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Monday, January 9, 2017

The Crown's Fate ARC Review & Giveaway!





Paperback ARC, 420
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Pub. Date: May 16th, 2017
Pre-Order it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Kepler's Books
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.

Note: If you're reading the ARC, there is a plot mistake on pg. 333 that the publisher and author are aware of. It will be fixed in the final version of The Crown's Fate

For those of you who would prefer, here is my video review of The Crown's Fate:


For everyone else, read on! :)

This book should come with a warning label that says: Don't start before bedtime. Because you won't be able to stop yourself from reading it all the way through. I have no regrets about staying up past 3AM just to finish it, and I'm so thrilled that my first book of 2017 was this one. It was truly everything I wanted it to be, and so much more.


Going into this book, I thought I was relatively prepared for what was to unfold. I was expecting beautiful displays of magic, some angst, more romance, and tons of feels. BUT what I wasn't at all prepared for was all the action, as well as how utterly dark this book gets. To all of those people who said they wanted more action from The Crown's Game, you get your wish in this sequel! Also, tears. You get lots of those too. Overall, just know that Evelyn has stepped up her game, so prepare to be wowed.




1) There is so much action in The Crown's Fate—I wasn't expecting it at all. I knew there would be fantastical displays of magic, but I wasn't prepared for an all out war. The way that these scenes were executed made me ever more impressed with Evelyn, if that is even possible. She is so incredibly talented—I am in awe. Her writing has grown and improved so much since the first book that she has simply outdone herself.

2) I love how many aspects of actual Russian history are tied so seamlessly into the story. It's done so well that it makes me want to brush up on my Russian history, which my mother will be absolutely thrilled about xD. I have never been a big fan of history in general, but it's books like these that make me want to turn on the History Channel and watch some documentaries.


3) Once again, I have to praise Evelyn on how well she depicts Russian culture, mindset, and language. Obviously, I can only speak for myself, but for me—it's perfect, and it makes me feel at home. Her knowledge on this subject never ceases to amaze me. Fair warning though . . . this book will make you so freaking hungry. I'm so happy that some of the food that was mentioned was already in my fridge or I really would have been suffering.


4) I am shameless in admitting that I squealed at the mention of Baba Yaga and Vodyanoy—two classic Russian mythological creatures. It instantly brought back memories of watching and listening to all of my favorite Russian cartoons. In fact, after reading The Crown's Fate, I rewatched one of my favorite Russian cartoons (called The Flying Ship) that feature both Vodyanoy and Baba Yaga.


5) Vika and Nikolai are fire! My god, they are just as swoony as they were in The Crown's Game! Even during the rough patches, I just wanted to squish both of them. One of my absolute favorite scenes in The Crown's Game is the ballroom scene. Thankfully, we get something very similar to that in this book! It's so beautiful, while also being heart-wrenchingly bittersweetI just loved it so much.

6) One could argue that this book is centered around Pasha and Nikolai's relationship, but in my opinion, it's just as focused (or even more so) on the females in this story. We get a closer look at Yuliana and Aizhana, two characters that I was sure were going to stay in the background, but I was totally wrong. I really enjoyed getting to know more about themespecially Yuliana. She's still a bitch in this book, but we get to see that everything she does is because of how much she adores both her brother and Russia, which I can't exactly fault her for.

7) I knew we were getting Nikolai back. I mean, it's right there in The Crown's Fate synopsis for all to see. However, I didn't know how we were getting him back, and holy shit, guys. I never in a million years would have guessed the direction that Evelyn was going to take this in, and it was brilliant. That's all I'm going to say on this because I want you all to go in blind (like I did) and to have your heart strings tied up in knots! *evil cackle*

IT'S OVER


"I am Nikolai's mother."

"Hm. Well, he certainly didn't get his looks from you, did he?"

Aizhana bristled, but she wouldn't take the bait. Galina was trying to distract her from her purpose. "When Nikolai came to you today, asking for a place to stay, you tossed him onto the street without remorse."

Galina set her hands on her hips. "And that, you believe, is an offense that merits my death?"

"He had nowhere else to go."

"Nikolai is resourceful."

"You are heartless."

Galina sneered and looked pointedly at Aizhana's chest. "I would wager you are, too. Quite literally."

That's all I'm sharing for now ;)

If you haven't already, check out my review of The Crown's Game!


Jan. 10th- Sarcasm & Lemons: Fancast
Jan. 11th- The YA Book Traveler: History of Russian Crowns
Jan. 12th- Picnic Reads: Character Based Book Tag
Jan. 13th- Book Nerd Addict: Inspired Tote Design

Jan.16th- Dazzled by Books: Top 5 Reasons I Love The Crown's Game
Jan. 17th- Rants and Raves of a Bibliophile: Characters Matched to Teas
Jan. 18th- The Book Buzz: New Enchanter
Jan. 19th- The Aus. Library: Famous Russian Fairytales
Jan. 20th-  My Thoughts Literally: Character Inspired Dessert

Jan. 23rd- Omg Books and More Books: Books that Characters of TCG would enjoy
Jan. 24th- It Starts at Midnight: Virtual Tour of Russia
Jan. 25th- Next Page Please!: Character Blog
Jan. 26th- The Book Nut: Playlist
Jan. 27th- Arctic Books: Makeup Looks

Jan. 30th- Two Chicks on Books: Pinterest Recipe Board
Jan. 31th- Lost in Ever After: Typical Date for Nikolai & Vika
Feb. 1st- Alexa Loves Books: Fashion Book Look
Feb. 2nd- Sophie Reads YA: Russian History In and Out of The Crown's Game
Feb. 3rd- 21st Century Once Upon A Times: Drink Your Way Through The Crown's Game

Feb. 6th- The Eater of Books: 10 Reason I'm Excited for TCF
Feb. 7th- A Thousand Words A Million Books: Top 5 Magical Moves in The Crown's Game
Feb. 8th- Seeing Double in Neverland: Fanmade Bookmarks & Swag
Feb. 9th- A Page With A View: YA Fantasy Books set in Russia
Feb. 10th- Dana Square: Recipe from The Crown's Game

Feb. 13th-YA Wednesdays: Favorite Quotes from The Crown's Game
Feb. 14th- Juniper Reads: Sorting Characters into Fandoms
Feb. 15th- Nicole's Novel Reads: Nail Polish Looks
Feb. 16th- The Queen Reads: What the Characters of TCG would take to a Deserted Island
Feb. 17th- A Perfection Called Books: Review


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43 comments:

  1. Ack, I need to read these books, they sound fantastic! ♥

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    1. The Crown’s Game is a charming story that deftly transferences readers to a secretive and captivating imaginary world, one swarming with secreted magic and burning desire. I would like to share this book review with my academic students who are come to seek Business essay help | EssayWriter.org.uk from me at Essay Writer and see what they have to say on this review.

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    2. Melissa- Yes, yes you do! They are wonderful and I'm sure you'd love them ^_^

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    3. Lauren- I completely agree with everything that you said. And that's so sweet that you'd like to share my review. You can contact me via e-mail about this.

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  2. Wow. It sounds amazing! Can't wait to read it!!! 😍

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  3. Ahhh I need this book in life right now!!

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  4. Ah, Brittany! Great review :D ha, your dislikes section is gold.

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  5. I am so excited for this story. The Crown's Game was the first historical-based novel that ever gripped me enough to finish the story. Real-world Russia was so seamlessly blended with this fantastical world that Evelyn created that I couldn't put the book down. The culture and setting was so real and captivating that the magic just complimented and enhanced it. I loved the magical craft that Nikolai and Vikka developed and how their entries in the Game reflected their learnings and personalities in unique and entertaining ways. The Crown's Fate is one of my most anticipated books for this year, and your review makes me even more excited.I can't wait to see the relationships, platonic and otherwise, develop further and to explore more in this world!

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    1. YASSSS I completely agree with everything you've said. I can go on and on about how great this duology is but it seems that you already know how amazing they are. The Crown's Fate is so, so good, and I hope you love it as much as you loved the first one ^_^

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. Fantastic review!! I LOVED the first book and I can't wait for this one. 😊

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    1. Thank you so much! I hope The Crown's Fate exceeds all of your expectations ^_^

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  7. Great review! I just ordered book one and I can't wait to get it!!

    great review.

    Happy Reading :)

    Michelle @ Book Briefs

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  8. After the way The Crown's Game ended, I am desperate for this book!!

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    1. I was the same way, so I completely understand. Thankfully the wait isn't that long now!

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  9. Can't wait to read this book! I loved the first one and after that ending I really need to know what happens next. Also that cover is beautiful. And I'm so happy Nikolai is back! Yay! BTW I know what you mean, I was reading The Crown's Game and I was so hungry! LOL. Great review! Love the quote!

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    1. You'll be even more hungry in The Crown's Fate because there is SO MUCH FOOD. I'm so glad you enjoyed The Crown's Game and I can't wait to see your thoughts on The Crown's Fate!

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  10. Wonderful review, Brittany! I love books with Russian culture. I really need to read the first book. :)

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    1. Thank you! So do I, but I'm very picky but it's so rare that people get it right. Thankfully, Evelyn does ^__^ And you need to read The Crown's Game ASAP!

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  11. Ahhhh! This makes me even more impatient for its release! I love how we're getting more of all the characters and more of the wonderful Russian world!

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    1. That's my goal to get you guys even more excited! We get a lot more and it was wonderful. I hope you love the book as much as I do!!

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  12. I am ashamed to admit that I still have to read the first book! I am really excited to read this series even more if there is action in the second book. I can't wait to binge these books and I am certain that I will stay up way to late myself reading them. Thanks for giving me more reason to push this one up on my TBR! :)

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    1. OH MY GOD, YOU MUST! IMMEDIATELY. How can you deny yourself these amazing books?! If you need more reasons to bump these books up, I have more reasons xD

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  13. This is one of my most anticipated reads of 2017 and now that I read your review I'm even more excited :) Here's hoping May will be here soon ;)

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    1. It was my most anticipated read of 2017 and it was the best way to start the year. I'm glad I got your more excited and thankfully May is not too far away!!

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  14. Sounds really amazing! I still have to read the first instalment, but you got me particularly curious so I might have to put my hands on it sooner rather than later!!

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    1. That's an understatement, believe me! Read The Crown's Game! You won't regret it!!

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  15. I still need to read the first book in the series, but your review of this book has me more motivated than ever!

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  16. I'm equally excited and scared to read this---excited because it sounds so incredible, scared because I can't face that it'll be the end!! :( I loved hearing your thoughts on this, Brittany,..I know how much you loved the first one! And just a wee bit jealous that you've read it already!! xD You lucky duck!

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    1. I think you'll love how it ends and I can't believe it's over. I really hope we get more from these characters in the future! And something tells me that you'll be just as lucky soon ;)

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  17. I liked the first book, but I didn't count it amongst my favorites, and I wasn't sure how badly I wanted to read this one. But after seeing your review, I really can't wait to read it. :)

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    1. I'm glad that I convinced you to give book 2 a try. I think a lot of people who didn't love the first one, will love this book because there is more action. I hope you enjoy it!

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  18. Looks like a good book! Thank you for the contest!

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  19. I know a lot of people will be interesed in this, so I shared it with your blog link on Twitter. :)

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  20. Awesome review Brittany :D YAY for loving this sequel so much. <3 Yaaay. Sadly, I had to DNF book one, sigh, so not reading this one :\ Buuut, I am curious about it :D You make it seem awesome. <3

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    1. No but it's soooo good! You should give it another chance, maybe you just weren't in the mood for it? Either way though, thanks for stopping by!

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