The Crown's Game

By: Evelyn Skye

Narrated by: Steve West

""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.

Characters development, concise story

The story never feels slow. The characters are “real” with flaws. The imagery/writing draws you in

Great story!

Loved the Russian dialect & accent!!! It made the story seem more alive and easy to follow. Beautifully woven characters with just the right amount of suspense and drama. Wonderful read.

Not a nice Book

Sorry, but tis book left a lot to be desired. I actually enjoyed the first 1/3 quite a bit. after that the characters started behaving very unrealistically. The plot was pretty straightforward with one slightly redeeming twist at the end. It just didn't really work, or flow. The narration was fine- at 1.35 speed. Ultimately, there were a few redeeming qualities, but not enough to justify the time spent in listening to it, much less a credit.

A Bit Too Long

Great story! There where parts of the story that didn't move the plot along and could have been left out so make the story more concise.

HP meets GOT

I kinda felt like this was a slice of Harry Potter meets a slice Game of Thrones. Plenty of surprises along the way, right up to the very end.
A few things were left open that I was expecting to get tied up.
The writing is lovely and I connected in some way to all the characters. Plenty of good tension in the story arc to hold my attention for the longer book.
All and all, enough to enjoy but can’t say as I left completely satisfied. Or maybe I simply missed something?