When Among Crows is an urban-fantasy novella from Veronica Roth.

"Dymitr is a hunter. His mission is to find the legendary witch, Baba Jaga. He must join with his enemies and navigate the underworld of Chicago to find her."

For a small novella, there is a lot of world building. Luckily, there are only a few characters and the events take place over a couple of days. Dymitr has secrets. Nico has secrets. There's a wild scene where they fight off some crows. And a twist about Ala and her curse. You don't really expect Baba Jaga to live in an apartment in Chcago, but there it is.

The full cast does a great job with the audio. There are some wild moments.

Fans of Roth and Urban Fantasy should enjoy this one.

I received a complimentary ALC of WHEN AMONG CROWS by Veronica Roth thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley.

WHEN AMONG CROWS is a fantasy novella based in Slavic folklore, but set in Chicago. Dymitr is from a family of hunters, called upon to sacrifice their souls to take monsters down. His current mission is a dangerous one, tasked with finding and killing the witch Baba Jaga. Ala is a fire-eating zmora, a young woman living under a curse. Dymitr tempts her with a cure in order to gain her help on his quest and she can only say yes.

I had a good time with this quick novella read. I thought that the mythology and the blending in with a world we'd somewhat recognize was really well done. I liked the dynamic that built between Dymitr and Ala as they worked together while still not having an ability to trust each other. I thought the enemies to potentially something different worked well in this setup also.

The atmosphere in this book was great and I definitely felt the darkness of this underworld version of Chicago that Roth is putting forward. While many novellas leave me wanting a bit more, I think this was a good length to fully deliver this story.

Genre: urban fantasy + Slavic mythology
Chicago, present day

Set in contemporary Chicago, the short arc of this story follows Ala, a zmora, Dymitr, a leszy, and Nikodem, a strzygi, Slavic creatures of dreams and nightmares living off of pain and other emotions. They carry their own curses, though Ala’s is the most traditional. Dymitr is in search of Baba Jaga, and for Ala’s help, he may be able to offer her a cure.

This is a very Meg-coded book. Polish mythology blended with gritty contemporary aesthetics wrapped up in a tight novella arc was the perfect change of pace for me after some of the longer books I’ve been reading. It’s a skillful novella, with just enough character development and plot movement and mythological exploration to keep the book moving but not overwhelm the reader. I always love a good Baba Jaga story, and loved Roth’s interpretation of her house (obviously), but also of her myth generally. There is also a queer romantic story line, with just enough to keep any romance reader engaged.

I listened to parts of the audiobook but found myself more drawn to the written prose. While it’s lovely to hear the Polish spoken to me with really wonderful narration, it was easier for me to get my bearings as a reader seeing some of the words on the page. I found that Roth made some really great choices with how much to explain versus reference in the mythologies to keep the novella shorter. A reader unfamiliar with Slavic lore (this includes me!) will want to have a search engine on hand to look up images and stories of the demons and witches that stalk pages.

I have loved Veronica Roth’s transition from YA Fantasy (Divergent) to sharp, smart novellas and short stories. When Among Crows and Arch-Conspirator have a more mature approach to storytelling and craft than her early works, and I am here for it.

I knew two things about this book:

1. It was written by Veronica Roth and I remember enjoying Divergent in my youth.
2. I had seen the cover for this book a few weeks ago though I had not read the synopsis.

Pretty easy to say that I went into this book blind and was delighted to discover Roth's most recent project after many years. I am quite fond of the tale of Baba Yaga and was pleasantly surprised to see that included here. Also was very surprised to see how short this book was!

Roth created an interesting world of whimsy and intrigue all encapsulated in this short and sweet book!

I was so prepared to love and devour this book, instead it was a slog.
I think this one suffered for being an audiobook. Also something in the writing felt like I was wading through molasses to get a sentence finished, which made it hard to care about the character. Even ones that seemed so interesting. I could not be bothered

I have never read this author before, but the stunning cover and promise of Slavic/Eastern European mythology drew me in. This is an urban fantasy, where a hidden world of Polish magic and mythological creatures exists in contemporary Chicago, and we follow a trio of characters trying to find Baba Yaga. Themes include family, identity, and religious intolerance.

I was entertained overall, as the writing, pacing and author voice is good and ultimately very atmospheric for the most part. The audiobook included different narrators, which worked overall, but shifting voices jarred me everytime for a minute, and I’m not sure they nailed the accents.

A lot of mythological characters and creatures are name dropped but I didn’t feel the author always told me enough about each one: I was not overly familiar with all of them and didn’t want to stop and get taken out of the story to look them up. Since I wasn’t always sure who (or what) everyone was, I wasn’t quite sure what was going on all the time, but this worked in this short novella format. I was just interested enough to keep going, but might’ve abandoned a longer novel if the confusion continued. Saying that, the Slavic mythology was interesting enough that I would've enjoyed the story more if it was longer with more descriptive world building and deeper characterization. The ending was a bit confusing to me - or rather I thought it didn’t quite fit the tone of the rest of the story. I did listen to an Arc though, so maybe they'll swap the last two chapters before going to print, as in my mind that would fix the tone shift and make the ending more satisfying. Still, this was interesting and worth picking up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gorgeous.

This is the one-word review from someone who doesn't usually do urban fantasy. I know very little Slavic folklore, but that didn't matter. Veronica Roth introduced the character types so well that I'm encouraged to learn more. For the unaware, Chicago has a very large Polish population, so setting the story in Chicago was due to more than just the fact Veronica Roth lives there. Or, maybe it's the other way around: maybe she picked Polish folklore because of Chicago's large Polish population and she wanted something fresher than Celtic mythology. (I'm of Irish descent and I have absolutely no problem typing that line. Celtic mythology abounds in the United States. Heck, we've even got our own breakfast cereal!)

When Among Crows is a novella, almost too short. It could've easily been twice the length and I still would've craved more of Dymitr, Ala, and Niko. Veronica Roth accomplished exactly what she needed to, with not a word wasted. I didn't realize until the very end how the story would fold back upon itself. I'm left with an emptiness inside having left their world.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.

When i saw this was Veronica Roth i Jumped Both Feet in.... I loved the Divergent series....

There was a Lot of Russian/Slavic folklore without too much of an explanation to us newbies to the Lore Still the story was told in a clever way and was simple so it was Enjoyable for a short read.

The narrators was brilliant the cadences in the accent were superb.

Just couldn’t get into this disjointed, hard to follow mishmash of mythology.hiding as urban fantasy. I have loved other Veronica Roth books, but this one left me flat. Perhaps it was the audiobook versus actually reading it, but I found it difficult to follow and had to trudge through it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

What an amazing study of the character and the things we do to grab hold of our humanity. I wasn't ready for so much depth and thinking, but this novella was a wonderful ride from start to finish. I absolutely adored the way that these characters developed and the twists that they endured. It was such a beautiful story of humanity, love, and the lengths we will go to just to feel.

If you're looking for a quick fairytale to have you thinking about life, look no further!

3.75 stars First off thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this audio ARC. I enjoyed the dual narrative and they kept me engaged in the story throughout. This was different from her other stories I've read and it was a short read which was nice. I enjoyed the plot and thought the characters involved were well developed and. This book has magic, different supernatural beings, a quest, curses. A few parts had my skin crawling because of the visual the narrator portrayed. I would recommend it if any of that is to your liking. Check it out when it becomes available.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an audio version of this book!

I thought this book was great! At first, I wasn't really vibing with the voice actors for the audiobook, but they grew on me about a quarter of the way. I might give this a reread once it's released so I can get a better grasp of the world. I have a general understanding from the audiobook, but there were quite a few different species described and I struggled to keep them all straight while listening to the audiobook. This wasn't really a big deal, as this didn't hinder my reading experience, but I still want to better understand the different species and all that jazz.
While I think this works well as a short standalone story, I grew invested in the world and characters and found myself wishing there were more... Oh well though, standalones are few and far between and it's nice not having to commit to a series.
If you're looking for a quick read with an interesting world, I recommend giving this book a try. (I also recommend it if you are a Tokyo Ghoul fan, as the world and story of this book reminds me a lot of that series)

Thank you Netgalleey and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

I haven't read anything by Veronica Roth since the Divergent series, so I was actually really surprised that I liked this novel. It took me a little while to get in to it, but once I understood the pacing and got to know the characters a little better it was enjoyable. I was not surprised by Dymitr’s reveal after meeting Baba Yaga. It is a shorter novel, but was engaging and did enough to develop characters without feeling too rushed. I was concerned the storyline would be furthered along by things that didn't make sense or the sudden "I have power and can complete something to further the plot," but it didn't felt that way at all.

Overall, an enjoying read. Although our library doesn't invest in audiobooks, I might consider the novel upon its release.

When Among Crows is one of those books that pulls on all of the heart strings. I was fascinated with the plot, and think anyone looking for a great fantasy novel will be entertained.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review!

It can be really hard to fit a full story in such a short book but this one did it really well. I enjoyed the mix of Urban Fantasy mixed with Slavic folklore. The main characters, Ala and Dymitr, had a very interesting dynamic, working together to find Baba Jaga, and I love how their stories tied together. The plot twist caught me by surprise. As it was an audiobook, I felt like the narrators did a really good job as well.

If you are looking for a fun, short fantasy read, I definitely recommend this one!

I wasn’t a fan of this book. It’s characters weren’t as developed as she has done in the past and I felt like the story could have had more meat to it. I liked the idea behind the book, but it fell flat for me.

4.5 of 5. The narrator's of the audiobook are fantastic and made it a very enjoyable listening experience. This novella takes place over a very short period of time, and I appreciated the whirlwind pace. The world building is interesting, and there are many intriguing questions, characters, and places that pop up throughout the novella. I will definitely be on the lookout for future writings in this world. Thank you to NetGalley for an audiobook arc of this.

When Among Crows is the first Veronica Roth book I’ve read since throwing Allegiant across my living room over a decade ago. I really enjoy her writing style but felt desperately betrayed by that book, and so I haven’t picked up anything by her since then. However, the premise of When Among Crows fascinated me, and a standalone novella sounded like a relatively safe way to dip my toes back into the pool of her work. This proved to be a great decision. While I didn’t quite love When Among Crows, I did have a lot of fun with it. Is it a perfect novella? No. Is it worth picking up? Absolutely.

Remember that premise I said I found fascinating? By the time I actually got my hands on this book, I had forgotten most of that premise. Which served me really well. If you can go into this novella without reading the synopsis, I would highly recommend doing so. It added a layer of depth to the story for me. The synopsis is actually laden with spoilers, reveals that aren’t made until over halfway into the book itself. Stay away from it if you can.

Here we have our world, but with a monstrous underbelly. Most of the narrative takes place in modern Chicago, where Dymitr, one of our main characters, is on a quest to break a curse. Here he meets Ala, a zmora who feeds on fear, and Niko, an incredibly powerful (and rare) male strzyga who feeds on anger. The three are tied together by Dymitr’s mission, and visit some truly freaky locales on their quest, having to make occasional pitstops to fight darker, fouler monsters. Or, the bogeyman of all monsters, a knight of the Holy Order, monster hunters who split their own souls in half to forge a blade they keep sheathed in their spine until the time comes to slay their prey.

I appreciated the Slavic inspiration behind this story and its monsters. I know less about Slavic folklore and mythology than I do Greco-Roman or Egyptian, and it’s always fun to get an urban fantasy book populated with such new (to me) and unusual faces. I also thought that the story had a very strong sense of place. The characters were compelling and sympathetic, and I was invested in their tale. However, I felt that the plot could have been sharpened, and that a bit more time could have been given to the world building. The chemistry and tension between the characters also felt slightly unbelievable to me. But all three of those complaints are due to the brevity of the story. I tend to have such complaints when it comes to novellas.

Roth’s writing style is captivating, in a similar way to Sanderson’s writing style. Like Sanderson, Roth has the kind of prose that paints a vivid picture and then melts away, leaving you with a movie playing in your mind. I could see every small detail of every scene of this book. I love writing that disappears like that, leaving you alone with the story being told. But that’s not to say that Roth (and Sanderson, for that matter) doesn’t have a lovely way with words, and doesn’t offer up poetic tidbits when the mood strikes. She just doesn’t get in the way of her own story.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this novella. When Among Crows is a dark, adventurous, interesting story well told, but it would have benefited from deeper world building, a sharper plot, and room for the characters to develop and breathe. Even considering that, it was well worth reading. I had access to both the ebook and the audio, and the tandem reading experience bumped my rating up from 3.5 to 4 stars. The audiobook had multiple narrators and was very well done. It was incredibly helpful to hear so many of these new-to-me terms pronounced, instead of trying to figure out that pronunciation myself. So, if you’re an audiobook fan and are considering picked up When Among Crows, I would definitely suggest the audiobook!

Such a powerful story within a very quick read, though rooted in pain.
Based in Chicago, Dymitr is a knight tasked to slay monsters…with a sword made from his spine, splitting his soul into two. Meanwhile, Ala is cursed with witnessing atrocities over and over, a pain inherited from her mom. Together, they are on a mission to find the legendary witch Baba Yaga (yes, that one of old lore) and potentially a cure.
The magical realism-fantasy taking place in a modern city like Chicago, mixed with folklore, left me more confused than anything, and made it hard to get into the story, despite the shorter novella length. I did however enjoy the narrators and believe they all appropriately brought the story and characters to life.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
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When Among Crows is a novella coming in just under 200 pages or 4.5 hours on audio. While this seems like it may be long enough to create a great story, this is jam packed with information. It’s told in a multi POV which was really awesome, giving each character a voice was perfect.
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This story has a bunch of mythical creatures that live among the mortals. I really struggled with the different creatures at first, I felt super confused as to what each of the creatures translated to, and what they did. I eventually was able to understand them but wish that there could have been more world building with these creatures to really dive into what each does. The three main characters Niko, Dymitr and Ala were great. I loved how each of the character grew, though I feel like their growth would have been so much more interesting if this story was longer so they could have each been really fleshed out.
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The story in and of itself was super fast paced. I really enjoyed the entire adventure. The twist wasn’t overly surprising, but I love where Roth took the story. There are themes of becoming the best version of yourself, redemption and forgiveness, making this for a super fun real.
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I listened to this one via audiobook while reading the ebook on my kindle. Having the two were great in order to understand the different words used for these creatures. Helen Laser, James Fouhey and Tim Campbell were awesome narrators and they complimented each other well. I highly recommend listening to this one while reading it as well.
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Overall I really enjoyed this one, I just really wish that this was a full length novel in order to really do some world building, to really get to the nitty gritty of these creatures and to flesh out the characters more. Definitely think this will be one people will enjoy!! When Among Crows releases on 5/14. Be sure to check this one out! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Veronica Roth, MacMillan Audio and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.