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hallowsun's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
shelbynik's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
Omg I loved this book so much. At first I thought it was a fantasy take on hunger games but it was so much more and the plot was so interesting I couldn’t put it down!
Omg I loved this book so much. At first I thought it was a fantasy take on hunger games but it was so much more and the plot was so interesting I couldn’t put it down!
mea9an's review against another edition
4.0
This book has easily become a favorite. The characters were beautifully written, the details expressed what the author was going for, and the plot was amazing!
This book follows two enchanters, Vika and Nikolai. The Tsesarevich of Imperial Russia, Pasha. And the rest of the Imperial Family. Vika and Nikolai are placed in the Crown's Game, which is a battle to see who the Imperial Enchanter should be (aka: the person who helps the Tsar with magic). Throughout the games, Pasha, the Tsesarevich of Russia, discovers that there's something more than just a birthday celebration going on. He dives into the world of magic and discovers things he wished he didn't.
I loved every part of this book. I'll start with the characters, because this is a more character driven book.
Vika is the daughter of Sergei, who lives his life training her to use her magic. Sergei's family has devoted themselves to being magical trainers (mentors is what they called them, I believe). She felt like a real person. Her actions were questionable at best, yet she loved those around her. She wasn't like a cardboard cutout. She had motivation, feelings, etc. I loved her.
Nikolai and Pasha stole the show. They were the two best friends and they had playful banter. Each ready to die for the other. Pasha and Nikolai easily became my favorite characters in the book. They are my new BROTP!
Yuliana I could've done without. She was kind of annoying and came off like she was better than everyone. Obviously, she's the Grand Duchess, but still. She had the attitude of a stereotypical bitch. I didn't like her.
Even the Tsar and Tsarina were better than her! How sad is that.
Anyway, onto the romance.
I think the romance was realistic. Yes, there was a love triangle, but I felt like this one worked. The two boys both had a reason for liking Vika. Nikolai's was purely based on not wanting to kill a human being. The more he learned about her the more he began to fall for her. It's like when you're falling in love with a celebrity. You know absolutely nothing about them, but the more interviews/videos you watch the more you start to see them as a real person. That's what this romance felt to me.
As for Pasha, his romance was more on shock value. He was surprised to find out about an enchanted to begin with. The second he saw all of the things in the streets for the games, he knew it was because of her. He was surprised about everything and that drew him closer to her.
The one thing that prevented this from being a 5-Star book was the pacing. The book was slow paced. There was a ton of action, but the way it was written made it slow down a lot.
If you're interested in Russia or historical fiction this is the book for you. Magic and history go hand in hand in this, changing up a little bit of history, while still keeping a few things the same. The author even expressed this in a little note at the end of the book.
This book follows two enchanters, Vika and Nikolai. The Tsesarevich of Imperial Russia, Pasha. And the rest of the Imperial Family. Vika and Nikolai are placed in the Crown's Game, which is a battle to see who the Imperial Enchanter should be (aka: the person who helps the Tsar with magic). Throughout the games, Pasha, the Tsesarevich of Russia, discovers that there's something more than just a birthday celebration going on. He dives into the world of magic and discovers things he wished he didn't.
I loved every part of this book. I'll start with the characters, because this is a more character driven book.
Vika is the daughter of Sergei, who lives his life training her to use her magic. Sergei's family has devoted themselves to being magical trainers (mentors is what they called them, I believe). She felt like a real person. Her actions were questionable at best, yet she loved those around her. She wasn't like a cardboard cutout. She had motivation, feelings, etc. I loved her.
Nikolai and Pasha stole the show. They were the two best friends and they had playful banter. Each ready to die for the other. Pasha and Nikolai easily became my favorite characters in the book. They are my new BROTP!
Yuliana I could've done without. She was kind of annoying and came off like she was better than everyone. Obviously, she's the Grand Duchess, but still. She had the attitude of a stereotypical bitch. I didn't like her.
Even the Tsar and Tsarina were better than her! How sad is that.
Anyway, onto the romance.
I think the romance was realistic. Yes, there was a love triangle, but I felt like this one worked. The two boys both had a reason for liking Vika. Nikolai's was purely based on not wanting to kill a human being. The more he learned about her the more he began to fall for her. It's like when you're falling in love with a celebrity. You know absolutely nothing about them, but the more interviews/videos you watch the more you start to see them as a real person. That's what this romance felt to me.
As for Pasha, his romance was more on shock value. He was surprised to find out about an enchanted to begin with. The second he saw all of the things in the streets for the games, he knew it was because of her. He was surprised about everything and that drew him closer to her.
The one thing that prevented this from being a 5-Star book was the pacing. The book was slow paced. There was a ton of action, but the way it was written made it slow down a lot.
If you're interested in Russia or historical fiction this is the book for you. Magic and history go hand in hand in this, changing up a little bit of history, while still keeping a few things the same. The author even expressed this in a little note at the end of the book.
silverfeather's review against another edition
4.0
Well THAT WAS A FUCKING ENDING brought to you by yours truly, king pasha, the fuckboy to rule them all
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
i read this before an event began because i wanted to know what came next.
I wrote a spoiler free review on this: https://amberinoface.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/the-crowns-game-by-evelyn-skye/
I wrote a spoiler free review on this: https://amberinoface.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/the-crowns-game-by-evelyn-skye/
ambeesbookishpages's review against another edition
3.0
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
I just don't understand why I am always disappointed in over hyped books. I was positive I was going to like this one too. I love anything to do with Russian history, especially the Romanov's (Who is the Tsar in this book.) It is probably the only time I paid attention my whole 10th grade year history class. But besides that aspect I was honestly disappointed in The Crown's Game. I made it to 62% before I started to skim and then ultimately gave up. So I know about the ending briefly, I know that is painful and I know that it was paced real slow for my taste.
-I was expecting a fast paced, fantasy packed book. It was full of fantasy, but it was slow and not really exciting to me. I was more: "When is everything going to pick up." then: "OMG I am loving this." At first I did love The Crown's Game and slowly my loved waned to it's: "Just okay."
-I wasn't a fan of the characters. Pasha was the only one I really actually liked.
-The magic aspect was cool, but it wasn't the kind of "magic" that I was hoping for.
I am not going to say much more, a majority of people really seemed to enjoy this one. For me it was just blah. Maybe one day I will like this one better? I don't know. This sure wasn't the type of review I was hoping to give this book.
Why three stars? The aspect was interesting, the time period, and overall world building was amazing. Skye's writing is beautiful. It was more of the characters that I had an issue with then anything else.
I just don't understand why I am always disappointed in over hyped books. I was positive I was going to like this one too. I love anything to do with Russian history, especially the Romanov's (Who is the Tsar in this book.) It is probably the only time I paid attention my whole 10th grade year history class. But besides that aspect I was honestly disappointed in The Crown's Game. I made it to 62% before I started to skim and then ultimately gave up. So I know about the ending briefly, I know that is painful and I know that it was paced real slow for my taste.
-I was expecting a fast paced, fantasy packed book. It was full of fantasy, but it was slow and not really exciting to me. I was more: "When is everything going to pick up." then: "OMG I am loving this." At first I did love The Crown's Game and slowly my loved waned to it's: "Just okay."
-I wasn't a fan of the characters. Pasha was the only one I really actually liked.
-The magic aspect was cool, but it wasn't the kind of "magic" that I was hoping for.
I am not going to say much more, a majority of people really seemed to enjoy this one. For me it was just blah. Maybe one day I will like this one better? I don't know. This sure wasn't the type of review I was hoping to give this book.
Why three stars? The aspect was interesting, the time period, and overall world building was amazing. Skye's writing is beautiful. It was more of the characters that I had an issue with then anything else.
renuked's review against another edition
3.0
Beautiful world-building, vibrant writing, but less than compelling characters at times. Also, the Game itself tended to fall a little flat, meaning that the plot was slightly empty. Certain things felt a little disconnected within the flowery language. Review to come.