~Waiting on Wednesday~ The Crown's Fate (The Crown's Game #2)

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

The Crown’s Fate (The Crown’s Game #2) by Evelyn Skye

Out: 5/16

From Goodreads:

                Perfect fro fans of Shadow and Bone and Red Queen, The Crown’s Fate is the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Crown’s Game, an atmospheric historical fantasy set in Imperial Russia.

                Russia is on the bring of great change.  Pasha’s coronation approaches, and Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter, but the role she once coveted may be more difficult—and dangerous—than she ever expected.

                Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him and he believes his best friend is dead.  When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom.

                For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply.  Although he just managed to escape death, Nikolai remains alone, a shadow hidden in a not-quite-real world of his own creation.  But when he’s given a second chance at life—tied to a dark price—Nikolai must decide just how far he’s willing to go to return to the world.

                With revolution on the rise, dangerous new magic rearing up, and a tsardom up for the taking, Vika, Nikolai, and Pasha must fight—or face the destruction of not only their world but also themselves.

               

Why I’m Waiting:

                I really enjoyed The Crown’s Game (review) and that ending just wasn’t right!  I needed more and OMG Nikolai I need him to be okay.  I just felt so bad for all three of them stuck in bad spots with half information just enough to make bad choices!   

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out.

The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game #1)

                Hello happy readers!  Another exciting day hopefully full of reading and other goodies.  Today I’m sharing a review for a debut book that was originally posted at No BS Book Reviews, here.  This debut book is one I was anticipating hard and even more excited when it was in my hands and that is The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye!

Rating:  5 Stars

                This has been one of my most anticipated books of 2016 after I heard about it and having read it the sequel is my most anticipated book whenever it comes out!  OMG AMAZING!  I was completely blown away by this story and everything in it.  Enchanters and magic, secret games, murder plots, a beautiful and amazing world, political intrigue, strong characters and lots of feels galore.  It had everything.

                We follow several characters but the primaries are Vika and Nikolai our tow enchanters and Pasha, Nikolai's best friend and heir to the throne.  Vika has grown up away from everything only training to one day be the Imperial Enchanter, never knowing that she would have to battle it out for the position.  Nikolai however has known he would have to play a game for the roll but even he didn't know how series the stakes were.  Death for one.  These are serious stakes.  More so when overtime all three form a connection of sorts.  It's not easy to kill someone you don't know but to kill someone you care for seems impossible.  As a reader it was difficult knowing one was meant to die, trying to figure out as I read who I liked more so I wouldn't get too attached to the wrong one but it was hopeless as I didn't want either to die! 

                I really enjoyed getting to know all the different characters and how they have different quirks about themselves.  From the mains to the supporting characters who played just as big of a part.  From their mentors or servants and bakers to the Tsar and royal family themselves each one plays a part and they are introduced for a reason but I never felt like they were only there to move the story along each one felt natural and purposeful.  The friendships and relationships between the different characters both good and bad were deep.  My favorite being the friendship between Nikolai and Pasha!  Those two were so on point and just a ying and yang of one another in the perfectly balance way.

                The world is so beautiful and while I have never been to Russia I felt like I have seen a piece of it.  A piece of history wrapped up in magic and wonder.  The scenes described where so real, my favorite parts involved benches.  Vivid and miraculous to say the least.  The magic of the world was explained in a way that I understood but I see room for more to be explained through the series as we discovered new information, from nymphs and healers and more.

                The Crown's Game had a bit of everything in it and I highly recommend it because I need people to talk to about it!  Everything tied in nicely from the romance to the political aspects to the game itself.  The game was not what I originally expected a battle between the two in the traditional sense but a competition which I liked a bit better having finished it, with the tasks which pulled you into each page imagining each one as they played out.  The book is impossible to put down and quick to fly through IMHO! 

                There's nothing else I can say without giving away some spoilers which I just can't bring myself to do because uncovering it all is half the fun.  I do recommend this and would love to hear what everyone thinks of this.  I know I'm ready for book two already! I’d love to hear your thoughts and feels in the comments below!

                Until next time…

~Waiting on Wednesday~ The Crown's Game

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye

Out: 5/17

From Goodreads:

                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.

Why I’m Waiting:

                Come on it sounds AMAZING!  Competing for a spot where one lives and one dies already had me hooked but to have a connection with the other and know no matter what it ends badly just has so many levels of awesome!

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out!