When Among Crows by Veronica Roth was a beautiful, creepy fantasy novella set in Chicago. Dymitr has been taught to kill monsters. Ala is cursed, and Dymitr offers to help her find the witch Baba Yaga in exchange for a flower that might fix her. I LOVED that this was full of Slavic myth just right under the surfance - Urban Fantasy perfection! I felt that the character development was fast-paced and I was surprised by how much was packed into a novella. The queer romance between Dymitr and Niko was lovely - I wanted more! The prose was so beatiful and descriptive - I could imagine the scenes easily. I coudn't put it down.

This was a mulicast narration, which can get confusing, but Helen Laser, James Fourhey, and Tim Campbell brought such emotion to their reading - absolutely added to the stunning nature.

Thanks to @netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This book was so interesting! I really loved the urban fantasy setting mixed with folklore, I thought it was really unique. I sometimes feel like novellas struggle with world building in such a small amount of pages, but there was enough in this book to keep me satiated. The themes of redemption, grief, and the responsibility to do the right thing were well done and easy to understand. The characters were all fairly fleshed out and I liked them all. The pacing was really quick, but I wish this was longer because I wanted to stay in this world. I also wish it was longer because I did find it slightly hard to follow at times; like it felt liked it jumped from scene to scene without much transition. I also loved the full cast of narrators. That truly made the story come to life.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that Veronica Roth was coming out with a new. Book, I was so excited! Then I was even more excited to be allowed an advanced copy of this book. The cover is stunning and , as usual, Veronica Roth kills it. I adored this storyline. It was hard for me to put down! I wish it was longer or will there potentially be a part 2?

This book packed a lot into a fairly short book! I am impressed. The only other Roth books I have read were the Divergent books, which I thought were fine, but not awesome. I mean, I liked them well enough to continue the series, but Roth has really stepped up her game! I love books with mythological foundations and this one did well in that aspect. Roth did a great job with both establishing the world and with character development considering the length of the book. There were surprises at the end I wasn't expecting! I would totally read more books set in this world and I hope she writes more!

Roth is really nailing these adult novellas based on classical tales and characters. This one is a deep dive into Polish folklore, which I don't know at all, but dang the character work here is fantastic. Everyone has a complicated backstory and they are all fascinating! The adventure/quest is interesting and sweeps you up right away. Secrets are revealed with truly excellent pacing, where everything feels like an inevitable surprise. This is doing I"m going to be shoving at people this spring, I can feel it.

This was a lush, dark Slavic flavored tale that had me reeling. The narrator gave voice to characters that wove into my psyche and did not let go. I was enthralled and enchanted. I will definitely be buying the book and audiobook. I crave to be amongst this story again and again.

I really appreciated how the folklore, ancient magic and modern themes played on each other. There was a lot of detail in the Polish origins of the characters and their powers. However, this book also left a lot to be desired. I felt as if it were very fast paced and it skipped ahead too much. It seemed as if the characters never had to work to complete their mission and even when they did, they just went along with whatever was happening instead of understanding the significance of each aspect of their journey. There were instances where you’d hear the entire backstory for something that only shows up once and doesn’t end up a big deal. I could just not be used to calm conflict, but even their fighting was tame. The best scene was the intentional fight scene.

Thank you for allowing me to listen to this audiobook. I didn’t know it was a novella but that’s ok. The narrators did a great job and I loved the queer rep in it as well.

I just didn’t connect with any of the characters and most of the time I was lost in what was exactly going on. I hope there are other books that have these characters..

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this little novella. The cover is beautiful. The description sounds interesting, but when it came down to it, I just never felt connected to the characters or the story.

The folklore itself was interesting, and maybe if the book was longer, there could have been more character development to have me feeling something for the characters, but unfortunately, at novella length, I just never found myself interested enough to care where the story went or what would happen to the characters.

Audiobook-wise, I thought the 3 narrators did a fantastic job with what they were given.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book.
The narration and writing were both well done, but I found myself struggling to stay interested in this book. I wanted more from the monster world, and found it hard to conjure the image of these creatures...they all felt a bit human and left me with questions. That being said I'm not as familiar with the type of folklore presented in this book, which possibly could have helped.

I was unsure what to expect from this novella. As a big fan of Veronica Roth’s Divergent series and Poster Girl, I was uncertain about her transition from dystopian novels to folklore. When Among Crows is a modern day retelling of Slavic folklore set in Chicago. I was intrigued.

This fast moving story is full of mysticism, dark creatures, and the supernatural. The outstanding narration drew me in immediately and kept my attention throughout the twisted tale. The juxtaposition of good versus evil set against a backdrop of family traditions is rich with symbolism.

Don’t be put off by the unusual and ghoulish nature of this tale. It’s entirely engrossing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting foray into Slavic folklore. A mostly calm book, with a touch of action and a small twist at the end I didn’t see coming. It’s a good standalone. Works well as a palette cleanser between genres. I enjoyed the narrators as well, they did a great job with the accents.

This urban fantasy is filled with Polish/Slavic folklore in the setting of modern-day Chicago. With this story being a novella, I was completely blown away on how detailed this book was with the world building, character development and the redemption arc for Dymitr as he joins forces with Ala to help break her curse. I fell in love with all of the main characters and loved that we got to see each point of view throughout the story.

I was excited to be approved for the audiobook of When Among Crows. The audiobook allowed me to get the proper pronunciation of the polish names and the sayings that I would have read incorrectly if reading the electronic copy. Each of the main characters had its own narrator and felt that they added to the enjoyment of this story.

When Among Crows comes out May 14th.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to review When Among Crows. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Macmillan and Netgalley for the chance to listen to When Among Crows as an ALC! This is a pretty short audiobook and very well done throughout- I felt like the narrators matched the characters well and did a good job at making me feel immersed into the story. This was my first experience with Veronica Roth and I could certainly see myself picking up another title. If you're a fan of Veronica Roth, Slavic folklore, or short stories, this audiobook will definitely be for you.

This urban fantasy follows three unlikely allies; Dymitr, a disillusioned knight of the Holy Order; Ala, a zmora carrying her family’s curse; and Nico, a striga’s son with connections to Baba Jaga. The three end up working together to search for Baba Jaga among modern Chicago’s creature community, hoping the powerful witch will be the answer to their individual troubles. Steeped in Polish folklore, this novella brings together themes of generational trauma, the history of Chicago’s Polonia, and finding redemption in confronting your past. Multiple audiobook narrators add depth to the storytelling, letting readers experience the story from multiple angles despite the third-person narration.

If you like folklore-inspired fantasy, well-developed and complex characters, and stories that call into question the differences between humans and monsters, this novella is for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for sending me this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

"When Among Crows" is really enjoyable when it is imbuing atmosphere into scenes, doing world building, and focusing on the primary protagonists Dymitr and Ala; the monsters, the characters, the settings, the environments blend together really superbly in a way I never would have expected coming from a modern day Chicago back drop. While Ala's character made sense to include as her story is connected to Dymitr's in fascinating ways, the inclusion of the third character seemed forced, uninteresting, and didn't really serve a purpose other than having a neat sugary ending. Every time Nico was present, I wondered why he was truly there for the story. Maybe I missed a crucial aspect, but I really appreciated Dymitr and Ala's conflicting relationship and the dynamic of tragedy that would've made for some fascinating narrative to be told. All that being said, it barely scratches that itch it presented.

The biggest issue I have with the story as a whole entwines with the audiobook aspect specifically. I really don't believe this story was served well following all three perspectives and three narrators instead of just Dymitr and Ala's. I personally believe that Nico's inclusion wasn't necessary and dreaded his perspective compared to the more interesting characters of Dymitr and Ala. Besides that, the narrators doing their version of characters presented from other narrators was hard to follow. Dymitr and Ala's narrators did a sufficient job, but Nico's didn't seem to warrant a third narrator used. For being a shorter story, having three POVs seemed to make the story as a whole suffer instead of benefit.

Technical issue: during chapter 10, it appears that the narrator for Ala reads a section of Dymitr's POV that then jarringly moves to the narrator of Dymitr who reads the exact same section again. At first I didn't realize it, but it was about 3–7 pages so it's noticeably long. Hope this is helpful.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan 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 love this book and want it to find its people. It's so strongly written.
It's an urban fantasy based on Slavic folklore, about a human on a quest and the cursed people he gets help from. It's reflective, and takes time to breathe and explore emotional baggage between action sequences.

The magic system is very soft, and goes where the plot needs it to. It's used as a way to set up the conflicts, but isn't really explored. What is explored is themes of family cultures being passed down, guilt and redemption, and judgment.

I loved the audiobook. It's got multiple narrators, and they're all wonderful.

A video review including this book will be featured on my YouTube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

4.5⭐

This is my first ever Veronica Roth book and I loved it. I just finished the audio and the way the story was told was just so fun. I was a little nervous the first two chapters afraid I wasn't going to enjoy it but then I absolutely did.

The blending of myths and creatures living in modern day among the living had the supernatural fangirl in me screaming.

This book follows Dymitr and Ala. Dymitr is looking for Baba Jaga as he has a request to ask of her. In his possesion he carries a very important flower that Ala needs to cure her curse. She could try to steal the flower, but she cannot touch the flower without it hurting her so she teams up with him and they set on the path. Along the way they run into loads of trouble which results in someone losing a fingernail. yep, you read that right. A fingernail. I laughed, I felt grossed out. This was just a fun read. I wish it was longer because when I enjoy a book, i really never want it to end.

I will finish this off by saying I am really satisfied with how the story wrapped up considering the tone throughout the story.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Veronica Roth, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio. This was a pleasure to listen to.

Book was very entertaining, and the world was really well crafted. Enjoyed every second. I really wanted more. I think the author could have given us a full length novel instead of a novella and I would have ate it all up like I did with the Divergent series.