The Tsar’s Guard Parade: Blog Tour for THE CROWN’S GAME by Evelyn Skye!

Posted March 8, 2016 by Shelly in Anticipated Releases, Features & Spotlights, Tours / 0 Comments

Hi everyone! I’m so honoured to be a part of The Tsar’s Guard Parade, the blog tour for THE CROWN’S GAME!

About the Book

Title: THE CROWN’S GAME
Author: Evelyn Skye
Release Date: May 17^th, 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.

The Parade:

I am going to be honest here. When I first started to draft this post, I had zero clue about what to write. But then I realized: I KNOW RUSSIAN! And this book takes place in Russia! So let’s learn some Russian together, yes? (Warning: I know conversational Russian. I can not guarantee a complexity of knowledge–including word changes based on gender/plurals. Russian is a complicated language so basically, this is a very rough guide based on how I speak it. If you also know Russian, please comment with some more suggestions!)

The Basics!

*I did not include the Russian alphabet in this post as it is made for English speakers. This post does not use the IPA (international phonetic alphabet) but rather word combinations I created based on English pronunciation.*

Hello: Privet! This one is basic, I’m sure we all know it. Pri-vet.

My Name Is ___: Mi na za-voot ___. This actually literally translates to “they call me…” so I mean, if you want to sound extra cool, this is the way to go.

How Are You?: Kak dji-la? Russian is a very weird language. A lot of consonants are combined together to make distinct sounds. I’m so so sorry. Good luck.

Gossip about The Crown’s Game:

I really like Nikolai/Pasha: M-ney nra-vitz-a Nikolai/Pasha. Need to choose a ship already? You can now declare your love for each leading lad.

I really want to read this book: Ya oh-chin ha-chu chi-tatch eita kni-sch-ka. Like I said, Russian is complicated as hell.

I need to wait another 3 months for this book?!: M-ney nada sch-dat e-sho tree mey-sits-ah dla eta kni-sch-ka?! I know. THE WAIT IS TORTURE!

If you enjoyed this post, maybe I should record me saying these things so you can actually understand it? Haha!

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.