Really enjoyed this one, and a fun departure for Veronica Roth! I loved the mix of Polish mythology with modern day Chicago. This wold felt a lot bigger, so my only note is that I wish this had been longer!

I started this novella a little confused through the first 2 chapters, but by the end of the book I wanted more! This could be a whole series and I would read it all. Once I finished, I ended up going back to the beginning to reread chapters 1 and 2 and it made so much more sense.

We follow Dymitr on his quest to find Baba Jaga to ask a favor, and on the way we meet different monsters/creatures who look as humans, but have different powers and feed on emotions.

Dymitr develops an unlikely friendship with a Zmora named Ala, and a Strzyga named Niko.

The story definitely picked up for me after the trio get together and start their adventure to find Baba Jaga. There is no indication that there will be a series, but I hope so because I love the friendship that grew out of this trip!

I may have just not realized what Dymitr was at the beginning of the book, but the revelation of Dymitrs identity to his friends isn’t discovered until 75% through the book, but it’s in the synopsis on Goodreads so that was very weird to have such a big discovery, only to have already known it.

This was such a short read I found myself wanting more because I loved the story! But at the same time, it’s nice to have a novella that’s quick and to the point.

When Among Crows is a dark urban fantasy. I liked the concept of the story but the pacing felt too fast and there were times I had to reference back pages, the story just didn’t flow well. While I was unable to get emotionally connected to the characters, I liked the idea of the characters the author was attempting to develop. I know this is meant to be a shorter story but with more world building and character development, this story would have been much better.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a short story that takes place in an alternate Chicago where species like vampires, wraiths, and banshees reside. This story is told from 3 different POVs all working together to find Baba Yaga.

I loved each of the main characters - I felt like they were fleshed out enough for a short story and built fairly strong connections over such a short time. There were a couple of great action/fight scenes that gave us insight into each of these characters. There is also a romantic subplot which I would have enjoyed more of.

My only real complaint is that I wished it was longer - I would love to see more with these characters, especially after the ending and where it leaves everyone. Hopefully there will be a When Among Crows Again or something along those lines so we can see more of these characters

I unfortunately had to dnf this :( I wanted to get into this i just struggled trying to connect to the characters.

I feel like I say this every time I review a Veronica Roth book, but I’m continuously surprised by the trajectory I’ve taken with regards to reading her books. I was not a fan of “Divergent,” to the point that I didn’t even finish the trilogy. And then I completely skipped her next few books before picking up “Chosen Ones” and finding that I absolutely loved it! Since then, I’ve read several books by her and really enjoyed them all! So now, here we are: an author who originally wrote a trilogy I couldn’t even finish is now a “must read” writer for me, someone whose new books are immediately prioritized on my TBR list. Strange how these things work!

Beyond the fact that I enjoy Roth as a writer now, this novella would always appeal to me. I enjoy this sort of urban fantasy that pulls together lesser known fantasy beings and re-figures them into a current environment. On top of that, Baba Yaga is always a winning factor! And all of this lived up perfectly to my expectations! What added to the already interesting fantasy beings was the way their societies and abilities were woven into the setting of Chicago. This was one of those books where a sense of place was visceral and really added to the overall experience. I’ve only been to Chicago a handful of times, but the descriptions of the various neighborhoods and locations of the city really added to the overall feel of the story.

As for the magical beings, I really enjoyed the main three that we experienced, all who fed off of various human emotions: sadness, anger, and fear. The creativity that went into imaging how these types of beings would exist alongside humans in a seamless manner was incredible, and I enjoyed the slow exploration of how this little underworld and society existed alongside the bustling human city. On top of this, we have the monster hunters with their own horrific magic. This was all helped by focusing the story on our three main characters, all three of whom come from various parts of this world and can give us new insights as the story progresses. They also have burgeoning connections that are built and revealed between them.

I also really enjoyed the themes of pain, regret, and how we live with the choices we’ve made. For such a short book, this story really packs a wallop with the depths with which it explores some of these darker themes. We see this exploration come with the balance struck between pain and power, as well as pain as penitence. Between these deeper topics, the excellent world-building, and the incredibly complex and sympathetic characters, this book is a case study in how much a skilled writer can do, even with a very short page count.

On one hand, this book feels like a perfectly packaged story, complete with all of the elements one looks for in a full-length novel. So, of course, I don’t want unnecessarily added pages just to make it longer. But on the other hand, man, I wish we could explore this world and characters more! Perhaps, if we’re very lucky, we’ll get another book in this world. But as it stands, I definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a new take on what the urban fantasy genre can offer!

Rating 9: Fantastic! With a rich setting and sympathetic characters, Roth proves just how much fantasy world-building you can do even with a short page count!

(Link will go live May 8 on The Library Ladies blog)

This was so great.
Fantastic world building- various kinds of monsters that feed on different human emotions, witches, curses, knights that split their souls to make their swords to fight these, and more, monsters. I truly enjoyed this book. It's a really quick read at only 176 pages. I would return to this world and these characters in a heart beat.

I really wish that more authors would write books like this for their YA audience. This book was short, engaging, and super different and interesting. It had me turning pages very quickly, and I know that students who don’t want to read a 400 page book would LOVE book. Set in a very different Chicago than the one we know we meet a variety of characters who are not quite human but populate the human world feeding themselves on our emotions. Dymitr, Ala and Niko come together each with a secret and a trauma to reach a common goal that involves finding Baba Jaga and asking for a favor, one that could cost their lives. What an interesting world the author has created full of a “Holy order” punishing those they see as different and creations of the world we can’t see with the naked eye fighting for survival. I have loved everything this author write but this really struck me as particularly good!

I had a wonderful time reading Roth's upcoming novella When Among Crows. This was a great blend of fantasy and folklore, set against the backdrop of modern day Chicago, with memorable dark/atmospheric moments that kept the story engaging. I appreciate the opportunity to read When Among Crows early, and my full review can be found on my TikTok account.

I'm a big Veronica Roth fan, so I was intrigued by the prospect of a novella from her--and I was NOT disappointed. From the jump, this story is fast paced and moves effortlessly, clearly reaping the benefits of Roth's beautiful writing style.

The dual POVs was a good take for this and while I couldn't have picked out the Slavik folklore on my own, knowing it was there made it easier to find those elements and understand how they played into the story. The characters were flawed, but likeable. There was a depth to them, the Chicago settings, and to the plot itself that (again) really are impressive for such a short work.

Loved the action, the romance, the sci-fi, the fantasy...and I think this would be an enjoyable pick for any reader, adult or YA.

Overall: 4 stars (I really liked it)

I'll tell my students about: language, LGBT+, supernatural/magic/folklore,

**Thank you to NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books) for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Wow.
Just.... wow.
First things first, I wish this was longer. Not because it felt incomplete or because it suffered from world building or character development due to the length, but because I just want... more. I want more in this world. I want more with these characters.

The concept of this book was fascinating to me. The folklore it's inspired by magical, the atmosphere potent. The characters felt real despite not getting to spend a lot of time with them. I was thoroughly hooked on everything going on as we moved from event to event over the 36 or so hours that take place in the story.

Veronica Roth is a beautiful writer. Not too heavy handed with metaphors or allegories.. just enough. I could see baba jaga's theater. I could taste the smell of fear that Ala experiences. I winced and gritted my teeth when the bone blade was drawn.

Listen, please, Veronica, give us more!

Genre: Urban Fantasy

I have only ever read Roth’s Divergent series(which I loved), so I thought I would give this one a try. I went in blind and didn’t even know it was a novella until I started reading it.
This mixes Polish folklore with A Darker Shades of Magic vibe.
I usually enjoy novellas because they are short and you can fly through them. This was no different! It was fast paced with a fun quest involved. There was paranormal magic and a twist at the end that I liked along with interesting characters along the way.
I was not familiar with Polish folklore, so I had to look a few things up so I could get a better picture.
If you like urban fantasy in a European setting with a dark vibe, check this one out!

Thank you Tor Books for the ARC! 🖤

I've liked Veronica Roth since her Divergent Days, and I've found all of her more recent adult fantasy stuff to be pretty interesting. This was no different - a weird, sometimes dreamy, sometimes very gritty story of supernatural creatures living in secret in Chicago. This is deeply rooted in Slavic folklore, and while that was a cool element, it also sometimes took me out of the story that I couldn't remember what the different creatures were and had to keep looking them up. I did like that Roth basically took her main character on a "hero's" journey (he's definitely more morally gray than a typical hero, in my opinion, but still) in under 200 pages and within the geographical confines of the city of Chicago. If you've liked Roth's recent adult fiction - especially Arch-Conspirator and Poster Girl, I think you'll like this one.

This story sucked me in and kept me up reading late into the night. I loved the characters, the folklore, and the resolution. I'd happily shelve this next to Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantastical found families and a heavy dose of mystical creatures in the read world.

I did not realize this was a novella when I requested it (so at first, I thought it was a sampler thing and almost didn't read it), and I haven't read a ton of novellas, but I'm starting to really enjoy them! And this one was, in fact, enjoyable. It read a little on the YA side of things, but the characters (and their relationships known and unknown) are interesting, the worldbuilding is fun, and it's clearly the first in a planned series and I'd totally read the second one. It's definitely not a book that sticks with you though, I read it last week, and have basically already forgotten everything...but it's short! So I'm in for a re-read when the second one comes out. 4 stars.

This is an interesting fast paced novella with some really compelling characters involved. I really enjoyed the folklore associated although I did have to take a few steps back when they used La Llorona inaccurately.

The prose was lush, and definitely had great dynamics in the setting and descriptions of surroundings and characters. The Polish folklore, and the monsters contain within the novel were some of the most original and interesting I have ever encountered in an urban fantasy novel. I loved that the book was set in a modern day Chicago with a dark and gritty feel.

While I overall did have a good time with this novella, I was a little disappointed in the world building. I felt like the dynamics between the characters was a little off, and overall I was never fully satisfied by the world built around them. This in turn led to me to never fully buy into the motivations of the characters.

Set in a dark magical Chicago backdrop, When Among Crows follows Dymitr with his dark calling and cursed Ala on a quest to the Baba Jaga—only they only have one day to cure Ala before the magical flower that will save her dies. The world building in this is so interesting, but for my taste, the pacing was so fast. But there is so much interesting magic and characterization. I just have a little trouble with novellas cause I just want more and the pacing moves a little too fast to really get the full grasp. But the story felt unique and the magic and writing was well done and enchanting. It had a lot of dark fairytale elements and it was bingeable, I just didn’t connect as much as I had hoped to. It did have some cool D&D vibes to it too though that made it a lot of fun to read.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. It’s unlike anything I have read lately. It was engaging and interesting. It had a lot of fantasy and folklore elements that kept my attention without being hard to understand. I love a story that wraps up so nicely as well. It was a quick read!

Typically, I avoid urban fantasy, but as a native Chicagoan (the annoying kind who thinks this is the best place on earth) the synopsis of this book was enough for me to give it a try.

I thought the concept was well executed in its atmosphere and description. The mythological elements based on Polish culture are unique and the author describes nonhuman beings with great detail. While the idea of these creatures setting up places of business to sustain themselves in contemporary settings is a staple for urban fantasy, I thought it was well integrated here. The Knights of the Holy Order who hunt these creatures were set up to be both visually and narratively compelling. Most importantly, Chicago is beautifully portrayed. With all of these elements, the building blocks for an interesting story are all present.

Disappointingly, it didnt feel like any of the blocks were used successfully. I felt strangely disconnected from the story's events. We move between locations simply to collect characters and not to follow the logical flow of the narrative. Some trials seemed too easily overcome and others felt rather pointless. I never really felt the emotional weight that is supposed to be shared between the main characters despite the author setting them up for a sort of found family dynamic. By the end of the book, it's themes were explored only superficially and I had way too many questions about the worldbuilding for me to feel satisfied about its construction.

Here's where we get into my very specific and annoying nitpicks. It feels good to read a book that puts Chicago in such high regard, but there are some narrative choices that didn't really make sense to me. None of the locations (other than the Stanislaus Kostka Church) have any significant historical connection to the Polish community here in Chicago. I wonder why the author chose to have most of the book take place around Uptown/Edgewater when what was once known as Polish downtown is in the northwest part of the city along Milwaukee Avenue. Obviously, members of the community are not bound to those locations, and they are not as concetrated as they once were, but it feels strange to have a book so focused on the Polish diaspora and its lineages without even acknowledging this history. For someone who values these details, it came across as rather poorly researched. Obviously, this will not be a problem for most of this book's readership.

When reading this, you would never guess that it's a novella. It packed such a punch in the amount of pages it definitely felt like reading a full length novel. Roth does really well in balancing the amount of Slavic lore she brings into the writing. Just enough detail to follow along but not too much to be overwhelmed with minute details. We really get to know the characters and care about their progress throughout the story. Overall, the writing accomplishes so much in such a short amount of pages.
The letdown was the end, specifically that last little section of the book. <spoiler> Why bring back the people Dymitr encountered while trying to grab the flower? If you wanted to expand on the story you could've done it now, instead of leaving an open ended novella. </spoiler>