3.5 🌟 a book that I wished was longer?? Who would have thought! The world building, characters, and mission of this novella were crafted so well. The pacing was fast (but not too fast) and a bit dark at times but really intriguing. Honestly, the summary spoiled a major part of this book so I’d recommend going in blind and enjoying your time with it! My only complaint would be that I would have loved to see the world expanded more, more time with the characters to watch them develop and interact, and more time on their side quests because it was all so interesting!! This was such a good introduction to Veronica’s Roth’s writing and I will definitely be coming back for more.

I think I'm an outlier, but this just wasn't for me. The premise of this novella is so interesting - a dark urban fantasy set in Chicago with themes and creatures from Polish mythology. I expected to get swept away in the story, but it dragged and I had very little motivation to even finish it. The characters were a little bland, which is wild given the source material. We are introduced to so many monsters in the first half with not enough description I kept being drawn away from the story to look up their origins. Maybe someone more aware of Polish mythology would connect more readily to the world that Roth was creating. Maybe my expectations were too high.

Side note: everyone has a "creaky voice" in this novella for reasons unknown >.<

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for an advanced copy for review. All opinions are my own.

<i>First, a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

Second, oh my GOD what a gorgeous cover!

What can I say, I love me an Eastern European folktale-inspired book.

I could see complaints about the pacing, or even about the characters in this one, but to me the story was so ethereal and felt like a “classic” fairytale which made the aforementioned things non-issues for me; I think this was a stylistic choice that worked really well.

This story was a delight, aloof in a way that made me feel outside of time and reality in a way a really good folktale/fairytale can.

I was initially on the fence because my only reference for Roth is the <i>Divergent</i> series; I haven’t read those in quite a while but I feel like the writing in this was more mature and stylistically better. From my recollection that series felt more like a series about the action and the plot and less about the actual <i>art</i> of writing. This story felt like it was as much about the story as it was about the actual prose itself.

Overall a fantastic short story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I've always been a Veronica Roth fan, and this book did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. All of the characters were interesting. I cannot stop thinking about this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC.

A good fit for readers who enjoy contemporary urban fantasy stories about characters navigating their duties and facing supernatural challenges to protect humanity and seek forgiveness.

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!

3.5 Stars Rounded Up.

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

As with most novellas I've read, the plot is pretty straightforward but DANG what an introduction to creatures of Slavic folklore in under 200 pages. Most of all I appreciate that this novella begs the question do differences make us monsters and how do we break those thought cycles?

I enjoyed the writing, the modern Chicago setting for a true dose of urban fantasy, and Dymitr’s quest for redemption.

Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for the eARC!

Such a powerful story rooted in pain, within a very quick novella read.
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.
Thank you to Tor Books 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.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an advanced copy!

I have always been a huge Veronica Roth fan--Divergent will forever be one of my favorites. But this one just wasn't for me. The book was well-written, but as I find in a lot of short novels (this one was under 200 pages), I didn't feel like I was able to connect to the characters much in such a short amount of time. I have also read a few books that incorporate Russian folklore, and it isn't my favorite. So, to sum it all up, I love Veronica Roth's writing in general, but this one just wasn't for me.

When Among Crows is a creative novella that explores Slavic folklore against the backdrop of modern Chicago. This urban fantasy looks at the weight of family burdens, expectations, culture, and guilt on our character. I was particularly impressed with how complete the story was.
Despite the shortened length, the characters felt fully developed and the author did not shy away from big emotions and themes. I am not familiar with Polish folklore, and found the cultural mythology interesting. The story involves a quest that brings together people who we initially believe to be disconnected. As the story evolves, there are glimpses of the truth that is hidden from us at first. The ending was very satisfying and while I would like to spend more time in the world Veronica Roth has created, the story felt complete.

Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Veronica Roth did an amazing job of fitting an entire fantasy world into a Novella. Very engaging and so nice to fall into and finish a fantasy in one book!

I enjoyed this novella, but like all novellas, I wished it was longer. I was intrigued throughout the entire story, it was fast paced and deeply immersive. I loved the urban fantasy mixed with Slavic folklore. I loved all the characters, Dymitr being my favorite. We had three POV’s, all in third person. I found myself getting lost and trying really hard to follow along with the pov switches. I really enjoyed Dymitr’s and Ala’s, but not so much with Niko. I liked him as a character but I don’t know how much his pov added to the story overall. I think he would have been a great side character had the story came from Dymitr and Ala only.

I was expecting more fantasy than urban fantasy and magical realism. I find both of those genres hard to get into because they're modern life, but not modern life and fantasy, but not fantasy. I do think that Veronica Roth wove a good story and having Baba Yaga grounded it into a framework that helped me orient myself into the story. I am not sure I am the correct audience to fully enjoy this book, but I think someone who likes this genre would like this story.

This was a beautiful urban fantasy based on Slavic folklore. Roth is able to define the characters and create a well paced story with action, intrigue and redemption in a novella that is less than 200 pages. Amazing! Thank you Net Galley for my ARC.

The world building is stunning and grounded. I found the characters to just move in certain scenes and be impactful in others. I was astounded by a complete story in under 200 pages.

Thank you , NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an advanced copy.

I am always so impressed when authors can pack such a lot of story into less than 200 pages. I thought the hidden world of the zmora, the banshees and all the other creatures from Slavic folklore at play was absolutely fascinating and we were given enough information about each one for context without being bogged down in backstory. I thought the relationships between Dymitr, Nico and Ala were really well done and I enjoyed the plot very much. All in all, I had a great time with this one and would definitely read more set in this world.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

⭐️: 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!