Take A Taste | The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye

Hear ye, hear ye!

The tsar has invited you to come, feast and celebrate the day of birth of His Imperial Highness, the Tsesarevich Pavel Alexandrovich Romanov.

Enjoy the various entertainments and amusements provided for you by talented musicians, artists and performers.

And on the evening of the 22nd of October,

the pleasure of your presence is requested at a Masquerade Ball.

For now, sample the magnificent delicacies and sumptuous feasts Russia has to offer.

"....the sour tang of the Borodinsky bread starter in its pot in the kitchen corner, the sweet richness of farmer’s cheese, for the vatrushka pastry filling, and the brightness of fresh pears cooking down into jam."

Ludmila Fanin welcomes you to Cinderella Bakery.

"...we have chocolate truffles filled not with ganache, but with steaming-hot cocoa that doesn’t cool until it touches your tongue...Next, we have a pear pie, but as you can see, it’s no ordinary pie, for the pastry is shaped like the fruit itself... And finally we have cream puffs light as air."

The food kiosks at the square are lively today. The people of Russia have come to celebrate the heir's birthday after all.

Party on the streets for a more traditional, hearty fare.

Taste the popular bliny. Engorge yourselves with the savory and sweet piroghi and pirozhki usually filled with fish, cheese, jam, cabbage, mushrooms, chopped hard-cooked eggs, or meat. The possibilities are unlimited. Wash them all down with hot, sweetened chai or a mug of malty kvass.

It is a bit unorthodox, but the good tsar wants a more amicable relationship with the south. So if you want to be adventurous and experience a whole new culture why not try

the gastronomy of the steppes

The nomadic culture lends itself to a menu that consists mostly of meat, like lamb and horse, dairy and bread. It is always a great honor to be invited to a Kazakh home for beshbarmak. Just wash your hands first as it is traditionally eaten by hand.

The tsar is quite particular with his table. When his grandparents transferred the capital to St. Petersburg, its proximity cut a window to Europe. It became fashionable among the nobility to hire French chefs.

To an unprepared foreigner, The Tsar's Table often seems puzzling.

Masters trained in the culinary arts encourage you to try the delights of the newly minted chicken kiev, beef stroganoff and, particularly, the veal orloff. The tsar likes discussing gastronomical topics; if you find yourself in this situation why not mention the queen of Russian soups, botvinya. Mind the caviar.

The Crown's Game

The Crown's Game #1

Evelyn Skye

Publication Date: May 17, 2016

Genre: YA Historical Fantasy

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.

About the Author

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.