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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The blurb cites AMERICAN GODS and this is unfortunately an inferior AG ripoff. Nat Drozdova, who is new to the idea that she is an unusual/supernatural person, is sent on a quest to save the life of her mother with the questionable help of the god of thieves. Except they don't start out on their quest until halfway through the book. And then Nat is just sort of shunted along like baggage, too meek to ask any questions. She gathers quest objects but the reader doesn't know what they're for, so it's not exactly engaging. The book ends approximately halfway through the quest, which is annoying.
Notably, this author is embarrassingly profligate in her use of compound adjectives.
The various kinds of divinities in this book's pantheon include gods of various cultures, creatures of myth and legend, archetypes, and...literary characters? Jay Gatsby and Daisy feature in a crucifixion scene that made no sense to me.
This first book was available through kindle unlimited, but the concluding book is not, and I'm not about to pay $12.99 to find out how this ends.
Notably, this author is embarrassingly profligate in her use of compound adjectives.
The various kinds of divinities in this book's pantheon include gods of various cultures, creatures of myth and legend, archetypes, and...literary characters? Jay Gatsby and Daisy feature in a crucifixion scene that made no sense to me.
This first book was available through kindle unlimited, but the concluding book is not, and I'm not about to pay $12.99 to find out how this ends.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fun read. I particularly enjoyed the prose. The writing is absolutely beautiful and more than once I found myself rereading a sentence for the pure joy of it. I hope the next in the duology is just as good.
Normally Russian folklore is not my area of interest but the writing in this book was really cinematic and had me in its clutches quickly. I love a contemporary fantasy and a roadtrip novel and this also had extreme weather in it as well which just hits all my buttons! I’ll be looking out for book two.
DNF, so note that the following is based on only the first ~20% of the story.
First, the good: the prose here is lovely, full of the sort of small details that fill out a world. That world feels lived in and specific, and I really believed that it was something that Saintcrow was just describing, rather than inventing wholecloth.
However, there are a few tropes that the book took part in that just weren't for me. I really dislike the dramatic irony that happens when a character disbelieves elements of their past: we the audience know that our narrator's magic-adjacent childhood experiences are a sign that they are themselves magical, and it's an absolute drag when they don't come to the same conclusion. I can totally get behind a reluctant protagonist, but generally I like that protagonist to be reluctant because they're actively pursuing something else, not just because they don't want to do anything. Finally, in a world that is meant to be our own, I don't believe that a protagonist of Russian heritage would not know who Baba Yaga is.
First, the good: the prose here is lovely, full of the sort of small details that fill out a world. That world feels lived in and specific, and I really believed that it was something that Saintcrow was just describing, rather than inventing wholecloth.
However, there are a few tropes that the book took part in that just weren't for me. I really dislike the dramatic irony that happens when a character disbelieves elements of their past: we the audience know that our narrator's magic-adjacent childhood experiences are a sign that they are themselves magical, and it's an absolute drag when they don't come to the same conclusion. I can totally get behind a reluctant protagonist, but generally I like that protagonist to be reluctant because they're actively pursuing something else, not just because they don't want to do anything. Finally, in a world that is meant to be our own, I don't believe that a protagonist of Russian heritage would not know who Baba Yaga is.
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the idea of this world well enough, but some of the details weren’t really explained (like how Maria and Dima were forced over), the story was a bit darker than I really enjoy, and I am deeply suspicious that Dima will be a love interest. The characters were so so - I liked Ranger and Nat, Dima had his occasional moments, but I didn’t really love any of them.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you Tor/Forge for approving me for Spring’s Arcana! I actually requested this book because I took their Booksona quiz and Spring’s Arcana was my result! At first, I was a little wary of the wordiness mixed with so many metaphors. One paragraph was entirely a run-on sentence, which I’m not opposed to if it’s a good sentence, but it was all description, so it was kind of a lot. The other aspect that was kind of a hump to get over when beginning this book was the immersive worldbuilding with little to no exposition. At about the halfway mark, I began to catch on to a lot of what tended to go over my head and finally connected the pieces. After that, I ended up really enjoying this book, and ironically the immersive worldbuilding won me over as a favorite aspect. I give it 4 stars and will impatiently await the sequel because this cliffhanger was brutal!
Book Summary:
Nat Drozdova's mother is dying. She has cancer, and the doctors say there is little they can do. Yet Nat's mother is convinced that her cure lies at the top of a skyscraper in Manhattan. So that is where Nat is going.
As it turns out, the cure isn't a thing. It's a goddess; one is both hungry and powerful. Will Nat take her offered deal, or will she give up the hope that may save her mother?
My Review:
When I started Spring's Arcana, I was unaware that it would be the first in a series (Dead God's Heart). That said, I'm thrilled that this is far from the end of this story! A modern-day Baba Yaga tale is exactly what I was looking for – and I got that, plus so much more.
In truth, Spring's Arcana reminded me of several different stories, all taking a new form. There's the obvious – but there are other tales too. It had a bit of an American Gods aesthetic, and elements of the story felt like Seanan McGuire's Ghost Roads world (though this was probably largely due to the road element, duh). I enjoyed seeing these elements combine into something new and interesting.
Plus, there's the whole desperate protagonist plot. Nat is desperate to save her mother, even if that means dealing with a god with nothing but a whim and a wish. We all know how dangerous that is – and it helped to add a darker undertone to this read.
Long story short, Spring's Arcana was a fantastic read, and I legit can't wait to see what happens next.
Highlights:
Urban Fantasy Meets Baba Yaga
Fight to Save a Life
Trigger Warnings:
Cancer
Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
Nat Drozdova's mother is dying. She has cancer, and the doctors say there is little they can do. Yet Nat's mother is convinced that her cure lies at the top of a skyscraper in Manhattan. So that is where Nat is going.
As it turns out, the cure isn't a thing. It's a goddess; one is both hungry and powerful. Will Nat take her offered deal, or will she give up the hope that may save her mother?
My Review:
When I started Spring's Arcana, I was unaware that it would be the first in a series (Dead God's Heart). That said, I'm thrilled that this is far from the end of this story! A modern-day Baba Yaga tale is exactly what I was looking for – and I got that, plus so much more.
In truth, Spring's Arcana reminded me of several different stories, all taking a new form. There's the obvious – but there are other tales too. It had a bit of an American Gods aesthetic, and elements of the story felt like Seanan McGuire's Ghost Roads world (though this was probably largely due to the road element, duh). I enjoyed seeing these elements combine into something new and interesting.
Plus, there's the whole desperate protagonist plot. Nat is desperate to save her mother, even if that means dealing with a god with nothing but a whim and a wish. We all know how dangerous that is – and it helped to add a darker undertone to this read.
Long story short, Spring's Arcana was a fantastic read, and I legit can't wait to see what happens next.
Highlights:
Urban Fantasy Meets Baba Yaga
Fight to Save a Life
Trigger Warnings:
Cancer
Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy