“When Among Crows,” by Veronica Roth

Dymitr’s family have been sacrificing their soul to slay monsters for generations. Now he’s on a mission to find Baba Jaga, but in order to accomplish it he needs to ally with someone he’s sworn to kill. Ala is a fear-eating Zmora and is just waiting till she can die and be done. Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help to find Baba Jaga.

This was an interesting short book. It wasn’t what I was expecting it to be from Veronica Roth, but it was good. I liked the abundance of lore and creatures that I don’t usually see in books. It was on the slow side for me. 3 out of 5 stars.

-Multi POV
-Magic and Magic Creatures

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I love when authors use folklore in their novels. @veronicaroth uses Slavic folklore as inspiration in her newest fantasy novel, When Among Crows. The story is set in Chicago but features Baba Jaga. I found this depiction to be unique since the witch, Baba Jaga, is typically seen in a forest instead of an urban setting. I also loved the characters, Dymitr and Ala. I highly recommend checking out this audiobook especially if you love modern folklore books. The narration is top notch.

Thank you @macmillan.audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

When Among Crows is a standout novella. I typically struggle with novellas, as I feel like we don't get enough of the character and world building. But Veronica Roth puts so much character depth, imagery, and world-building into this story that I felt truly invested and enthralled. Because I typically like longer stories, I'm going back and forth between wanting *more* and loving how the story stands on its own. I'll definitely be thinking about it for sometime.

Thank you to TOR & NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

The gorgeous cover and author drew me in but this is a deeply boring book.

I don’t care about the characters or their quest and it’s dragging. Not for me.

I really didn’t know what to think about this one. It was so different from what I expected. I thought the Slavic myth roots of the story were cool and unique. There were parts that were hard to follow because there was no backstory. Ultimately. Not having that backstory made me realize I didn’t deeply care about the story or characters, though it was unique and interesting.

This was an excellent story, taking inspiration from Slavic folktales. Being very familiar with Baba Jaga, thanks to Polish ancestors, I was thrilled to read/listen to this book. I liked how the story is set in Chicago, which has a big Polish community outside of Poland.
The book was well written, and it left me questioning who the real monsters were. I would have loved fort the book to be longer and expanded on the legends and get more about Dymitr’s back story.
The narration was very good. The voice actors did a great job.
Now I’m left wanting more! If you like fantasy/folklore you should give When among crows a try.

I absolutely loved the world and magic of this book. For the first time I'm disappointed that this ISNT a series. I could easily ready more book continuing the stories of these characters and how they move forward and how they possibly continue to work together. The book was short and very fast paced but keeps you drawn in the entire time.

Veronica Roth's "When Among Crows" surprised me with its immersive world-building and vivid imagery, and the audiobook experience enhanced these qualities even further. The narrators, Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell, did an exceptional job voicing the characters, adding an extra layer of depth to the story. Their portrayal of the different languages added authenticity and richness to the narrative.

The audio mixing was done perfectly, with no issues regarding volume differences or popping noises, ensuring a seamless listening experience. Despite the novella's brevity, the audio adaptation made the most of every moment, drawing listeners into the atmospheric world of Slavic myths and urban fantasy.

Overall, "When Among Crows" is not only a captivating read but also a fantastic listen, especially for fans of myths and urban fantasy. I highly recommend it, and kudos to the narrators and production team for bringing the story to life in such a compelling way.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with the opportunity to experience this wonderful audiobook.

3.75 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for the free review copy!

This was a great story of Slavic folklore mixed with urban fantasy, and I am absolutely befuddled by the choice to make it a novella. Why did Roth pull back? Why did the editor not give back the manuscript and tell her to expand it? It's a shame, really. It could have easily been a full length novel, and a really great one at that! There were many things could have gotten more detail and backstory and made the book that much richer. Choosing to make it a novella didn't give us quite enough with the characters to really get a true feel for them, and as a result the story didn't have quite the impact that it could have.

I still really enjoyed it, which is why I rounded it up to a 4 star rating. And because it's a novella, it's a quick read, so it's great if you're looking for something short. But it could have been so much more.

I shouldn't have read this so soon after my failed The Bear and the Nightingale reread. Two books in a row with interesting Eastern European rep are two too many. I will say this was probably made worse on audio, as the attempted accents were atrocious.

The juxtaposition between creatures and religion is prevalent, and could've been interesting. However, this is done so much better in other books that it isn't really anything to write home about.

I enjoyed the story overall, but it felt underdeveloped to me. This was across the board: the setting involved multiple countries, three main characters, and a mythology and magic system I am unfamiliar with. Other reviews have mentioned Slavic mythology as a basis for the creatures here. I wish there was a more thorough explanation of the mythology and creatures. It was mentioned a few times that one of the creatures is like a vampire, but I couldn't follow which one. A glossary of terms would have been helpful. The idea that the creatures feed off of human emotions is very interesting. My favorite scene of the book was the opening scene. It was beautifully done, layered with lore and mystery. The rest of the book did not deliver on the same vibe.
This audiobook features 3 different narrators, but I found the different male narrators confusing. There wasn't enough of a shift in focus of the third person POV to account for a different narrator for each chapter. I thought all 3 were good narrators, but because of the confusion, I found myself annoyed when the switch happened having to adjust to the different voices and accents more frequently than I liked. While all the narrators did a good job, it was jarring to listen to such a short book with so many changes.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy of the audiobook to review!

This is such a beautiful novella with amazing characters and emotional depth. For such a short book this was incredibly captivating and felt complete. The 3 characters we follow have very complex emotional, familial and cultural stories. I really enjoyed the nuanced commentary on immigration, family trauma and social and religious order and prejudices. It's a beautiful look at modern urban Slavic folklore that is both action packed and emotionally devastating.

If you have a love of dark folklore, this is such a perfect short read. Often times I leave novellas feeling like something was missing or incomplete, that was absolutely not the case here. The world building, character development and plot lines were all fully fleshed out.

10/10 would recommend! Thank you NetGalley for ARC audio.

As a HUGE Veronica Roth fan I was very excited to see this beauty on my dashboard! Can we just gaga on that cover for a moment???!! This was full of excitement from start to finish and full of lore and I am here for it! Then, you add a grandma JoAnna???! Yes please!!! I can’t wait to slide this pretty on my shelf next to every other masterpiece from VR!

The narrators did great! There was no technical issues, and the narration was very smooth and comprehendible.

A novella inspired by Slavic folklore with a modern twist. You can expect magic, blood, sacrifice, curses, and a search for penance

Veronica Roth has done it again! This novella is very captivating. I loved the story of Dymitr and Ala. I want to know more about Ala’s family and past. I am not super familiar with Slavic folklore, but this book is so captivating and inspiring that I want to read more of the folklore!

Thanks Netgally and Macmillan Audio for the review copy.

I was not sure what to expect going into this but boy was it an amazing short story. I love tales of quasi realistic quasi mythical existence. Chicago, check. Baba Yaga, check check. The depth Roth went to describe each of the characters truly has you feeling like you are walking through the story as a character yourself. Definitely check this out!

#netgalley #arc #VeronicaRoth #whenamongcrows

When Among Crows is the best novella I have ever read. I am typically left unsatisfied after a short amount of pages, but I was amazed at the depth of the story packed into this novella. Following an unlikely trio, you are led through Chicago and introduced to many different creatures steeped in Slavic lore. This story is fast-paced and violent at times, yet filled with emotion and intrigue, and the glimpse at a romance was so well done. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were outstanding.

I would absolutely love to revisit this world either to see what happens next with Dymitr or to be introduced to new characters. I think Veronica Roth has created a world of potential with When Among Crows.

I received an audiobook ARC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I saw was from Veronica Roth and wanted to love it but it was meh.
When Among Crows is a Slavic Urban Fantasy based in Slavic Folklore.
That sounded great except you are immediately put in the action without any building of how the world got here or anything.
I didn’t realize was a novella and that explains the instant get to action but I had to listen to the first half a couple of times cause I got lost a bit.

I think this would have been awesome if was a full length novel to really learn about this world and develop a relationship with these characters.
The ending was great and glad now I have a new list of fantasy characters I learned about.

Thank you you Net Galley, MacMillan Audio and Veronica Roth for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this audiobook via net galley in exchange for a review.
I thought I would like this more than I did. I like Veronica Roth, I love the cover and description of the book. I just had a hard time understanding everything and felt like maybe I needed more. Like being dropped in the middle of something. I didn't realize it was a novella at first so maybe that could have tipped me off? Overall, liked the characters, found them interesting, maybe just needed more story. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. I think I fell somewhere in the middle.
The voice actors for the audiobook did a great job - I would never have known how to pronounce some of these words. I felt like the accents were well done.

I haven’t read anything from Veronica Roth since the Divergence series so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I think this is a great novella, it’s a Slavic-inspired fantasy, and I really enjoyed the audiobook! Even though this is short I think it’s so packed with lore and great character depth. I love stories where mythical creature are living among human and they have no idea. The narrators were fantastic and I really enjoyed the multiple POVs. I really hope to see more from this world.
Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Veronica Roth for this ALC

Great narrator, just wasn't my taste. From the first words I knew the style wouldn't be to my liking. Too literary for me, and I wasn't able to picture the characters or what was happening. I think literary fiction or mythology lovers will like this one, but it was over my head.