May 10, 2017

The Food of The Crown's Fate (+ Giveaway)

I have the pleasure of welcoming author Evelyn Skye to the blog today as part of the official blog tour for The Crown's Fate, the follow-up to her debut novel The Crown's Game (which I loved and have a full review for). I'm even more excited about her guest post because it's about something I love nearly as much as I love books - and that's food. Evelyn shares a little bit about the food in the novel, and I must warn you: prepare to be hungry after you read it!



Anyone who has read my first book, The Crown's Game, or who follows me on twitter or Instagram knows that I'm obsessed with food. I'm always writing about cookies or cakes, or waxing poetic about a Michelin-starred meal that was like eating a piece of heaven. 

salat olivier
Back when I was in college studying Russian literature and history, my friends and I would have potluck parties where everyone brought a Russian dish to try. And my professor took us mushroom hunting in the forest one year, even though his wife worried that we'd all end up poisoned when he cooked the mushrooms for us for dinner that night.

So it's no surprise that I spend a fair amount of time thinking about what my characters eat, especially what Ludmila, the baker, cooks. When my editor sends me a note in my manuscript to "add more setting", I translate that into "add more food"! And that means I end up reading Russian food blogs online, or curled up on the couch with a cookbook.

One of my favorite dishes (which sadly did not make it into The Crown's Game or The Crown's Fate) is salat olivier. It's a potato salad, which sounds common enough, but somehow, the addition of hard-boiled eggs, pickles, and dill, plus the combination of mayonnaise with sour cream or vinegar for the dressing, makes it something more than an ordinary potato salad. In fact, just talking about it is setting off a craving and nostalgia for my college potluck days. 

piroshki
Another Russian food I could eat all day are piroshki, pies filled with meat or cheese or vegetables, and sometimes, fruit. Ludmila bakes some of these for Vika in The Crown's Fate, although Vika is a bit too preoccupied to eat them. 

But my true obsession is dessert, which is why Ludmila is a baker. For The Crown's Game launch party last year, I hired pastry chef Leslie Liang from Milo's Bonbons to re-create some of the sweets from my book, including the cream puff swans that Nikolai wouldn't eat, and the apple sharlotka that Sergei would bake for Vika.

This year's launch party for The Crown's Fate will also feature desserts inspired by the book, and I can't wait! 

If you like stories about magic (with a healthy side of food), then maybe The Crown's Game and The Crown's Game are the books for you!


The Crown's Fate book cover
The Crown's Fate by Evelyn Skye
Series: The Crown's Game #2
Previous Book: The Crown's Game
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: May 16, 2017



The gorgeous and darkly compelling sequel to The Crown’s Game—perfect for fans of Red Queen and Shadow and Bone.

Magic is growing, shadows are rising, and the throne is at stake…

Russia is on the brink of great change. Pasha’s coronation approaches, and Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter, but the role she once coveted may be more difficult—and dangerous—than she ever expected.

Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him, and he believes his best friend is dead. When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom.

For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply. Although he just managed to escape death, Nikolai remains alone, a shadow hidden in a not-quite-real world of his own creation. But when he’s given a second chance at life—tied to a dark price—Nikolai must decide just how far he’s willing to go to return to the world.

With revolution on the rise, dangerous new magic rearing up, and a tsardom up for the taking, Vika, Nikolai, and Pasha must fight—or face the destruction of not only their world but also themselves.



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. • Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Tumblr | Instagram | Facebook






May 8th: Bookish Lifestyles - Review + Tote Design
May 9th: Brittany's Book Rambles - Interview
May 10th: Alexa Loves Books - Author Guest Post
May 11th: It Start at Midnight - Mini Review + Fancast
May 12th: The Book Buzz - Review 
May 15th: The YA Book Traveler - Trailer + Interview
May 16th: Lost in Literature - Review 
May 17th: Stories and Sweeties - Recipe
May 18th: My Friends Are Fiction - Review + Author Guest Post
May 19th: Paper Fury - Review 
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