Dymitr is man on a mission. What exactly that mission is, he's not saying, but as he makes his way through the hidden parts of Chicago, filled with creatures from Slavic folklore that feed on human emotion, it becomes clear he's looking for Baba Yaga's help with it.

This is a fast-paced novella with excellent world-building and character development. The author reveals Dymitr's secrets one by one as he gets closer to his goal, sliding in perspectives of the other characters along the way,

Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this novella and the premise of it. I also enjoyed the writing. It felt a little disjointed for me but I would recommend it to others who enjoy this genre.

4.5 out of 5 stars

I haven't read Veronica Roth since my "Divergent" trilogy days, back in the 2010s, and I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed. "When Among Crows" is a beautiful urban fantasy novella (set in Chicago, thank you very much), filled with Polish folklore. Need I say more? It's dark, Slavic folklore (my favorite), with a dash of the immigrant experience, set in the city I've spent the past 20 years of my life in, featuring a cinema that plays horror movies - this book was pretty much written for me. The author finds the perfect balance between its modern setting and the fantasy elements - it's the old and the new coming together in a unique blend that feels almost Gothic. The writing style is very fitting as well: it's descriptive and evocative without feeling overdone, each character has a unique voice, and mythical creatures pretty much jump off the pages. Also, a special thank you from me for getting Kupala Night and the fern flower involved in this story.

As expected with a great novella, my only complaint is that this wasn't a full length novel. I loved the characters, I loved the story itself, I loved the setting, and I was incredibly sad that all of it was over so quickly, even though I loved the ending. There definitely was so much more to explore, and I sincerely hope Veronica Roth revisits this world in the future. I obviously highly recommend it. Oh, and if you're a fan of "The Witcher", particularly the first two books of short stories - don't walk, run to your local bookstore to get your hands on "When Among Crows".

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑨𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 by Veronica Roth
Pub Date: May 14th, 2024
Genre: urban fantasy, novella
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I would highly suggest going into this book blindly as synopsis are giving away a story slightly. I’m glad I didn’t know anything about this book before diving into it.

If you love dark atmospheric fantasy with found family, strangers on the mystery mission, unlikely companions, and fairytale vibes - give it a try!
This book is based on Slavic (Polish) folklore and I loved that it’s done in an urban setting on the streets of Chicago.

This was my first Veronica Roth’s book and I loved the writing and the story!

Thank you so much @torbooks and @netgalley for an e-ARC!!🙃♥️

3.5 stars
Veronica Roth is an author I’ve followed for years. I was first entranced by her Divergent series (still a favorite in my book) as many of us were. This book is a completely different type of story starting with Polish folklore in a modern human world. Monsters feed upon human emotions, especially fear. This world is inundated with these monsters that can harm humans but also the people that fight these monsters.

Dymitr and a long line of his family have given up their souls to fight these monsters. And yet, he is tasked with the impossibility of finding Baba Yaga. The only way to do this is to partner up with Ala, a monster. In return, he promises to rid her of a curse she endures daily. But their loyalties will be tested and the journey is full of danger.

The premise of this book is very original. I loved the dark gothic atmosphere with monsters in a human world. It did take me quite a bit to get used to that contrast but it fit the storyline well. For me, the characters needed a bit more development, which is common in a novella. There is just not enough time or space to develop them well enough. But I really connected with the struggle of taking long-learned beliefs and finding there is a different truth than what they previously knew. I love a character who can see beyond what they’ve known and find their own way in this new way of thinking.

I recommend this to those that love dark gothic vibes and found family!

AUDIO REVIEW: There were three narrators, two men and a woman. My only complaint is that the female voices were not as polished as the others. It made them sound fake or too young.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Tor Books through NetGalley for the copies!

"I don't find it painful to be ordinary." When Among Crows is a book that I was really excited for, as someone who hasn't read Veronica Roth since high school, and was curious to see how her adult books read. I did not realize going into this that it was a Novella and I am sad about that fact. I think this could have been fleshed out even more to be a full length novel, as I did come away from the book with more questions and a deep need to know more.

However; for a novella, I do think the story moved very smoothly. We progressed quickly and was easily consumable. I binge read this in an hour and a half.

This book is a wild mix of urban fantasy and folklore about an unlikely crew on a quest. Our three very different characters each has their family burden to carry but the navigating of regret, repentance, and responsibility allows them to come together. I ultimately think it would have benefited from being a little longer because it jumped scenes without smooth transitions and wrapped up fairly quickly.

This novella is a creative story that mixes folklore creatures with urban fantasy to create something new and interesting. The plot moved fast, the characters were interesting, and for so few pages everything felt fully developed.

My one complaint is a glossary of creatures and terms would have been helpful. I spent a lot of time stopping reading and looking things up so I could better visualize and understand the creatures.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes quick reads, magical creatures, or urban fantasy.

In modern-day Chicago, a mysterious man strikes a deal with a zmora haunted by visions: he’ll help her break her curse if she’ll help him track down the legendary Baba Jaga.

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth paints a dark and shimmering urban fantasy teeming with magic and Slavic lore.

I really loved how Roth draws on her own Polish heritage here. The story skillfully explores the diaspora of Polish descendants whose families were forced to flee during WWII. The sheer amount of creatures from Slavic folklore featured in this story--including a leszy, noonwraith, and stryzgon--is fantastic as well and filled my nerdy heart with joy.

However, it’s strange that part of the main character’s identity is supposed to be a big, shocking reveal two-thirds through the story … when that information is spoiled in the first paragraph of the blurb. That completely undermines the emotional weight of the reveal to me.

I wish either the blurb had omitted certain details so that moment could come as a surprise or I wish those details had been included earlier in the story in order to create dramatic irony and tension.

Overall though, the world itself has loads of potential. (I mean, having an order of knights who wield swords forged out of their own spines is metal AF!) I'd love to revisit this world and its characters again, and judging by that cliffhanger at the end, it looks like we're setting up for a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor, and Veronica Roth for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This is a gem. Absolutely unique from anything and everything I've read in quite a while. The only one negative I could give is that I didn't realize when I requested the ARC, that it was a novella. I would have loved to spend lots more time in this world. However, I will admit, Veronica Roth masterfully directed the pacing and characters within the space. What a treat to do a deep dive into Polish mythology in the heart of Chicago. ((I read a lot of mythology, so I can't say how much it helped that I was sort of familiar with much of the terminology.)) I don't know whether Ms. Roth is Polish but every page, every phrase, felt authentic. The book is so short I don't want to spoil anything, but suffice to say, Dymitr, Ala and Niko are all fresh, genuine characters who completely immersed me in their world within a few words. (The romantic tension between Dymitr and Niko was JUICY.)
I am not a Chicago resident but the setting felt very authentic as well.

Highly recommended but I wish there was more!

Veronica Roth has always been a hit and miss author for me. This one was okay. It was a quick read but I felt it could have been developed a little bit more and would have been better as a full length novel.

WHEN AMONG CROWS is Veronica Roth’s newest release. It's out today! I know I'll definitely be buying a copy.

This novella follows several main characters, the primary being Dimytr—a human with a myriad of secrets who is searching for Baba Jaga. As he allies with members of Chicago’s secret monster community to locate the witch, he’ll discover secret clubs for zmora showing horror movies and strzyga boxing matches.

The other main characters, Ala and Niko, were just as intriguing as Dimytr! I loved the queer romance element to the book and was fascinated by the idea of the Holy Order and their weapons—swords they must pull from their own spines every time they want to use them. The world building and lore within the pages of this book was unparalleled, and when paired with the intriguing characters the story focused on, it was unputdownable!

I highly recommend checking this one out. It’s a different kind of urban fantasy than I’ve ever read and I’m really hoping there’s a sequel at some point. I could read so much more about these characters!!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a digital arc copy in exchange for my honest review!

If I could say one thing, and only one thing, about When Among Crows it would be to go in blind: don't read the blurb, don't look at reviews, just go in blind after judging this book by its pretty gold detailed cover.

When Among Crows is a lushly written, entirely too short - in my opinion - novella set in a world that blends the modern with Slavic folklore together seamlessly. Dymitr, Niko, and Ala are so well crafted and three dimensional in such a short amount of time and words. I am desperately hoping that Roth will write more for them because I need more of them in my life.

Novellas typically don't end up being something I purchase to add to my 'serial killer' shelves in my personal library; however, I am so tempted to head directly to buy it as soon as I get off work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC!

I was drawn to this book because of the excellent cover and famous author.
From the best-selling author of the Divergent series comes an under 200-page dark urban fantasy with witches, Baba Jaga, Knights of a Holy Order with magic and bone swords, and Polish-inspired demons. It took me a moment to dive into the first chapters, but it soon became nonstop. Also has a lot of action.

Dark fairy tale creatures who crossed the ocean more than four hundred years ago to live among us. They feed on human fear and anger. I love that the author focused on fear and anger as the top emotions that feed these monsters. If there are two emotions this city will teach us and we can't get away from, are these precisely, and in this order.

This was an amazing (fast) read. It is even more interesting if you live in Chicago or recognize the streets and locations (and cultural traits of the city) mentioned in this story. More if you walk by these locations every day in your daily routine, as I do. I will never look at the Uptown Theatre the same way.

It is filled with magic and amazing creative characters. The romance is very soft, but LGTBQ and I love both characters. Makes me want to read more about them because the book ends with a decision, and that decision can lead to new beginnings.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC.

Thanks so much to Net Galley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book.
This was a really cool and interesting world to learn about. It was a little confusing when you first start but after the first section Roth does a great job a building the world and telling the story within it in such a short span of time.

I've never read any of Roth's work, but I was really impressed by this! Roth managed to pack an impressive amount of world building into a short novella without feeling over burdened. I appreciated the incorporation of Polish folklore that felt very authentic and not gimmicky at all. A great example of urban fantasy!

*Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to Macmillan Audio for a gifted ALC*

An urban fantasy based on eastern European folktales? Yum. I was really enjoying this book until the midpoint - a nuanced monster society? A freaking FIGHT CLUB? Yeah, super fun! Then things started to drag a bit when we really began our hunt for Baba Yaga (despite my excitement over Baba Yaga being in a book). More than that, the audiobook played chapter 10 twice for no discernible reason. It was super weird and really detracted from the tension. And maybe it's because I'm not used to reading novellas, but all of a sudden it was OVER. Like the ending hit and that was it!? AGH. I really loved half of it, kinda meh about the other half, but it averaged out.

Inspired by Polish folklore and set in Chicago, this urban fantasy novella brings three compelling characters together on a quest. They must find and gain an audience with Baba Jaga, the lore of whom Veronica Roth has inserted into the glory of Chicago's architecture. Instead of in a house with chicken legs, the powerful witch lives above a Harold's Chicken Shack. So many of the novella's settings are real Chicago institutions. The world-building and character interactions are A-plus, and there's a steamy romance hinted at, too. I'm hoping this is an amuse bouche for a series. If not, I enjoyed this glimpse.

[Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set in modern Chicago, Roth weaves the lives of three different characters with magical elements inspired by Slavic folklore. The synopsis and gorgeous cover really grabbed me - it promised an interesting, enchanting, character-driven story.

While I usually enjoy the short form of a novella, I think this world and its characters would benefit from significant more time on the page. We spend so little time with each character that the big emotional moments fell completely flat for me. I didn’t know enough about them to care.

I honestly think the main character of Niko was pointless, which is a huge issue for a central character. I felt he brought nothing to the plot or changed the story in any significant way. The relationship between Dymitr and Ala was a much more interesting contrast to explore. Without Niko’s involvement, I would have felt a lot more attached to them.

There is a huge need for further editing, which perhaps it will receive before the final version is released. The obsession with describing scents and smells was too much. The word ‘smell’ was used almost 40 times, once FIVE times on the same page. I began to roll my eyes every time it was described.

I found myself re-reading lots of paragraphs just to make sure I understood what I had just read. The magic elements had some really interesting concepts; I wanted to learn so much more about the three types of “monsters”. But ultimately we discovered so little about them.

Overall, this book had huge potential but was a big letdown. If you want a book with magical realism set in a bustling city that also includes Baba Yaga, read One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake instead.

We all know Veronica Roth for one specific series, but I really hope When Among Crows is picked up by many, whether you love her other work or not. This is short, but the world building she accomplishes and the story she tells in such few pages is nothing sort of enchanting. Well done, Roth!