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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
This book hooked me with the "American Gods meets Baba Yaga" description. It did not disappoint. Technically it begins in Manhattan in the weeks before Christmas. That's where the holiday connection lapses. Good vibrant character building; Russian mythos; easter egg appearances of literary figures including Jay Gatsby; a cross-country road trip quest one step ahead of hungry beings that want to devour her. Wildly imaginative. A fun thrill ride, adventure.
1.5/5 stars - I could not get into this book. I was drawn by the idea of a retelling of the Baba Yaga tale and Russian folklore, but it fell flat for me when 25% in I still couldn't grasp a thread of forward moving trajectory -- I was bored! There are wisps of Marina Dyachenko, but the book and story never connected or took off for me.
Having loved American Gods and having a slight recent obsession with folklore retellings, I was excited to read this promised mash up by Lilith Saintcrow. However, I was completely disappointed in the storyline, the characters, and the overall structure of the novel.
What I can only assume was meant to be a homage to American Gods ended up being an almost blatant rip off. Nat is the unknowing daughter of a Russian divinity of Spring and must make her way across the US in search of an object that will cure her ailing mother. Along the way, she meets a host of other divine and literary (?) figures.
Over-written, the author describes every object in abject detail, however the characters and the plot itself are left devoid of any meaning. The author assumes you know Russian folklore and other literary figures and fails to give any background beyond “winter, spring, and horsethief”. Even as a fan of the folklore, I was left confused.
Nat waffles between being downright idiotic in her responses to the divine events and entities she has been newly introduced to and acting nonchalant like it’s just another day in the neighborhood. There is zero consistency and it drove me mad throughout the novel and honestly, I did not care if she got eaten or not. The villains in the book, Baba Yaga and her henchman, Dimi appear to be all bluster and possessing weak bluster at that.
Plot line wise, even for an urban fantasy with plenty of magical realism, the events of the book seemed completely implausible. Nothing was explained and therefore the magic and world building made zero sense. When characters asked for said explanation, the response was either, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”, “You’re mother didn’t tell you?”, or “You’ll find out later.” Only, we never find out later, but get plenty of descriptions of Dimi’s shining boot-toes. Why the obsession with boot-toes? Also, the book simply ends with very little being resolved and answers, perhaps, promised in a second installment.
Maybe it is just me and someone else who has not read similar works will find enjoyment out of the over abundant use of adjectives and lack of complex characterizations,
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
What I can only assume was meant to be a homage to American Gods ended up being an almost blatant rip off. Nat is the unknowing daughter of a Russian divinity of Spring and must make her way across the US in search of an object that will cure her ailing mother. Along the way, she meets a host of other divine and literary (?) figures.
Over-written, the author describes every object in abject detail, however the characters and the plot itself are left devoid of any meaning. The author assumes you know Russian folklore and other literary figures and fails to give any background beyond “winter, spring, and horsethief”. Even as a fan of the folklore, I was left confused.
Nat waffles between being downright idiotic in her responses to the divine events and entities she has been newly introduced to and acting nonchalant like it’s just another day in the neighborhood. There is zero consistency and it drove me mad throughout the novel and honestly, I did not care if she got eaten or not. The villains in the book, Baba Yaga and her henchman, Dimi appear to be all bluster and possessing weak bluster at that.
Plot line wise, even for an urban fantasy with plenty of magical realism, the events of the book seemed completely implausible. Nothing was explained and therefore the magic and world building made zero sense. When characters asked for said explanation, the response was either, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”, “You’re mother didn’t tell you?”, or “You’ll find out later.” Only, we never find out later, but get plenty of descriptions of Dimi’s shining boot-toes. Why the obsession with boot-toes? Also, the book simply ends with very little being resolved and answers, perhaps, promised in a second installment.
Maybe it is just me and someone else who has not read similar works will find enjoyment out of the over abundant use of adjectives and lack of complex characterizations,
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
So. "Spring's Arcana" by @lilithsaintcrow.
Nat Drozdova visits an old woman at the behest of her dying mother - and learns that the old woman is Baba Yaga and both her mother and, increasingly, herself are "divinities", in this case, personifications of spring. Baba wants her to retrieve a heart her mother has stolen, implying that she'll help her get better if Nat does her bidding.
So Nat goes on a quest, and a road trip from New York to South Dakota.
Her driver, Dmitri, is the thief and mobster archetype in a Slavic immigrant incarnation, and Nat learns that there are many divinities in America: gods that migrants brought, native gods, literary figures, and personified archetypes. Most of them are out to get her, though, and she's coming to terms with the fact that her mother hated her and lied to her.
If I had to describe "Spring's Arcana" in one word, it would probably be "bleak". Bleak like winter.
It's set in winter, but warmth is scarce in other senses too: there's very little security for Nat, very little affection; Vodka is almost the only warming thing; there's scarcely a filling meal described, only drink and smoke.
And this bleakness, this sense of Nat being utterly lost, was almost too much for me at times. She asserts herself some, but mostly seems lost between her urge to be a good little girl and the confusion of getting to know a new world.
This world and its magic is nicely built; I especially liked the fact that there are divinities based on modern archetypes, like the sexy nurse or the Irish cop.
As @Princejvstin's review* notes, Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" is an obvious book to compare it to: old and new gods and a road trip in America! But tone and mood are different enough to make it a worthwhile companion instead of a bad copy.
If you like bleak and scary.
*http://www.nerds-feather.com/2023/10/microreview-springs-arcana-by-lilith.html
Nat Drozdova visits an old woman at the behest of her dying mother - and learns that the old woman is Baba Yaga and both her mother and, increasingly, herself are "divinities", in this case, personifications of spring. Baba wants her to retrieve a heart her mother has stolen, implying that she'll help her get better if Nat does her bidding.
So Nat goes on a quest, and a road trip from New York to South Dakota.
Her driver, Dmitri, is the thief and mobster archetype in a Slavic immigrant incarnation, and Nat learns that there are many divinities in America: gods that migrants brought, native gods, literary figures, and personified archetypes. Most of them are out to get her, though, and she's coming to terms with the fact that her mother hated her and lied to her.
If I had to describe "Spring's Arcana" in one word, it would probably be "bleak". Bleak like winter.
It's set in winter, but warmth is scarce in other senses too: there's very little security for Nat, very little affection; Vodka is almost the only warming thing; there's scarcely a filling meal described, only drink and smoke.
And this bleakness, this sense of Nat being utterly lost, was almost too much for me at times. She asserts herself some, but mostly seems lost between her urge to be a good little girl and the confusion of getting to know a new world.
This world and its magic is nicely built; I especially liked the fact that there are divinities based on modern archetypes, like the sexy nurse or the Irish cop.
As @Princejvstin's review* notes, Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" is an obvious book to compare it to: old and new gods and a road trip in America! But tone and mood are different enough to make it a worthwhile companion instead of a bad copy.
If you like bleak and scary.
*http://www.nerds-feather.com/2023/10/microreview-springs-arcana-by-lilith.html
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a VERY slow burn. I was about 50% through before anything substantial happens. The protagonist doesn't have much agency and barely says anything or gets told what's happening for the first almost 60% of the book. By that point I'd started to get a sense of things, but by that point I'd kind of stopped caring. By about 65-70% through I'd gotten invested enough to finish it, but I never got the drive to read the sequel, even as it became obvious the book was going to end smack in the middle of the story.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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.
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.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced