown away by anything that was happening. In fact, not much was happening at all. The book significantly became better in the last 50 pages but even then I felt like things were resolved too quickly.

It was a good attempt for a debut novel. If I didn't read The Night Circus, my rating probably would've been higher. However, I had a fun time reading The Crown's Game. It was a quick, little read. Don't get me wrong, the world is magnificent, but I was just expecting something else entirely when I read the synopsis. I may not have personally liked it, but I would recommend this book to readers who love magic and magician-esque plots. I'm looking forward to picking up and reading the sequel! ...more

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Aug 03, 2015 Brittany (Brittany's Book Rambles) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-releases, historical-fiction, best-of-2016, favorites, badass-female-mc, fantasy

Привет, друзья! I am here to tell you that you are not prepared for the majesty that is The Crown's Game. You need to know that when you look at that cover, you are looking at a FIVE STAR book. There is magic, romance, a complex plot, drool-worthy guys, and Russian prestige. I. LOVE. IT. It's definitely one of the BEST books I've ever read, and I mean—we're talking Leigh Bardugo levels here, people!

description

I'm always nervous when I read a book that is set in Russia because often times, the language is i ...more

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Jun 29, 2018 Nasom rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Real rating: 3.5

Buddy read with Red King

What i liked
- I really enjoyed the plot. Like I said in one of my updates, it reminded me so much of the night circus. We have two people who have been trained since they were little to become the king’s enchanter. With two enchanters, there has to be a game to determine who would become the winner. They have to play until one of them dies. To win, they have to either impress the King with their abilities or kill the other enchanter. I enjoyed the comp Real rating: 3.5

Buddy read with Red King

What i liked
- I really enjoyed the plot. Like I said in one of my updates, it reminded me so much of the night circus. We have two people who have been trained since they were little to become the king’s enchanter. With two enchanters, there has to be a game to determine who would become the winner. They have to play until one of them dies. To win, they have to either impress the King with their abilities or kill the other enchanter. I enjoyed the competition which wasn’t a battle but more artistic. I enjoyed reading about what the two enchanters made as they were all beautiful things.

- This book has multiple POVs which can be good or bad but I liked it in this. Especially since it was kinda evenly distributed instead of it being mostly in one person’s POV. Also, the chapters are really short (71 chapters) so if you don’t like one person, you don’t have to deal with their POV for a long time.

- There was a plot twist I didn’t see coming which was impressive because in YA books, it’s easy to guess plot twists especially in the first book of a series.

What i didn’t like .
- I really did not like the romance at all. In my opinion, I feel people use the term ‘instalove’ loosely. Crushes on people you just met happens a lot in real life so I don’t mind when it happens in books. But in this, there was instalove. It was even acknowledged in the book. Actually, there were two sets of instalove. How do you still feel ‘connected’ to someone and have dreams of you kissing them when they tried killing you? The love just seemed unrealistic to me. Honestly, I didn’t mind it until the second half of the book where romance seemed to be the main focus. Plus that love triangle wasn’t necessary

- I guess the end was supposed to be beautiful but I just found it anticlimactic.

Overall, this was an interesting read and I was never bored, but I don’t think I would read the next book because I don’t care to continue lol. It should have been a standalone tbh. ...more

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Dec 28, 2016 ambsreads rated it really liked it

Shelves: best-covers, historical-fiction, magic, favorites, books-i-own, buddy-read, young-adult, romance

Buddy Read with who dat aka big boy aka Caitlin

Wow. It's been around 24 hours and I still am unable to put The Crown's Game into the words I want to. I am still in shock. I picked the book up despite seeing some mixed reviews which would have otherwise drove me away, and then proceeded to read it with one of my favourite people who I met through this site. If I hadn't been reading it with Cait I probably would have DNF'ed it.

One thing I can say about this book is that the beginning is slow. It ...more

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Jan 24, 2017 Jiana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Update 01/31/2017: I decided to remove a star and change the rating to 4 stars. Been thinking about it and realized that while the book was indeed great, it still didn't feel like a 5 star read for me.

*
*
*

“Imagine, and it shall be.
There are no limits.”

I have a confession to make. So I have a shelf here on GR named "Not-Interested", and The Crown's Game was under the "Not-Interested" shelf... *gasp* yep. I have sinned in my past life. But then, Cait read it and loved it and recommended it to me, ...more

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Aug 21, 2016 Dannii Elle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-highness, fantastic-fabrications

So, historical fiction with a fantastical twist might just be my newest obsession! I absolutely loved everything about this; from the historical setting in 19th century Russia, the imaginative magic system, the focus on the royal hierarchy and the plethora of equally lovable character. I already want more from this world!

The Crown's Game begins in Vika's perspective and the reader is immediately immersed into this strange, ancient world. We learn early on of Vika's magical abilities and the fear So, historical fiction with a fantastical twist might just be my newest obsession! I absolutely loved everything about this; from the historical setting in 19th century Russia, the imaginative magic system, the focus on the royal hierarchy and the plethora of equally lovable character. I already want more from this world!

The Crown's Game begins in Vika's perspective and the reader is immediately immersed into this strange, ancient world. We learn early on of Vika's magical abilities and the fear from the common folk that this evokes. I felt an initial affinity with her that made me immediately align to her plight. That is until we learn of the existence of another enchanter, Nikolai, and despite him being Vika's adversary I was just as drawn to his character as I was with Vika's. Skye exhibits a brilliance for creating flawed and yet lovable characters as each and every person introduced had a side to them that evoked my empathy and endearment.

The Crown's Game, that the title refers to, does not begin until nearly a quarter of the way through the text. I love how the world and the magic system was fully set up before beginning the quest that the rest of the text is dedicated to. From then on the novel is awash with displays of magical ingeniousness that has the reader and the Russian townsfolk equally as enthralled!

My only negative is that, despite the disaster that awaits the loser of The Crown's Game and that the two opponents are literally in a duel until the death, there isn't much tension displayed. I loved seeing the pair exhibit their skill in imaginative and thrilling ways, but never once did I worry over the outcome of these beloved characters. I don't exactly know why that is: I immensely enjoyed their journey but felt a little distanced from it, perhaps.

This is a book of unique brilliance and I can only equate it to being the literary love-child of A Game of Thrones and The Night Circus. All I know is, I already can't wait until 2017 and the next installment! ...more

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Apr 25, 2018 Korrina (OwlCrate) rated it it was amazing

This book was just so much damn fun. Very excited to read the sequel!

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Feb 06, 2015 Steysha Kravits rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-favs

There are things more dangerous than a little magic

This book was amazing! I wish it didn't have to end. Fans of The Night Circus, this is what we were looking for!

Vika Andreyeva and Nikolai Karimov are two enchanters who were chosen by tsar to participate in the Crown’s Game. I should note that it`s a very rare case when two enchanters are born at the same time. Both enchanters don`t know about each other, until it`s time to fight in the Game. They also don't know much about the competition, ...more

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Jan 10, 2016 Nastassja rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: fantasy, fell-short-of-expectations, annoys-the-hell-out-of-me, russian-culture-upside-down, oh-so-awful, slow-paced, skipping-pages, young-adult, 2016, these-two-are-terrible-together

I think I should've been alarmed when I first read these words in the beginning of the story:

<...>but he wanted his daughter to grow up truly Russian—hiking through birch forests, playing the balalaika, and having an almost religious zeal for buckwheat kasha with mushrooms and fresh butter.

I think I should've been alarmed when I first read these words in the beginning of the story:

<...>but he wanted his daughter to grow up truly Russian—hiking through birch forests, playing the balalaika, and having an almost religious zeal for buckwheat kasha with mushrooms and fresh butter.

So to speak, the Russian aspect is as true in this story as hiking through birch forests, playing the balalaika and so one are true for Russian people, which is to say - it's bullshit. Not even in the 19th century those "hobbies" were a thing a true Russian enjoyed. I don't even want to touch other Evelyn's failures concerning Russian culture (and the were enough of those) but for one I can't ignore: Bolshebnoe Duplo ( a magical hollow) I read. Stopped. Read it again and then couldn't stop laughing for 10 minutes. Like seriously? Bolshebnoe Duplo... Letter B in Rissian means letter V in English and the correct form of the word accordingly would be Volshebnoe. Maybe Evelyn decided to give the B letter a free pass to go amok and feel authentically Russian for once, no matter that English speaking people wouldn't understand author's "love for authenticity" and Russian speaking people wouldn't appreciate the gesture of mutilating their language.

The storyline is no better and resembles one big empty duplo (pun intended). I seriously can't fathom how a book about magical tournament set in Imperial Russia in reality turned out not to be about magic tournament set in Imperial Russia.

Than what was it about?

Insta-love and unicorns.

Guy one saw Girl one and fell for her,
Guy two saw Girl one and fell for her,
Girl one saw Guy one and fell for him,
Girl two was already in love with Guy one.

WTF?!

I wouldn't be surprised if stupid clichéd romance in YA books is one of the reasons aliens never visit our planet. I mean, who wants to deal with stupid teenage drama in the first place and when it's a drama in square? Nope.

Apart from everyone loving everyone in this book for no reason, the characters are also shallow, fickle creatures with no substance or depth. And they all are so fucking purrfect I wanted to throw up every time perfection was pushed in my face!

Just come on, how many stories about perfect beautiful people who fell in love from the first sight do we need to read and hate, to hint authors it's time to start creating flawed characters with something more to their name than good looks and lusty glances.

I was reading the book. I was rolling my eyes. I finished the book. I forgot it existed.

That is how I can summarize my reading experience.

For more detailed information about the book, go read my friends' reviews with whom I was supposed to buddy-read the book but couldn't due to busy time: review #1, review #2

FINAL VERDICT:

...more

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May 26, 2015 Rachel E. Carter added it

Shelves: nfm

2016 can't come soon enough. This book looks amazing. Hype don't let me down.

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Nov 23, 2015 Viktoria Winter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, tbr, 2016-books

...WHAT?!

This sounds like a mix between three of my favorite books: Throne of Glass, A Darker Shade of Magic, and Shadow and Bone! How is that even freaking possible? What is this witchery? Whatever, I want it. Like, this very second would be greatly appreciated. I feel as though I've been searching for a book like this for~~months~~ever.

HOLY MOTHER OF MODERN LITERATURE, I NEED THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. Also, just behold that cover art. It's rare to find an amazing cover paired with an equally phenomena ...more

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Jul 31, 2018 Maggie ☘ (Wonderland-Reader) rated it liked it

Shelves: high-fantasy, intriguing-world-building, magic, unpopular-opinions, witches-magicians

Everyone: Fear the deadly trials! They are mercilles and might very well be the end of you!

The Tsar: Whose birthday surprise I fancy more shall win…

The plot: Scary birthday surprise gift competition ensues. The end.

- A short summary

******************

This was nice and all but... Where were the actual deadly trials?? It seems that no one really cared about them. Not even the tsar who was suposed to initiate them...

I enjoyed the magic and setting. The writing and switch of the POVs was nice as wel ...more

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Apr 11, 2017 Kerri rated it it was amazing

I absolutely adored this and cannot wait for the second book!

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May 26, 2015 Aly (In Wonderland) rated it liked it

Shelves: 100-percent-rock, historical, edelweiss, young-adult, arc, fantasy

2.5 stars.

Vika packed the clay from the former pitcher in her hands. It hardened into a ceramic cannonball. “I don’t fancy dying.”
Her father emptied the bottle of kvass. “Then the only option is, you cannot.”

I think “bittersweet” is the perfect word to describe this book. Both with how I feel about it, and the general tone and atmosphere of the story. Set in historical Russia, you can tell the author is passionate about the history and sticks very close to what is real, even if she adds her ...more

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Aug 29, 2015 Jacqueline rated it liked it

3.25 /5 stars

Video Review: https://youtu.be/n14Lre-W30M

When I wasn't reading this book I was thinking about it and when I was reading it I was driven to read more of it to find out what was going to happen next. This book has an element of drama to it which I know people won't enjoy and even though it isn't a huge pro for me I did find myself enjoying that aspect. For some reason, this book gave me season 1 Reign vibes which was my obsession (before the awful thing called season 2 happened). Now ...more

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About Evelyn Skye

Evelyn Skye

1,636 followers

Evelyn Skye is the NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author of THE CROWN'S GAME and its sequel, THE CROWN'S FATE. New series--CIRCLE OF SHADOWS--is out now!.

Evelyn was once offered a job by the C.I.A., she not-so-secretly wishes she was on "So You Think You Can Dance," and if you challenge her to a pizza-eating contest, she guarantees she will win. When she isn't writing, Evelyn can be found chasing her ...more