Royalty sure does like its games, doesn't it? But unlike another fantasy story with a similar title, this book goes more the historical fiction route, taking place in the Russian Empire in the time of Tsar Alexander I in 1825. Let's see how history looks when there's a bit of magic added to it.
Vika and Nikolai are the only two enchanters left in Russia. Each has extraordinary abilities which the tsar thinks might be very useful to the Empire, especially with the threats of the Ottomans and Kazakhs looming on the horizon. However, only one of them may be granted the title of Imperial Enchanter and advisor to the tsar. The other must die. To decide which of them will inherit the title, the tsar begins the Crown's Game, in which both enchanters are to display their power and imagination in grand feats to amaze the citizens of St. Petersburg and spell doom for their opponent. But things when complicated when the tsesarevich, who happens to be Nikolai's best friend, starts to fall for the beautiful Vika...and so does Nikolai.
The good thing about this book is that they manage to take a familiar situation and play it straight. As I hinted earlier, a lot of stories are taking the "game of life and death" route. Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games, even Ender's Game all use this idea to the point where it's become something of a gimmick. So, if you're going to go with this idea then do what this book does and take it in a direction we haven't seen before. I admit there were times when I honestly didn't see something coming. While the situations are familiar, this story takes things in a new direction and I appreciated that.
The characters of both Nikolai and Vika are well done. They each have likable personalities but they both have flaws too. Nikolai's an orphan who came from nothing and is kind to both those better and less than him, but he's prone to lying to everyone around him to keep himself safe. Vika is optimistic and imaginative but her sheltered life has left her a bit naive. You understand these characters and you like them both and want them to succeed, so throwing them into a situation where one of them could die invests the reader into wanting to see them both come out of their situation okay, even if you know they're not. The tsesarevich, Pasha, is another main player in this story and another fun character. He sneaks away from his guards and goes out drinking, but he has a loving heart and he cares about his country that he will one day rule. The overall cast is good and shies away from stereotypes, which I greatly appreciated.
Now, let's have a little chat about the magic in this book, shall we? Each member of the game has five turns to create spectacular feats in celebration of Pasha's birthday while keeping the fact that what they're doing is magic a secret from the general public. Now, that seems like a simple enough detail...until you make islands appear overnight and hallucinogenic benches. I'm sorry, but even human denial has its limits. There's no way that some of these things can be reasoned to exist, especially in 1825! Things that would take years to accomplish are done in a blink of an eye and nobody suspects anything? I found that little detail a bit much to swallow. That being said, the magic is impressive by both enchanters and it certainly made things fun to read about. I just think that it could have been a bit more subtle, especially if they're supposed to be hiding these things from the masses.
The drama comes together in a climax that's...probably not as epic as I would have liked it. There are certain things I didn't like such as Pasha's attitude toward the end of the book and the situation involving a moving corpse. But while the climax wasn't the big, fantastical affair I'd thought it would be but I was satisfied with the conclusion anyway. When a book gives you two good characters in a battle to the death, the resolution can sometimes come in the form of a cop-out. Thankfully, this book avoids that, but doesn't leave the reader in complete despair either. All in all, I think it was handled pretty decently to leave readers satisfied as well as hopeful.
Final Verdict
Overall, I'd say that this book is pretty good. It was its own story and followed its own path, had plenty of intrigue and magic and I think anyone picking it up out of curiosity will enjoy it. I'd say it's worth your money at your local bookstore.
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Next Time: British humor, two fantastic authors, and the end of the world. Sounds like fun.
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