Poudelivre

This is a novel I randomly came across a little while back but immediately found interesting. The synopses sounded very intriguing and so my need to read it only rose. I have to say I had rather high hopes, which I usually don’t have when it comes to a writer whom I’ve never read anything by before or a first-time published writer. You don’t really know what to expect from a writer you don’t “know” and therefore it’s hard to have any high expectations. But I did when it came to Evelyn Skye’s The Crown’s Game and I have to say that it was even better than I could’ve imagined in my wildest dreams, which is saying something.

This story takes place in nineteen-century Russia, where magic exist but isn’t recognized. There’s usually one enchanter aiding the tsar, something the common people doesn’t know about. But at times two people with magical abilities are born roughly at the same time and the need to determine who will be the Imperial Enchanter is done through a test called the Crown’s Game. Nikolai, an orphan taken in and taught by an aristocratic lady, has known about this coming test and thinks he is prepared for it but it turns out that nothing can prepare him for the whirlwind that is Vika. She, on the other hand, has not known about the coming Game. She lives with her father on an island not too far from Saint Petersburg where the Game is held and though she was surprised by the revealing of not just the Crown’s Game but also by the appearance of a person with the same skills as herself, Vika is ready to fight to be what she’s always worked for. The Imperial Enchanter. But just like with Nikolai, the Game makes Vika question a lot, but mostly herself.

I found this to be a very intriguing read. It contains a lot of the things I love, including Russian history and magic. I would actually go so far as to say that The Crown’s Game is almost a sweet mix of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus and Claudia Gray’s Firebird trilogy. The beautiful Russian landscape and history is the backdrop to an enticing, and sometimes horrifying, magical contest in which the winner becomes Imperial Enchanter and the loser dies. In between all of this is a love triangle which I found a little tedious at times, it’s true (but probably most because I’ve read quite a few of them by now), but it was mostly very sweet and exciting.

The landscape and details of the story was exquisite and so was Skye’s writing. I really liked how the novel was filled with so much yet avoided feeling too heavy. It was fun at times and made me laugh, but it was also heartbreaking, making my shed a few tears, at others. The first part of the novel was light and enchanting compared to the more serious and infinitely darker second part and I liked that. The Game was serious and at times it felt like the characters took it a little lightly because they were young and didn’t want to die and therefore had a hard time actually comprehending how the outcome ultimately would be. But by the second portion of the book everyone had gone through something life changing and changed from teenagers to grown-ups within just a few chapters. It was interesting watching this change and very fun seeing how certain events changed the characters and how they thought and acted after that. You could really feel the story moving forward with the characters grown and changing chapter after chapter and I liked that very much!

As for the characters themselves, Vika and Nikolai are the cornerstones in this story since the Game revolves around them. Another character that plays a major role is the Crown Prince, and also Nikolai’s best friend, Pasha. While Nikolai is an orphan and has been alone for the most part of his life, for the woman taking care of him only seems him as a student and far from something more which has left Nikolai to fend for himself many times, Pasha is the heir to the Russian throne but at age sixteen he prefers to sneak out and wander the city rather than sitting in on meetings with his father. Nikolai and Pasha both sees Vika for the first time together and they both fall for her which creates a lot of tension in the story. Not only is Pasha and Nikolai best friends, but Nikolai knows that only one of him and Vika will survive and that person will have to work closely to the tsar and, eventually, that will be Pasha. Many stories nowadays have a love triangle in its center and I suppose this is no different and yet to some extent it is. The love triangle is complicated for many reasons and that only makes the story grow.

All three of the main characters have interesting personalities and I almost want to say that Pasha is softer than Vika and I found that to be a nice change from all of the stories with strong male characters and softer female ones. Nikolai is softer as well and very intricate. He is described to be brooding and when I think about him that’s exactly the word I would use to describe him as well. Vika is supposed to be fiery and a force of nature and it is again the way I see her, which makes Skye good at not just describing her characters but also making me see it myself.

The only thing I found to be a little negative, if I have to comment on anything, is the heaviness of the last hundred or so pages. A lot f darkness arouse there and latched onto me which I didn’t quite find comforting but it did nevertheless fit the story and that’s what matters. I was just surprised, I think, that it would all take such a dark and ugly turn at the end and it hurt me, but I suppose it only shows off how good a writer Skye is. This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year and I very much recommend it to everyone, but especially history nerds, lovers of Russian history, wonderful magic and, of course, heartbreaking love stories. Read it and be amazed, I promise you won’t regret it!