⭐️: 4.5/5

Dymitr, part of a family of monster killing hunters, is tasked with a deadly mission to find the witch Baba Jaga, but to to do so, he must ally with the monsters he’s previously sworn to kill. Ana is a fear-eating zmora saddled with a curse that will kill her. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree. Together, they find themselves fighting against the rest of the Chicago underworld, but will Dymitr’s true motives lead to their destruction?

When I first saw this title by Veronica Roth, I didn’t realize it was going to be a short story/novella. I do love a novella though, so it wasn’t entirely a bad surprise, but still, after reading it in one sitting, I kind of wish it was more of a full length book. The world that Roth depicted in When Among Crows felt so immersive and rooted in a folklore about which I know relatively little, so learning the world was really fun. For a shorter book, I feel like she managed to fit an extraordinary amount of world building, which was really impressive. This was pretty much impossible NOT to read in just one sitting, since it’s so short and basically nonstop action. The characters are also really interesting and complex, so you want to know the resolution, and also HOW there can be a resolution in such a short amount of pages. I wish that there were more books set in this world by this author, but I suppose I’ll just have to be happy that I was able to read this little one.

Thank you to @netgalley and @torbooks for this free eARC for my review!!

5 Stars! Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Books for an ARC!

I picked up this book because the author was recognizable, and I'm so glad I read this! Dymitr, Ala, and Niko were such interesting characters and having Polish Urban Fantasy set in Chicago is right up my alley. I truly wish this was a full novel because I was not ready for it to be over so quickly.

The blurb does make it seem less queer than the story ended up being, which is a great bait-and-switch. Though, "less queer" than two kisses isn't saying much.

Having this story be a novella made the pacing feel a little rushed, but all told, the story was fun, spooky, and tense at times.

First, thank you NetGalley for this e-arc!
I was really excited to read this book only from it’s summary! Also, I didn't read anything by Veronica Roth since Divergent (and it's been a while, I was a teenager back then!)
It is short, I didn't expect that to be honest, I read it so fast (and it's not bad, it means you're in it pretty quickly and that's a good thing!)
I do love a good found family story (because to me, that was it is) it made me think of Six of Crows in that sense (which I loved very much too).
I loved the characters development and the fact that, you think you know what's happening but you don't truly know until the end.
That being said, I wish some things would have been explore more, I wanted to know everything about some creatures or how The Holy Order works. But let's not forget that this is a novela and a great one! I really enjoyed my reading of it!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the e-arc!
I love the premise behind this book, but I wish it was a little bit longer. The folklore and fantasy elements work so well in this book, but I want more. There were so many elements that I wanted to see more of, and I felt like because the book was shorter, it didn't get the opportunity to really showcase what a fantastic story this is. The beginning especially suffered for it as trying to balance the information needed for the story and the timeline made the beginning a bit rushed. That being said I still loved the world.
The characters were phenomenal, and Dymitr was my absolute favorite. He was just such an amazing character to read about, and I would love to see more of this world. The magic behind the holy nights with their spine swords was so creative. Dymitr and Nico definitely felt more developed than Ala. When going into the story, I definitely thought it would focus a bit more on her, but I feel like we get to a point where there's not much more development or lore with her story. I think that might've just been a description error; I think the blurb should be changed to reflect the book better, but I love Dymitr and Nico's story.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the story even if it was different than what I was expecting!

I haven't read any Veronica Roth since my DIVERGENT days, and I was really pleasantly surprised! This was a fast-paced, well-written, fun little novella that I got a kick out of. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and lore, I liked the relationships between the characters that were as developed as you'd expect in less than 200 pages. I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took, and I liked the ending. Not much to complain about!

My personal beef is that I didn't realize this was urban fantasy, and I'm much much more of a high fantasy girlie. I would have loved to see a novel-length version of this in its own developed world, but I'm not complaining about what we got! If you've been hesitating on post-DIVERGENT Roth, I think this is a great book to pick up.

There is a lot of running around looking for mythical creatures in modern cities and some fighting to go along with it. An ok read that will probably go over well with the new adult crowd.

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review* I have to say, I don't often read much Veronica Roth, but I am so glad I got an opportunity to read this one. Slavic myths, urban fantasy, and some really cool descriptions as to how these fantasy creatures can survive in a more modern world. I loved how willing Niko was to help Ala, and eventually Dymitr when needed, even though he didn't need to put himself on the line to help them. I do wish that this book had more explanations about certain elements as it felt like a whole world that I wanted to see but it felt like they were there and gone before we got any explanations. I wanted to know more about Niko and his past, or see more than just a snippet of Dymitr's sister. I wanted more, which was great because it meant that I kept reading, but I do hope there will eventually be more because otherwise it feels like a wasted opportunity to flesh out this fully built fantasy world.

☆☆☆☆

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've only ever read one other book by Veronica Roth, that being Chosen Ones. And I had a
similar reaction to this as I did that; it takes a bit for me to really get into the story, but once I do, it's fantastic.

Urban fantasy is probably my favorite of the fantasy sub-genres; I love the mix of magic
and real world. When Among Crows is exactly that, but with a heavy emphasis on folklore
that is very new for me. Roth's writing feels very folktale, amd it took some time for me
to get used to it. And with this being a novella, that means even less time for the rest
of the story. But when I finally settle in, that's when it really opened up for me.

It's a tale of pain and love, of fighting against what we've been taught and conditioned
or "born" to be, and finding a different way. It's split between three points-of-view, and
I loved each character. So much so, that I wish we had more time with them. Each carry so
much pain and act from a very real place. History and culture seep into every page.

While I don't love everything about it (I still find some of the writing a bit confusing
at times), it's ultimately a beautiful, cultural, story. And by the end, I just wanted
more.

Although this was just a novella, the comprehensiveness of the world-building, characters, and storyline felt like a full-length novel.

This was my first Veronica Roth, and I loved it! This was a version of the Baba Yaga tale where a group of characters end up banding together to aid one another in achieving a quest, not unlike a LitRPG. None of the characters truly trust one another, for good reasons, but find themselves developing unexpected bonds. When I was finished, I couldn't believe this was actually just a novella.

Great audio narration.

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I do enjoy Veronica Roth, I wasn't sure about this series. And this is very rare, but I had a nightmare after reading this book....some of the creatures she created reminded me on zombies and I don't like zombies (hence the nightmare). The book was a very quick read (finished it in one day). I wouldn't say it's her best work.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun novella! Roth does an excellent job quickly building up the world and its characters--I found the fantastical world fascinating to read and was left wanting more. It still ended in a satisfying way, but I could see more novellas or full books in this world since she did a great job building it. Entertaining read!

I can honestly say that I’ve never read anything like this novella! The Slavic folklore told in an urban contemporary setting was such a rich and imaginative story. I loved the characters and their quest, and I was totally immersed in the story, which ended up meaning that I read this book very quickly. For a novella, I thought it explored some deep themes really well such as racism, painful legacies from family history, culture clashes, and religious fanaticism.

As I mentioned, the fantasy system is built on Slavic (specifically, Polish) myths and folklore, and I was super intrigued because I had absolutely no idea about these stories. Thankfully I read this on my kindle and could easily check Wikipedia articles about unknown words, but I think this book would have really benefited from a glossary of some sort that outlines the different creatures and their characteristics. Slavic languages are often difficult for English speakers to pronounce, and I think my muddled interpretation of each word as well as only a vague understanding of its meaning resulted in some confusion.

What Roth is able to accomplish in this novella is impressive, but I really think this story should have been developed into a fleshed out novel. I was left unsatisfied with my understanding of so many aspects of the story and really wanted to delve deeper into the characters’ story as well as the seedy secret world of Chicago. There’s so much potential here, and I hope we get more in the future!

I usually hate novellas because they're too short and usually more romance-leaning than fantasy-based... but Veronica Roth's "When Among Crows" surprised me with how much world-building and vivid imagery it was able to fit into so few pages.

The infusion of Slavic myths into urban fantasy was a very interesting and refreshing take on the genre. The characters, particularly Dymitir, felt well-developed and very likable. I appreciated the inclusion of queer romance. This novella was a really captivating and short read overall. I really wanted it to be longer and hope we get to explore more of this world in the future!!

Overall, it's a quick, short read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves myths and urban fantasy.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor, for providing me with the ARC.

5 stars? 10 stars.

I LOVED this. I am so disappointed it is only a novella. I want more. NEED MORE. The world building was sensational, the polish folklore was immaculate. The magic. THE MAGIC. Can we take a second to talk about how (insert expletive) cool it is that the holy order fights with a sliver of their soul...sheathed in a bone sword in their spinal column. That's so metal. I already ordered my own copy of this, because I need to own it. This is going to be in my top 5 reads of the year I just KNOW it.

I'm completely charmed and enraptured. I will be thinking about this forever.

Tremendous thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced e-copy of this book to read and review. I honestly may read it again immediately.

Veronica Roth’s newest release is 36 hour quest fantasy filled with bargains, curses, folkloric creatures, and secretZZZ all tied together in an amusingly discordant urban setting. But well… it was fine.

Before I get into it, I will say Roth does have some moments of brilliance.

In her ideas - A race of holy knights who sheath swords into the vertebrae of their spines. :)

In her descriptions - “The leszy has the body of a man stretched beyond its capacity—long arms that end in big, clawed hands; sturdy, split hooves; and a stag’s skull as a head. His staff is the size of a sapling. Moss grows on his broad, flat shoulders, and flowers bloom in his eye sockets.”

In her dialogue - “You’ve chosen your own punishment. You think your victims will be satisfied by your suffering? You want to wander the earth in pain, but suffering isn’t atonement.”

Other positives - I was entertained overall. The pacing was good (& I would hope so for a novella) and the characters (cough mostly just Niko) had me decently intrigued. There’s also some angst in the air with strong themes around community and family.

Now for my whining :)

I don’t know if this story was quite long enough to evoke the emotions in me that it was trying to. You spend under 36 hours with these characters and it kinda felt like it. I know that novellas CAN make me feel things -see my Empress of Salt and Fortune review which I just read before this- so this fell flat in comparison.

The lore / mechanics of the magic system was often a whole lot of “magic is magic, it be magical like that”. I’d rather you not try to explain it to me then maybe.

There was a good amount of telling and not showing… for this style of novella maybe that was necessary, but I was super aware of it when we were getting info dumped.

I’ve seen others say that some of the meat of this story is commentary on Christian imperialism. I see the rumblings of that commentary with the evil Holy Order that just blindly kills “creatures”, but then Roth just kind of leaves it at that? Either the subtlety went over my head or the commentary wasn’t clear/ deep enough. I think if this was a series then I’d hold my fire here but I have so many questions about these malicious knights and basically no answers. I would have liked to see… more? maybe some actual ramifications instead of… whatever that ending was.

I’m open to hearing thoughts on this last point though!

Thank you NetGalley for this earc!

I was so excited to find out there was a new book by Veronica Roth! When Among Crows is a novella that gives the introduction to this new world Roth is crafting. The way this book starts off, immediately with a journey that the characters have to go through, had me completely immersed. The Polish folklore was very interesting to read about, especially with Roth's take on it. I can't wait to explore more from this world with what will hopefully become a series.

Great narrator, just wasn't my taste. From the first words I knew the style wouldn't be to my liking. Too literary for me, and I wasn't able to picture the characters or what was happening. I think literary fiction or mythology lovers will like this one, but it was over my head.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the eARC and the ALC.

I wasnt expecting this to be A) a novella very fleshed out with Slavic creatures and B) gay.

Listening to this book was phenomenal. I enjoyed the cast of narrators that made it quite lovely to listen to. It made the POV switches much more entertaining and in depth.

For this story overall, it was really fleshed out and well rounded with magic/culture of it for such a short book. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this, but if that’s the level of world she brings for a novella - I want more of the is adult work she brings.

It was nice being able to finish this book in a day.

For such a short novella, this one is certainly full of all the things that I usually enjoy in a full length book. Wonderfully complex and sympathetic characters, a plot that kept you guessing and amazing world building. This also is the second book this year that I read that was based on Slavic mythology, specifically the vampire like creatures, strzyga. that feed off of human feelings.

The story is centered around Dymitr’s quest to find Baba Jaga, but why exactly he wants to find her is not fully revealed until the end. I really liked Dymitr, he is sort of an antihero, in that he seeks out the help of those he is sworn to destroy, and you are not really sure of his motives in doing so. Was he going to befriend them or kill them in the end? That question was what kept me riveted to this story.

The two characters he recruits to his cause were also very complex, and whose motives I questioned throughout the story. I liked Ala, a zmora who feeds off pain. She reluctantly agrees to help Dymitr only because he holds the key to breaking her curse. That curse was very interesting and different from anything I’ve read before. Niko, a strzyga, is also drawn into Dymitr’s orbit, and I found myself questioning his motives for most of the story. But motives aside, I still really liked him and was hoping he would turn out to be good instead of evil.

The world building was wonderful. There was a seamlessness in the way the author incorporated the supernatural into the real world of Chicago. I loved how the different categories of creatures had different rolls in the real world. Like those creatures that feed on sadness ran a hospice. The descriptions of the city were also well done and made you feel like you were there.

For such a short book the author covers a lot of themes. Not only of redemption and atonement, but also ones of pain and regret in the choices we make for ourselves and the ones made for us. This was also a commentary on what makes a monster, and how your upbringing influences your perceptions of the world and the people in it.

This was such a dark and well written urban fantasy that I would love to see broadened into a full length novel, or at the least a series of novellas. There is so much depth to this story and the settings and characters would certainly lend themselves to something bigger. I highly recommend that you pick this one up.

I think this is the most confused I have ever been after reading a book. The storyline was so difficult to follow. I totally understand now why most fantasy books are so long because so much of this stuff really needs to be fleshed out. Packed into this novella was a lot of Polish folklore that I found really interesting, but things were moving so quickly that I had no idea what was happening for most of the story. I also didn’t really feel any connection to any of the characters for the same reason and think this may have been better served as a longer length novel.