Week 35 Reviews: The Crown's Game, The Crown's Fate

From Goodreads:
The New York Times bestseller The Crown's Game is a thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy about two teenagers who must compete for the right to become Russia's Imperial Enchanter—or die in the process—from debut author Evelyn Skye. Perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone and Red Queen.

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. 

From Goodreads:
Magic is growing, shadows are rising, and the throne is at stake…

Russia is on the brink 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.

My Review:
I'm so glad that I finally read these books! I've been meaning to read them since I got them-and since her 3rd book has already released, well, I got behind. But on the upside, I got to read these back to back, which was really fantastic, because they flowed together so well!

First off, I have to talk about the covers. The crown of paper with the images of a palace on it, on the ice, and then in the second book, the ice has broken, and the colours of the 2nd are two different forces, yeah, it looks so fantastic and symbolic! Love them, though the second more, because the colours are so fantastic to look like! I'm a sucker for colours on covers like this!

This world of Imperial Enchanter, it's so interesting! What they can do with their magic was pretty interesting. Though that's a double edged sword, since the power of the land is linked to belief, and the citizens don't believe. Or when they find out in Fate, well, they're scared and it's all burn the witch kind of thing. Not fun!

There's this idea in the Fate, from a Greek fable, where we were perfect and threatened the gods, so they split us up. And if you found your other half, you'd be perfect. And yeah, it's only in two spots, but the 2nd spot, that was a pretty important moment, and I enjoyed how that all played out and was explored!

This was a fantastic series, and I enjoyed it so much! Can't wait to read more of her books!

Author: Evelyn Skye
Series: The Crown's Game #1, 2
Read: August 30th, 30th, 2019
Source: Bought/Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Books! And The Crown's Game is a DAC Book and a RR Book, and The Crown's Fate is a Sophomore Challenge Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published: May 17th 2016, May 16th 2017

The Crown's Game:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

The Crown's Fate:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars