Waiting On Wednesday: The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine, and it gives you a chance to spotlight a book that you are eagerly waiting to be released.

This week, I picked:

The Crown's Game

By Evelyn Skye

Publication Date: May 17, 2016

From Goodreads:

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

Why I picked it:

1. For some reason, I thought of the show Yu-Gi-Oh! (A show that I was obsessed with when I was younger) when I was reading the summary for this book. I don't know why, because I'm certain they're absolutely nothing alike, but hey, it has to mean something... right?
2. I've not really read any books set in Russia, but this one really caught my eye. Kind of like a Russian, magical version of The Hunger Games.
3. I'm meserized by the cover

if you would like to read this book, click here to put your name on the hold list