It took me FOREVER to finish this book. I was looking forward to it because it's set in Russia and had magic. It sounded WONDERFUL and I'm just left disappointed. There was so much hype surrounding this and I even pre-ordered it. I found it lacking. 
 I know, I know. Unpopular opinion alert. 
 It's been so hard figuring out what to say about this book. Usually when I put off reviews for this long, I never end up finishing them. But I will, I promise. 
 Vika and Nikolai are both enchanters though only one can survive the the Crown's Game. But when they're both drawn to each other (and each other's magic), they're fighting for a lot more than their lives. 
 Okay, so first off. 
 Comparisons to The Night Circus have to be made. I thought that since the concept was first introduced in the book. But I have to say, since The Night Circus is one of my absolute favorite books, nothing can truly compare to its magical nature. 
 The magic seemed... a bit tame. It was certainly beautiful but for magic that's supposed to guide an empire, it seemed more like parlor tricks. It would have been lovely if the stakes weren't so high. And I don't mean the life or death ones. I mean the position of being the Imperial Enchanter. I'd like to know more about where the magic came from and how enchanters become enchanters to begin with. 
 There were extra characters that just felt completely unnecessary, though I'm sure they'll pop up in the next book. 
 It felt slow moving and I really just wanted it to be over. There were parts that kept me interested and parts that I liked and actually enjoyed. Though, they were few and far between. 
 I really don't know how I feel about the ending. I understand it. Part of me was really ambivalent. (view spoiler)[ I know one of that had to die but I really didn't care which one it was. I think it was a tad bit cruel that it was Nikolai after all that. (hide spoiler)] 
 Over all, I think it was okay read. It wasn't what I was expecting but I had high hopes.