“Imagine, and it shall be. There are no limits.”
The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye is the first of the two novels in this duology. Taking place during the reign of the Russian Empire, threats from the Ottomans and the Kazakhs prompt the current tsar to reinitiate the Crown’s Game, a magicians duel in which the prize for the winning sorcerer is the coveted position of the Imperial Enchanter, while the other competitors are sentenced to death. However, there are only two enchanters left in Russia. Vika Andreyeva is a manipulator of elements and has been raised on the isolated Ovchinin Island by her father with dreams of becoming the next Imperial Enchanter. Nikolai Karimov is a clever and masterful architect who was an orphan raised by and trained by a countess at the heart of the Empire, growing up side-by-side with Pasha Romanov, the current heir to the Russian throne. Neither know the identity of the sorcerer they are to face in this challenge, and a chance encounter in Vika’s hometown sparks a chain of fantastical and astounding events that have in part to do with the Crown’s Game, in part to do with the looming threats of war to the Empire, and in part to the unknowable force drawing the two young competitors closer and closer together. Vika and Nikolai must compete and remember that the other is constantly looking to kill them. Even more important are the secrets of a young woman who has recently risen from the dead, looking for her lost son and seeking vengeance on the wealthy man who fathered her child and then abandoned her. With international tensions growing and secrets being unraveled, every Vika and Nikolai must tread carefully, lest they be consumed by the repercussions of pursuing their hearts’ desires.
“He was a poisonous autumn crocus: deadly beautiful with no antidote. She wanted the flower anyway.”
Skye skillfully brings the Russian Empire during the 1800s to life, with evocative imagery of the exquisite foods, spiralling buildings, and wondrous scenery. Vika is wonderfully portrayed, true to her headstrong, blunt, and courageous nature. As well, Nikolai’s cleverness, intelligence, and emotions are beautifully brought out as the equal and mirror to Vika. Other characters are shown as well: Pasha, his brilliant sister Yuliana, Vika’s father Sergei, Nikolai’s mentor Galina, and Aizhana, the dead woman walking, seeking her child and revenge. This diverse cast of characters helps to set the stage for a magical and terrifyingly stupendous Crown’s Game, fraught with fraying bonds and dangerous deceptions. Relationships are formed and lies are told, creating a hostile and precarious situation for the young enchanters and their friends. This novel delivers on many themes of historical politics, deadly competitions, and the consequences of a single misstep. However, it also brings you ideals of friendship, young love, and the possibilities of letting yourself be free, unbound and limitless.
“She wanted again to hold on to him, and have him hold on to her, so they could whirl together through the cosmos like galaxies that could not—and would not—be confined.”
