A promising start to a new series. 
 First let me say that I love the Russian setting for this book. It was a refreshing surprise. I also liked that the Crown Games only involved two players as a battle to the death. While there were hints of a love triangle, it neither fully formed or took over the story. The imagery written in this book is so beyond anything else I have ever read. I looked forward to how each enchanter would demonstrate their power. 
 Now I will say that this book was off to a fast start which I really enjoyed but suddenly slowed down in the middle. The ending was over too quickly but left room for a sequel. I also wished to get something more the main characters Vika and Nokolai, the two enchanters, and Pasha he best friend and tsar's son. The romance is sparse, although I'm not sure if this was done on purpose. I just wanted more from the obvious building romance. 
 With this being said, I still really enjoyed this book even if some of it was a tad bit predictable, it did not matter to me. I am interested to see where the series will go from here.