Audiobook Review: The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game #1) by Evelyn Skye

Title: The Crown's Game

Author: Evelyn Skye

Publication Date: May 17th 2016

Publisher:  Blazer + Bray (Harper Collins)

Part of a Series?: Yes, Book One in a planned Duology

I Got A Copy Through: I bought it via Audible

Buy Links: Amazon US

Blurb Description: Vika Andreyev 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.

Long story short? This book was over hyped, not nearly ruthless enough, it had a love triangle based entirely on insta-love and cool magic that wasn't capitalised on.

I should go into the long story, but, first, what is The Crown’s Game you might ask?

Long ago, in Russia, magic was rampant. The people believed and you could find magic under every rock. There were fairies and nymphs and all sorts of magical creatures, but now nobody believes. If magic hit them in the face, they'd probably write it off as somethings their rational brains could comprehend.

Basically, Russia’s magic pool has depleted and only a very few amount of people ever get magic anymore.

Vika Andreyev is one of these people with magical abilities - an enchanter, for use of a better word. And her father, Sergei, is training her to be the imperial enchanter, to help the Tsar and all of Russia. She can summon storms from the sky, she can freeze people, but what Avika doesn't know is that there's another enchanter. Another enchanter, with the other half of Russia’s magic pool. And for her to live, he needs to die.

These rules are dictated by an ancient game called The Crown’s Game. The rules are simple: each enchanter has five turns, and at the end, if the Tsar hasn't decided who his Imperial Enchanter will be, the Game itself will decide, obliterating one so that other can achieve their true potential.

Which is all you need to know. Now, what I didn't like about this audiobook:

1.    The Insta-Love: Yes, love triangles are tedious and overdone, but most of the time, if the rest of the story is intriguing enough, they don't affect me. What did affect me, though, was the RIDICULOUS Instant Love. All it took for Nikolai (the other enchanter) was the fact that his MAGIC called to her MAGIC (Hello? Vika is not her magic) and Pasha to fall in love with her was a couple of glances. I hated it. WHERE’s THE CHEMISTRY, PEOPLE?

2.    The Anti Ruthless Policy: I swear, through half of the book, I felt like I could be more ruthless than these CHILDREN playing games with magic and thrones. Russia seems like a cutthroat world, and these three were in the middle of its future with no ruthlessness or regard for anything except their own whiny feelings!

3.    The Predictability: I FUCKING CALLED EVERYTHING IN THIS BOOK. Well, except for one plot twist that I'm being accommodating and giving it a star for, but other than that, I predicted everything and I HATE it when that happens.

What I liked?

The enchantments in the game were very cool, and I love magic with almost no limits. But while there was an awesome amount of imagination out into these tricks, I didn't see how these tricks were showing the Tsar how his Imperial Enchanter could give him advice - POLITICAL ADVICE - that would help him rule Russia.

I also ADORED the Narration! Steve West has brilliant oratory skills, and an even better Russian accent and I felt like I was getting the whole deal!

Overall, a 3 star book that was just overhyped.

Which was the last over-hyped book you read? Which book, in your opinion, has the coolest magic? Have you read The Crown's Game? What did you think?

I can't wait to talk magic with y'all!