Book Review: "Springs Arcana" by Lilith Saintcrow

 

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. - from Netgalley.com

This ARC was given at no cost from Netgalley.com and I am providing an unbiased opinion.

I have read Saintcrow's work before (Dante Valentine series) and have enjoyed her writing style. I was happy to see her coming out with a new series. As it states above, this does feel like American Gods vs Baba Yaga, who is in fact a major character in the story. But it mostly centers around Nat, who appears to be the offspring of the 'Spring' persona of the Baba Yaga myth/lore. Of course, she has no ideas of what power she has, or will have, or how things go in the "magic realm" that she has never been exposed to until now. Add in the death-sick mother (whom the MC loves) that sends her on a mission to recover something stolen.... Yeah. Gets pretty interesting.

Definitely a good start for a new series, with a different accounting of the Baba Yaga legend in a modern day setting. I don't foresee any romance happening in the series, but who really knows aside from the author. I have a few ideas of what may happen in the next book, and will anxiously await the next in this series.

Book Review: "Red Cloaked Huntress" by Erika Harken

 

A wolf, a destiny, and no turning back…

A mysterious black wolf haunts the forest of Crimlas, stripping the woodland of its beauty and preventing the people of Rothum from harvesting the Mirimae flower—a rare and powerful medicinal plant they have relied on for centuries.

Despite all efforts to kill or rid of the Black Wolf, its decade-long reign persists, as those who set out to hunt it never return home…

Eighteen-year-old Loraline has lived in the devastation of the wolf’s presence since childhood, watching the sick and wounded die needlessly without the Mirimae flower. A month before her wedding, her own grandmother falls gravely ill, and Loraline knows she cannot withstand the plague of the Black Wolf any longer.

Donning her blood-red cloak, the brave young woman sets out in the heart of winter to discover the Black Wolf’s origin, as well as the weakness that will bring its destruction once and for all. - from Booksirens.com

This ARC was provided through Booksirens.com at no cost and I am providing an unbiased review.

This is a novella from this author, that caught my eye due to the cover art. Add to it the plot description and that it is a fairytale re-telling piqued my interest. It is rather shorter than I would have liked, but is well-written. Obvuiously, there is a 'red riding hood' and a big, black wolf, but from there, this re-telling just has the right kind of twists in the story that surprised me. I was a bit disappointed that there was not more "filling" of the story, but it is a novella. I would very much like to see similar retellings of other tales by this author.

Book Review: "Pearl Sky" by Elizabeth Hunter

 

It was a friendly visit until a priceless artifact was stolen. Now Ben and Tenzin are up to their necks in secrets that can kill.

It’s not just any holiday season in the immortal world. Elder Zhang’s oldest servant is reaching the century mark and Ben and Tenzin are ready to celebrate, but no sooner do they land on Penglai Island than a mystery falls in their path. A valuable seal has gone missing, and the artifact was a gift from an ancient vampire who just happens to be heading to Penglai for a long-overdue formal visit.

The Elders of Penglai may have asked Ben and Tenzin’s assistance to find the lost treasure, but that doesn’t mean that eight ancient vampires, their immortal children, and all the humans who serve them will suddenly become open books. Penglai Island is secret for a reason, and the heart of that reason may just reveal the motive behind the theft.

PEARL SKY is a brand new Elemental Legacy story by Elizabeth Hunter, ten-time USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental Mysteries, the Irin Chronicles, and other works of fiction. - from Netgalley.com 

This ARC was provided to me by Netgalley.com and I am providing an unbiased review.

This is the eighth book in the Elemental Legacy series by this author, who also has other series that are related to the same world as set in this novel. In this particular part of the series, it find Ben and Tenzin returning to their 'creator' 's island for a celebration, only to be asked to help solve the theft of a valuable (and possibly political) seal. As recoverers of lost/stolen artifacts, this is, of course, right in the skill set of these two characters.

Seeing the relationship between Ben and Tenzin grow in the stories has been satisfying. It isn't like instant and true love at first sight. With Ben being a new creature of the night, and matched to Tenzin's hundreds (thousands?) of years as one, makes this relationship very interesting. Add in the mental quirks and old habits, it helps provide a good side distraction to the actual story line - though I guess this would be part of that as well. I have enjoyed this series from book one, and have been trying to get up to date on the side stories of the other series, many of which have interesting information on the side characters of this series line.

Hunter is a wonderful writer, and the ease of reading her novels are one of the many things I enjoy. The 'sexual' sections of stories are not written in the style of a letter to a porn magazine, and I feel the story is realistic (as far as vampires anyways). I would recommend to any adult reader.