Hey everyone! I’m INCREDIBLY excited to be on the The Tsar’s Guard Parade! I’ve already read The Crown’s Game and LOVED! My review will be up closer to release! For today, I’m going to share with you some random thoughts I had while reading! first, here’s more about the book!

Title: THE CROWN’S GAME
Author: Evelyn Skye
Release Date: May 17th, 2016
Pages: 416
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

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.

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For my stop on the Tsar’s Guard Parade, I’d like to discuss with you some random thoughts I had while reading The Crown’s Game. These random thoughts are character comparisons, book comparisons, things I liked, etc. They’re also the reasons I loved this book and HIGHLY recommend it! So, here we go!

1. This world reminded me SO MUCH of the Grishaverse (Shadow & Bone, Leigh Bardugo). I’m sure a lot of that had to do with the Russian inspiration/vibe, but it was also the fact that the characters were amazing, the writing was epic and the plot was filled with magic and mayhem. So if you were a fan of the Grisha trilogy, I HIGHLY recommend The Crown’s Game!

2. Nikolai and Renata gave me MAJOR Kaz and Inej (Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo) feels. There are SO many parallels between Nikolai and Kaz: They both grew up with nothing – they had to build themselves up and, essentially, start from scratch. They both found ways to put a roof over their heads, acquire a source of income, and ensure their safety and reputation. Renata and Inej were very different, but their relationships with Nikolai and Kaz were epic. I’m not sure how to explain it, but Renata and Nikolai just gave off this vibe that reminded me of the way I felt about Inej and Kaz’s relationship

3. SO MANY ANASTASIA FEELS!!! No, like, SO MANY. I mean, the book is set in Tsarist Russia. Pasha is the future Tsar. His sister, Yuliana, is the Princess that Anastasia should have been. You could almost say Nikolai is similar to Dimitri, since he knows about Vika, but Vika doesn’t know about him. And Vika reminds me of the orphan Anastasia, before she realizes she was born to royalty and greatness. The only difference is that Vika KNOWS she’s powerful, but I don’t think she truly believes in herself until the end.

4. Have you read A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray? It’s a book about parallel dimensions and time traveling! One of the dimensions the main character travels to? Tsarist Russia! So if you enjoyed that, you’ll definitely enjoy The Crown’s Game!

5. So many Fairy Tale references! If you like fairy tales, The Crown’s Game references – both directly and indirectly – Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. I believe Skye was referencing the Russian version of these fairy tales, so that made it even more epic, as those are versions I don’t know as much about and it was intriguing to learn about them!

Hope my random thoughts inspire you to read this amazing book! Now, for the giveaway! One winner will receive an ARC of THE CROWN’S GAME! This giveaway is International!! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below!

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About the author:
 
 
Evelyn Skye 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 daughter on the playground or sitting on the couch, immersed in a good book and eating way too many cookies. THE CROWN’S GAME is her first novel.
 

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