Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
I went into this book without any expectations. But unfortunately, it wasn’t impressive. The characters were shallow and I couldn’t connect with them.
There were very long descriptions of the surroundings wherever the characters went. This much description is not my thing. It makes it really difficult for me to go through the book.
By the 50% mark, it was still bearable but after that, it went downhill. And I had to push myself so much to finish the book.

I wasn’t able to get into this book so I decided to DNF (did not finish) it. Thank you for the chance to review it.

Spring's Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow has an interesting story line, which I was drawn to. A young woman, Nat Drozdova trying to save her mother's life, finds herself a part of a mysterious and dangerous scavenger hunt to find an artifact desperately desired by a dangerous woman who has the power to cure her mother. In the process, Nat learns that there is so much more beneath the surface and many would go at great lengths to obtain what Nat is seeking.

I LOVE all of that. What I found difficult was that the mother was not very likeable, and the story line was hard to follow. There were parts of the book that I really enjoyed, and it pulled me in during those times, but then got confused on some of the details which had me frustrated.

I do feel that with a little more editing and stronger world building, the reader would be less confused, and the book more enjoyable. It has good bones, and I would love to see it developed a little further.

Thank you to NetGalley, TorTrade, and Lillith Saintcrow for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting twist on paranormal romance. The romance is light (as can happen in a book one - and maybe this shouldn't even be called "romance" by me) and was super fun to read. I enjoyed the "mafia" esq gods and their quirks as humans. Very much like Gaiman's American Gods.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t the right one for me. I love fantasy, especially the kind that is sometimes called urban fantasy or magical realism, where the fantastical elements interact with the real/regular world. And so I thought this book would be a great fit for me, with its take on Baba Yaga mythology. (I haven’t read American Gods so I can’t comment on that comparison.) I absolutely loved another recently published book that centered on a retelling of Baba Yaga (Thistlefoot) and was hoping for another winner here.

I wound up putting down this book/audiobook a couple of times and trying again, but at nearly 30%, I still wasn’t sure who was who and what was going on and so I finally decided to give up. I kept hoping I’d get to the publicized road trip but at that point it still wasn’t looking like it was happening anytime soon.

The bright spot was the narration by the ever-wonderful Barrie Kreinik, but even she couldn’t save this story for me.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

“This, then, is the way to the Dead God’s Heart”

When her mother’s health began to deteriorate, Nat’s plan to move out and go to college came unstuck. Now, her mother is dying and has given Nat cryptic instructions to save her. Accompanied by a thief on a road trip to retrieve a stolen object, Nat is about to discover that there’s a lot her mother never told her about the world. Or herself.

This is a highly descriptive read, which may appeal to some readers. There are some books where I soak up every detail offered to me. Here, though, it resulted in a read that often felt dragged out. While I loved the concept, I never became invested in the characters or Nat’s quest.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor for the opportunity to read this book.

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.

American Gods with Russian folktales, Spring's Arcana follows Nat Drozdova, who is so desperate to honor her mother's dying request that she goes to see Baba Yaga in her skyscraper office. Nat ends up on an adventure around the United States with a killer in an effort to save her mother. Not the most satisfying ending, but great fun to read. For Gaiman fans who want more philosophy in their magical realism.

Although a bit difficult to stat, ultimately this book takes its place on my recommended 2023 reading list. Nat finds herself on a journey to somehow save her mother who is dying in hospital. Slightly reminiscent of American Gods, author Lilith Saintcrow has created her own world with killer divinities and intriguing characters. Recommended reading.

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.

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.

It wasn’t quite the perfect book for me but it’s well written. I’d call it an American Gods pastiche with a heavy Russian overlay so it’s a bit grim. I didn’t dislike it… I just couldn’t like it as much as the quality of writing deserved.

I love contemporary re-tellings of myths and legends. And Spring's Arcana definitely does not disappoint. It will remind you of American Gods but with a definite Russian twist. Nat Drozdova must seek a "jewel" her mother has kept hidden in order to save her life. Baba Yaga has the clues for Nat's quest. And as her mother lays dying, Nat becomes stronger with a power she never knew she had.
I cannot wait for the second books of this duology!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this e-arc.

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The Dead God's Heart series. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: I have read a couple other series but Saintcrow and she's very hit or miss. I really enjoyed her early novels in the Dante Valentine series but really disliked her Bannon and Clare series. I keep meaning to pick up the Jill Kismet series but just never have. I was excited to see a new urban fantasy by her but this was an odd book. It reminds me of a combo of "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman and The Nightside Series by Simon Green but it isn't as good as either of those.

I think of "American Gods" because the main character, Nat, is dealing with old gods and divinities and finding gods of different aspects of American life. I also think of The Nightside Series because of the way surreal and strange things are thrown at the reader in rapid succession. I know a lot of people don't like The Nightside series but I have a strange fondness for it because of the creative craziness that went into that series and the over the top characters.

In the beginning I was drawn into the strangeness and creativeness of it all. I enjoyed Nat's plunge into this insane world of divinities. I did struggle some with how disconnected the story felt and how hard it was to picture some of the situations Nat ends up in because they just weren't described very well.

As the story went on it got kind of boring. Nat is a very bland character and the thief divinity she travels with, for all his viciousness, quickly went from intriguing to bland as well. Then the story just stops pretty much in the middle of things with a "To Be Continued" at the end, which was irritating.

This is definitely not Saintcrow's best work. I liked the idea behind it and some of the creative scenes and surreal-like plunge into a divinity underworld. However, the story felt scattered and it was hard to picture the surroundings and follow what was going on. Towards the end it just got flat-out boring.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this was a bit disappointing for me. I did finish it, it was a pretty quick read. I initially enjoyed the concept and some of the crazy situations Nat is thrown into. Unfortunately, my pace of reading definitely slowed down in the second half of the book and I just got very bored with it all. I don't plan on picking up any more books in this series; the writing was just too sloppy.

** I received an ARC for an honest review **
Summary

I recently read Spring’s Arcana by US urban fantasy author Lilith Saintcrow.

Spring’s Arcana follows protagonist Nat Drozdova as she begins a journey and bargain with Baba Yaga to save her dying mother’s life. In return, she must begin a journey to retrieve the items her mother stole and hid carefully across the United States – including the Heart of a God – stolen from Baba Yaga herself, who in turn wrenched it from Dimitri Konesti – the god of thieves.

For Nat, all is new and incomprehensible until she begins to realise her mother lied to her for her entire life and kept her innocent of the knowledge of divinities – including her own mother being the divinity of Spring.

Baba Yaga sends Dimitri to both protect and watch Nat Drozdova as she grows into her power, becoming Spring even as her mother sickens and fades in a hospice and Nat tries to find the items she needs to save her mother. But will Baba Yaga keep her word? Is Nat’s own mother more of a threat to her than the Dead God whose heart she stole?

Review

An intriguing and well-crafted folklore and mythology inspired first book in a duology. Spring’s Arcana is a fascinating read that is authentic and enthralling. The world-building and development of the characters is high quality and SanitCrow delivers a novel that is dark, mysterious and leaves you hungering for more.

Conclusion

Highly recommended for fans of reimagining of folklore, legends and mythology. This is a great urban dark fantasy that is a supernatural thriller and a dark delight. Can’t wait for the second instalment. A must-read!

** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **

DNF, so note that the following is based on only the first ~20% of the story.

First, the good: the prose here is lovely, full of the sort of small details that fill out a world. That world feels lived in and specific, and I really believed that it was something that Saintcrow was just describing, rather than inventing wholecloth.

However, there are a few tropes that the book took part in that just weren't for me. I really dislike the dramatic irony that happens when a character disbelieves elements of their past: we the audience know that our narrator's magic-adjacent childhood experiences are a sign that they are themselves magical, and it's an absolute drag when they don't come to the same conclusion. I can totally get behind a reluctant protagonist, but generally I like that protagonist to be reluctant because they're actively pursuing something else, not just because they don't want to do anything. Finally, in a world that is meant to be our own, I don't believe that a protagonist of Russian heritage would not know who Baba Yaga is.

I just... devoured this. Apologies to the people in my life who wanted me to talk to them/feed them/do my job as I read this.

The characters are all very, very real in the best and worst ways. They make good decisions, they make dumb decisions. They're all hurt and trying to get through life the best they know how. They say stuff they shouldn't; they keep quiet when they should talk. But it's never TSTL territory, just realistic, even though they're all divinities.

OH! <spoiler>Her relationship with her mother is FASCINATING and I hope they don't make her mother secretly kind or whatever, because it's refreshing to read about fucked-up moms who hurt their daughters. Not all parents are good! We need those stories, too!</spoiler>

I am SUPER excited for the next installment of this book. It's an expansive world with LOTS of interesting characters. I will be very sad if this isn't a huge-ass series. Publisher, please make this a huge-ass series!!! I WILL READ THAT!

My only quibble is that the author leans towards overwriting. No one ever, ever just walks somewhere. They're ambling or whatever all over the place. Her writing is beautiful, and DAMN she's good with a turn of phrase, but sometimes it feels slightly overwrought. Like, maybe save some of that for another book?

(I received an advanced reading copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I feel like my last few reviews have been kind of negative, so it feels really good to give a good one.)goodreads.com/review/show/5507313312

Springs Arcana is a novel with so much going on and so many big ideas. From the very beginning you can feel the tone off the book. There's a ton of mystery and twists to this tale. This is a book that you have to be in for the long hall, but it is totally worth is. I really enjoyed the array of character that we are introduced to in book 1 and found myself liking our MC the further and further along I got. I loved the world building and the writing. I'm really excited to see where this story goes in book 2.

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.

Nat Drozdova believes that she’s placating her dying mother when she finally goes to visit “Madam de Winter” in New York City’s Morrer-Pessel Memorial Tower on a blustery winter afternoon. She doesn’t expect what she finds in the Penthouse office of Y.A.G.A. Fine Arts and Antiquities.

The mysterious de Winter claims to be Nat’s grandmother and willing to save Nat’s mother’s life if Nat is willing to retrieve a few items her mother stole from her before she left the old country. Nat is sure the businesswoman is part of the infamous Russian mafia - or possibly its head. She’s certainly running Nat on a mysterious magical mystery tour that’s intended to get her killed. Or worse.

VERDICT: Saintcrow returns to her roots in epic-tinged urban fantasy in this first book of the Dead God’s Heart. It’s an American “road trip” story, like Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, where Nat will find the roots of her heritage as she takes a dangerous foray into the mystic places where the Slavic myths like Baba Yaga and the deathless Koschei still guard their secrets - and her own. Readers looking for a deeper dive into the same legends as The Witch and the Tsar, but in a more contemporary setting, or those searching for new work imbued with the sensibilities of “Old Skool” urban fantasy like The Book of Night, will find much to savor here.