The direct sequel to Spring’s Arcana tells you right in the beginning you need to have read the first book and there really isn’t much of a infodump if you haven’t done so. Nat is on her way to find the last pieces of the puzzle she needs to save her mother. But even as she meets other divinities, she comes to realize that her mother wants to live and take everything from Nat. Nat inner monologue has her coming around to the idea that her mother didn’t plan on ever loving her and instead really saw her as a tool to manifest her power in this new land. Now Nat must finish her quest to retrieve the heart to fulfill her side of her bargain with Baba Yaga and also not become consumed by other gods and powers that might grow from eating her own developing powers.

I am a huge fan of Lilith Saintcrow and I am a little sad that The Dead God's Heart is not going to be a longer series. The Salt-Black Tree is the second book in the duology, so really, don't read it as a standalone. It 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 listen to the second book. Having both read and listened to her storytelling 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.

Barrie Kreinik is such a fantastic narrator and really makes The Salt-Black Tree shine. Her narration is so good that you can listen to her at any speed and really enjoy her voice acting. She will lead your imagination into this fictional world and cause you to loose track of time with her ability to bring the story to life.

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!

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.

This was conclusion to the Dead God’s Heart duology and it definitely wrapped the overall plot up nicely. Almost too nicely? I felt like the first book actually gave her challenges to overcome and a riddle to solve and this one just handed out answers to her and then the whole plot was resolved by others. It felt like she was just a passenger of her own story which given her character development of coming into her godliness and standing up for herself just seemed off.
The characters and settings were vivid and unique and so well curated from various cultures and myths. And the pacing was perfect throughout the entire story.
I was also a bit disappointed that there wasn’t something a bit more between Dima and Nat. Not a full blown romance or anything, but even some tense moments would have been amazing.

This was a quick and engaging read that has an easygoing storytelling style. A new form of American folklore is being created in a melting pot fashion. The diversity of the deities makes this a fun read that falls outside of the usual scope of Modern retellings of “X” country’s folklore. This is book two in the Dead God’s Heart duology and the book literally takes off where the first one ended, so I hope you have read Spring’s Arcana first. This is a continuation of the traditional quest trope, and we find our hero, Nat Drozdova, still on a quest to save her mother’s life. She travels the backroads of the United States for the last remaining pieces of the puzzle and makes a few friends along the way. While on her journey she discovers the hidden strength that lies within her and learns that she doesn’t have to go it alone. The talking cats were THE highlight for me, and I wish there were more of them.

received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I found the origin of the divinity (think deities) within to be convoluted... the one that made the most sense to me was Baba-- I feel as though they were loosely based upon Baba Yaga. I can't imagine feeling a sense of duty so strong to people who've hurt you that you ignore their transgressions towards you. I found Nat and Marisol to be pleasant if not the most interesting characters... Baby was the most interesting. They're maybe should have been a little more fleshing out of Nat prior to introducing her family and "special" conundrum. If there were to be a sequel or prequel, I would be willing to read it and then re-read this so that I ensure that I'm clear on all characters and their trajectories.
#NetGalley #LilithSaintcrow #bookreview #freebook #suspense #mystical #familyties

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. A bonus for the listener is the very talented Barrie Kreinik is narrating the action!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*