Evelyn Skye’s The Crown’s Game (formerly The Tsar’s Game) is out in May, and if you remember my earlier post on the book, you’ll know that I was excited because it takes place in 1825 Russia, the year of the Decembrist Revolt, a failed rebellion by a group of liberal officers on the Senate Square in St Petersburg.

However, it’s clear this is an alternate Russia, with magic and also some changes in the imperial family. The tsar going into 1825, Alexander I, had no son, so the succession went to his youngest brother Nicholas, bypassing the middle brother Constantine, who had agreed not to take the throne. The confusion surrounding the succession provided an opportunity for the Decembrists.

In Evelyn Skye’s alternate Russia, the Tsar has a son, Pasha. This eliminates the confusing succession that provided an opportunity for the real-life rebellion. So I see several options here:

1) The rebellion breaks out, but in a different way, possibly caused by main characters Vika and Nikolai. This would create conflict for Nikolai, who is friends with Pasha.

2) Pasha leads a palace coup and/or joins a rebellion against his father, an action with ample precedent in Imperial Russia. Alexander I, for example, overthrew his own father.

3) The rebellion breaks out separately from the main characters’ actions, and they must decide their relationship to it.

Of course, since there’s a sequel coming, this all may be delayed to book two!

Evelyn Skye has asked me to include the following information about the book and THE GIVEAWAY!

About the Book:

Title: THE CROWN’S GAME

Author: Evelyn Skye

Release Date: May 17th, 2016

Pages: 416

Publisher: Balzer+Bray

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

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.

About Evelyn:

Evelyn Skye was once offered a job by the C.I.A., she not-so-secretly wishes she was on “So You Think You Can Dance,” and if you challenge her to a pizza-eating contest, she guarantees she will win. When she isn’t writing, Evelyn can be found chasing her daughter on the playground or sitting on the couch, immersed in a good book and eating way too many cookies. THE CROWN’S GAME is her first novel. Evelyn can be found online at www.evelynskye.com and on Twitter @EvelynSkyeYA.

Website | Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr | Instagram

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive an ARC of THE CROWN’S GAME. International.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/M2VkM2RiMjQwOWM5ZWE0M2QwNTA5Mjk4ZTJiMDc4OjEw/?

Find the complete Tsar’s Guard Parade Schedule at Evelyn Skye’s website!