"The Game might be over, but their story was not."
Get ready to be caught up in a whirlwind of action, romance and betrayal in the exciting sequel to the Crown's Game. The Crown's Fate once again will take you back into the Russia in the.. actually I don't know the century, ha sorry. It takes you back into Russia in a time that is not now, that doesn't sound nearly as epic as I was going for but... Yeah, sorry.
Anyway, if you have yet to read the Crown's Game (Book #1), I would highly recommend that you do so. It's good book, taking place in Russia (in some century that's not now), but with enchanters who are battling to the death. Wow, that was a sucky explanation. But with enchanters who are battling to death who also happen to fall in love? Better? Ha no. I wrote a review on the first book, so if you're interested in my horrible synopsis of it here, I would recommend you check out my actual review of it.
How did I feel about the Crown's Fate? At first I was very excited to read it, and as I started this book I was very excited to be reading it. And yes, there were parts of the second book hat had me very excited and I loved certain aspects of the book. Other parts? Not so much. The first book enchanted me, the second... well I guess it had it's moments.
That was a joke, this book did have some amazing moments, some pictures I still have trouble getting out of my head. My issue was just in between these moments. The in-between had some weird, boring stuff going on, or just things that seemed WAY too rushed or pointless to the book. Some books feel like they drag on too long with too much filler? This book felt like it should've been split in to two (with more to make the books long enough to be actual books and to fill in the gaps.) It was just missing too much and the ending? WAY too convenient and rushed.
I really liked Vika, as usual. She's just such a great protagonist-- fiery personality and she doesn't really listen to anyone's orders-- even when she has to. She's put in a very difficult position in this book, tugged in two opposite directions by two people she cares about that. ( I think we all know who those people are.)
Nikolai... I liked Nikolai a lot in the last book, he was cool and collected. And even better? He was a gentleman. In this book Nikolai's personality changes drastically, taking away all the good parts and leaving a really jealous, kind of (most of the time) annoying character. He just seemed so out o character in this book, and there's a "reason" why, but to me it seemed like more of an excuse to further on the plot and make the story hurry up. I actually went back and read the first book right after this one, and yes. The first book is so much better. And first book Nikolai is so much better.
Pasha. Meh. His character was in the story, but it's always been more Nikolai and Vika's story. It's like he was there, and he was important to the plot, but he didn't really do much himself to the plot. Same with Yuliana. Yuliana, it's like she was supposed to be a really big character we're supposed to care about in this book... Yeah no. I didn't actually give a shit about her.
And then there's Renata. I wasn't really a big fan of hers in the first book. She was fine, I didn't really care about her. In this book? I found her to be incredibly annoying. Incredibly so.
Then there were just random parts that left me thinking... why? What was the point of that? There's a strained effort to make a love square type thing. Yeah. It wasn't that effective. Renata is thrown back in, as if she even has a chance because Nikolai's only really had eyes for Vika. The things that happen between Nikolai and Renata in this book are just... eh. It's probably supposed to make the reader more interested to see the outcome, instead it just felt dumb to me. And then there's no real conclusion to that story anyway. That's not even the most random thing to happen, though. There are REAL random scenes that have nothing to do with any characters in the book, that are not left with any conclusion, they're just left open and random in there. I guess that's set up for some spin offs but instead I just... Yup. Nope. Those were pages that could've been used to improve the story.
I think I'd give this book a 6/10 stars. It didn't have the enchanting feel of the first book. When I ended it, my thoughts were along the lines of "Are you f**king kidding me? That's how this story ends?" It just didn't seem right.
BUT I complain too much, I know. It's always easier to point out the flaws than to note the good parts. The setting of Russia? Fantastic. You really get a feel of Russia in that time. And the magic, the magic was fun.
Anyway, here's the synopsis:
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.
Would I recommend this book? I'm not really sure. There is one specific scene that I thought was just absolutely fantastic, and others that were decent. But I kind of wish the story was just left at the first book... This book tarnished that a little.
SPOILERS BELOW
"Say it, he thought. Say you want to help me because you want me back. Not because Pasha needs me. Because you need me."
I will always love the idea of two people in love destined to be on opposite sides, fighting each other. And that's why that scene that I LOVE is the scene where they're both standing, mirroring each other on the other side of the egg, lamenting their fates. It's just beautiful.
Ha, well thanks for reading,
Anj
Get ready to be caught up in a whirlwind of action, romance and betrayal in the exciting sequel to the Crown's Game. The Crown's Fate once again will take you back into the Russia in the.. actually I don't know the century, ha sorry. It takes you back into Russia in a time that is not now, that doesn't sound nearly as epic as I was going for but... Yeah, sorry.
Anyway, if you have yet to read the Crown's Game (Book #1), I would highly recommend that you do so. It's good book, taking place in Russia (in some century that's not now), but with enchanters who are battling to the death. Wow, that was a sucky explanation. But with enchanters who are battling to death who also happen to fall in love? Better? Ha no. I wrote a review on the first book, so if you're interested in my horrible synopsis of it here, I would recommend you check out my actual review of it.
How did I feel about the Crown's Fate? At first I was very excited to read it, and as I started this book I was very excited to be reading it. And yes, there were parts of the second book hat had me very excited and I loved certain aspects of the book. Other parts? Not so much. The first book enchanted me, the second... well I guess it had it's moments.
That was a joke, this book did have some amazing moments, some pictures I still have trouble getting out of my head. My issue was just in between these moments. The in-between had some weird, boring stuff going on, or just things that seemed WAY too rushed or pointless to the book. Some books feel like they drag on too long with too much filler? This book felt like it should've been split in to two (with more to make the books long enough to be actual books and to fill in the gaps.) It was just missing too much and the ending? WAY too convenient and rushed.
I really liked Vika, as usual. She's just such a great protagonist-- fiery personality and she doesn't really listen to anyone's orders-- even when she has to. She's put in a very difficult position in this book, tugged in two opposite directions by two people she cares about that. ( I think we all know who those people are.)
Nikolai... I liked Nikolai a lot in the last book, he was cool and collected. And even better? He was a gentleman. In this book Nikolai's personality changes drastically, taking away all the good parts and leaving a really jealous, kind of (most of the time) annoying character. He just seemed so out o character in this book, and there's a "reason" why, but to me it seemed like more of an excuse to further on the plot and make the story hurry up. I actually went back and read the first book right after this one, and yes. The first book is so much better. And first book Nikolai is so much better.
Pasha. Meh. His character was in the story, but it's always been more Nikolai and Vika's story. It's like he was there, and he was important to the plot, but he didn't really do much himself to the plot. Same with Yuliana. Yuliana, it's like she was supposed to be a really big character we're supposed to care about in this book... Yeah no. I didn't actually give a shit about her.
And then there's Renata. I wasn't really a big fan of hers in the first book. She was fine, I didn't really care about her. In this book? I found her to be incredibly annoying. Incredibly so.
Then there were just random parts that left me thinking... why? What was the point of that? There's a strained effort to make a love square type thing. Yeah. It wasn't that effective. Renata is thrown back in, as if she even has a chance because Nikolai's only really had eyes for Vika. The things that happen between Nikolai and Renata in this book are just... eh. It's probably supposed to make the reader more interested to see the outcome, instead it just felt dumb to me. And then there's no real conclusion to that story anyway. That's not even the most random thing to happen, though. There are REAL random scenes that have nothing to do with any characters in the book, that are not left with any conclusion, they're just left open and random in there. I guess that's set up for some spin offs but instead I just... Yup. Nope. Those were pages that could've been used to improve the story.
I think I'd give this book a 6/10 stars. It didn't have the enchanting feel of the first book. When I ended it, my thoughts were along the lines of "Are you f**king kidding me? That's how this story ends?" It just didn't seem right.
BUT I complain too much, I know. It's always easier to point out the flaws than to note the good parts. The setting of Russia? Fantastic. You really get a feel of Russia in that time. And the magic, the magic was fun.
Anyway, here's the synopsis:
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.
Would I recommend this book? I'm not really sure. There is one specific scene that I thought was just absolutely fantastic, and others that were decent. But I kind of wish the story was just left at the first book... This book tarnished that a little.
SPOILERS BELOW
"Say it, he thought. Say you want to help me because you want me back. Not because Pasha needs me. Because you need me."
I will always love the idea of two people in love destined to be on opposite sides, fighting each other. And that's why that scene that I LOVE is the scene where they're both standing, mirroring each other on the other side of the egg, lamenting their fates. It's just beautiful.
Ha, well thanks for reading,
Anj
RSS Feed
