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    The Crown's Game
    The Crown's Game
    The Crown's Game
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Crown's Game

    Written by Evelyn Skye

    Narrated by Steve West

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    ""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 Ashes

    Perfect 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 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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 17, 2016
    ISBN9780062468055
    Author

    Evelyn Skye

    Evelyn Skye was once offered a job by the CIA, 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 daughter on the playground or sitting on the couch immersed in a good book and eating way too many cookies. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Crown’s Game and its sequel, The Crown's Fate. Evelyn can be found online at www.evelynskye.com and on Twitter @EvelynSkyeYA.

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    Reviews for The Crown's Game

    4/5

    220 ratings24 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I couldn’t handle the fake Russian accents of the narrator. I bailed out early on. I’ll have to read the hard copy instead

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Typical love triangle. Typical "strong" (but not really) female lead being drawn to the love interest who's bad for her. I felt like this book could have been really good, only it wasn't, and I'm not really sure why. Vika's relationships with both of the boys felt too quick and forced. It was obvious the author wanted us to believe that she and Nikolai were deeply in love, and Pasha loved her but she didn't love him back, but all of the relationships went way too fast. If the author wanted to have any serious love interests, she would have had to make them have known each other BEFORE the games started. Nikolai and Pasha were best friends, and then Nikolai admits something (his magic) that he'd been hiding from Pasha all his life and suddenly Pasha has turned into the evil, bloodthirsty tsar who can't even face his own actions. Pasha will never make a good leader since he is irresponsible and selfish, but the fact that he is weak and lets his even more bloodthirsty sister control him let's you know that he will be a truly awful tsar, and, while I know there were a lot of awful tsars in Russia's history, I don't think the author wants us to think of one of her main protagonists as an awful tsar. Speaking of Pasha's sister, it was rather absurd that the author decided to make her be younger than Pasha. No older brother would let his younger sister control him so completely, and, even though there is probably such thing as a fifteen-year-old girl who is as bloodthirsty as Juliana, I find it illogical that she would have her ability to manipulate people honed as well as she did.I could see that the author was trying to set things up with Rasputin being an undead faith-healer like Nikolai's mother, since he was somehow able to heal Alexi and it's said that it took enough poison to kill several men, two or three bullets and a night in an icy river to kill him. I know that this is fantasy and I shouldn't investigate any historical facts, but there were only three Tsar Alexanders and none of them really fit well into this time, because Alexander II was the successor to Alexander I (no Pasha in the middle, I don't remember Pasha's full name, but it was not Alexander) and Alexander III was succeeded by Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia.The ending was also disappointing. Nikolai and Vika couldn't find a unique way to get out of the game so there was the same 'I'll commit suicide to stop you from dying' trope, which was interrupted by a magical dagger being enchanted by Nikolai's competitive teacher so, despite Nikolai's intentions, the knife hit Vika, and then at his request she healed herself by using his energy, which drained him of all life because every magical book ever knows that if you give away more energy then you have then you will die, but for some reason Vika didn't know that and for some reason Nikolai thought it would be fine for her to drain all of his life, and she wouldn't feel even more guilty since she'd also accidentally drained her father/mentor of energy and life, and Pasha let that happen even though he knew it was wrong. Then it turns out that Nikolai is still a sort of shadow, somehow, not that that makes any sense. I wonder if Pasha will have as big of a temper tantrum when he finds out that Nikolai is his brother as when he found out that Nikolai was a sorcerer.I was also rather disappointed because in my mind, only Celtic and Russian folklore/magic can have a story alongside Christianity without blaming Christians for problems or claiming the Christianity isn't real, but the author didn't take advantage of this possibility, claiming that the Russian Orthodox Church was responsible for burning witches and faith-healers, and implying that Christianity isn't real and the tsars only pretended to convert, while still believing in magic and sorcerers, and not the Church (which is really dumb since history always shows that countries tend to follow the king/queen/tsar/emperor etc. and convert when he/she converts, not the ruler converting only after most of the people, and only converting to make them happy. That is just not realistic, even in a fantasy book.)Overall, this was an okay book, but had way too many typical YA tropes, and not enough uniqueness or Russian culture to set it apart from all of the other YA books coming out now.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      It’s more like a 3.75 read and I kind of enjoy it and kind of not.
    • 4/5
      A magically reimagined Imperial Russia with a contest to the death between enchanters that is a little different from the contests that probably popped into your mind when you read that phrase. I wasn't sure by the narrator's voice at first, but he has an impressive range and ended up doing a splendid job.
    • 3/5
      Great audiobook but bland ya fantasy with little soul.
    • 5/5
      A fun read! Unexpected and expected twist in the plot! Listening to the next one now!
    • 4/5
      So much better than the first time I’ve read it, so emotional.
    • 5/5
      Great audiobook! No insta-love. A love sub plot where I couldn’t decide who I wanted with who. Major plot twist and an ending that had my heart racing!!
    • 5/5
      Vika Andreyeva and Nikolai Karimov have, unknown to each other, been training all their lives to vie for the position and Enchanter of Russia. Vika has lived on Ovchinin Island under the care and teaching of her loving father. Nikolai has lived in St. Petersburg and been trained by Countess Galina Zakrevsky who has given him nothing but tasks to do and skills to learn.Nikolai has become friends with the Crown Prince Pavel Alexandrovich Romanov. Pasha is charming and loves to read and he much prefers disguising himself and spending time with ordinary people than living the restricted life of the Crown Prince. Matters in Russia are becoming difficult with unrest in the country and trouble at the borders. This unrest makes the Tsar decide it is time for the Crown's Game to choose the enchanter who will help strengthen and protect Russia. The Crown's Game is an ancient ritual that pits one enchanter against another in a battle to the death.Neither Vika or Nikolai want to engage in a battle to the death and they want to even less when they meet each other and fall in love. But there's isn't the only love story. The Crown Prince falls for Vika and one of Nikolai's only friends in the Countess's home declares her love for him. Meanwhile, the two must engage in five contests to determine who is the better enchanter.I loved the setting of this story and the time period. I loved Nikolai, Vika and Pasha too and ached for the hard choices they all had to make. Epic fantasy fans won't want to miss this excellent story.
    • 4/5
      It was kinda confusing at first trying to get the names situated and then who was related to who - then about at the beginning of the GAME, clarity made its way upon me and I could follow. A certain love tryst could have been added, I think that would have had GRAVE (no pun) situations, to add to the heap of cross troubles and hidden agendas.. LOVE IT and the ending, though I could for see, was a great welcome to the second edition, yet to be released.
      I am eager to purchase when it becomes available! 4.5 / 5
    • 1/5
      I've been trying to read this book for months and I just can't get into it. I think a lot of it is the premise -- why on earth would you summarily execute a magic user that's already sworn to the throne? If you can have two, why would you pit them against each other and eliminate one? The pacing also just isn't drawing me in, and neither are the characters, despite the excellent Russian setting.

      I will probably still recommend it to the teens who have read all the Selection/ Red Queen/ Dystopian titles and scrounging around for more.

      advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
    • 4/5
      Great setting, 1800s Russia did not disappoint. Characters were a bit standard, but engaging.
    • 4/5
      It was kinda confusing at first trying to get the names situated and then who was related to who - then about at the beginning of the GAME, clarity made its way upon me and I could follow. A certain love tryst could have been added, I think that would have had GRAVE (no pun) situations, to add to the heap of cross troubles and hidden agendas.. LOVE IT and the ending, though I could for see, was a great welcome to the second edition, yet to be released.
      I am eager to purchase when it becomes available! 4.5 / 5
    • 5/5
      Thanks to edelweiss and the publisher for the arc!
      This book contains a little Russian history and a little Cinderella, mixed with a deadly, magical game that will keep you glued every page!
      I fell in love with the characters right away and allowed this book to whisk me away to beautiful St Petersburg. This story boils down to the challenge of being true to who you are while living up to expectations set on you from birth.
      Vika is brought up to believe that she is the only enchanter in Russia while Nikolai is brought up knowing there is another who he will be forced to fight for the privilege of being the Tsar's Imperial Enchanter.
      As the two maneuver through The Crown's Game and secrets are divulged, which one will keep true to their heart's desire?
      It is hard to put down. Can't wait for the next one in the series!
    • 5/5
      Vika and Nikolai have trained their whole lives to become the Imperial enchanter. The tsar of all of Russia summons them both for the crown's game. There can only be one Imperial enchanter, the other must die. I loved this book. The storyline was amazing. There were a lot of twists and turns I was not expecting. I would definitely recommend to a friend. I can't wait to read more about the tsar and his enchanter in the next book.
    • 3/5
      It's enjoyable and written well enough, but I couldn't help feeling throughout the entire novel that it was what would happen if Leigh Bardugo wrote The Night Circus. I can't help but wish it had been more its own thing.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book in large part because, while it is obviously a fantasy novel, the storyline is original and intriguing. A mixture of history and fantasy combined with fantastic characters who are drawn to one another but also forced to be mortal enemies, I was riveted by the storyline.My favourite character was Vika. She is strong, sensitive, and caring. And I couldn't help rooting for her through the entire book. On the other hand, Nikolai and Pasha are also engaging characters. The plot was fast-paced and I was completely invested in the storyline. I know some people hate love triangles but this story never really came across in that way. There is certainly tension between Nikolai and Pasha but Vika's feelings are not in question.I'll be reading the sequel to this one next and I can't wait for her next series Circle of Shadows!
    • 4/5
      This book was far better than I was expecting, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the very near future.
    • 4/5
      This book is the Russian knockoff of The Night Circus. And that's kind of why I loved it! It's almost what I wish I'd read in Night Circus. Lush, imaginative, and romantic with characters that are instantly relatable (if SLIGHTLY clichéd), and a plot that grips and moves in exactly the right way.
    • 5/5
      "I am tied irretrievably to my enemy"

      Two enchanters enter a game that only one can win. It's a magical war that exposes strengths and extorts weaknesses. Vika and Nikolai each have a mentor and while they both want to win, neither want to kill. Each enchanter gets a turn to impress the Tsar and as the moves are made, collaboration begins. Together they build a magnificent island filled with lush scenery, vivid dreams, and in the end... a bland death ground. It's a tragic tale that's laced with intricate magic and intense romance. A fast paced read with twists and turns in every chapter.

      "He was a poisonous autumn crocus: deadly beautiful with no antidote."

      Just thinking about The Crown's Game gets me all kinds of excited. Talk about a fantastic read with exquisite writing. This book was seriously one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. It was unique and captivating and just in a league of it's own. The romance was subtle, but also completely captivating. It pulled on my heartstrings and left me breathless at times. I loved the magical game and I felt such a pull to all of the characters. I honestly can't believe this one was a debut... You know the books that make you want to highlight every word because each one is powerful and worthy of remembrance? This one was like that! The writing seemed as though it came from a seasoned Author. I applaud Ms. Skye and can't wait to read more from her! I definitely recommend this book to all readers.
    • 5/5
      This book was everything that I hoped it would be. I was really looking forward to it because I love anything related to Russia and magic so combining these two things into one book was awesome! It felt like a really awesome mixture of The Night Circus and The Hunger Games. I loved the three main characters – Vika, Pasha and Nikolai. I also loved Ludmila and her Cinderella bakery. There were a few unexpected twists throughout the story that added so much shock-and-awe. I am very eagerly awaiting the sequel to this awesome book!
    • 2/5
      Typical love triangle. Typical "strong" (but not really) female lead being drawn to the love interest who's bad for her. I felt like this book could have been really good, only it wasn't, and I'm not really sure why. Vika's relationships with both of the boys felt too quick and forced. It was obvious the author wanted us to believe that she and Nikolai were deeply in love, and Pasha loved her but she didn't love him back, but all of the relationships went way too fast. If the author wanted to have any serious love interests, she would have had to make them have known each other BEFORE the games started. Nikolai and Pasha were best friends, and then Nikolai admits something (his magic) that he'd been hiding from Pasha all his life and suddenly Pasha has turned into the evil, bloodthirsty tsar who can't even face his own actions. Pasha will never make a good leader since he is irresponsible and selfish, but the fact that he is weak and lets his even more bloodthirsty sister control him let's you know that he will be a truly awful tsar, and, while I know there were a lot of awful tsars in Russia's history, I don't think the author wants us to think of one of her main protagonists as an awful tsar. Speaking of Pasha's sister, it was rather absurd that the author decided to make her be younger than Pasha. No older brother would let his younger sister control him so completely, and, even though there is probably such thing as a fifteen-year-old girl who is as bloodthirsty as Juliana, I find it illogical that she would have her ability to manipulate people honed as well as she did.I could see that the author was trying to set things up with Rasputin being an undead faith-healer like Nikolai's mother, since he was somehow able to heal Alexi and it's said that it took enough poison to kill several men, two or three bullets and a night in an icy river to kill him. I know that this is fantasy and I shouldn't investigate any historical facts, but there were only three Tsar Alexanders and none of them really fit well into this time, because Alexander II was the successor to Alexander I (no Pasha in the middle, I don't remember Pasha's full name, but it was not Alexander) and Alexander III was succeeded by Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia.The ending was also disappointing. Nikolai and Vika couldn't find a unique way to get out of the game so there was the same 'I'll commit suicide to stop you from dying' trope, which was interrupted by a magical dagger being enchanted by Nikolai's competitive teacher so, despite Nikolai's intentions, the knife hit Vika, and then at his request she healed herself by using his energy, which drained him of all life because every magical book ever knows that if you give away more energy then you have then you will die, but for some reason Vika didn't know that and for some reason Nikolai thought it would be fine for her to drain all of his life, and she wouldn't feel even more guilty since she'd also accidentally drained her father/mentor of energy and life, and Pasha let that happen even though he knew it was wrong. Then it turns out that Nikolai is still a sort of shadow, somehow, not that that makes any sense. I wonder if Pasha will have as big of a temper tantrum when he finds out that Nikolai is his brother as when he found out that Nikolai was a sorcerer.I was also rather disappointed because in my mind, only Celtic and Russian folklore/magic can have a story alongside Christianity without blaming Christians for problems or claiming the Christianity isn't real, but the author didn't take advantage of this possibility, claiming that the Russian Orthodox Church was responsible for burning witches and faith-healers, and implying that Christianity isn't real and the tsars only pretended to convert, while still believing in magic and sorcerers, and not the Church (which is really dumb since history always shows that countries tend to follow the king/queen/tsar/emperor etc. and convert when he/she converts, not the ruler converting only after most of the people, and only converting to make them happy. That is just not realistic, even in a fantasy book.)Overall, this was an okay book, but had way too many typical YA tropes, and not enough uniqueness or Russian culture to set it apart from all of the other YA books coming out now.
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A beautifully imaginative story that will capture your heart. It wasn’t flawless, but it was definitely a wonderful read and I would recommend all fantasy fans give it a try!Opening Sentence: The smell of sugar and yeast welcomed Vika even before she stepped into the pumpkin-shaped shop on the main street of their little town.The Review:The great empire of Russia is getting ready for war. There are deadly enemies threatening the empire and to ensure its safety the Tsar needs to once again have an Imperial Enchanter. He must initiate the Crown’s Game!Vika has been raised to be the Tsar’s enchanter ever since she was a little girl. Magic is in her blood and she while she can do many things with her magic, controlling the elements is her specialty. She is prepared to serve the Tsar, but she isn’t prepared for the Crown’s game. She always thought she was the only enchanter, but it turns out there are two and only one can become the Imperial Enchanter, the loser of the games will die. Vika will compete to win because she doesn’t have another choice, but as she gets to know the other enchanter she can’t help but be drawn to him.Nikolai is an orphan and winning the game will fulfill all of his life long dreams. He will finally matter and be more then just a charity case. He will be respected and the Tsar’s personal advisor. Winning the game means everything and he is willing to do whatever it takes. But once he meets Vika all of his dreams change. How can he kill the only girl he has ever fallen for?Pasha is the heir to throne and one day he will rule all of Russia. But Pasha has very little interest in court affairs, he would rather disguise himself and go roam the country he loves. He is too soft to be a ruler and his family knows it. Pasha knows that his freedom is going to eventually come to an end but before it does he wants to find the amazing girl that filled the sky with lightening. As he searches for her he discovers that magic is real and there is so much he didn’t know about Russia and its rulers.Vika is a spunky girl that does and says what she wants! She is caring, brilliant, and very spunky. I loved how imaginative she was and it was awesome that she didn’t care what anyone else thought of her. She knew what she was good at and she wasn’t afraid of her own weaknesses. She was constantly trying to better herself and that made her very easy to admire. She was one of those characters you couldn’t help but love and relate to.Nikolai was an amazing guy and I fell hard for him right away. He was kind, smart, loving and just an all around great guy. He has had a rough past, but it has made him into the man he has become. Even though the games are brutal he always stays true to himself and I loved that. His relationship with Vika was interesting and sweet. I would have liked to have seen more interaction between them, but overall I did like them together. Nikolai was probably my favorite character in the book and I am very intrigued to see what happens with him next.I liked Pasha but I thought he was kind of a silly character. He was obviously very privilege and he didn’t seem to have a care in the world. It was frustrating at times how selfish he could be, but at the same time he was a very generous person. He wants what is best for the Russian people, he just has no idea how to achieve that. His relationship with Vika developed way too quickly and felt very insta-loveish. The interaction between the two was minimal and it was hard for me to except how deeply Pasha felt for a girl he barely knew. I liked Pasha but I didn’t love him.The Crowns Game is a fast paced adventure that I really enjoyed. The plot was very intriguing, but it was pretty predictable. The lush setting was captivating and developed very well. I loved the whole cast of characters and I am really interested to see where some of their stories go in the next book. The romance was sweet but this book definitely contained a bad case of instalove, which was disappointing because it could have easily been avoided. Overall, this was a very entertaining read and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. High fantasy fans will definitely want to check this one out!Notable Scene:Just where I want you. She made a slithering motion in the air, and a stream of water climbed up the embankment and puddle around the enchanter’s feet. It swirled around his right ankle and tightened itself like liquid rope. As he realized what was happening, she flicked her wrist, and the water yanked him into the Neva.“Prekrasno,” she said as she grinned to herself.A woman in the crowd screamed.“Someone’s fallen into the river!” a man yelled.But the other enchanter didn’t resurface.FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of The Crown’s Game. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 4/5
      Do you believe in magic? This novel is a magical duel between two good people--only one can win.Vika has lived on an island her entire life, learning to use her powers. Her father designs practices, and Vika must control the situation. No one is ever in danger because she also makes sure no one is in their forest. The people of the town ignore her, so she has few friends, but she’s a good person. Only Ludmilla is kind to her. Vika doesn’t mind too much; she knows that she will one day be the Imperial Enchanter for the Russian Tsar. Only one is born at a time, so Vika is learning everything she can to serve the tsar.Meanwhile, Nikolai has been raised by Galina, who found him in a village. She knows that there are two enchanters and has trained him to be ready for the Crown’s Game where enchanters battle for the position of Imperial Enchanter. Galina is not as kind as Sergei, Vika’s father, so Nikolai’s life is not as loving as Vika’s life. Life has become more dangerous in the kingdom, and the tsar is convinced that magic is needed to regain control. He calls the Crown’s Game, which is when Vika and Sergei learn that there’s another Enchanter. The novel is their competition to become the Imperial Enchanter.I liked the novel, but it is a Russian story. It’s a beautiful story of two good people caught in an impossible situation.