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.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC of this book.

First I must say I enjoyed the multiple cast of narrators. It really makes an audiobook even better with a full cast.

I never knew much about Slavic folklore and I got the opportunity to learn some here. I loved Dymitr and Ala. How one has to rely on the other in order to complete a mission is astounding

Secrets and motives are revealed and its a fight against time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio 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. But I did really enjoy the audio book narrators.

This was a satisfying and unique novella set in Chicago filled with Polish folklore. Even with this being relatively short the world building was done so well. I loved our characters. I believe Roth has said this will be a stand alone but I would jump at the chance to read more in this world. This was great as an audiobook. All of the narrators did a wonderful job.

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

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 ⭐ rounded up.

This was a very short and quick story. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job. However, I think this is one of those books I could have enjoyed more if I would have physically read it myself. I felt like I couldn't connect with the audiobook as much as I wanted to. I do plan to physically read this again sometime.

I didn't care for the characters much. Again, this could have been because I was wishing I would have had a physical copy, but they didn't work for me. There's very little romance in this book, so if you're someone like me who loves the romance subplot, this may not be your book. This book focused on the fantasy aspects. I think sprinkling in a little more romance might have improved this book so much.

Veronica Roth is a talented writer who can paint a vivid picture in my mind and can make you feel like you're in the moment with the characters. I am not a huge novella reader, so I took a risk on this solely because Roth is the author. I did enjoy this novella and I am planning a reread.

I did the audio version of When Among Crows. Helen Laser and James Fouhey do a performance level reading of this dark fantasy. Dymitr is raised to kill monsters with the sword that resides in his back in place of his spine. Ala is cursed to witness horror and pain until the curse ultimately takes her life. Together, Dymitr and Ala venture to find Baba Jana the legendary witch to obtain a magical flower that might cure Ala. The audio book is haunting and mesmerizing compelling a listener to stay with the story until the end.

This punchy novella follows Dymitr on his mysterious quest into the underbelly of Chicago’s Slavic folklore-inspired world. When Dymitr meets Ala, they make an unlikely duo as they both seek to be released from their inheritances - pain.

This story covers such a short period of time, yet it begins so slowly. There is a lot of world building to pack into so few pages that the depth of the characters fell flat. I was hard for me to get into their relationships and desires until about 70% of the way through. The ending is incredible and was worth the slow journey I took to get there.

The themes of forgiveness, penance, family, and pain were expertly executed, packing an emotional gut punch right at the end. I’d be interested in exploring more of this world, but wished the introduction to it had been a bit longer and more fleshed out.

The audiobook had multiple narrators, a necessity with how often the story switches points of view. There were a few instances where the audio was choppy compared to the original flow of the sentence, but overall it was well done. If you love urban fantasy and want a taste for some Slavic folklore, When Among Crows is a great read! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

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.

The audiobook did have technical issues. I noticed in chapter 10 & 12. I did have the ebook and audiobook. One part we had Ala’s narrator doing Dymitr’s pov, then went back and had the male narrator read it through again. In chapter 12 it skipped quite a few pages, read a part ahead, but then went back and read before the end. I followed along when I could, but did just listen during certain parts when I had to be on the go. So there might be more problems I missed. It was very confusing.
Though the narrators did a fantastic job.

When Among crows is a interesting story where we follow two main protagonists Dymitr, a seemingly normal mortal boy, and Ala, a cursed Zamora, as they travel through Chicago to seek out an audience with Baba Yaga so Dymitr can destroy a monster hunter.

I really enjoyed the polish mythology woven through the novella, and the action happening to and around the main characters. I’ve been attempting Roth’s books over and over again for awhile trying to find one I like and this one has been my favorite of her books I’ve read thus far.

The audio production on the book was also excellent, I’m glad that they chose to use multiple narrators it really added to my listening experience.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Overall I enjoyed this. The author managed to really put a full atmospheric picture in my head in a short number of pages. I thought the narration was excellent and added a lot to the characters. While I enjoyed the characters, I do wish I had connected with them a little bit more but perhaps that just goes to my wish that the story had overall been a little longer. I would certainly like to read more in this world with these characters in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for early access in exchange for an honest review =)

This book is a great example that you can do lots for a fantasy book in a few pages.

Dymitr and Ala are brought together by a curse that hunts her bloodline. They set out to find Baba Jaga in the hopes to break her curse (and perhaps break Dymitr's destiny?). This is all based on Polish mythology but takes place in Chicago - I love when fantasy books are set in our world. As a HUGE FAN of Unsoul I loved seeing the same mythology playing a role in this book. If you like this book, watch Unsoul!

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

I thought this book was so cute. It was short and comforting. The folklore was new to me and it was really unique and interesting. I also think the characters had a lot of chemistry with each other and I want to read more about them in the future. I listened to this as an audiobook and I think the narrators did an amazing job. They really added to the experience of the book. I would 100% recommend listening this audiobook.

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..