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).
Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.
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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.
From the Publisher
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.
Review: Spring's Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow
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 by Lilith Saintcrow is available from Tor Books on May 2nd, 2023.
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