Summary: It's historical Russia with the tsar concerned about the near threat of the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs. It leads him to starting the Crown's Game early. The only two enchanters in the kingdom, Vika and Nikolai, must compete to show whose power is greater. Only one can win and the other must die. But Vika and Nikolai feel drawn together and become conflicted about having to kill each other. Plus, the heir to the throne also becomes enraptured by Vika.
Sorry for that crappy summary.
This was an okay read. I loved the setting of Russia because their history has always fascinated me. It's magical with some of the classic parts of St. Petersburg still there. I spent two weeks in Russia last summer and so it was really fun reading about certain parts that I'd seen as well.
Russia has been a place of mystery and intrigue for so long. US students honestly don't learn too much about this country except for broad basics of the Cold War. The constant questioning of "what is Russia up to" allows you to make it up a lot for yourself. This is super interesting in my opinion because enchanters in this country almost makes sense. When you see the opulence in certain parts of the country, it's easy to imagine magic taking place alongside it all.
Even with the fascinating shroud of mystery that Russia always has, I seriously suggest people learn more about their history because it's even more interesting. My favorite class that I've ever taken was a Russian History course. So much better and more rich than studying US history, if you ask me.
Okay let's go away from real Russia and go into the book now...
As much as I loved the setting, the characters could never grasp me. You can tell by the summary that it's a love triangle and if you know me, you know that I'm really fed up with those unless they're done superbly.
It's supposed to be an enemies to lovers kind of thing, but I just couldn't get behind it. Vika was great until she really let emotions cloud everything. Both Nikolai and Pasha were just kind of lame, chasing after this girl and eventually ignoring their responsibilities. I felt Vika deserved somebody so much more well-matched to her.
Pasha's sister (I'm totally forgetting her name right now) was pretty cool though. She deserved much more time dedicated to her characterization. I thought she was too interesting to be a side character as she was the one taking charge and actually trying to secure their kingdom.
Honestly, I would love it if the sister and Vika ended up together and ruling Russia as bada$$ lesbians. That would be a great plot twist and I thought they were the strongest characters who could do the most good.
While this is fantasy, it's not high fantasy. I don't mind that because it can be much easier for the reader to imagine. I wasn't a huge fan of the way their magic was used though. They were super powerful and Vika's training session in the beginning was awesome, but in the "game," it was mainly used for decorations or clothing. I bet they were still beautiful, but the tsar was supposed to be judging by who'd be the best enchanter to help protect Russia. Instead, it was all about appearances, instead of really showing strength. It was a little underwhelming when I wasn't wowed by what they could do. Hopefully the second book is better with that.
Overall, an okay read. I'll read the sequel because it has potential to do better, but we'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment