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.

Although this was just a novella, the comprehensiveness of the world-building, characters, and storyline felt like a full-length novel.

This was my first Veronica Roth, and I loved it! This was a version of the Baba Yaga tale where a group of characters end up banding together to aid one another in achieving a quest, not unlike a LitRPG. None of the characters truly trust one another, for good reasons, but find themselves developing unexpected bonds. When I was finished, I couldn't believe this was actually just a novella.

This story was really hard for me to get into at first. The world building was fast and intense. Iam so glad I stuck with it though! I really love fantasy stories with mythology and folklore from other countries. Baba Jaga is probably one of my favorite stories. She has made appearances in many stories I've read recently including the ACOTAR series, the Witcher series, and is referenced in the John wick movies. The setting descriptions of Chicago were excellent. The character development was intense given how short the story actually is. We can see Ala and Dymitr grow so much as people dealing with the pain from their pasts. I've listened to a couple of audiobooks with Helen Laser narrating, and she definitely delivered again on this one! She's becoming one of my favorite narrators. James Fouhey and Tim Campbell also were easy to listen to. I usually dislike narrators doing accents, but all of these narrators sounded good-accents weren't cheesy or bad at all.

Thank up @NetGalley, @VeronicaRoth, @Macmillanaudio, and @TorPublishingGroup for this advanced listener copy. All opinions are my own.

The gasp I gusped when I saw that cover though ...

I quite enjoyed this! It's a dark glimpse into the fantastical paranormal world lying beneath the surface of Chicago in the shape of a mini road trip and quest to find and receive favour from Baba Jaga. The three main characters are great, the action well paced, and the twists weirdly surprising. The Slavic lore built upon and expanded by the author was intriguing and I had a great time reading it! There were just a few things that felt a little shoehorned in, and some moments didn't quite hit for me, so that's the only reason why it's not a five star read for me.

I find novellas to be a bit of a hit or miss, and the last few books I read from this author were not great. However, I would like to apologize for saying that since Roth's writing and storytelling has improved vastly since.

It is generally not a great idea to try and meet with Baba Jaga. Especially when you need her to do something for you.

"When Among Crows" by Veronica Roth uses Slavic myths and legends in modern Chicago, just slightly different. Dymitr comes from a line of hunters who kill monsters. Ala, happens to be one such monster afflicted with a family curse. Not knowing Dymitr's background, she agrees to help get him to Baba Jaga when he dangles a cure in front of her. And I'm positive nothing will go sideways considering his sister is tailing him.

Narrated by Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell. Your voices had me griped on this ride, each with their own pains and secrets.

Reasons to read:
-This novella is full of world building
-Often neglected creatures of folklore
-Real brutal magic
-Pettiness at a professional level
-How can one really find atonement for their actions?

Cons:
-I want more of the setting and characters

This book!!! This book! I went into it not having any expectations. To be honest, Veronica Roth is half and half for me. I’ve loved some books and disliked some others. But she has knocked it out of the park with this book. My one piece of advice when it comes to When Among Crows- go in blind. Don’t look up spoiler heavy reviews, don’t rely on videos, or other’s opinions. Be confused when you are confused, and dive in headfirst. Let the book tell its story to you.
This book was a learn on the fly type of book. You learned the world and the characters as you read, and it all tied together in the most satisfying way. I went back and forth on whether I would’ve wanted this to be longer or to be a series. In the end, I love how she did write this book- length and all. In the current publishing world, where series are king and it feels like stand alone books don’t exist, this book came to do what it needed to and left. And when it left, it left me with my jaw on the ground.
This will be one of the few books that I will reread, because I know it'll be even better on the second read through.
***Thanks to Macmillan Audio/ Tor Books through NetGalley for providing me an ARC for my honest review***

I appreciate what this novella was attempting to do, but the execution did not work for me. I am always down to read some Slavic mythology but this was somehow both too long and too short. I found myself annoyed with the main characters until the end. I also liked all of the information about the creatures but it was too much for the length of this work.

When Among Crows is a story steeped in Slavic folklore full of familiar tales and characters.

Dymitr is tasked with finding the legendary witch called Baba Jaga but he has to team up with others he’s supposed to kill in order to find the witch. Ala carries a deadly curse and can’t turn down Dymitr’s help to break it forcing her to team up with him. I absolutely loved this story and all of the characters. My only wish is that it was longer! It was such a fun and unique read.

This audiobook was narrated by Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell. They all did so amazing at depicting the characters, I loved hearing the accents and Slavic words.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Veronica Roth, and Macmillan Audio, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This will be a great read for everyone on May 14th!

I have posted my review on Goodreads, in my Facebook book club, and will post a Tiktok review within the week before it releases.

4 stars!

Thank you to Veronica Roth and Tor Books for an ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Don't let the size of this story fool you, there's a lot packed within these pages. Immediately, I liked the urban fantasy setting and I think Chicago was a great pick for the grittiness and strong history of immigrant communities. I'm always a fan of multiple POVs and I pretty much enjoyed each speaker equally. The queer romance was a fantastic surprise and I liked how their relationship colored the climax of the story. Certain fantasy elements, like the holy knights pulling swords from their spines, were fucking awesome. A lot of people don't like that this is a novella, but I think for this particular story the length is great. I'm open for a novel-length book set in the same world, but I think it would have been grating for this particular story to be stretched out.

None of my issue are big issues with the book, I just want to clarify what didn't work for me as a reader so similar readers will know what they're getting into. The action scenes aren't gratuitous but there are a few of them and I usually skim that stuff. The characters are pretty good for a novella-length story, but they aren't great when compared with some other characters from novellas like Silver in the Wood or the Wayward Children series. There are a few twists and–while I didn't predict all of them–none of them were shocking.

If an urban reimagining of Eastern European folklore sounds like your thing, this novella does a great job of providing that in a tight, fast-paced package. It's doing a lot right, and given the length it is absolutely not a waste of your time so give it a shot.

Happy reading!

A wonderful novella that takes you through modern day Chicago in a world of hidden monsters. Even though this is a short read there is such a brilliant, fast paced story that unfolds and keeps you wanting more. Each of the characters introduced had me more and more interested.

If you’re interested in audiobooks this one was quick and keeps you engrossed the entire time. The main narrator has a voice that keeps you wanting to listen to him speak. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

When Among Crows hooked me from the very first line - “Kiedy wejdziesz między wrony, musisz krakać tak jak one.”
(When among crows, you must caw like one.)

The atmosphere was dark and had an almost noir feel. I really liked the combination of urban fantasy filled with Polish/Slavic folklore and language. This is what most appealed to me as a Polish immigrant and I love that Roth writes stories set in Chicago.

This was a short book and the audiobook flew by even faster. We follow Dymitr as he joins forces with Ala to find the witch Baba Jaga, promising to break her curse. You are thrown into the thick of things almost straight away. There are different creatures, secret societies, magic, and unlikely alliances. Overall it was a super intriguing concept and I quite enjoyed the lore, storytelling, and characters. The world building and history were woven into the characters’ perspectives, giving the reader an emotional connection to each of their struggles. An unlikely trio with an almost impossible quest.

The audiobook had voice actors for the three leads - Dymitr, Ala, and Niko, I enjoyed the break of pace between them. While the Polish pronunciations are a bit difficult, I really appreciated the addition of certain phrases into the plot. A solid take on lore based fantasy with an urban setting.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio of the advance listening copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Tor Books, Veronica Roth, Helen Laser (audio narrator), James Fouhey (audio narrator), and Tim Campbell (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of When Among Crows in exchange for an honest review. 

"When among crows, you must caw as one," a Polish saying. The novella starts with this quote, and it's an intriguing idea that sticks with the reader throughout as they learn about the motives behind the characters and what they must do to accomplish their goals.

This novella follows Dymitr, a monster hunter who must sacrifice parts of his soul to rid the world of its evil creatures. A blessing, and a curse. And Ala, a zmora (a Slavic demon of nightmares) who devours fear. She doesn't have much left to lose, considering her current position in the world. 

Dymitr seeks that legendary Baba Jaga, but he needs the aid of someone who can help him find what he seeks. Ala's curse will be her demise, but with an agreement with Dymitr for a cure for the aid to find Baba Jaga, not all is lost. 

Two unlikely beings make an alliance that goes against both of their very nature as they have less than a day and a half to complete their quest as they make their way through the Slavic folklore-filled land underworld beneath the great city of Chicago.

This book gave me some American Gods vibes as I was first getting into it and figuring things out. I also enjoy the folklore of Baba Yaga and have found the differences across the way writers explore that story intriguing.

There was a lot going on in this book in such a short expanse of time that it was a bit hard for me to follow and I was drawn out at times. I love the idea of the urban fantasy setting in the United states mixed with the Slavic-inspired land beneath, similar to the hidden world of Shadowhunters to mundanes. The cover is enticing, and as a long-time Roth fan, I had to check this one out. While it wasn't quite up-to-par with my thoughts on her other works, I still enjoyed what this novella was going for and what it accomplished. 

A great recommendation for adult readers who love Slavic lore and urban fantasy.

Incredibly compelling world-building, rich imagery, and super interesting characters — I was totally swept up in this! I wish it was full-length!!