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.

Ala is a zmora, a paranormal creature who feasts on the fear of others. She also suffers from a generational curse that has passed through the women in her family. Dymitr is a human, but he comes from a long line of hunters who track down and kill zmoras. When Among Crows tells the story of their journey together to find the Baba Jaga. It’s a story of revenge, atonement, and sacrifice.

There’s a lot to love in When Among Crows and longtime readers of Roth will recognize some of her well-loved tropes and elements. Chicago plays a part in most (all?) of Roth’s books, and When Among Crows is no exception. However, Roth makes a drastic genre shift in When Among Crows, trading in speculative science fiction for urban paranormal fantasy. I loved this genre switch for her and thought the tone of the writing was precise.

While I enjoyed the urban fantasy setting and world, I had issues with how Ala’s curse was handled. Ala’s curse is generational and has attacked the women in her family. In a lot of ways, the effects of her curse felt similar to some mental illnesses in our real world. It also just felt disability-coded to me. When Among Crows crossed a line I’m uncomfortable with in my books. I started feeling uncomfortable when everyone started discussing curing Ala of her curse. People more studied than me have discussed the issues around magical cures in literature.

So why did I keep reading once the curse-curing talk started? I hoped for a twist. While readers are given a twist ending in When Among Crows, it wasn’t the twist I hoped for. The twist had nothing to do with Ala’s curse and its cure. The story seemed more interested in curing Ala and having that plot point nicely tied up. I desperately wish Ala’s story had been told differently. While this isn’t the most egregious story I’ve ever read, I think it could have been improved.

Final Thoughts:
When Among Crows is well-written – there’s no doubt about that. I liked the paranormal world and the creatures who inhabit that world. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say I like how the curse was handled. If Roth writes more in this world, I would consider reading it.

For what it's worth, I really enjoyed the audiobook of When Among Crows. It was extremely well narrated and produced. If you do pick up the novella, I recommend that format.

Such an engaging story! I like how dark it is but still had elements of friendship and hope. The audiobook is very well done. I was enchanted by all the narrators. They made the words come to life. I can't wait to also have a copy of the book on my shelves, Veronica Roth is an auto buy author for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan, and the author for an advance copy of the audiobook.
This novella has great potential. However, I think my issue was that it is a novella and not a novel. In modern day Chicago there is a whole other world beyond that of a mortal. But we get a snippet into that word through our three main characters while on their journey. The bones of this story are good. But it felt hard to connect with the characters with such a short story. However, there is some backstory but it left me with more questions about each character.
I love the mythology aspect within this story. It did remind me of Masters of Death by Olivie Blake. Writing style very different but still has that modern feel.
Overall, the narration was done fantastically between the 3 narrators. It helped give a little bit more personality to each character.
I would recommend this for someone who is just getting into the fantasy genre. Or even someone who knows fantasy and wants something small.

4.5 stars
The infusion of Slavic myths into urban fantasy was a very interesting and refreshing take on the genre. I enjoyed that very much. There are too few boosk centered on Slavic myths. Reading this felt effortless like I've been immersed in the story for hours already. The author did an amazing job at introducing us to the Slavic mythology and at the same time introducing us to new locations and characters. The characters, particularly Dymitir, felt well-developed and very likable. I appreciated the inclusion of queer romance. There was also just the right amount of backstory. Everything was explained easily without feeling like info-dumping. With this book being a novella, the author utilized every single word and space given. I loved it! It just felt too short like the usual with novellas and this is my only complaint. I certainly wished there were more and I hope we get to explore more of this world in the future!

This was such a fabulous fantasy novel set on Earth with monsters who walk amongst humans without the humans knowing. Knights of the Holy Order hunt down these monsters. Ala (an alleged monster) meets Dymitr who enlists Ala's help to find Baba Jaga in return for taking the curse off her family.
Honestly, I loved all the magical creatures in this novel, how they walk without notice among humans, and how a few beings come together and have their lives woven together without their knowledge. This was fast paced and action packed. Also as each beings story came out, I was shocked at how interwoven they all were. Talk about fate intervening!

With When Among Crows, Roth takes us into Eastern European / Polish myth and stories, and brings them into the modern world. Roth tells a big tale in an efficient manner - she is able to show us a world and characters without relying on long sections of exposition. Instead the action and dialog move the story rapidly, while keeping the reader in suspense. There are plenty of ‘monsters living in plain site’ novels but few of them tackle lesser known ‘monsters’ and even fewer do such a good job at entertaining the audience all the way through.

"When Among Crows" is a short urban fantasy novella that delves into Slavic folklore themes, exploring concepts of redemption and atonement through the characters. Dymitr is from a family of monster hunters and seeks the legendary witch Baba Jaga. Ala, a fear-eating zmora and who’s kind Dymitr has sworn to kill, joins him in a quest for a cure to her curse.

This short novella packs a lot in. Veronica Roth really knows how to evoke atmosphere and emotion. The strong characterization of the three main characters adds depth to the narrative, and makes them compelling and relatable. The novella explores the significance and potential redemption of pain, and poses some thought-provoking questions about identity and atonement. Overall, it’s a quick and enjoyable read.

Dymitr obtains a fern flower and goes in search of a creature to get to Baba Yaga. He meets Ala, a zmora who is plagued by a curse forcing her to witness the horrors that the Holy Order commits that the fern flower may be able to help lift, but the flower is only good for so many hours. Steeped in European folklore and set primarily during 36 hours in Chicago.

The audio book has three narrators that take chapters from Dymitr's, Ala's, or Niko's POVs. Overall I enjoyed all narrators. Sometimes the hops in perception or time are a little hard to follow in the audio format. This is a novella, so the length was brief but it worked for the timeline. I'm not well briefed in European myths and folklore, but some of the names I recognized from the TV show Supernatural and other pop culture. More might have been done with the setting of Chicago, but overall I liked the urban set fantasy. Mind the content warning, there's some gore that's not for everyone.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.