by a cat

This article is about high magic and high-rises! That’s right: We’ve got the comfortable amenities and coldness of modernity mingling with the evocative mystique of legend, right here. Read on to see how Baba Yaga’s getting on in the present age! 

opens in a new window opens in a new window opens in a new windowThe Dead God’s Heart Duology by Lilith Saintcrow

In her new duology, Lilith Saintcrow introduces us to a wide and dangerous America full of terror, wonder, and hungry divinities that would love to eat Nat Drozdova. Of course, Nat can’t let that happen because A) sounds like a rough way to go, and B) she has a mission to complete. 

In Baba Yaga’s imposing and cold skyscraper office, the old witch made Nat a deal: If she returns to Baba Yaga a lost relic of great power, her mother will be delivered from the illness that threatens her life. 

This duology opens with Spring’s Arcana and explosively concludes in The Salt-Black Tree, so you can read the whole story back-to-back right now. The wilderness that belongs to the old gods and the new is waiting. 

opens in a new window opens in a new windowOne for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

Olivie Blake takes us to the bright lights and long shadows of Manhattan in One for My Enemy: a modern retelling of Romeo & Juliet where dynasties of cunning witches hold the wealth and power. 

The daughters of underground alchemist and poison-purveyor Baba Yaga are faced with the sons of Manhattan’s shadow-kingpin, Koschei the Deathless. All will have to choose where they stand, and decide they want bad enough to lose everything else. 

opens in a new window opens in a new windowEbony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle

Admittedly, the Baba Yaga connection with this thrilling urban fantasy is a bit stretched, but when you’re searching for information about adaptations of Baba Yaga online, a prominent result is the following: “Why is John Wick called Baba Yaga?” 

This is a fair question, but not one this article is going to answer. Instead, we’re going to talk about Ebony Gate, a contemporary fantasy set in San Francisco’s Chinatown that’s got the vibes of John Wick, but with dragon magic. 

opens in a new window opens in a new windowWhen Among Crows by Veronica Roth

The release date for this new novella from Veronica Roth is a fair while away, but we’d be so wrong not to include it on this list. When Among Crows is a contemporary fantasy where the various entities of Slavic folklore have come to settle in modern Chicago. It’s a story about the families we make, and the families we destroy. 

On Sale 5/14/24