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The Dead God's Heart #1
Spring's Arcana
American Gods vs. Baba Yaga in this Russian-inspired contemporary fantasy Spring's Arcana, by New York Times bestseller Lilith Saintcrow.
Nat Drozdova is desperate to save a life. Doctors can do little for her cancer-ridden mother, who insists there is only one cure—and that Nat must visit a skyscraper in Manhattan to get it.
Amid a snow-locked city, inside a sleek glass-walled office, Nat makes her plea and is whisked into a terrifying new world. For the skyscraper holds a hungry winter goddess who has the power to cure her mother…if Nat finds a stolen object of great power.
Now Nat must travel with a razor-wielding assassin across an American continent brimming with terror, wonder, and hungry divinities with every reason to consume a young woman. For her ailing mother is indeed suffering no ordinary illness, and Nat Drozdova is no ordinary girl. Blood calls to blood, magic to magic, and a daughter may indeed save what she loves...
…if it doesn’t consume her first.
This is the way to the Dead God’s Heart.
Nat Drozdova is desperate to save a life. Doctors can do little for her cancer-ridden mother, who insists there is only one cure—and that Nat must visit a skyscraper in Manhattan to get it.
Amid a snow-locked city, inside a sleek glass-walled office, Nat makes her plea and is whisked into a terrifying new world. For the skyscraper holds a hungry winter goddess who has the power to cure her mother…if Nat finds a stolen object of great power.
Now Nat must travel with a razor-wielding assassin across an American continent brimming with terror, wonder, and hungry divinities with every reason to consume a young woman. For her ailing mother is indeed suffering no ordinary illness, and Nat Drozdova is no ordinary girl. Blood calls to blood, magic to magic, and a daughter may indeed save what she loves...
…if it doesn’t consume her first.
This is the way to the Dead God’s Heart.
368 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2023
159 people are currently reading
4618 people want to read
About the author
Lilith Saintcrow
132 books4,512 followersLilith Saintcrow was born in New Mexico, bounced around the world as a child, and fell in love with writing stories when she was ten years old. She and her library co-habitate in Vancouver, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
March 12, 2023
Whilst an urban fantasy retelling of Baba Yaga sounded like a great plot premise, the book unfortunately didn't deliver. It had the weakest characterisation I've seen in a while, people quite hard to believe and rather bloodless, by which I mean about as exciting as unripe papaya.
How can you make a story based on Baba Yaga folklore this insipid? By overdescription and overwriting. If you're more into describing and describing (that initial couple of chapters with Nat in the bus on her way to Y.A.G.A were interminable) instead of infusing life and emotions and complexity into your characters, this is what you get. Natchenka is such an aimless ninny for so long that you wouldn't even care if Dima killed her by accident or just because he could, and de Winter (the Yaga figure) is hardly more than a bitchy old woman for the most part. And don't ask me about the other characters, because I struggle to remember their names already.
The story just goes on and on until it just . . . ends. Yes, just ends, and one is left wondering what was all that about because the overdescription dragged you around for a bus ride to a destination you can't even care about because the capacity to care about the characters and story wasn't built from the beginning. It's almost like taking a joy ride on a bus without the joy.
At least the Russian is correct and the surnames are duly gendered as is done in Russian, small mercies.
Thank you to Tor Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
How can you make a story based on Baba Yaga folklore this insipid? By overdescription and overwriting. If you're more into describing and describing (that initial couple of chapters with Nat in the bus on her way to Y.A.G.A were interminable) instead of infusing life and emotions and complexity into your characters, this is what you get. Natchenka is such an aimless ninny for so long that you wouldn't even care if Dima killed her by accident or just because he could, and de Winter (the Yaga figure) is hardly more than a bitchy old woman for the most part. And don't ask me about the other characters, because I struggle to remember their names already.
The story just goes on and on until it just . . . ends. Yes, just ends, and one is left wondering what was all that about because the overdescription dragged you around for a bus ride to a destination you can't even care about because the capacity to care about the characters and story wasn't built from the beginning. It's almost like taking a joy ride on a bus without the joy.
At least the Russian is correct and the surnames are duly gendered as is done in Russian, small mercies.
Thank you to Tor Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 12, 2023
Spring's Arcana
By Lilith Saintcrow
This book was a long but wild ride! A young woman's mother is dying in hospice and she send her to a strange woman for help. The woman agrees to help but she must bring the item back to the woman. Her mother said to bring it to her. The woman is sending a man with her. He said he will take the item when she gets it and kill her. Wow! I don't think I would bother with the trip!
Seems her mother was cruel to her all her life. Never loved her. Her mother stole a heart, the heart of the guy going with her! From the strange lady!
The adventure is full of magic and danger! Once on the trip, she has a motorcycle that turns into a horse. But then it was a bit unwilling to go back to the ranch after she found one of the pieces she needed. The characters are great, unique story and fantasy, and enjoy the suspense.
It was an enjoyable read but it just stopped. Not a cliffhanger but it just stopped. I really, really hate that. It would have been a 4 star book to me before that.
I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this fun and exciting book.
By Lilith Saintcrow
This book was a long but wild ride! A young woman's mother is dying in hospice and she send her to a strange woman for help. The woman agrees to help but she must bring the item back to the woman. Her mother said to bring it to her. The woman is sending a man with her. He said he will take the item when she gets it and kill her. Wow! I don't think I would bother with the trip!
Seems her mother was cruel to her all her life. Never loved her. Her mother stole a heart, the heart of the guy going with her! From the strange lady!
The adventure is full of magic and danger! Once on the trip, she has a motorcycle that turns into a horse. But then it was a bit unwilling to go back to the ranch after she found one of the pieces she needed. The characters are great, unique story and fantasy, and enjoy the suspense.
It was an enjoyable read but it just stopped. Not a cliffhanger but it just stopped. I really, really hate that. It would have been a 4 star book to me before that.
I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this fun and exciting book.
April 2, 2023
2.5 Stars
I picked up this book hopeful that I would find an underhyped favourite. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed. I was hoping this one would be more fantastical, but really the major issue for me was the characters.
In my opinion, urban fantasy depends on strong characters more than any other fantasy and these ones fell flat. The setup of the sick parent should have had an emotional pull but it did not. I really struggle with one, finding myself very disconnected from the story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I picked up this book hopeful that I would find an underhyped favourite. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed. I was hoping this one would be more fantastical, but really the major issue for me was the characters.
In my opinion, urban fantasy depends on strong characters more than any other fantasy and these ones fell flat. The setup of the sick parent should have had an emotional pull but it did not. I really struggle with one, finding myself very disconnected from the story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
April 1, 2023
In these troubled times, everything that seems related to Russia is eyed with mistrust. But the fact remains true that Slavic folklore holds a great deal of fairy tales and characters, especially of the dark variety, to be raw material for countless stories. Shall we find out if this holds true for dark urban fantasy roadtrips, as well?
The promise of the story seems simple enough: Natasha's mother is sick, terribly so, and she sends her to visit a woman heading a corporation named Y.A.G.A. - and while that woman's name is given as Ms. de Winter, her employees refer to her as Baba. Let's just say it's not very subtle, and I assume Baba Yaga is probably the most notorious character of Slavic folklore. (In this case, she resides in a skyscraper, not in a hut, and I somehow doubt the skyscraper has chicken legs.) I'm also suspecting a cross breed with the summer and winter court of the Fae.
Baba Yaga, also known as the black witch
******************************
Read this review on the blog - the layout is better.
******************************
The writing style is truly show, don't tell; and the overall tone is gloomy. I've never read a simple bus ride that was so gloomy, and you get the feeling the novel is starting to set out on heavy and dark notes from page 1. (That means if you don't have a knack for darker things in life, this novel might not be for you.) But the style of also exhausting, because Lilith - we need to talk about that later on - constantly uses mental pictures. A lot of them, and some really, well - let's call them really creative ones. Sometimes more than one per sentence. Let me elaborate:
*****
He stared out the window like he was seeing raccoons along the back fence instead of just a snowed-under postage-stamp yard mom kept trimmed, weeded, and neat until the snow came and obliterated all trace of green each year.
- a murder of mental images
*****
Mental images are a great thing if they are able to paint a picture for the reader, but even when they are good, they should be used sparsely, so not to exhaust the reader. I felt rather overwhelmed at times by all the comparisons that were drawn into the writing, and the worst thing is that many of them made no sense to me. While I get that postage-stamp yard reference in the last sentence (I would probably have called it a postcard yard instead), I absolutely have no clue how people stare when they're seeing raccoons on the fence. Never witnessed anything like that, and there's just nothing similar I could draw upon to come even close. I've seen people staring frightened into thunder and rain, or being afraid of lightning, but raccoons along the back fence? I've got no clue.
Had this man seen raccoons along the back fence? We'll never know.
I'm also getting heavy American Gods vibes right from the start, just in this case more Russian gods (well, Neil Gaiman did feature Slavic deities in his novel, as well). But I think that Lilith's prose is trying too hard to make the jump to American Gods.
There's those comparisons, trying very hard to sound cool, all the while making no sense. And just by judging from the pen name, the author is also trying very hard to look cool in the context of the occult. Lilith Saintcrow might be, as a friend of mine put it, a really "punch in the face" pen name. I agree.
And that's a pity, because that forced coolness is looming like the shadow of a hyper exaggerated titan, swinging an axe as dark as the exhaust pipe of a 57 Chevy, over an otherwise interesting plot that now looks like it has seen too many raccoons, despite the fact that there are no raccoons in the story. (Sorry for that sentence, but I had to make a point.)
Raccoons. Never trust them.
The story underneath is sometimes hard to follow, but full of very interesting characters. Most outstanding are Nat - the heroine - and her mother as well as Baby Yaga. (I'm inclined to describe both of them as antagonists.) But if you want, you may see them as the same person, kind of. Taking the Wiccan nature of the author's pen name into account, they could very well represent the maiden, the mother and the crone. That's actually in line with some of the Yaga myths out there.
What is a lot harder to follow are the many characters and places and their standing in the world. A lot is said about that, but nothing explained - and sometimes I wish the "show, don't tell" approach wouldn't be so strict here. Like, I don't mind a little telling, you know? Just a little more context, please? 🥺
And the pace is a problem. It takes forever to really get going, and forever to clearly articulate what Nat's mother has really planned for here. (I suspected as much, but Nat had to get it straight from the horse's mouth, quite literally.) And by that time, the slow crawling pace had wasted so much pages that the story can't even be finished. It has to be continued. Sucks.
*****
In the end, it's 3.5 stars for me. Really very interesting premise, but the narrating is winding, letting the reader too often in the dark, and I strongly suspect the story could have been finished within the 300+ pages with a more precise story telling.
Disclaimer: No raccoons were harmed during the creation of this review. At least none I know of. Also, I was provided an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
The promise of the story seems simple enough: Natasha's mother is sick, terribly so, and she sends her to visit a woman heading a corporation named Y.A.G.A. - and while that woman's name is given as Ms. de Winter, her employees refer to her as Baba. Let's just say it's not very subtle, and I assume Baba Yaga is probably the most notorious character of Slavic folklore. (In this case, she resides in a skyscraper, not in a hut, and I somehow doubt the skyscraper has chicken legs.) I'm also suspecting a cross breed with the summer and winter court of the Fae.
Baba Yaga, also known as the black witch
******************************
Read this review on the blog - the layout is better.
******************************
The writing style is truly show, don't tell; and the overall tone is gloomy. I've never read a simple bus ride that was so gloomy, and you get the feeling the novel is starting to set out on heavy and dark notes from page 1. (That means if you don't have a knack for darker things in life, this novel might not be for you.) But the style of also exhausting, because Lilith - we need to talk about that later on - constantly uses mental pictures. A lot of them, and some really, well - let's call them really creative ones. Sometimes more than one per sentence. Let me elaborate:
*****
He stared out the window like he was seeing raccoons along the back fence instead of just a snowed-under postage-stamp yard mom kept trimmed, weeded, and neat until the snow came and obliterated all trace of green each year.
- a murder of mental images
*****
Mental images are a great thing if they are able to paint a picture for the reader, but even when they are good, they should be used sparsely, so not to exhaust the reader. I felt rather overwhelmed at times by all the comparisons that were drawn into the writing, and the worst thing is that many of them made no sense to me. While I get that postage-stamp yard reference in the last sentence (I would probably have called it a postcard yard instead), I absolutely have no clue how people stare when they're seeing raccoons on the fence. Never witnessed anything like that, and there's just nothing similar I could draw upon to come even close. I've seen people staring frightened into thunder and rain, or being afraid of lightning, but raccoons along the back fence? I've got no clue.
Had this man seen raccoons along the back fence? We'll never know.
I'm also getting heavy American Gods vibes right from the start, just in this case more Russian gods (well, Neil Gaiman did feature Slavic deities in his novel, as well). But I think that Lilith's prose is trying too hard to make the jump to American Gods.
There's those comparisons, trying very hard to sound cool, all the while making no sense. And just by judging from the pen name, the author is also trying very hard to look cool in the context of the occult. Lilith Saintcrow might be, as a friend of mine put it, a really "punch in the face" pen name. I agree.
And that's a pity, because that forced coolness is looming like the shadow of a hyper exaggerated titan, swinging an axe as dark as the exhaust pipe of a 57 Chevy, over an otherwise interesting plot that now looks like it has seen too many raccoons, despite the fact that there are no raccoons in the story. (Sorry for that sentence, but I had to make a point.)
Raccoons. Never trust them.
The story underneath is sometimes hard to follow, but full of very interesting characters. Most outstanding are Nat - the heroine - and her mother as well as Baby Yaga. (I'm inclined to describe both of them as antagonists.) But if you want, you may see them as the same person, kind of. Taking the Wiccan nature of the author's pen name into account, they could very well represent the maiden, the mother and the crone. That's actually in line with some of the Yaga myths out there.
What is a lot harder to follow are the many characters and places and their standing in the world. A lot is said about that, but nothing explained - and sometimes I wish the "show, don't tell" approach wouldn't be so strict here. Like, I don't mind a little telling, you know? Just a little more context, please? 🥺
And the pace is a problem. It takes forever to really get going, and forever to clearly articulate what Nat's mother has really planned for here. (I suspected as much, but Nat had to get it straight from the horse's mouth, quite literally.) And by that time, the slow crawling pace had wasted so much pages that the story can't even be finished. It has to be continued. Sucks.
*****
In the end, it's 3.5 stars for me. Really very interesting premise, but the narrating is winding, letting the reader too often in the dark, and I strongly suspect the story could have been finished within the 300+ pages with a more precise story telling.
Disclaimer: No raccoons were harmed during the creation of this review. At least none I know of. Also, I was provided an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
August 31, 2023
Lilith Saintcrow is currently best known for her multiple urban fantasy series – but this time she’s bringing Russian folklore to the forefront in her latest novel Spring’s Arcana.
It’s winter in New York, and what is usually a magical time of year is somewhat ruined for Nat Drozdova; her mother is dying. But her mother has an old friend she insists Nat visit; and what seemed like a harmless – if inconvenient – duty soon turns life upside down for the young woman.
Comparisons to American Gods abound for Spring’s Arcana, and I can see why – they both took a similar “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to their mythologies. But Lilith Saintcrow brings a whole new style to this fantastical road trip novel; instead of gods, we have personas, and scenes of a party where fictional characters mingle with concepts brought to life by virtue of belief and interest from a world that has no idea they exist.
One of my favorite parts of the book was the demi-monde the author has created to sit alongside our own. From hotels with rooms uniquely (and impossibly) tailored to their occupants, to roadside bars where bikers mingle with the essence of the Wild West, the story introduced Nat to marvels and dangers right alongside each other. The reader gets to watch over her shoulder and wonder right along with her; even though I know it was dangerous, I was so swept up in it all I wanted to see more and more.
The ending makes it clear that there’s more story to come, and perhaps that would be the only downside to this book; I wasn’t ready to finish when it did! But I’m excited at this new world Saintcrow has created, and I can’t wait to see more.
It’s winter in New York, and what is usually a magical time of year is somewhat ruined for Nat Drozdova; her mother is dying. But her mother has an old friend she insists Nat visit; and what seemed like a harmless – if inconvenient – duty soon turns life upside down for the young woman.
Comparisons to American Gods abound for Spring’s Arcana, and I can see why – they both took a similar “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to their mythologies. But Lilith Saintcrow brings a whole new style to this fantastical road trip novel; instead of gods, we have personas, and scenes of a party where fictional characters mingle with concepts brought to life by virtue of belief and interest from a world that has no idea they exist.
One of my favorite parts of the book was the demi-monde the author has created to sit alongside our own. From hotels with rooms uniquely (and impossibly) tailored to their occupants, to roadside bars where bikers mingle with the essence of the Wild West, the story introduced Nat to marvels and dangers right alongside each other. The reader gets to watch over her shoulder and wonder right along with her; even though I know it was dangerous, I was so swept up in it all I wanted to see more and more.
The ending makes it clear that there’s more story to come, and perhaps that would be the only downside to this book; I wasn’t ready to finish when it did! But I’m excited at this new world Saintcrow has created, and I can’t wait to see more.
March 26, 2023
I thought this book was terrible; there isn't any positive comment I can make. The plot was plodding and boring, the characters were dull as dishwater and completely one-dimensional, the phrasing/wording of the book was quite strange. It read like it was translated from several non-related languages before it was translated into English. The phrase "boot-toes" is bizarre and appears far too much in the book. Most of the text can be deleted and it wouldn't affect the story at all. The only way I would read a different book by this author is if I was given a million dollars in cold hard cash per book.
July 12, 2025
Stars: 2 out of 5.
I loved American Gods, and as a Russian myself, I LOVE Slavic folklore, so picking up this book was a no-brainer for me. And I was on board and invested for the first 50% of it, but then it just.. dragged... and dragged... and slowly plodded its way to the end. And I realized that I didn't like any of the characters anymore. Also, the book literally ends without any denouement. Nothing is resolved, nothing is learned, it's just one big road trip that just... stops. I guess the story is to be continued in the next book?
Also, comparing it to American Gods does it a big disservice. This book is not even remotely as well plotted and written as American Gods. It's boring and it drags.
I guess this has a lot to do with this author's writing style - Lilith Saintcrow decides to describe absolutely EVERYTHING that our protagonists see, feel, smell, taste, etc. It is too much description that bogs down the action to a glacial pace. Dima and Nat are riding in a muscle car, for God's sake, why is it going so slow through the story?
And there isn't much story there to speak of. Girl goes to see big bad Baba Yaga, who promises to make her mother better again if she brings back something her mother stole. Girl agrees and goes on a road trip with a deity of thieves and assassins. Girl meets some other divinities along the way and reaches a well. The end. Oh, she learns a secret that wasn't a secret to anyone but her as well.
There is no tension, there are no stakes, there is no sense of urgency even to that particular road trip. Dima keeps telling her that hungry and not very nice powers are hunting Nat and want to either take what she finds or kill her, or both at the same time, yet we never encounter any of those powers. They aren't ambushed during this trip even once (and no, the encounter with Friendly doesn't count). Nat doesn't have to fight for her life. Dima doesn't have to defend her or show his divine powers. It's all tell, but not show. I'm told the stakes are high and the road is dangerous, but I don't see it.
My other issue is with Nat herself. I was sympathetic to her in the beginning and rooting for her to finally come into her own power and stop wilting in the shadow of her horrible mother. But it never happened. I mean, how stupid can you be not to put two and two together and realize what is happening to your mother and what only two outcomes could be to this issue? Especially when people hint at that over and over again. But she just refuses to listen... or ask any questions that could help her navigate this weird world she finds herself part of? Also, you have to be very good at self-delusion to refuse to come to any conclusions from the clues you gather. It literally takes hearing it from a horse's mouth to make it clear to her what her mother has planned for her.
Also, the worldbuilding is wobbly at best. We have divinities, but some of them are old concepts like Winter and Spring, and some are gods of murder and thieves, or cowboys, or corrupt cops. And then they are literary divinities? How does that work exactly? Is there a hierarchy of power? That's never explained.
And since when is Baba Yaga the lady of winter? She is the crone. She is the witch. Wise and mysterious. Helpful sometimes, other times cruel, but I don't remember her having power over winter. The Slaves had Ded Moroz for that. And he wasn't the jolly old fellow bringing gifts to kids on New Year's Eve. No, he was the old man in a coat made of frost that could freeze you with a glance if he deemed you disrespectful... For some reason, that de Winter business really grated at my Russian soul. Baba Yaga is powerful enough on her own. She doesn't need to steal other deities' powers.
All in all, I am really disappointed with this book. I will read the next one because I had requested it from NetGalley before I read this one, so I might as well see where the story goes. However, I doubt that I will check out other books by this author anytime soon.
PS: I received an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved American Gods, and as a Russian myself, I LOVE Slavic folklore, so picking up this book was a no-brainer for me. And I was on board and invested for the first 50% of it, but then it just.. dragged... and dragged... and slowly plodded its way to the end. And I realized that I didn't like any of the characters anymore. Also, the book literally ends without any denouement. Nothing is resolved, nothing is learned, it's just one big road trip that just... stops. I guess the story is to be continued in the next book?
Also, comparing it to American Gods does it a big disservice. This book is not even remotely as well plotted and written as American Gods. It's boring and it drags.
I guess this has a lot to do with this author's writing style - Lilith Saintcrow decides to describe absolutely EVERYTHING that our protagonists see, feel, smell, taste, etc. It is too much description that bogs down the action to a glacial pace. Dima and Nat are riding in a muscle car, for God's sake, why is it going so slow through the story?
And there isn't much story there to speak of. Girl goes to see big bad Baba Yaga, who promises to make her mother better again if she brings back something her mother stole. Girl agrees and goes on a road trip with a deity of thieves and assassins. Girl meets some other divinities along the way and reaches a well. The end. Oh, she learns a secret that wasn't a secret to anyone but her as well.
There is no tension, there are no stakes, there is no sense of urgency even to that particular road trip. Dima keeps telling her that hungry and not very nice powers are hunting Nat and want to either take what she finds or kill her, or both at the same time, yet we never encounter any of those powers. They aren't ambushed during this trip even once (and no, the encounter with Friendly doesn't count). Nat doesn't have to fight for her life. Dima doesn't have to defend her or show his divine powers. It's all tell, but not show. I'm told the stakes are high and the road is dangerous, but I don't see it.
My other issue is with Nat herself. I was sympathetic to her in the beginning and rooting for her to finally come into her own power and stop wilting in the shadow of her horrible mother. But it never happened. I mean, how stupid can you be not to put two and two together and realize what is happening to your mother and what only two outcomes could be to this issue? Especially when people hint at that over and over again. But she just refuses to listen... or ask any questions that could help her navigate this weird world she finds herself part of? Also, you have to be very good at self-delusion to refuse to come to any conclusions from the clues you gather. It literally takes hearing it from a horse's mouth to make it clear to her what her mother has planned for her.
Also, the worldbuilding is wobbly at best. We have divinities, but some of them are old concepts like Winter and Spring, and some are gods of murder and thieves, or cowboys, or corrupt cops. And then they are literary divinities? How does that work exactly? Is there a hierarchy of power? That's never explained.
And since when is Baba Yaga the lady of winter? She is the crone. She is the witch. Wise and mysterious. Helpful sometimes, other times cruel, but I don't remember her having power over winter. The Slaves had Ded Moroz for that. And he wasn't the jolly old fellow bringing gifts to kids on New Year's Eve. No, he was the old man in a coat made of frost that could freeze you with a glance if he deemed you disrespectful... For some reason, that de Winter business really grated at my Russian soul. Baba Yaga is powerful enough on her own. She doesn't need to steal other deities' powers.
All in all, I am really disappointed with this book. I will read the next one because I had requested it from NetGalley before I read this one, so I might as well see where the story goes. However, I doubt that I will check out other books by this author anytime soon.
PS: I received an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 23, 2023
Having thoroughly enjoyed the Dante Valentine and Jill Kismet books by this author I was overjoyed to discover this new series. The synopsis likens it to a cross between American Gods and Baba Yaga and I can see why as there’s powerful beings and a lot of Russian folklore thrown into this . Plus I’d add that it even reminded me of the John Wick movie with its strong performance by Anjelica Huston who would make the perfect Baba Yaga but I digress .
Nat will do anything to save her mother but she’s got no idea exactly what she’s agreed to when sent on a quest with a dangerous male who admits he wants to kill her ! Traveling across the US Nat encounters all manner of strange, hungry beings but perhaps the hungriest of all is much closer to home !
This is urban fantasy that sprawls and drags the reader into a world that is as strange as it is interesting. Nat is without a doubt naive and seems to just blunder blindly from one bad situation into another. Dima whilst undoubtedly antagonistic for very good reasons is an interesting character with flaws but I have hopes for him. At times it felt certain descriptions were overlong and then it just seems to jump but I did enjoy this particularly as Nat slowly becomes a more rounded character. The ending is abrupt though and whilst not strictly a cliffhanger does leave this reader somewhat adrift and really wanting more which is surely a good thing ?
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
Nat will do anything to save her mother but she’s got no idea exactly what she’s agreed to when sent on a quest with a dangerous male who admits he wants to kill her ! Traveling across the US Nat encounters all manner of strange, hungry beings but perhaps the hungriest of all is much closer to home !
This is urban fantasy that sprawls and drags the reader into a world that is as strange as it is interesting. Nat is without a doubt naive and seems to just blunder blindly from one bad situation into another. Dima whilst undoubtedly antagonistic for very good reasons is an interesting character with flaws but I have hopes for him. At times it felt certain descriptions were overlong and then it just seems to jump but I did enjoy this particularly as Nat slowly becomes a more rounded character. The ending is abrupt though and whilst not strictly a cliffhanger does leave this reader somewhat adrift and really wanting more which is surely a good thing ?
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
May 8, 2023
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2023/05/08/...
Spring’s Arcana has been compared to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, and it’s easy to see why. Lilith Saintcrow’s latest is a urban fantasy inspired by Russian folklore where an invisible world of mythological figures and divinities exists alongside the human one. The story follows protagonist Nat Drozdova, whose mother is dying of cancer. Although the relationship between them has been fraught over the years, Nat is devastated and is willing to do anything to help. That’s how she finds herself meeting with a mysterious woman known as Mrs. de Winter (not her real name, Nat strongly suspects) in the luxurious office of a Manhattan high-rise. What this woman can do for her mother that her doctors can’t, Nat doesn’t know, but soon it is revealed that de Winter—whom her underlings refer to as “Baba” or “Grandmother”—is no ordinary mortal.
And neither is Nat, apparently. Turns out that all her life, her mother had been keeping the truth of their lineage from her, and that the illness ravaging her is of supernatural origins. Still, this means it can be cured, but only if Nat can help a witch goddess retrieve a stolen object of great power. Assigned to help her on her quest is Dmitri Konets, an ill-tempered assassin who works for Baba but has also made it clear he wants Nat dead. To save her mother’s life though, Nat will have no choice but to trust Dima, accompanying him deep into a hidden world of fantastical magic and dangerous gods.
So much to unpack here and so much to say about this book, but in the end, I just wish it had been more. Things started well enough, and the story was good until it just…wasn’t.
Still, I’ll start with the positives. The world-building was quite impressive, as urban fantasies go. I truly enjoyed the creativity that went into permeating a modern day setting with elements from Slavic folklore and mythology, and seriously, who doesn’t love a talking cat? We also get to meet a lot of fascinating characters and are treated to some wondrous and powerful displays of magic. Saintcrow is clearly very skilled when it comes to setting up a good scene without having to spend a lot of time spelling it all out, because while much about the supernatural realm is merely suggested in the story, there is still a strong sense of this whole other reality exiting beneath the surface. Of course, having some background knowledge of the legend of Baba Yaga will certainly help to fill in any missing pieces.
That said though, the real buzzkill was the pacing. I’m tempted to say that the novel took its sweet time getting off the ground, but the reality is, it never really made it out of the hangar. To the author’s credit, she does a really good job filling the story with lots of interesting things so you’re never truly bored, but that also goes on to mask the real problem, which is that very little of import actually happens. In fact, it wasn’t until well into the final quarter of the book when it suddenly dawned on me to ask: What have we really accomplished here?
Not much, unfortunately. After a flurry of revelations in the intro where Nat makes several big discoveries about her own past and the truth of the supernatural world, the answers stop coming. The rest of the story pretty much consists of our protagonist being dragged around by Dima like some wide-eyed accessory, trying not to get herself killed. I definitely feel the book would have been a lot better if Nat had more agency and didn’t come across so helpless.
It’s a shame because the story had so much potential, but there was a clear lack of action to fill one novel, which makes the abrupt cliffhanger ending that much more frustrating. Quite honestly, I’m torn on whether I will pick up the next book. On the one hand, I’m not that emotionally invested in the story or the characters at this point, but on the other, I have a feeling the sequel will go much quicker now that we’ve gotten all the preamble out of the way. It’s a right conundrum, but I’ll probably wait for reviews before deciding if I will continue.
Spring’s Arcana has been compared to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, and it’s easy to see why. Lilith Saintcrow’s latest is a urban fantasy inspired by Russian folklore where an invisible world of mythological figures and divinities exists alongside the human one. The story follows protagonist Nat Drozdova, whose mother is dying of cancer. Although the relationship between them has been fraught over the years, Nat is devastated and is willing to do anything to help. That’s how she finds herself meeting with a mysterious woman known as Mrs. de Winter (not her real name, Nat strongly suspects) in the luxurious office of a Manhattan high-rise. What this woman can do for her mother that her doctors can’t, Nat doesn’t know, but soon it is revealed that de Winter—whom her underlings refer to as “Baba” or “Grandmother”—is no ordinary mortal.
And neither is Nat, apparently. Turns out that all her life, her mother had been keeping the truth of their lineage from her, and that the illness ravaging her is of supernatural origins. Still, this means it can be cured, but only if Nat can help a witch goddess retrieve a stolen object of great power. Assigned to help her on her quest is Dmitri Konets, an ill-tempered assassin who works for Baba but has also made it clear he wants Nat dead. To save her mother’s life though, Nat will have no choice but to trust Dima, accompanying him deep into a hidden world of fantastical magic and dangerous gods.
So much to unpack here and so much to say about this book, but in the end, I just wish it had been more. Things started well enough, and the story was good until it just…wasn’t.
Still, I’ll start with the positives. The world-building was quite impressive, as urban fantasies go. I truly enjoyed the creativity that went into permeating a modern day setting with elements from Slavic folklore and mythology, and seriously, who doesn’t love a talking cat? We also get to meet a lot of fascinating characters and are treated to some wondrous and powerful displays of magic. Saintcrow is clearly very skilled when it comes to setting up a good scene without having to spend a lot of time spelling it all out, because while much about the supernatural realm is merely suggested in the story, there is still a strong sense of this whole other reality exiting beneath the surface. Of course, having some background knowledge of the legend of Baba Yaga will certainly help to fill in any missing pieces.
That said though, the real buzzkill was the pacing. I’m tempted to say that the novel took its sweet time getting off the ground, but the reality is, it never really made it out of the hangar. To the author’s credit, she does a really good job filling the story with lots of interesting things so you’re never truly bored, but that also goes on to mask the real problem, which is that very little of import actually happens. In fact, it wasn’t until well into the final quarter of the book when it suddenly dawned on me to ask: What have we really accomplished here?
Not much, unfortunately. After a flurry of revelations in the intro where Nat makes several big discoveries about her own past and the truth of the supernatural world, the answers stop coming. The rest of the story pretty much consists of our protagonist being dragged around by Dima like some wide-eyed accessory, trying not to get herself killed. I definitely feel the book would have been a lot better if Nat had more agency and didn’t come across so helpless.
It’s a shame because the story had so much potential, but there was a clear lack of action to fill one novel, which makes the abrupt cliffhanger ending that much more frustrating. Quite honestly, I’m torn on whether I will pick up the next book. On the one hand, I’m not that emotionally invested in the story or the characters at this point, but on the other, I have a feeling the sequel will go much quicker now that we’ve gotten all the preamble out of the way. It’s a right conundrum, but I’ll probably wait for reviews before deciding if I will continue.
May 2, 2023
CW: violence, description of injuries, blood, terminal illness, medical content, gun violence, death
A kaleidoscopic view of what it means to be divine, what it means to be worshipped - and what it means to be a part of a world you cannot believe you belong to. A feverish modern-day fairy tale of greed and love and life.
Nat Drosdova's mother is dying. Slowly. In a last hope of life, she sends her child to the Grandmother. And Baba de Winter opens doors to Nat that the girl never knew existed.
The writing, in my opinion, is the best part of this novel. It's luscious, lingering on unique descriptions of characters and settings, describing the mundane in a way that leans almost into uncanny valley. The images presented are unexpected, often turning mundane into divine. It kept me reading, lingering over turns of phrase that I had never imagined before.
Conceptually, I love stories like this. I enjoy the muddled aspect of theology and mythology all coming together into one crazy world. While I don't disagree with some other reviewers that there are moments in this story that we've perhaps seen before in other pieces of literature, I would also argue that by its very nature, this story cannot be wholly unique. We are all of us praying to some god or another, and there is a reason the divine becomes the divine. These characters are personifications of humanity's very basic wants and prayers. They should be familiar. We should know them in an instant.
What I felt was muddled the most was the inclusion of more literary agents into the conceptual pantheon created in this story. I'm not entirely certain how this divine system works, so I can't necessarily say if the included American literary canon has a place in this story.
The story leaves off somewhat abruptly, be warned, giving the reader only a taste of the journey to come. I am quite interested to see where this series takes us.
A kaleidoscopic view of what it means to be divine, what it means to be worshipped - and what it means to be a part of a world you cannot believe you belong to. A feverish modern-day fairy tale of greed and love and life.
Nat Drosdova's mother is dying. Slowly. In a last hope of life, she sends her child to the Grandmother. And Baba de Winter opens doors to Nat that the girl never knew existed.
The writing, in my opinion, is the best part of this novel. It's luscious, lingering on unique descriptions of characters and settings, describing the mundane in a way that leans almost into uncanny valley. The images presented are unexpected, often turning mundane into divine. It kept me reading, lingering over turns of phrase that I had never imagined before.
Conceptually, I love stories like this. I enjoy the muddled aspect of theology and mythology all coming together into one crazy world. While I don't disagree with some other reviewers that there are moments in this story that we've perhaps seen before in other pieces of literature, I would also argue that by its very nature, this story cannot be wholly unique. We are all of us praying to some god or another, and there is a reason the divine becomes the divine. These characters are personifications of humanity's very basic wants and prayers. They should be familiar. We should know them in an instant.
What I felt was muddled the most was the inclusion of more literary agents into the conceptual pantheon created in this story. I'm not entirely certain how this divine system works, so I can't necessarily say if the included American literary canon has a place in this story.
The story leaves off somewhat abruptly, be warned, giving the reader only a taste of the journey to come. I am quite interested to see where this series takes us.
March 24, 2023
What can I say about Spring's Arcana, the latest offering from the fantastic Lilith Saintcrow?
Well I can easily say that like a lot of her other work it's actually really fabulous if a little bit confusing at times.
There is a lot of information given in this Baba Yaga/diety reminiscent tale of secret, lies and a heavy, heavy dose of mythology but also a lot of information that is held back too which does make for the confusion as sometimes there's a torrent of background information and others there is just the vaguest hint. The book has a pretty slow start and does take a while to hit its stride but once it does it flies full throttle to a pretty abrupt end that sets up for the second book that out ater this year.
The world building in the book does suffer from the vague hints and titbits you get fed through out the book but I'm sure that it'll all work itself out by the end of the series as I've seen other books of hers so a similiar thing.
It is a hard book to get into but if youre brave enogh to stick with it is really is an entertaining read and im positive that after the next book things with the storyline will be much, much clearer. Stick with it as Lilith Saintcrow is a clever, exciting and very enjoyable author to read and I personally love her work.
Bring on the next book as I cant wait to find out where things will go next.......
Well I can easily say that like a lot of her other work it's actually really fabulous if a little bit confusing at times.
There is a lot of information given in this Baba Yaga/diety reminiscent tale of secret, lies and a heavy, heavy dose of mythology but also a lot of information that is held back too which does make for the confusion as sometimes there's a torrent of background information and others there is just the vaguest hint. The book has a pretty slow start and does take a while to hit its stride but once it does it flies full throttle to a pretty abrupt end that sets up for the second book that out ater this year.
The world building in the book does suffer from the vague hints and titbits you get fed through out the book but I'm sure that it'll all work itself out by the end of the series as I've seen other books of hers so a similiar thing.
It is a hard book to get into but if youre brave enogh to stick with it is really is an entertaining read and im positive that after the next book things with the storyline will be much, much clearer. Stick with it as Lilith Saintcrow is a clever, exciting and very enjoyable author to read and I personally love her work.
Bring on the next book as I cant wait to find out where things will go next.......
May 22, 2023
I am rather disappointed with the first full book (I had read a short story and liked it better) by this author.
The story is rather dark, harsh and as urban fantasy it seems to me rather a soup of "Good omens" and "Anansi boys" written worse and less entertaining.
Now I will despite myself be forced to read the second one because I requested it from Netgalley before I had read this first volume, but I hope that maybe at least the story will finally become clear, because I am quite tired of a main female character who, for some reason known only to her, refuses to ask for explanations every time she meets someone who might give them to her.
Sono piuttosto delusa dal primo libro intero (avevo letto un racconto breve e mi era piaciuto di piú) di questa autrice.
La storia é piuttosto cupa, dura e come urban fantasy mi sembra piuttosto un minestrone di good omens ed anansi boys scritto peggio e meno divertente.
Ora saró mio malgrado costretta a leggere il secondo perché l'ho richiesto a Netgalley prima di aver letto questo primo volume, ma spero che magari almeno la storia diventi finalmente chiara, perché sono abbastanza stanca di una protagonista che, per qualche motivo solo a lei noto, si rifiuta di chiedere spiegazioni ogni volta che incontra qualcuno che potrebbe dargliele.
The story is rather dark, harsh and as urban fantasy it seems to me rather a soup of "Good omens" and "Anansi boys" written worse and less entertaining.
Now I will despite myself be forced to read the second one because I requested it from Netgalley before I had read this first volume, but I hope that maybe at least the story will finally become clear, because I am quite tired of a main female character who, for some reason known only to her, refuses to ask for explanations every time she meets someone who might give them to her.
Sono piuttosto delusa dal primo libro intero (avevo letto un racconto breve e mi era piaciuto di piú) di questa autrice.
La storia é piuttosto cupa, dura e come urban fantasy mi sembra piuttosto un minestrone di good omens ed anansi boys scritto peggio e meno divertente.
Ora saró mio malgrado costretta a leggere il secondo perché l'ho richiesto a Netgalley prima di aver letto questo primo volume, ma spero che magari almeno la storia diventi finalmente chiara, perché sono abbastanza stanca di una protagonista che, per qualche motivo solo a lei noto, si rifiuta di chiedere spiegazioni ogni volta che incontra qualcuno che potrebbe dargliele.
June 14, 2024
Having loved American Gods and having a slight recent obsession with folklore retellings, I was excited to read this promised mash up by Lilith Saintcrow. However, I was completely disappointed in the storyline, the characters, and the overall structure of the novel.
What I can only assume was meant to be a homage to American Gods ended up being an almost blatant rip off. Nat is the unknowing daughter of a Russian divinity of Spring and must make her way across the US in search of an object that will cure her ailing mother. Along the way, she meets a host of other divine and literary (?) figures.
Over-written, the author describes every object in abject detail, however the characters and the plot itself are left devoid of any meaning. The author assumes you know Russian folklore and other literary figures and fails to give any background beyond “winter, spring, and horsethief”. Even as a fan of the folklore, I was left confused.
Nat waffles between being downright idiotic in her responses to the divine events and entities she has been newly introduced to and acting nonchalant like it’s just another day in the neighborhood. There is zero consistency and it drove me mad throughout the novel and honestly, I did not care if she got eaten or not. The villains in the book, Baba Yaga and her henchman, Dimi appear to be all bluster and possessing weak bluster at that.
Plot line wise, even for an urban fantasy with plenty of magical realism, the events of the book seemed completely implausible. Nothing was explained and therefore the magic and world building made zero sense. When characters asked for said explanation, the response was either, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”, “You’re mother didn’t tell you?”, or “You’ll find out later.” Only, we never find out later, but get plenty of descriptions of Dimi’s shining boot-toes. Why the obsession with boot-toes? Also, the book simply ends with very little being resolved and answers, perhaps, promised in a second installment.
Maybe it is just me and someone else who has not read similar works will find enjoyment out of the over abundant use of adjectives and lack of complex characterizations,
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
What I can only assume was meant to be a homage to American Gods ended up being an almost blatant rip off. Nat is the unknowing daughter of a Russian divinity of Spring and must make her way across the US in search of an object that will cure her ailing mother. Along the way, she meets a host of other divine and literary (?) figures.
Over-written, the author describes every object in abject detail, however the characters and the plot itself are left devoid of any meaning. The author assumes you know Russian folklore and other literary figures and fails to give any background beyond “winter, spring, and horsethief”. Even as a fan of the folklore, I was left confused.
Nat waffles between being downright idiotic in her responses to the divine events and entities she has been newly introduced to and acting nonchalant like it’s just another day in the neighborhood. There is zero consistency and it drove me mad throughout the novel and honestly, I did not care if she got eaten or not. The villains in the book, Baba Yaga and her henchman, Dimi appear to be all bluster and possessing weak bluster at that.
Plot line wise, even for an urban fantasy with plenty of magical realism, the events of the book seemed completely implausible. Nothing was explained and therefore the magic and world building made zero sense. When characters asked for said explanation, the response was either, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”, “You’re mother didn’t tell you?”, or “You’ll find out later.” Only, we never find out later, but get plenty of descriptions of Dimi’s shining boot-toes. Why the obsession with boot-toes? Also, the book simply ends with very little being resolved and answers, perhaps, promised in a second installment.
Maybe it is just me and someone else who has not read similar works will find enjoyment out of the over abundant use of adjectives and lack of complex characterizations,
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 30, 2022
2.75 stars.
Spring's Arcana is a pretty decent urban fantasy read, if not quite giving the reader anything new. The author is very skilful in creating a wonderful atmosphere of disconnect between the every day world of skyscrapers, traffic and winter weather, and the sidelong world of gods, demons and magic that Nat is blundering her way into, so that her experiences and story becomes more credible.
The actions of the characters are sometimes lacking in plausability, but the relationships between Dima and Nat, and Leo, are reasonably well drawn. Other characters are not quite so credible, but this is only the first volume of what will presumably be a trilogy, so I assume the author is pacing herself.
On the whole, this is extremely derivative of Gaiman's American Gods, both in plot and style, but there is some really good descriptive writing in there, and Saintcrow does manage to give the book a great sense of the "other", which many other writers in this genre don't quite pull off, so kudos for that.
My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.
Spring's Arcana is a pretty decent urban fantasy read, if not quite giving the reader anything new. The author is very skilful in creating a wonderful atmosphere of disconnect between the every day world of skyscrapers, traffic and winter weather, and the sidelong world of gods, demons and magic that Nat is blundering her way into, so that her experiences and story becomes more credible.
The actions of the characters are sometimes lacking in plausability, but the relationships between Dima and Nat, and Leo, are reasonably well drawn. Other characters are not quite so credible, but this is only the first volume of what will presumably be a trilogy, so I assume the author is pacing herself.
On the whole, this is extremely derivative of Gaiman's American Gods, both in plot and style, but there is some really good descriptive writing in there, and Saintcrow does manage to give the book a great sense of the "other", which many other writers in this genre don't quite pull off, so kudos for that.
My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.
April 27, 2023
Honestly, this was painful to finish. Up to the 50% mark, I was invested. After that, it was a slog.
dnf
May 16, 2023books you write when you want to have written cathrynne m valente’s deathless so bad
December 30, 2022
I went into this book without expectations. I find the characters to be bland and lack personalities, even though there were a lot of descriptions. They felt fictional instead of me connecting with any characters. The overly descriptive nature of this story is overwhelming. I see this as a mimic of George R.R. Martin's overly descriptive nature but not done well. It isn't enjoyable. I do not need an analogy of how the tree swaying resembles something else. That, to me, are just words to fill the pages without contributing to the story's content, characters or setting. The overall story did not grab my attention on top of all the other annoyances.
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 28, 2023
First of all, thank you to Tor Publishing Group for adding this to Goodreads Giveaways.
I want to say I did round up my rating for this based on pacing. In all honestly, that was my main issue.
If you are a fan of lore and literature, this book is teaming with Easter eggs and jokes that will make you roll your eyes and giggle. I also want to start off by it took me a few times to read Nat’s name properly because my brain pronounced her name as na zdrowie and the tiny Polish part of my brain was giggling.
Nat is a in a dead end job slugging her days working, visiting her mother in hospice, and going home to eat with Uncle Leo and sleep. All the time wondering what would have happened if she had just taken a different turn. Two months after her mother’s collapse and pleas to see Mrs. de Winter, Nat finds herself at Morrer-Pessel Memorial Tower. Going to meet the woman in charge of Y.A.G.A. Fine Arts and Antiques.
I cannot explain the laugh/groan that escaped me.
Equal parts literary and traditional lore, the modern journey of a woman realizing the farther from home she gets, the clearer the lies become. Yet, every step she takes is for the woman who could never tell the truth.
I look forward to the next book and however Nat’s journey ends.
I want to say I did round up my rating for this based on pacing. In all honestly, that was my main issue.
If you are a fan of lore and literature, this book is teaming with Easter eggs and jokes that will make you roll your eyes and giggle. I also want to start off by it took me a few times to read Nat’s name properly because my brain pronounced her name as na zdrowie and the tiny Polish part of my brain was giggling.
Nat is a in a dead end job slugging her days working, visiting her mother in hospice, and going home to eat with Uncle Leo and sleep. All the time wondering what would have happened if she had just taken a different turn. Two months after her mother’s collapse and pleas to see Mrs. de Winter, Nat finds herself at Morrer-Pessel Memorial Tower. Going to meet the woman in charge of Y.A.G.A. Fine Arts and Antiques.
I cannot explain the laugh/groan that escaped me.
Equal parts literary and traditional lore, the modern journey of a woman realizing the farther from home she gets, the clearer the lies become. Yet, every step she takes is for the woman who could never tell the truth.
I look forward to the next book and however Nat’s journey ends.
June 20, 2023
This author is very hit or miss for me, so I tend to try new books/series from her. I also really like Baba Yaga stories, so I had high hopes for this one. Sadly it didn't work out for me. I felt bad for Nat, hated her family situation, but the quest her mother sent her on made it feel like she was being used. Everyone but her seemed to know what was going on and I hated that for her. But it got to the point where I didn't want to see her find out what was going on, didn't think it would go well for her. In the end this one wasn't for me.
May 2, 2023
Let’s start with what I liked about Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow. The author is obviously very skilled in coming up with creative ways to describe everything from the mundane to the magical. However, in this novel, it’s also the downfall of the piece. I love the idea for the story, its origin, and the passion the author displays in the energy put into this novel. I sat down to read with excitement, and at times the book was great. Overall, I felt confusion and fatigue from trying to decipher what I was reading.
The stream of consciousness writing in many paragraphs of Spring’s Arcana can be hard to follow. We zip from one topic to another to another in one paragraph without clear reasoning why or how things are related. Sentences are way too long in many places, packed with interconnected but often confusing detail. The run-on descriptions often play more like word salad than rich imagery. There will be 3-5 word phrases that are gorgeous, but when they run into the other 40 words in the sentence I’m left saying, “huh?” Some descriptions seem like inside jokes the reader isn’t privy to, almost like hallucinations. At other times, entire sentences read like nonsense to me.
Characters are often name-dropped in paragraphs, but we haven’t formally met them. Then they will be name-dropped again but with a nickname or alternate name, still yet to be formally introduced to us. One of the main characters had an accent, which are notoriously difficult to portray in writing, and this attempt was not successful.
Reading this book helped me to understand some criticism I’ve received in writer’s workshops. Showing, not telling, is essential, but don’t make your descriptions so elaborate they seem like an inside knowledge or detract from the actual narrative you’re weaving. Story is everything and all of the details should add, not detract. The author is adeptly skilled in painting pictures with their words, but they’re using too many colors at once in this novel, and things get a bit muddied.
The stream of consciousness writing in many paragraphs of Spring’s Arcana can be hard to follow. We zip from one topic to another to another in one paragraph without clear reasoning why or how things are related. Sentences are way too long in many places, packed with interconnected but often confusing detail. The run-on descriptions often play more like word salad than rich imagery. There will be 3-5 word phrases that are gorgeous, but when they run into the other 40 words in the sentence I’m left saying, “huh?” Some descriptions seem like inside jokes the reader isn’t privy to, almost like hallucinations. At other times, entire sentences read like nonsense to me.
Characters are often name-dropped in paragraphs, but we haven’t formally met them. Then they will be name-dropped again but with a nickname or alternate name, still yet to be formally introduced to us. One of the main characters had an accent, which are notoriously difficult to portray in writing, and this attempt was not successful.
Reading this book helped me to understand some criticism I’ve received in writer’s workshops. Showing, not telling, is essential, but don’t make your descriptions so elaborate they seem like an inside knowledge or detract from the actual narrative you’re weaving. Story is everything and all of the details should add, not detract. The author is adeptly skilled in painting pictures with their words, but they’re using too many colors at once in this novel, and things get a bit muddied.
January 30, 2023
This book should include a list of prerequisite reading so you can understand all the mythology and culture references. I know just enough to know I'm missing a lot. Nonetheless I enjoyed it a lot, right up until the author ended it on a cliffhanger.
April 23, 2023
The blurb for this book (“*American Gods* vs. Baba Yaga in this Russian-inspired contemporary fantasy”) immediately caught my attention. I’m a sucker for Slavic folklore in my fantasy, or at least so I thought. It would be more accurate, I’ve learned, to say that I’m a sucker for Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik. This book was fine and enjoyable, if a little forgettable.
The book opens with the protagonist, Nat, on the way to a meeting on a gross New York winter day. Her Russian-immigrant mother is dying, and has sent Nat to talk to someone who might help. That “someone” is very clearly Baba Yaga, here presented as a moderately sinister figure (I couldn’t help but picture Glenn Close in *The Devil Wears Prada*). Baba Yaga’s deal: return what your mother/my ingrate daughter stole from me, and I’ll help her.
So Nat is drawn into a world she never suspected existed, following the trail her goddess-of-Spring mother gives her (if her mom’s a goddess, what does that make Nat?) accompanied by a Russian mobster who happens to also be a god of thieves.
The blurb specifically compares this book to *American Gods*, and that comparison is perhaps a little too apt. I loved *American Gods*, but that book is 22 years old at this point. If you’re going to write something specifically described as “inspired by *American Gods*,” I feel it should do something interesting with that general idea. Bring something new to the table. This doesn’t. It felt like something consciously written in the universe Neil Gaiman created; Wednesday and Mr. Nancy could have had cameos and I wouldn’t have batted an eye.
That criticism aside, I enjoyed reading this. I liked Nat as a character, and I’m very interested in how her relationship with her mother develops. That being said, I was leaning towards not reading book 2. Not that I have anything *against* this series, but more just because it didn’t hook me enough for me to feel like book 2 would ever actually rise to the top of the pile.
The ending changed that, and I’m annoyed about it. There’s no conclusion to this book; the story just stops. It’s one of those deals where this isn’t a “duology” so much as it is “one book published in two volumes.” So be forewarned, dear reader, there’s no satisfying ending to be had here. So I’ll read book 2, and we’ll see what we’ll see.
My blog
The book opens with the protagonist, Nat, on the way to a meeting on a gross New York winter day. Her Russian-immigrant mother is dying, and has sent Nat to talk to someone who might help. That “someone” is very clearly Baba Yaga, here presented as a moderately sinister figure (I couldn’t help but picture Glenn Close in *The Devil Wears Prada*). Baba Yaga’s deal: return what your mother/my ingrate daughter stole from me, and I’ll help her.
So Nat is drawn into a world she never suspected existed, following the trail her goddess-of-Spring mother gives her (if her mom’s a goddess, what does that make Nat?) accompanied by a Russian mobster who happens to also be a god of thieves.
The blurb specifically compares this book to *American Gods*, and that comparison is perhaps a little too apt. I loved *American Gods*, but that book is 22 years old at this point. If you’re going to write something specifically described as “inspired by *American Gods*,” I feel it should do something interesting with that general idea. Bring something new to the table. This doesn’t. It felt like something consciously written in the universe Neil Gaiman created; Wednesday and Mr. Nancy could have had cameos and I wouldn’t have batted an eye.
That criticism aside, I enjoyed reading this. I liked Nat as a character, and I’m very interested in how her relationship with her mother develops. That being said, I was leaning towards not reading book 2. Not that I have anything *against* this series, but more just because it didn’t hook me enough for me to feel like book 2 would ever actually rise to the top of the pile.
The ending changed that, and I’m annoyed about it. There’s no conclusion to this book; the story just stops. It’s one of those deals where this isn’t a “duology” so much as it is “one book published in two volumes.” So be forewarned, dear reader, there’s no satisfying ending to be had here. So I’ll read book 2, and we’ll see what we’ll see.
My blog
May 13, 2023
I’m not sure I should review this yet. It’s very much half a book with the second half out later this year.
it’s very much influenced by American Gods but from a female perspective and more Russian. And although it’s from a female perspective it still feels quite male oriented to me. And I have to say Dima is really starting to irritate me with his gangster thief tude . I know it’s his thing but I’m over it now. Nat I’m reserving judgment on.
If I had to quibble I’d also say it needs tightening up. I think they spend far too much time with Gatsby and Coco before the real story even starts. It did make me wonder if Darcy and Elizabeth are hanging out in the UK somewhere though.
it’s very much influenced by American Gods but from a female perspective and more Russian. And although it’s from a female perspective it still feels quite male oriented to me. And I have to say Dima is really starting to irritate me with his gangster thief tude . I know it’s his thing but I’m over it now. Nat I’m reserving judgment on.
If I had to quibble I’d also say it needs tightening up. I think they spend far too much time with Gatsby and Coco before the real story even starts. It did make me wonder if Darcy and Elizabeth are hanging out in the UK somewhere though.
June 24, 2023
Well, I was obviously not the intended audience for this one! Whew!
Every page is filled with details - so many details! Of every. Little. Thing. I was about to pull my hair out!
And I was confused about what was going on to boot. This is supposed to be a folklore retelling, which I great, except they assume you know what the folklore is and mention all of these parts of it that have no context for anyone unaware of the original telling. Like me.
After a few chapters I just gave up. I’m not going to work that hard for something that should be enjoyable and simply wasn’t.
Every page is filled with details - so many details! Of every. Little. Thing. I was about to pull my hair out!
And I was confused about what was going on to boot. This is supposed to be a folklore retelling, which I great, except they assume you know what the folklore is and mention all of these parts of it that have no context for anyone unaware of the original telling. Like me.
After a few chapters I just gave up. I’m not going to work that hard for something that should be enjoyable and simply wasn’t.
April 18, 2023
This was such a unique read, I’ve honestly never read anything like this one. I loved the author’s descriptive writing style and the overall concept of this book. I did find that this one started off a bit slow, although it did pick up after a bit. I also struggled to visualize the world and characters, despite the descriptive writing. That being said, this book had a great story, that readers who love urban fantasy should enjoy.
August 30, 2023
I think I liked this book? I can’t tell if I just kept missing things or if things just weren’t explained, but I think I liked the vibes and I plan on reading the sequel.
January 17, 2024
I listen to the audiobook, and the narrator was fabulous. I stopped about 2/3 of the way through the book, and I think one of the reasons I continued so long was the narrator’s talent.
I’m not sure I can fairly critique the plot because this is not a genre I spend much time with, but I will say that the author’s style is highly unusual and intriguing. On more than one occasion I touched the “back up 15 seconds“ option just because I wanted to make sure that the strange – and often very clever – phrase or description I heard was actually what I’d heard.
I’m not sure I can fairly critique the plot because this is not a genre I spend much time with, but I will say that the author’s style is highly unusual and intriguing. On more than one occasion I touched the “back up 15 seconds“ option just because I wanted to make sure that the strange – and often very clever – phrase or description I heard was actually what I’d heard.
May 2, 2023
TL;DR
Spring’s Arcana is an enjoyable opening to The Dead God’s Heart duology. Follow Nat as she enters a world of gods in attempt to save her mother’s life, or at least pay the hospital bills. Flying vans, car monsters, and a Cinderella moment make this a fun fantasy despite it being an incomplete story. Highly recommended.
Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.
Review: Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow
Some novel premises will always draw me in. Modern pantheon stories that draw from ‘Old World’ deities is one such premise. Fantasy as a genre could be considered contemporary myth-making. After all, authors tell imaginative stories to convey morals and themes and all the good stuff that make art more than the sum of its parts. When an author decides to play with that, I’m a willing spectator. Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow does just that with the Baba Yaga mythology. She even adds in some pulled from American literature (look out for literary references).
On her death bed, Nat’s mother asks her to take a business card to an address in New York. There’s she’s supposed to speak to Mrs. de Winter, who runs a small business called Y.A.G.A. Import-Export. de Winter asks Nat to find something that Nat’s mother hid. In exchange for finding the item, de Winter will help with Nat’s mother, Maria, who is dying from cancer. Maria is in hospice, and she believes that de Winter can help her. What she’s kept from Nat is that she and Nat are part divinity.
Nat enters a world where magic exists, and it’s dangerous. Her entry into the world has put her on the radar of dangerous individuals such as Dmitri Konets, the patron of thieves. de Winter, also known as Baba Yaga, tasks Dmitri to go with Nat on her quest. Konets, of course, has his own agenda, one that Nat might not survive.
Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow is a third person novel that is the first part of a duology. Chapters mainly alternate between Nat and Dmitri’s points of view; though, they’re not the only POV chapters in the book. It’s an intricate, detailed world that Saintcrow has created, and it’s a neat take on making a modern mythology.
Nat - Passive but Loveable
Nat, poor Nat, is a lovely character. I liked her; I felt for her; I worried for her. She truly cared about her mother, despite her mother gaslighting her for most of Nat’s young life. Nat can talk to cats. I mean, how can anyone not love a character that can talk to cats? (Also, Saintcrow creates excellent cat dialogue.) Nat tries her best to be rebellious, but in reality, she’s very passive.
Nat seems like a chess piece to be moved around by the other players in the game. The biggest action I can think that she took was going to see Baba Yaga in the first place. After that she’s escorted, kidnapped, rescued. In the first 100 pages, Nat is arm candy for Dmitri at a party, and all the entities are curious about her. She’s whisked around the dance floor by the host; she’s escorted by Dmitri; she’s kidnapped by Koschei. Here’s hoping in the next book she has a little more agency.
While I don’t think having a passive main character is bad, it’s a bit much in this book. I think it’s good that she’s a bit stunned in the beginning. She’s adjusting to a new reality, one that was hidden from her by her mother. Nat experiences the freeze part of the fight/flight/freeze dynamic. She’s overwhelmed by the new world she’s in, and on top of that, she doesn’t have the knowledge or power to act against gods. But she learns. Nat is a shrewd observer, and she does exhibit steel within her at times. I think Nat is building towards something; she’s becoming Someone with a capital S. In Spring’s Arcana, we only see the beginning of Nat’s story.
Cliffhanger or Half a Novel?
There is an argument to be made either that this ends on a cliffhanger or that it’s only half a novel. I’m not going to tell you which I believe, but the story does continue in The Salt-Black Tree, which comes out later this year. For me, this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. However, as a reviewer, I do think it’s important that the audience knows it’s not a complete story. Part of me wonders if when Saintcrow turned it into the editors, they didn’t think they could sell a 700+ page modern mythology. (Also, SFF love series, and, as far as I know, they sell better than standalones.) Again, I didn’t mind this. If you’re a reader who enjoys the journey, then you’ll want to take this one. If you’re a reader for whom the destination is ultra-important, then you might want to wait until August when both books are out. (Although remember waiting to buy books until the series is finished is a good way to ensure the series doesn’t get finished. Buy early; buy often.)
As this story continues in the second half of the duology later this year, I’ll reserve my judgement on the whole story. However, I can say that this opening volume was enjoyable. I plan to read book two, and I expect that Saintcrow will deliver on the setups in this book.
Myth with an Edge
The blurb compares Spring’s Arcana with American Gods , and it’s an apt comparison. I love American Gods, and I recommend it to, well, everyone. Saintcrow has created a similar tale with an epic scope, but Spring’s Arcana has more of an edge to it. This book feels sharper; everything feels more dangerous, more ominous. It fits well with the Slavic myth from which Saintcrow draws. Early on, Nat compares Dmitri to a gangster, and that’s the feel the book gives. Nat’s surrounded by gangsters vying for power.
Conclusion
Lilith Saintcrow’s Spring’s Arcana is an interesting opening to an imaginative duology. Follow Nat as she enters a modern day pantheon in hopes of saving her sick mother. This imaginative take on a modern mythology is fun if incomplete. I know I’ll continue on in The Salt-Black Tree. Highly recommended.
Spring’s Arcana is an enjoyable opening to The Dead God’s Heart duology. Follow Nat as she enters a world of gods in attempt to save her mother’s life, or at least pay the hospital bills. Flying vans, car monsters, and a Cinderella moment make this a fun fantasy despite it being an incomplete story. Highly recommended.
Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.
Review: Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow
Some novel premises will always draw me in. Modern pantheon stories that draw from ‘Old World’ deities is one such premise. Fantasy as a genre could be considered contemporary myth-making. After all, authors tell imaginative stories to convey morals and themes and all the good stuff that make art more than the sum of its parts. When an author decides to play with that, I’m a willing spectator. Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow does just that with the Baba Yaga mythology. She even adds in some pulled from American literature (look out for literary references).
On her death bed, Nat’s mother asks her to take a business card to an address in New York. There’s she’s supposed to speak to Mrs. de Winter, who runs a small business called Y.A.G.A. Import-Export. de Winter asks Nat to find something that Nat’s mother hid. In exchange for finding the item, de Winter will help with Nat’s mother, Maria, who is dying from cancer. Maria is in hospice, and she believes that de Winter can help her. What she’s kept from Nat is that she and Nat are part divinity.
Nat enters a world where magic exists, and it’s dangerous. Her entry into the world has put her on the radar of dangerous individuals such as Dmitri Konets, the patron of thieves. de Winter, also known as Baba Yaga, tasks Dmitri to go with Nat on her quest. Konets, of course, has his own agenda, one that Nat might not survive.
Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow is a third person novel that is the first part of a duology. Chapters mainly alternate between Nat and Dmitri’s points of view; though, they’re not the only POV chapters in the book. It’s an intricate, detailed world that Saintcrow has created, and it’s a neat take on making a modern mythology.
Nat - Passive but Loveable
Nat, poor Nat, is a lovely character. I liked her; I felt for her; I worried for her. She truly cared about her mother, despite her mother gaslighting her for most of Nat’s young life. Nat can talk to cats. I mean, how can anyone not love a character that can talk to cats? (Also, Saintcrow creates excellent cat dialogue.) Nat tries her best to be rebellious, but in reality, she’s very passive.
Nat seems like a chess piece to be moved around by the other players in the game. The biggest action I can think that she took was going to see Baba Yaga in the first place. After that she’s escorted, kidnapped, rescued. In the first 100 pages, Nat is arm candy for Dmitri at a party, and all the entities are curious about her. She’s whisked around the dance floor by the host; she’s escorted by Dmitri; she’s kidnapped by Koschei. Here’s hoping in the next book she has a little more agency.
While I don’t think having a passive main character is bad, it’s a bit much in this book. I think it’s good that she’s a bit stunned in the beginning. She’s adjusting to a new reality, one that was hidden from her by her mother. Nat experiences the freeze part of the fight/flight/freeze dynamic. She’s overwhelmed by the new world she’s in, and on top of that, she doesn’t have the knowledge or power to act against gods. But she learns. Nat is a shrewd observer, and she does exhibit steel within her at times. I think Nat is building towards something; she’s becoming Someone with a capital S. In Spring’s Arcana, we only see the beginning of Nat’s story.
Cliffhanger or Half a Novel?
There is an argument to be made either that this ends on a cliffhanger or that it’s only half a novel. I’m not going to tell you which I believe, but the story does continue in The Salt-Black Tree, which comes out later this year. For me, this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. However, as a reviewer, I do think it’s important that the audience knows it’s not a complete story. Part of me wonders if when Saintcrow turned it into the editors, they didn’t think they could sell a 700+ page modern mythology. (Also, SFF love series, and, as far as I know, they sell better than standalones.) Again, I didn’t mind this. If you’re a reader who enjoys the journey, then you’ll want to take this one. If you’re a reader for whom the destination is ultra-important, then you might want to wait until August when both books are out. (Although remember waiting to buy books until the series is finished is a good way to ensure the series doesn’t get finished. Buy early; buy often.)
As this story continues in the second half of the duology later this year, I’ll reserve my judgement on the whole story. However, I can say that this opening volume was enjoyable. I plan to read book two, and I expect that Saintcrow will deliver on the setups in this book.
Myth with an Edge
The blurb compares Spring’s Arcana with American Gods , and it’s an apt comparison. I love American Gods, and I recommend it to, well, everyone. Saintcrow has created a similar tale with an epic scope, but Spring’s Arcana has more of an edge to it. This book feels sharper; everything feels more dangerous, more ominous. It fits well with the Slavic myth from which Saintcrow draws. Early on, Nat compares Dmitri to a gangster, and that’s the feel the book gives. Nat’s surrounded by gangsters vying for power.
Conclusion
Lilith Saintcrow’s Spring’s Arcana is an interesting opening to an imaginative duology. Follow Nat as she enters a modern day pantheon in hopes of saving her sick mother. This imaginative take on a modern mythology is fun if incomplete. I know I’ll continue on in The Salt-Black Tree. Highly recommended.
January 2, 2023
I read most of this author’s books a few years ago, and I was excited to see a new series by her. I read this, and I don’t know how I feel about it even a few days later. I am not a fan of over flowery language like taking a page to describe something or using multisyllabic words when “regular” words would do. I can appreciate it, but I like to move the plot along and feel more emotion from the characters. I also felt that as a reader I could have used more information upfront to figure out what was going on. I don’t mind not having an info dump, but I struggled with the language, words, and adding not knowing what was going on at the beginning made it a struggle I shouldn’t have. However, towards the middle and end, when I figured out what was going on and become used to the word use, I came to appreciate everything. This is by no means a terrible book. It’s more of a preference for what you want as a reader. I can recommend this for others, but even after writing this review, I still don’t know how I feel about this book. Will I read the second one? Probably. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
April 18, 2023
“Tonight, though he was invoked, propitiated, and sometimes demanded, he was out of the office. Besides, it did not do to answer every cry. Humanity tended to take the reliable for granted.”
Ok, I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for anything mythology-related, and this was no exception. We have Russian gods who go where their believers go, and when their believers immigrated, well so did the gods. But moving gods from the old country to an urban haven in new lands where the soil is different and the beliefs begin to wane? Things get messy. And I love it when things get messy.
We follow Nat, who has always been bullied and punished for being a liar because she can see things that other people can’t. When her single mother falls ill and lays dying in hospice, Nat is told that the only way to save her is to go see an old and powerful god. A deal is made, a riddle is spoken, and off Nat goes on a dangerous scavenger hunt for the things that could save her mother while being plagued by too many questions on who she really is, why things are like this, and what will happen to them all.
At least the old god sent a bodyguard along with Nat. His name is Dimi, and he may be the god of thieves, have little in the way of morals, and have dubious reasons to be helping Nat, but he’s the only thing standing between Nat and the living shadows that are hunting her down to devour her.
Now here’s the thing. The first two chapters? Particularly the very first chapter? I could have done without. It’s Nat riding a bus then an elevator to get to the old god, and while there were bits and pieces of it that lay down the foundation for the difficult relationship Nat has with her mother, it was difficult to read because the details were too much for the moment. Thankfully, the rest of the book begins to pick up soon after and while the descriptions are still laid on thick, it is not quite as unnecessarily heavy-handed as the beginning.
In fact, the later descriptions serve to build the atmosphere of a world that Nat’s only been able to get a glimpse of but never live in. Others called her a liar but now she knows that it undeniably exists, even if resisting opening her eyes to it is an old habit that she has to shed first. And what I love about it is that the fairy-tale world is not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s messy, chaotic, dark, gritty (all things I love). When you think of fairy tales, you think of sparkly fairy godmothers and you forget that red riding hood was being hunted by a big bad wolf.
SPRING’S ARCANA does not let you forget that. It’s not even that there are the good gods versus the evil gods. It’s just that as gods, they are powerful, they have their own agendas, and they’re not necessarily good or evil, they simply are gods. I’d even say that SPRING’s ARCANA leans dark fantasy or fantasy horror, and that’s right up my alley on what I like to read.
The main cast consists of Nat, her mom, her uncle, and her bodyguard. While most of the book is from Nat’s perspective, you do get the occasional chapters from the rest of the main cast. And let me tell you that her bodyguard-thief-god’s POV and her uncle’s POV were some of the real gems to read. In fact, her uncle Leo? Love him, will accept zero criticism about this old car mechanic of a man whose coffee is more vodka than coffee and only knows how to cook grilled cheese.
Now usually by this time, you get my list of content warnings. This book is dark, there are a lot of warnings. But the important ones that vividly stuck out to me were: emotionally abusive parent, gore, and suicidal ideation.
Finally it is time for my star defense. The publisher, Tor Publishing Group, reached out to me saying that if I loved NETTLE & BONE then I might like SPRING’S ARCANA, and they were right. What drew me to read this book was its title, (SPRING’S ARCANA), its series title (DEAD GOD’S HEART), and the Russian gods mythology. And I’m happy to say they did not disappoint. But for the difficult beginning and abrupt ending, four stars.
I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment of this duology.
Thank you Tor Publishing Group for dropping this book on my radar and giving me an opportunity to read the eARC on Netgalley. My opinions are my own.
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