There were parts of this duology that I really enjoyed: the playing with folklore, the hints of romance, the magic. But I never truly connected with the story. I can't figure out if I just don't get on with Saintcrow's writing style or if this needed more development.

This was such a fantastic sequel! It picks up right after the events of the previous book, and that was really great, because I had to know what was going to happen next! Nat knows more about herself, and the secrets and lies her mom told her-but she doesn't know all the implications, or the whole truth just yet.

A big question for Nat in this book-is it worth it? Because what her mom kept from her, what that means, that is moving the answer to a negative when before it would've been a positive, and that's something that Nat has to deal with. Because the way her mom treated her-and the plans she has in store for Nat, that's justifiable that she wouldn't want to do this for her mom anymore.

After what she's gone through and learned in the first book, she's a little less naive, and it's a bit sad. But growth is a part of the journey, and she's not finished just yet, she has to get to the Salt-Black Tree and get the Dead God's Heart.

I absolutely loved where things went! There were some pretty unexpected twists and I loved how they changed where things were going. It all worked out in a satisfying way, that was just so entertaining to read, and I loved it!

Loved reading this book, it was so entertaining and a great end to the duology!

I would summarize this duology as “an original and creative *American Gods* fanfic.” Lilith Saintcrow (who has an *awesome* name by the way) tells a good and engrossing story, with a setting and a conceit that (as I said in my review of book 1, *Spring’s Arcana*) could have been lifted straight out of Gaiman’s book.

This review will be about the duology as a whole, because book 1 (again, as I said in my earlier review) doesn’t really *end*, it just *stops*. It’s a single story split in two volumes.

The protagonist here is Nat, the rather downtrodden daughter of her Russian-immigrant mother, growing up not-quite-poor in Brooklyn. Nat’s mother is sick and dying, and has set Nat on a path to find a way to get her better. Along the way, Nat learns that her mother is in fact the embodiment of Spring. Characters she meets along the way include Baba Yaga (her grandmother); gods of thieves, cops, and cowboys; and Jay Gatsby.

We also learn that Nat’s mother (never a particularly loving figure) has plans for her daughter, mostly of the sacrificial variety.

The advantage of fanfic (and, for the record, I *like* fanfic) is that the best ones can tell a great story without having to put in the effort to create worlds and characters. I called this book “*American Gods* fanfic” because that’s what it feels like. I can’t really put my finger on how the world of this book is different from Gaiman’s, but I also don’t particularly care.

Where this book shines is as a recovery-from-abuse story. Nat struggles to realize just how abused she’s been; she struggles to accept just what her mother has in mind for her; she struggles with guilt over having the audacity to want to live.

So what does all this add up to? On the one hand, this was derivative and fairly uncreative; on the other hand, the story packs a punch.

The Salt-Black Tree is the conclusion to The Dead God’s Heart, and like Spring’s Arcana it is full of metaphors and run-on sentences, but by now I am used to Lilith Saintcrow’s writing style and enjoyed it more this time around. The Salt-Black Tree felt a lot more action packed than Spring’s Arcana and Nat did a lot of growing, and literal evolving (into Spring), in this book. I think my favorite aspect was Spring’s reluctant but, in the end, powerful alliance with Dima, the god of thieves. The chemistry between the Eternal and the thief was so fraught and sweet, I knew Spring would try to do the right thing in the end. And the twist with Baba Yaga was a wonderful way to awaken Spring without her committing matricide.

I give this book 4 stars!

So, I’m giving this book 3 stars because I didn’t realize when I reserved a copy it was in a series so I felt kinda lost. BUT the author is still engaging enough to keep you wanting more. Don’t let my review keep you from reading it. Read the others first. That’s what I’m gonna do lol

I love that this novel picked up right were Springs Arcana left off. This tale is so dark and fresh and i almost wish that it wasn't over. The writing is lush and everything that you would want in a urban fantasy full of folklore. The Characters are fantastic and the rhythm of the story never bogs down or moves too fast to distract from the overall story.

Lilith Saintcrow concludes her quest tale of Nat Drozdova, who thought she was human and found she was the daughter of the goddess of spring. First she has to find Spring's Arcana (paper), which her mother had hidden all over the country. Then, finally she must locate the Dead God’s Heart. The trail leads to The Salt-Black Tree (hard from Tor) near New Orleans that she has to ride a giant snake to get to. Like all good quest tales, there is a twist. The full tale is marvelously lush, showing a side of modern America filled with Gods and Goddesses that most of us would never recognize.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of The Salt-Black Tree by Lilith Saintcrow in exchange for an honest review. I have been wanting to read books by Saintcrow for quite awhile and hadn't gotten around to it. When I got approved for the Netgalley book and audiobook, I was excited to finally get to read one of her books. This is book two in the series and there is a warning that if you haven't read the first one, you might get lost. I was a little lost in the beginning, but quickly became engrossed in the story and didn't mind. I now am inspired to go back and read the first and more books by Saintcrow. This was a fun and interesting book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Salt-Black Tree picks up right after the events of Spring's Arcana. Nat has found the Dead God's Heart and with that found that her already complex relationship with her mother is more dire than she ever realized. I really enjoyed this dark urban fantasy. This likely could have been a standalone versus a duology. The characters are really interesting and I love the world building.

The second part in the Dead God's Heart Duology, The Salt Black Tree seamlessly picks up where Spring's Arcana left off.
The road to the Heart ends at the Salt-Black Tree, but to find it Nat must pay a deadly price. Pursued by mouthless shadows hungry for the blood of new divinity as well as the razor-wielding god of thieves, Nat is on her own. Her journey leads through a wilderness of gods old and new, across a country as restless as its mortal inhabitants, and it’s too late to back out now.

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

The Salt-Black Tree is Book Two of the Dead God's Heart Duology by Lilith Saintcrow.
I read and really enjoyed book one Spring's Arcana.
It was exciting being back with Nat again.
Saintcrow has created a captivating folklore and mythology.
The world-building and development of the characters were fantastic and the characters kept me engaged.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Tor Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing
eARC!

This is the final book in a duology that starts right where the first one left off, so I would definitely recommend reading these in order.

I loved all the folklore in this book, Baba Yaga being a favorite. I thought Nat was just okay, we spend most of the two books with Nat coming to grips with not only her new reality but realizing what her mother actually has in store for her. I really liked Dimitri, he was a snarky jerk through most of it but he was unapologetically himself always, and I missed him when he wasn't on page.

I am a huge fan of Lilith Saintcrow and I am a little sad that The Dead God's Heart is only a duology. The Salt-Black Tree is the second book in the duology, so really, don't read it as a standalone. The Salt-Black Tree begins exactly where Spring's Arcana left off and while there is a sprinkling of reminders about some of the situations and characters, you will not be able to fully enjoy Saintcrow's storytelling without the background from the first book.

I was fortunate enough to get to listen to the first book as an Advanced Listening Copy, which made me pretty excited to physically read the second book. Having consumed her writing both ways, I can confidently say that the character arcs and worldbuilding translate in any format. Ms. Saintcrow is such an amazing author and every world she crafts will simply pull you in and make you forget your surroundings for hours.

I absolutely loved this Baba Yaga-adjacent story. While Baba Yaga is of course in the book, she is not the main character, and it was a delight to read about characters that were so tied to her orbit. In this book we get to see the main character, Nat, work her way through (and finish!) quite the list of near-impossible tasks while meeting so many characters from Russian folklore. I had trouble putting this book down, and I bet you will too!

The Salt-Black Tree is the final instalment in the Dead God’s Heart duology.
Saintcrow’s writing is superb and she provides a thrilling and satisfying ending to her series. The plot is fast-paced while still being insightful to characters development and the detailed world-building. The comparisons to Neil Gaiman‘s American Gods, while relevant on the surface, Saintcrow’s duology blows them away with a darkness and ruthlessness in development and immigration of divinities and human belief which is fresh and bold. This finale is a masterpiece of talented writing while maintaining the integrity of the characters and the world building at the core of in this urban fantasy duology.
A highly recommended read for fans of urban fantasy, Russian folklore and world mythology. A thriller of an urban fantasy and a read!

Lilith Saintcrow does it again!

Another fantastic book by Lilith Saintcrow and a wonderful, thrilling and captivating end to this magnificent duology.

You can't really say much against this duology except that the mythology behind these powerful deities is a little vague and I personally would have liked some more backstory behind them but it is what it is and I understand that it can be difficult to give too much backstory in single volume or duology and you already have to fit a lot into a small space unless you intend to write a doorstop novel.

Apart from that the characters are interesting and well created and the story in itself has a great ebb and flow to it that holds you interest throughout and is very engaging to read so bravo Lilith....bravo!!

Four and a half
Nat Drozdova is the new personification of Spring although if her mother has anything to do with it that's about to change but then again isn't that what seasons are meant to do ? All Nat knows is she is desperately trying to find the missing arcana item's that will lead her to the heart her mother stole. Her journey so far has introduced her to a world of hurt and fear but also wonderment and possibly allies but who knows what lurks in the darkness where the sun doesn't shine ?
This started exactly as the first book ended so a very easy way to immerse the reader in this folklore guided world set in a very modern America. I loved the ideas in place here with embodiments of just about everything I could imagine from Law enforcement to Seasons, even Shadows and Thievery. We get a lot more of Baba Yaga but as Nat grows up and truly finds herself for me it was Dima who made me smile. A fitting ending to this duology but I really hope the author revisits this world because it was truly a fun ride and yes I'm looking at you Baby !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Well I didn't know it was a 2nd half of a douology.and I tried to get into book 1 and was so confused by that I gave up. I did not read this one so I will not leave a review.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher

I knew going into this series ender of the duology, that I still wasn’t sure how I felt about the first one, but I do really like this author. As I read this one, I realized that this is less like an urban fantasy and more like a journey of discovery, of finding your own strengths to overcome the adversities you’ve experienced in your life. Once I got past that, I really enjoyed this book. Poor Nat was so mistreated growing up by her mother who just wanted to get power. However, this is her journey started for her mother, and it ends with her discovery about herself. I would have enjoyed this more if there were more action, which is my favorite, but I did enjoy Nat’s discovery and how it ended. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

A fun read for fans of gods from the "old country" settling in America. Just a few quibbles:
I'm not sure that the author thoroughly worked out how, for example, the versions of the anthropomorphism of different seasons intersected with each other; world-building not given enough depth.
Nat's quest for her arcana seemed suitably arduous, but then at the very end, it seemed like another character actually did the hardest bit for her, thus spoiling the climax.
And the author's use of conjoined adjectives got really annoying by the end. I like a nice hyphen myself, but the author grossly over-used them, and this paled in comparison to her used of made-up conjoined (yellowbrown, cricketscreams) adjectives/nouns. There are such things as metaphors and similes. It struck me as lazy writing, which wouldn't have been as noticeable if the author hadn't used them in nearly every paragraph.
The pacing can be quite slow at times, which made the unexpected climax even more jarring, and the author didn't go into enough depth in certain areas; it felt like a story that should have been cut down to one volume, or else worked properly into a trilogy.
I received an ARC of this book, and all opinions are my own.

This is the 2nd book of Dead God's Duology, you need to read previous book to understand the story. The mythologhy really good in here, why Nat still do this journey when her mother is a mean?

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

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