Spring’s Arcana was an enjoyable Russian-inspired urban fantasy.

Nat Drosdova’s mother is dying of cancer, and there’s nothing she can do about it. Except she keeps asking her to visit a fancy skyscraper downtown.
When Nat eventually plucks up the courage to visit, she finds herself thrust into a world of divinities - both familiar and not - and discovers that nothing about her life is what she believed.

I enjoyed Spring’s Arcana. The plot was fast paced and interesting, with plenty of characters the reader would recognise to varying degrees. The inclusion of the Russian inspiration was different, and I liked that it wasn’t limited to Baba Yaga.

I mostly liked Nat as a main character, however I did find her naivety somewhat frustrating in an adult fantasy lead, and I also personally do not enjoy this particular style of ending, where the story simply stops and says ‘To be continued…’ it felt a little abrupt to me, and I was jolted out of the story and left surprised there wasn’t more to the book.

Audio-wise, the narrator was fantastic and I loved the way they embodied the characters. They really added something to the story and I think I enjoyed it more as an audiobook than I would if I had read it myself.

Overall, if you like urban fantasy and Russian-inspiration, I would recommend Spring’s Arcana as a quick read!

I really enjoyed the first part of this duology. I found a world populated by various divinities to be fascinating. I can’t say that I liked the ending though, I would have much rather read a longer book than have this book just end. 3.5 stars.

2.5 stars rounded up.
Spring's Arcana is an interesting concept with a lackluster execution. I tend to love stories with modern interpretations of god-like characters, and gods walking among us, but I felt like the presence of the Divinities was vague and a little everything-and-the-kitchen-sink. This is a book that has a strong theme of Russian folklore, but we also have the inclusion of notable literary figures including a major scene that features Jay and Daisy Gatsby- why? The pantheon of who or what is categorized as a Divinity feels inconsistent.
I also really struggled with our main character Nat. Tonally, this book feels like it wants to be a fantasy noir, and one of the defining characteristics of that genre is morally grey characters, or at least characters with secrets and ulterior motives. Nat is an obedient, bewildered young woman who asks a lot of questions internally but hardly ever voices her questions or demands. She even has a moment when she decides to "stop being such a good little girl"- but nowhere is this manifested in her actions. She's too soft and boring for this world and I couldn't care less.
I also struggled with the action pacing in this book. There are several moments when there is rising plot tension, and Nat and Dima get separated, and the tension gets interrupted because we flip back and forth between their two perspectives too quickly.
I think if you Really love reading noir, regardless of how strong the execution is, or if the buzzword of Russian Mythology is a strong sell for you, this book is worth a try, but for me it was just fine.
I did like the narrator- and I think their execution is what helped me tune into the noir-tone in a way I might have missed with the e-book version.

This one is a difficult read to review.
I’m torn on my review for a couple of reason.
-The descriptiveness was very heavy handed
-The plot was a bit too close for comfort to a American Gods
I felt myself fighting to stay in the story because my mind kept getting distracted with the similarities to American Gods & lost during the long descriptions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Nat Drozdova is on a mission to locate a cure for her mother that is dying of cancer. She is sent to a mysterious woman in a skyscraper in Manhattan. She is told to find a missing object to be given the cure. Nat has to embark on a roadtrip with an assassin to try to locate this object. The reason she has to be the one to locate the item is more complicated than what was lead to believe in the first place.

I really enjoyed this book. The world building and magic system were great and detailed. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.