I'll admit, despite obviously knowing the author, and having read all (most?) of her books, this was a cover request more than anything else. And, second admission, even though that opening line of the synopsis sounded delicious, I didn't expect to love (or like..) this considering the last few reads have been (in my opinion) middling at best.

But actually.. it was; delicious, I mean. Also, fun? Complex? The perfect amount of emo? Interesting AF? I had such a good time with this and I'm so mad it's not a full length story or a series except it felt perfectly paced, and just the right amount of plot and character work, that I'm also not mad about it. Not at all.

This is a fantasy surrounding Slavic lore built onto our world with creatures and the Knights who hunt them to protect the unaware humans around them and, even more than that, the choices we make and how we choose to define ourselves. And.. that's all I'm going to say. Mostly because anything more would ruin the fun and you should absolutely experience it for yourself.

Also, in hindsight, I love the cover even more the title is just perfection.

This adult fantasy novella is a quick read, but packed with unique world-building and plot. Set in a version of Chicago that is populated with folkloric monsters and Baba Jaga, there are enough twists and turns to make the story feel complex and fulfilling despite the book's small size. I wished the book was a little longer, with a little more time spent building up the characters, but as it is, its an excellent novella. Also, the cover art is drop-dead gorgeous.

This is a great recommendation for those who enjoyed Roth's YA books and are looking for a more sophisticated, adult fantasy. I can also see people who aren't usually into fantasy get sucked in by the cover and the accessible size. I feel like fantasy as a genre can be daunting for people to get into since books can often be overwhelmingly long, so as a librarian I know I will be using this as a recommendation for those looking to give it a try, or satisfy a reading challenge, but aren't sold on attempting massive tome.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an advanced reading copy of this book. The opinions in this review are all my own.

I went in with no expectations cause I haven't read anything from Roth except the Divergent trilogy years ago, and I was blown away!
This is a short novella steeped in myths and creatures and it was amazing! A couple of secrets to learn along the way and a few surprises I didn't really see coming. This was a very fun quick read. I want to see more from these characters!

I think Veronica Roth is one of the more interesting and exciting genre writers out there. It feels like she's untethered from any expectation at this point; she plays around with concepts and voice in very interesting ways.

I really enjoyed Arch-Conspirator last year, a Greek myth retelling set in a dystopian futuristic society told in a fablesque voice. It was beautiful and tragic and felt like something new. Because of that, I requested an ARC for WHEN AMONG CROWS. I went into this book with few expectations - I admit I'd barely read the jacket cover.

This is a contemporary fantasy set in Chicago where supernatural beings of old stories walk among us and Baba Yaga owns a rundown theater. It's got AMERICAN GODS and THE MATRIX vibes with the delicacy and beauty of a Naomi Novik novel. That's the best I can describe it.

It's a novella, so it's short, but it's rich and complex, and the three main characters are real enough that you want to pick up the phone and text them, "You okay?" It also plays with diaspora in a supernatural context (e.g. How do you if you're supernatural but raised apart from the culture of your people? Probably not unlike how it feels to be part of a diaspora). I felt like I ordered chocolate cake and was delivered a flourless chocolate torte with raspberry sorbet and a little mint leaf on top.

Delicious.

A short book done well, packed with adventure and magic that felt both urban and rich in folklore. The stunning cover drew me in, but the story itself held my attention until the very end. A must read for anyone who still looks for magic in an ordinary world.

What a magical little book this was!

This story is set in a modern-day Chicago, and follows Dymitr, a Knight of The Holy Order. The Holy Order is an organization that operates in the shadows, hunting various non-humans that exist amongst humans, such as zmora, strzyga, banshee, etc, and they are hated and feared amongst said non-human beings. Did I mention that The Holy Order arm themselves with swords that are technically half of their souls, that they keep nestled in their spine? Yes, in their literal spine. They have to pull their swords out of their literal flesh each time they use it.

*We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword.*

ANYWAYS, Dymitr has gone off on his own telling his family that he was off to track down Baba Jaga, the most powerful witch in existence, but is that really what he’s planning? The mystery unfolds as he strikes a bargain with Ala, a zmora who is plagued by a curse of violent visions. The two pair up with the understanding that Dymitr will provide her with a magical flower rumored to cure such curses, and Ala will help lead him to Baba Jaga. He gives no other context, and certainly doesn’t let her know that he is part of The Holy Order. But time is running out, as they only have 24 hours before the flower loses it’s magic. Perhaps they pick up a handsome, charming, dangerous strzygoń along the way named Niko hehe. These three make their way through the city to find Baba Jaga, encountering all sorts of magical roadblocks along the way.

I really enjoyed this book, it was lush and riddled with Slavic Folklore which was so interesting and vivid. The plot itself was so unique, I feel like it’s a shame that the book was so short, and confined to a novella timeline :( I mean I really REALLY wish that this was a full-length novel so that we could have gotten deeper into each character, and gotten to see some more of the world-building and magic systems. I think that some novellas definitely feel complete even in their short length, but I don't know for certain that this would fall into that category. I just think that a story with this many moving parts would have benefitted from being a a bit longer and more fleshed out. I wanted more!! The only other tiny criticism I would have that kept this from being 5 stars, along with the length, was that I did find the prose to be a bit hard to digest at times. It was definitely beautiful, but after a while I realized that it might not be my favorite lol. BUT with all that being said, I did thoroughly enjoy it, and would definitely recommend to a friend!

Thank you so much to Tor Books for sending me an ARC !

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an advanced readers e-book in exchange for an honest review.

"When among crows, you must caw as one."

1. For a novella, the amount of detail in this book was incredible but still easily digestible
2. The lore written into this story was so great.
3. The cover is STUNNING

A beautifully written novella by Veronica Roth. When Among Crows brings you to Chicago where demons and other lore live and walk among humans. Dymitr, an ordinary human, strikes up a bargain with Ala- if she helps him get to Baba Yaga, he'll help cure her. And thus, adventure ensues. For any mythology, fantasy, and folklore lovers, this is a perfect read.

As a long time Veronica Roth fan, I was thrilled to receive a copy of "When Among Crows". Fans and new readers alike will love this book.

This is a beatifully wrought fairy tale steeped in Slavic myth. I didn't know what to expect but
I was immediately transported to this new world. Set in the United States, the humans walk among the demons and other lore. Dymitr, a virtually unknown human has asked Ala for help - a bargain even.

The two step forth into a brilliant adventure. I would love to read more from this world - Roth is a superstart!If you love fantasy, myths and mythos, this is a book for you! #tor #whenamongcrows #veronicaroth

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a fun little read! I was really interested to see something new from this author, especially in adult fantasy, and it didn't disappoint. The only thing I wished for was for it to be longer! Who knows, maybe it's a taste of things to come, but I'd be interested in following the characters in a full novel.

I picked up "When Among Crows" based on the lovely cover art and the intriguing description. The story that I found was beyond what I expected. It was refreshingly original with a beautiful prose that pulled me in and filled my mind with dark and whimsical imagery. I love a good urban fantasy and this book had just the right amount of fantastical realism that it immediately felt natural to imagine our world full of creatures beyond our understanding. I come from Polish heritage so I especially loved an original take on creatures above and beyond the typical Celtic-based fae. This is a book I will absolutely stock in our store and can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy to share. I also intend to feature this title as an option in my Fantasy Book Club that I run from the small indie bookstore I manage.

When Among Crows was an interesting novella that centered around an Eastern European Fantasy world in Chicago. While this fast paced novella keeps a tight plot line that feels fully flushed out, I did not feel it resonated with me. I wanted more from this story. With it being a novella you are thrown into the world but I felt like there were so many elements that I found myself questioning without the world building you would see in an established world for a traditional book.

Definitely read this a bit too fast which may have taken away from my enjoyment a little bit, so overall an okay read. I really liked the concept, especially the *sword is made from your body and it costs you to use it* concept, that absolutely rules, but the fact that I entirely missed what the plot was about until I reread the blurb was disappointing. I also didn't connect with the characters a whole lot, and part of that is due to the short length of the novella, but I have read work just as short that hooked me more. I thought the writing was good, but not super engaging. I did appreciate the gay parts, which I wasn't expecting. Extra points for that.

2.5/5 stars

I loved the Divergent series. For whatever reason, I did NOT like this. It felt .... rushed? I dont know, but I coudln't get through it. I read about a quarter of it, enough to know some of our customers that will love it, but it wasn't for me sadly.

I find novellas to be a bit of a hit or miss, and the last few books I read from Veronica definitely didn't hit with me personally, but this book blew me away and really had me in awe of how well and improved the writing became from other novellas she's written.

This book has fantasy, it has incredible world building in the length that it was, and it really made me feel like I was there, in the world exploring these things alongside the characters. This book was truly fascinating and Veronica blew me away with When Among Crows!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The writing was beautiful, of course, but the world building was slightly thin and, when all was said and done, I was left feeling like I missed something.

I will admit I have not read any Veronica Roth books before! I know she became extremely famous for her well received Divergent series so I was excited to experience her writing. This absolutely blew me away 🤯!! This isn’t her post-apocalyptic dystopian style of writing. Instead, she dove into a fantasy world full of mythological creatures.

Aside from The Witcher, I am not too familiar with Slavic mythology. I did have to do some quick googling whenever a creature was mentioned but that didn’t take away from my experience. If anything, I loved it more for showing me this world! This was a fully fleshed out story with amazing characters written at novella length. I wish it was longer! Not because it’s missing anything but because I greedily want more of it. 🤩

When Among Crows was so beautifully written. She has me hooked and I will be impatiently waiting to see if she continues in this fantasy direction. It felt super unique and super well written… fingers crossed she does! 🤞🏼🤞🏼

👉🏼 This is an easy 5 star must read for all fantasy lovers!

The writing does some cool things. I stopped after chapter 2 (17%) but I see this going over well with the target, easy three stars and four to five for the right readers. It's well-written and the voice is strong.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

I really tried to enjoy this book, I was so excited about the premise, and the description was so promising. However, this books writing style and storytelling felt far too all over the place and disconnected. It was hard to keep up with the storyline and which characters were doing what. I had to do a lot of googling things to figure out what was going on but i finally dnfed the book around 40%. I just wasn't enjoying it anymore. Thank you for the opportunity to read this though!

Whispers* This was my first Veronica Roth novel.
I loved this… I think this was more of a character and world-building novel with some plot. I was very impressed with this story. I hope my fantasy lovers pick this up on release day. May 14, 2024. Thanks, Tor, for the E-ARC review.