A Song Based on: The Crown's Game - Evelyn Skye [The Tsar's Guard Parade]

Title: The Crown's Game
Author: Evelyn Skye
Pub Date: May 17th, 2016
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: Hardcover, eBook

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.

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Alright! Now onto the song.

This song is called "NAMES." If you've read the novel, it may be clear why the song is called what it is. However, if you haven't, I'm gonna explain the thinking behind the novel. Unfortunately, I'm not going to do a full lyric dissection because the book isn't out yet and I don't want to risk any spoilers.

Basically, the title is in reference to the idea of the crown's game. Here we have two characters who have to win but the only way to win is to kill the other. I was so fascinated with the idea of shedding your morals to win a game or more important, to save yourself. There are so many things I could've chosen to write about [there is SO MUCH CONTENT IN THIS NOVEL!] however, this is the main theme I chose.

FUN FACT: The melody used in this song was one I wrote YEARS ago [like two years, at least!] The original melody was paired with a book inspired song for another novel - Shadow and Bone. If that isn't weird enough, both books are Russian-inspired fantasies and just, the idea of a melody coming back to me two years after I hadn't thought about it is weird, don't you think?

So without further ado, please enjoy my song, "Names" based on the Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye.

lyrics:

first verse ;
you're a shadow in the night,
no one knows what you can do.
i am born of fire and lightning,
so it's either me or you.

wasn't supposed to be this way,
thought i was the only one.
but the situation's out of hand
send the call out, the game has just begun.

chorus ;
can you see the knife,
he holds behind his back?
pray the bracelet you wear,
will be enough so that you last,

long enough to make your move,
do what you were born to do.
and since we know the price,
we know the crown's game was not one to lose.

hook ;
don't let love cloud your judgment,
no emotions in this game.
dehumanize your opponent,
i'd rather not know your name.
[second time: let's pretend we don't have names]

second verse ;
at the ball, we played our roles,
something begs me to remember,
the way your hands felt at my side,
i swear i could've just surrendered.

but the walls, they melt away,
revealing the illusion,
and when morning comes, despite our feelings,
nothing will have changed.

chorus

bridge ;
beyond our feelings for each other,
so much more at stake.
and letting you inside my soul could be my greatest and last mistake.

but magic calls to magic.
who am i to send it away?
and if neither of us choose to surrender,
we'll take each other to our graves.

chorus

hook 

As always, please let me know as a comment on here, or the YouTube video what you thought of this song. Does it make you want to read it? If you have read it, do you like how I tried to subtly reference parts of the novel without actually giving any real spoilers? And I always ask this, but what is your favorite part/line in the song? I love to hear about the parts that make you feel something, so let me know. My favorite part would be the hook. It's so strange to think that the hook was the last thing I wrote. To be honest, I wasn't actually going to write it in but then I felt as though something was missing. Good call there, Nova.

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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.

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