This was not for me, and I can't quite put my finger on why.
I like the premise, the characters are likable, but i think the names of our characters and all the creatures were a bit too much to continue following in such a short story. There are many layers, many characters, and many magical and cultural elements added very, very quickly, and it became a bit hard to find my rhythm with this book.
The world building and descriptions are very well detailed. There are unique elements in this fantasy that are well done for a novella, it's takes a different path than her other books, but overall, I did not develop enough buy in for me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

An urban fantasy set in Chicago, When Among Crows follows Dymitir who is trying to find the infamous Baba Yaga. Along the way, he receives help from some unexpected monsters.

I enjoyed this quick novella! It was engaging even when I didn't fully understand what was happening in the book. There were some classic quest elements and some unexpected violence. There's a lovely little romantic story line on top of the quest. I am not familiar with slavic folklore but I don't think that hindered my enjoyment.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audio narration, though I do think this is a book that I personally may have absorbed a little bit better by reading with my eyes instead of my ears. I'm always glad when a book with multiple POVs has the same amount of narrators and we get that here through the narration from Helen Laser, James Fouhey and Tim Campbell. I think the accent work was particularly well done and felt that this helped make the story more immersive for me.

#Macaudio2024

I’m always leery when picking up novellas that the story won’t feel complete. Thankfully Roth does not stumble into that pitfall. I was pleasantly surprised by how well developed and executed the plot for When Among Crows was. There was plenty of intrigue, suspense, and twists to keep my attention. Additionally, the characters themselves went through plenty of growth and revelations to make you forget that you’re reading a novella as opposed to a full length novel. I also appreciated the Polish lore woven into the story. I had the audiobook for this, and it featured one of my favorite things, multiple narrators. It was narrated by Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell. Having distinctly different narrators helped my enjoyment and consumption of the story. I felt they all did a really great job but particularly the narration for Dymitr and Ala. I definitely recommend checking out the audiobook for this.

Novellas! The next best invention after double-stuf Oreos. Both are short, sweet and (usually) satisfying.

I'm not a Roth die-hard since I missed the whole Divergent craze, but maybe that's for the better. I didn't find this novella interesting. It was bland. With novellas, there's a short time span to grab a reader's attention and develop a good plot and characters. Roth missed the mark with all three.

When Among Crows is an urban fantasy quest following Dymitr, Ala, and Niko. While I enjoyed the setting (monstrous Chicago underworld) it was the only thing I paid attention to. Despite all three characters having distinct origin stories, they all read similarly in tone and personality. Their character arcs weren't developed enough for my taste, so I didn't care about their epic quest.

This isn't a bad book. It's short, so even though it wasn't my favorite, it wasn't a waste of time. If you like Slavic folklore and look for a palette cleanser between chunky fantasy novels, this one is a good option.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley, for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This was a good read but a little deeper than I expected. I loved the intertwining of the Lore. I also just read where the dark stands still, which is also a story about the moonflower and the Leszey so it was confusing me to read them so close together.

Dymitr has been raised to kill monsters, but he is now working and offering to save the life of the creature he has been trained to kill.

I am not familiar with Slavic Folklore, so I was excited to start this one.
It started off strong, but it lost me just as quickly.

I listened to the audio book and Nicos, there one minute, gone the next accent really started throwing me off.
I felt like the writing was really slow, which, in my opinion, doesn't always work well with a short story. And when the story did pick up, it picked WAY up, and I found myself lost and confused as to what was going on.

This book reminded me of something that might come from Neil Gaiman. That is very much a compliment to Roth. She very seamlessly interweaves Polish folklore and urban fantasy together. I don't think I have a negative thing to say about this book, except that I wanted more. I fell in love with the characters, especially Dymitr and Ala, and the world building. The book was short. I feel that there was so much Roth could have expanded on.

When Among Crows is a standalone novella based mostly in Slavic lore. Dymitr is on a quest to find Baba Yaga. To do so will take the help of some of the creatures he has grow up knowing as monsters. But there is one that may be swayed to help if for the right price. Dymitr is walking a dangerous road, but is it his road to redemption or destruction?

Ana is cursed. The curse has been passed down through different members of her family and she has watched it burn through them one by one. When Dymitr shows up with a special flower that might be able to save her, if she helps him find Baba Yaga it is a bargain she has to take. However, she doesn’t really know where Baba Yaga is. Ana and Dymitr will have to journey through the underground magic world she is a part of, in order to find the legendary witch. Time is ticking as the flower is only good for 24 hours before the magic in it fades away.

I was on the fence about ever reading another Veronica Roth book after the end of the Divergent series. However sometime when you give an author a second chance they surprise you and you discover something else really great. I really enjoyed the lore of this book and the journey. I did guess to Dymitr’s reasons for seeking Baba Yaga but that doesn’t really diminish from the enjoyment of this strange world full of creatures that feed on pain, sorrow, despair and more. I enjoyed this brief journey in this world; I thought the ending was fitting.

Overall a fun novella set in an interesting world. The magic might be a little under developed but this is a story of families and how sometimes you eventually chose the one you want over the one you have.

Narration:
I always appreciate when I book has multiple PoVs that there are multiple narrators to capture the feel of the story. Helen Laser, James Fouhey and Tim Campbell cover the three different PoVs we listen to in the story. Tim Campbell is an accomplished narrator and I can pick out his voice in a story anytime he narrates. He has a wonderful tone and I always enjoy his performance. James Fouhey also falls into a category where I have listened to him before but couldn’t specifically remember where. Still with over 400 titles to his name, he is a strong narrator and did a great job in his PoV conveying the emotion and magic of the story. Helen Laser is a new to me narrator but she held her own against Tim and James doing Ana’s PoV proud. I was able to listen to the story at my usual 1.5x speed.

This is very well written. I knew nothing about the Slavic folklore background, and this isn’t a genre I dive into much, but I followed and really cared about the characters and the story. I actually like that it was a novella so that you get the general origin story in a cohesive format without having to parse it out of a longer tale. If you are one of the people who couldn’t get past the death of a particular heroine, this would be a great place to jump back in. And these are three of the best narrators in the business for the audiobook.

Alright, let's break this down in simple terms! So, you know how in a good story, the characters are like puzzle pieces, fitting together in all sorts of interesting ways? Well, in this book, the characters are like a whole jigsaw puzzle of personalities!

First off, we've got Dymitir, a guy who's carrying around a load of guilt like it's his favorite accessory. You can practically feel his struggles jumping off the page! Then there's Ala and Nico, two newbies to the crew who bring their own spark to the mix.

Now, here's the scoop: while the book lays the groundwork for some serious found-family vibes, it's like the author hit the gas pedal before fully revving up that engine. But hey, we can totally imagine these characters becoming one big, dysfunctional, but lovable family in the end!

And let's not forget about the plot—it's like taking a trip down a dark and twisty rabbit hole into the paranormal underworld of Chicago. Picture a road trip meets quest to win favor from Baba Jaga, the mythical creature. Sounds wild, right? That's because it is!

The action keeps you on your toes, the twists make you go "Whoa, didn't see that coming!" and the Slavic folklore woven throughout? Totally fascinating stuff!

Now, here's the kicker: while most of the ride is smooth sailing, there are a couple of bumps in the road. Some moments felt a bit forced, and others didn't quite hit the mark for me.

But overall, it's a wild ride that's definitely worth hopping on! Big thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me take this adventure and share my thoughts. So, grab your headphones and get ready to dive into this fantastical world—you won't regret it!

Thanks NetGalley and Veronica Roth for the ARC audiobook! I’m a big fan of VR. I’m rereading the divergent series at the same time I was reading this. She writes everything in Chicago which is fun. I loved the characters. There is one queer/lgbtq relationship, which isn’t my jam, but it was done well and wasn’t over the top or graphic.

Unique take on Baba Yaga. Just read The Witch and Tzar last year and so it was interesting to me to put her in the US. It’s a quick read, just a novella, but I’d go into it knowing it’s nothing like divergent. Which I’m sure is annoying to VR to have me say that, but when you’ve got a hit series, everything after that gets compared to it. I recommend to people who like fantasy and folklore retellings.

I enjoyed this story and audiobook. I have a good understanding of the mythology that's mentioned which I think was an advantage because I never felt like I needed to look up what something was and didn't want further explanation from the book. I liked the use of multiple narrators but I wasn't sure why they switched when they did - maybe I just missed the nuance. I would be interested in seeing these characters develop more in a longer format story as we don't get much time with them in this novella, but it was definitely a fun time for me.

It wasn't bad. I didn't love it. It was okay! Its a novella and the most interesting part to me was the ending.

Such an interesting urban fantasy! When Among Crows is set in Chicago, whose underworld is filled with creatures from Eastern European folklore/mythology. Dymitr has retrieved a magical flower which he hopes to use to gain assistance with a quest. He encounters Ala, a cursed zmora, and Niko, an unusal striga, along the way. The "monsters" of the city feed off negative emotions, which was really fascinating. There is a religious side of things regarding an order of people who try to slay these creatures. The book is very fast-paced as we quickly travel to different locations as steps on their journey. The book did a great job for me at balancing giving information about these creatures with exciting plot events. Dymitr, Ala, and Niko were all such captivating characters even in the brief time I spent with them. Everyone has secrets and inner conflict and turmoil that is slowly revealed. The book has some interesting discussion of what it means to question what you've been taught, make amends, and right your wrongs. I liked where the ending went, but it left me wanting more - as someone who enjoys series of novellas (like McGuire's Wayward Children or Nghi Vo's Singing Hills Cycle), I would love to see this become a series!! I want to see where Dymitr, Ala, and Niko go next and also how the romance we get hints about might develop. Highly recommend for lovers of urban fantasy, Slavic folklore, and fantasy novellas!

When Among Crows is a unique magic driven novella based in the heart of Chicago. This was my first ever Veronica Roth and Slavic folklore fantasy story so I figured this 176 page/ 4 hour audio listen was the perfect place to start!

Within this novella we follow Dymitr as he is on a quest to break a curse. He meets Ala, a zmora who feeds on fear, and Niko, an incredibly powerful 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.

Roth's writing style made for a captivating reading experience but I felt as if the world building needed to expanded on more. I'll be honest, without those extra paragraphs explaining more about the world we are in and the upbringing of who the characters are, I was lost at times... especially within the first few chapters.

I struggled to care about the characters, and then by the time I was getting the swing of things, the book was nearly over. I felt as if too many fantasy creatures were shoved into this short story as I had to keep looking up the names of the creatures to figure out what was unique about each one. I will say, the vampire scene in front of the movie theater was sick. Deeper themes of redemption, sacrifice, & regret are thoroughly explored.

I recommend reading up on Baba Jaga before diving into this novella!

Helen Laser, James Fouhey and Tim Campbell did a fun job narrating and brining these characters to life.
Thank you Macmillian Audio for an advanced audio copy! #MacAudio2024 🔪

Atmospheric. Intriguing. I enjoyed this story, but the novella length made it difficult for me to connect with any of the characters. There are so many! And each without much background. I was lost. The writing is beautiful, the story has potential, I just need more.

The audiobook is read by Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell. Each had their unique qualities to add and were easily understood at faster speeds.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Veronica Roth for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF

The first two chapters felt so dissimilar. So many names, characters, and quests that I felt pretty lost in where this book was going.

I really enjoyed this! It moved very quickly and had great characters. I love the take on Eastern European mythology. The narrators were stellar.

In Veronica Roth's "When Among Crow," readers are immersed in a world where darkness reigns, and alliances are forged in shadows. Dymitr, burdened by his family's legacy as hunters of monsters, embarks on a perilous mission to find the legendary witch, Baba Jaga. His path intersects with Ala, a fear-eating zmora, and together, they navigate the dangerous landscape of Chicago's underworld.

Roth skillfully weaves a narrative filled with themes of sacrifice, redemption, and the complexities of morality. As Dymitr and Ala form an unlikely partnership, they confront not only external threats but also the demons of their pasts.

The novel's immersive world-building and evocative prose draw readers into a vividly realized setting where magic and monsters coexist with the mundane. With its gripping plot and nuanced characters, "When Among Crow" is sure to captivate fans of dark fantasy and urban paranormal fiction.

I honestly picked up this novella for the beautiful cover and the title but Voice Among Crows by Veronica Roth was a perfect package of a novella that felt almost like a full length novel. Beautifully paced, action packed, Slavic-folklore, cool characters and a solid plot. I love an audiobook that swaps narrators between MCs and the narrators here do a fantastic job. I honestly hope for a sequel to this to continue the found family story line and to see more of the world they live in.

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