3.5 ⭐️This had interesting magic (Slavic magic creatures) and while I found it interesting , I think I would have appreciated this to be a bit longer to delve into the lore more. Took me a little bit to get into .

I thought this book was ok. I've realized this author just isn't my style. I think it would have done better as a series I felt like it was missing backstory and world building.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

I honestly went into this not really knowing what to expect; I haven’t read Roth’s work since Allegiant came out, but the synopsis sounded interesting and so I figured there was no harm in trying.

I thought it was impressive that Roth fleshed out her story so well in such a short amount of space. I love novellas, but sometimes I find they want to breathe a little more than they’re able to. I really liked the amount of folklore present here and the way it blended with urban fantasy, and I thought Roth did a good job at telling a satisfying story. I did think the writing felt a bit dense and there were times where I thought that I had been reading for longer than I actually had. Still, When Among Crows was atmospheric and I didn’t mind getting lost in it. The characters were interesting and there was a fun little romance bit happening (this part could’ve been fleshed out more, though).

Overall I had a good time with this and I’m glad I picked this one up.

I really didn’t know what to expect from this when I started listening. I mostly request it because I saw Helen Laser was a narrator and I love her. It ended up being a fantastic story and all three narrators were absolute perfection.

Rooted in Slovic lore this novella had beautiful character development and emotional warmth I wasn’t expecting but very much appreciated. As with any fantasy world there are frightful moments, violence, and monsters but it was balanced so well with tenderness and understanding. It does end abruptly but I’ve come to expect that from novellas.

At just 176 pages or 4 hours and 36 minutes if you’re listening, this flew by! Definitely one I recommend to my fantasy loving friends!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc via Netgalley!

thank you to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review

I read this novella in a state of confusion and then indifference. I have never read a book with slavic mythology before, and Roth's version had me trying to drink out of a fire house due to the lack of explanations for anything. as a result, 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 limited in my ability to build a connection with them or care about their dire straits.

I do not recommend the audiobook, as I found myself re-listening to entire chapters just to figure out what was going on and wishing I could physically read to internalize the words on the page. I would have then had the opportunity to research the different slavic mythological creatures and folklore.

I would recommend for fans of olivie blake, as the writing reminded me a lot of One for My Enemy. grab an ebook copy.

Pretty good, I usually don't listen to audiobooks that are this short but I liked this one. Well written, liked the characters and the plot. I was good but not great.

Neat worldbuilding but like with most novellas, it left me wanting more. I was having a good time with the characters and all three of those narrators are knock-outs.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio arc. This review in my own thoughts and opinions.

I was very excited to read this as soon as I saw Veronica Roth. I was in the peak times of teen dystopian and Divergent was one of my favorites. I did have a hard time getting into this story, but I think that is more because I am not as familiar with Polish lore as I am other countries like Greek.

This brings us to a very modern setting, in Chicago. Dymitr is a hunter whose job is to kill monsters. He has a blade along his spine that is also part of his soul. Ala is in a family of monsters, saddled with a curse that ping pongs down the family line to the next closest relative. Dymitr killed her cousin, and wanted to make reprimands and figure out how to stop being a hunter.

3.5 ⭐
0 🌶

Thank you so much for the approval, Macmillan Audio. It was amazing to have such a large cast for a smaller book. They did an amazing job, and I would say their performance was 4⭐.

This book is more of a novella, and very short. I think it was just over 4 hours of listening time at the regular speed.

This was a very interesting read. I don't think I ever read anything with Slavic Folklore, that I can recall but I really loved that side of this story. I had to google some of the types of creatures/names as I was listening to the book. There was some explanation like what we know as "vampire", "wraith", or "Banshee".

But in the end really wanted more from this book. I felt like we didn't get to really get that connection with the characters (Maybe a little bit of the Main character) and there were great side characters. There was also a hint of a possible romance (M/M) which was very intriguing, but because of the story being short. It was caught off.

Overall, the listen was very pleasant. It kept my attention, there was multiple POV's and flash backs to memories. There was action and violence and some very interesting scenes that kind of will blow your mind.

If you like Slavic Folklore, twist/turns, creatures living amongst humans, set in Chicago, quests, interesting abilities, you will really want to read this book.

I received this audiobook from Netgalley to review.
What a wonderful listen. The way the author interwove polish folklore with modern day was amazing. The story keeps you engaged as well as makes you feel compassion for the characters in the story and root for their success.
The story focuses on Dymitr, who is on a quest for redemption. Dymitr finds Ala presents her with a life changing offer she can't refuse. All while hiding a secret as to why he has made her the offer. With the help of Ala's friend Nico, the three are swept into a dangerous game of secrets, magic, and monsters.
The narration of this book was multi pov with narrators that are great at their craft from accents, flow, and heart-felt emotion.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys old-world folklore with a modern-day twists.

I just struggled to care about the characters, the book felt too short to really build a connection with them.

Also I found the world a bit boring, and this is mainly due to the length. I think this book could have benefited from being a full length novel instead of a novella, because novellas are so difficult to execute properly.

I

Thank you netgalley for the audiobook arc. I really enjoyed listening to this. Though I found it fairly easy to predict what was going to go down I enjoyed the worldbuilding and characters a lot. I wish this wasn't a novella because this could easily have been a much bigger book with all the secrets and journeys the characters take.

I think a lot of the trouble I had with this book had to do with the audiobook, I want to preface my review with that. I felt like I couldn't get into it very well because of the switching of the narrators all over the place and I had a lot of trouble wanting to pick up this book which was a little disappointing. I do want to reread it on my own once it comes out in a physical or ebook format for sure, but there was just something about the production that threw me off.

**Initial Reaction**: 6

**Characters:** 6

**Setting:** 7

**Plot:** 5

**Pace:** 4

**Style:** 6

**Ending:** 7

**Enjoyment:** 6

47 / 16 = 2.9375

Rounded Rating = 3.0

This is a tough one to rate, because it is for a very specific audience. If you've ever wondered what it would be like for Quentin Tarantino to direct a Studio Ghibli movie with a special focus on Chicago geography, your moment has come.

For the rest of us, the story is hard to follow in the way that the Ghibli universe or the old Cirque du Soleil shows are - you'll just confuse and/or disappoint yourself if you try to shoehorn the elaborate atmosphere/vibes into a traditional story structure, but if you relax and enjoy it for what it is, it's an experience.

However, the relaxing and enjoying part is difficult because of the nightmarish violence of the third quarter of the story. Your mileage may vary, but I felt like the author had conducted a focus group consisting of only me to select the things that would horrify me the most during the lengthy and detailed descriptions of fingernail removal and bird attacks. Even if those aren't your specific kryptonite, just know that the violence, while necessary and appropriate to the story, is graphic.

Speaking of graphic, you could probably map out every scene of the story on the Chicago city plan. I get that people who are from Chicago seem to really love Chicago, and I love that for them - much of the first half of assembling the characters and items they need feels like an extended version of the VeggieTales episode where Larry describes his trip across the city to Danish immersion camp. So if you love following along with the Chicago-based geography of a story, that should be a special treat for you.

In summary, I'm not sure that I would suggest this one for a book club or friend unless I was certain this kind of thing is their jam - there is an audience out there, but it's not for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a really unique novella/story surrounding magic and fantasy in the heart of Chicago. I’ll be honest, even though this was really short I was still kind of lost at times. I felt like we were missing out on some of that world building and so I tried to just go with the flow of the story for what it was. Overall entertaining enough and easy to get through since it’s so short. Great on audio too with dual narrators.

This was a quick read. I enjoyed the plot line and the character development. I hope for more books to expand the world built in this one.

This was a great novella! Quick read that packed a lot into it. You get a backstory on all the main characters, different POVs, adventure, action, secrets, reveals, a chance at redemption, and a tiny bit of romance. I really enjoyed the folklore and the journey that the characters went on together. This one wrapped up well with a satisfying ending.

The narrators did a great job, I've actually listened to books narrated by all 3 of them before and like them all!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

Thank you Tor Books and Macmillan Audio for my free ARC of When Among Crows by Veronica Roth — available May 14!

Read this if you:
🌟 love short, standalone fantasy that's gripping and memorable
🩸 know anything about slavic folklore and legend
🗡️ have ever had to ask for forgiveness that felt impossible

Dymitr is on a quest. He needs to find Baba Jaga, so he can ask a favor of her. But this requires quite a bit more than looking her up in the yellow pages, so Dymitr offers an irresistible deal to Ala, a cursed woman whose kind feed on human fear to survive. With Ala's help, Dymitr will find the legendary witch — but what will he ask when he finally gets the chance?

You guys, I fully acknowledge my biases for: 1) anything relating to Slavic folklore; and 2) short fantasy stories; but this one was a serious five-star read for me. I absolutely loved how much complexity was packed into these characters in such a brief span of pages, and I would read anything and everything else written about any of them. This is an urban fantasy set in Chicago, but brimming with lore and legends from Eastern Europe. I adored it!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Solid 4.5 stars

Audiobook very well read by full cast.

I LOVED this novella!!! The absolute worst part is that it ended, when I wanted more, more, MORE! What is with authors writing what could be the first half/third of a novel, and then publishing it as a novella. It truly isn't fair to us readers!

I don't think that I have previously read anything by Veronica Roth, but she is 100% on my radar now. The world-building as wonderful, especially with the ties back to mythical Poland. The characters were delicious and so lovable - including their developing attraction. Truly, this had better be the beginning of a new series of adventures with these three: Dimitr, Ala & Niko.

Though, as a Ukrainian in love with my ancestral folklore and magick, I am unsure how authors sleep well after invoking the spirit of Baba Yaga in such a flippant way! Very bold. Possibly even incredibly unwise. Is that why this is only a novella? Was the author taken out by the most powerful and wise witch of all time?

Huge gratitude to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an AudioARC of this novella, in exchange for my honest review.

I think the audio may have done this book a disservice. Usually I am enamored by Roth’s worlds. They’re all different but intriguing and contain characters I usually love. That is not the case with this one. I hold no allegiance to these characters or this world. I was not interested in the story. This did not captivate my attention in the slightest. At least it was short.