Thank you NetGalley and Tor books for the audiobook ARC of this Novella.

When Among Crows is a slavic-inspired urban fantasy novella. I have never read anything written buy Veronica Roth before, and her writing style is very interesting. Since this is a novella, there isn’t a lot of time to create atmosphere and tell a comprehensive story. It’s a tricky balance.

This book focuses a lot on how people smell and things feel, versus what they actually look like. It forces you to fill in the characters all while keeping up the with the pace of the story. All in all, I liked this, but you are quite literally dropped into the story and left to figure out what’s going on.

This novella was incredible! I am always a sucker for a mythology/folklore inspired book, and this one we also got an urban fantasy in the mix too. The characters and their relationships to each other was so well fleshed out. Like seriously amazing how much character development we got in such a short book. And I love that we also got some found family in it. Also incredible that we got such intense themes such connection to culture, duty to self and others, and religion in such a concise format. The pacing was perfect throughout. The only thing I wish we got more of, but I understand being a novella we can’t have it all, was a bit of the m/m love interest. I was excited when that happened but we didn’t get enough of that played out in my opinion.
I’m always here for any Baba Yaga story.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I came for the author, I stayed for the story. As a fan of the Divergent series, I had some preconceived expectations for this reading experience. It was nothing like that series, but I was pleasantly surprised and drawn in to the story. It read like a modern day fairytale rooted in folklore. This novella was the perfect length to explore the characters just enough to invest in their resolutions.

Thank you Veronica Roth, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook! The sound quality was excellent, and the narrators, Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell, brought the characters to life.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the eARC and the ALC.

I wasnt expecting this to be A) a novella very fleshed out with Slavic creatures and B) gay.

Listening to this book was phenomenal. I enjoyed the cast of narrators that made it quite lovely to listen to. It made the POV switches much more entertaining and in depth.

For this story overall, it was really fleshed out and well rounded with magic/culture of it for such a short book. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this, but if that’s the level of world she brings for a novella - I want more of the is adult work she brings.

It was nice being able to finish this book in a day.

This little novella has a lot of the elements I really like: Baba Yaga, urban fantasy, a little bit of horror. It's based more on relationships than action, even though the premise is pretty painful sounding. Is it too short? Maybe, it definitely felt like there could be more here. But it was interesting and dark and suspenseful. And the narrators were fantastic. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.

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

I devoured this! This was the first thing I have read from this author, and I really enjoyed it. This little novella packs a big punch, it's wonderfully written, the narrators were great (I'm very picky when it comes to audiobooks), and it left me wanting more of this world- in the best way! The best way that I can describe this is Slavic Folklore meets Chicago and marries the vibes/gore of the anime show Castlevania. I'm crossing every finger and toe I have, in the hopes that Veronica Roth eventually writes more in this world. I can't recommend this enough.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC!

4.75/5 stars

This was really, really great. It was exactly what I want in a novella - a complete story with interesting characters and interesting plot. I was left feeling like I would love more in this world, but I also felt satisfied with what was accomplished in less than 200 pages - exactly as it should be.

And Veronica Roth's writing is fantastic. It was clear, easy to understand, but it wasn't childish. The characters all had distinct and clear voices and the plot was well designed and timed. Pacing was spot on and I really loved the ties to known stories (like Baba Yaga) and how Roth put her own spin on it.

I haven't read anything by Roth since the Divergent series way back in the day but man am I glad I listened to this one - the production quality was excellent, the narrators were amazing, and Roth accomplished a fantastic story and beautiful characters in very few pages. Highly recommend!

4.5 stars.

I ATE THIS UP and I wish it was longer! This was sooooo good. I didn't know what to expect, but it surprised me with how it instantly hooked me. It's an urban fantasy with elements of folklore that explores themes like grief and religious guilt, and it's just beautifully written. I loved the characters and the setting, it was so atmospheric.

The first thing I thought when the audiobook ended was: "Delicious, scrumptious!" That's what this novella was. Again, I wish it was longer. I wanted to spend more time in this world with these characters, so I'll definitely be getting a copy at some point and rereading this.

The narrators were all so good and they did a great job at bringing the story to life. On a personal note: the male narrators sounded hot as hell, I love a good deep voice!

For a novella (the audiobook is around 4.5 hours), Roth manages to pack an entire full-sized novel into the pages. Sometimes novellas feel like they sacrifice detail and depth to keep the page length short, but WHEN AMONG CROWS does not suffer from this at all. Readers are given a full story, with world building, and completely fleshed out characters. I loved that while this novella centers around Slavic folklore, it acknowledges other cultures as well (there's a whole passage about Irish banshees vs. Slavic ones). Dymitr is a flawed protagonist but how his story relates to Ala's was really interesting and I liked how that connected all the dots.

This is a dark tale where no one really wins in the end (or maybe they do?) that is best told in a dim corner of an ancient pub over a couple of pints.

Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell do a great job with the audiobook narration.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to like longer, more descriptive stories, so novellas are a hit or miss for me. When Among Crows gives you lore in modern Chicago. It's a tale about self-loathing, guilt, and redemption. Though I enjoyed the storyline, the narration in audio book format fell flat, in my opinion. I wish I had read this in book form instead.

I was really hoping to connect to this, but fell a bit flat even though it is a short novel. I listened to in a day as it is only a few hours long. The narrators did an impeccable job and would love to listen to them again. I just did not get a connection with folklore and characters.
3/5

I received this audiobook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I did not know going into this that it’s a shorter novel. I was excited when I found out because I could listen to it over the course of a day, which I did. The downside to audiobooks is that I have not a single idea of how to pronounce much of anything.

Let me say, I’ve never read anything Slavik, so when I saw it was based in their myths and culture, I knew I would enjoy this. With the length of this book, it became a very fast paced novel with a lot of action. I enjoyed the characters and how she developed the main characters throughout the book. LGBT+ friendly as well.

As always with shorter books, my main complaint is the length doesn’t allow for a full exposition and resolution. I wanted more info!

All in all, I enjoyed this and would give it a 3,75⭐️ I’m in the era where not everything needs spice, but it needed more of the romance element. That’s probably my only complaint (other than the length of the book).

I hope this finds you well. I am sending you my honest thoughts on 'When Among Crows'. Honestly at first I was having issues getting really into the book; I think that is due to the (really great) Polish Voice Actor from chapter one. It is nothing against him; but sometimes I just can't understand the words. But once I reach chapter two I was hooked, I have not been able to stop listening to it and I will probably end up relistening to it. The research it took to get all this folk lore correct and in a way that people who have no/to very little knowledge on the subject is amazing. I would love to see this book studied by those who study folk lore, and from a creative writing perspective; in fact it will be one that I will recommend in my own classroom once it releases.

I had no idea what to expect from this, and I'm glad I went in with no expectations! This was such an interesting and immersive experience. This is a great example of a perfectly paced novella. Once I started it was impossible to put down. I both wanted it to be longer because I loved each of our main characters but it was also the perfect length to tell this story.

I really appreciated the multiple audio narrators, it helped portray each of our three main characters as distinct and different people. Each of their stories were interesting and blended together perfectly.

Loved this title. Roth kept my interest and I really enjoyed the character development throughout. An interesting scenario and I hope to see more along these lines.

Wildly entertaining. I highly recommend. This book will emerge you into a world of folktales and monsters and magic.

My little Polish heart loved everything about this story!

If you love folklore retellings that are fast-paced and keep you guessing right up until the end - this book is a must read.

Listening to this story was like listening to my babcia (grandmother) tell me a bedtime story, but as an adult. I loved the Polish accent one of the narrators brought to our main character Dymitr, including little Polish words and sayings throughout. Don't worry, non-Polish friends, this story is super accessible, and all of the Polish words are also translated into English in the next sentence.

I love that we start right in the story. I double checked to make sure I didn't miss anything because we're right into it. The world building is soft, which I love, and the characters all have secrets, which are slowly revealed over the course of the story.

Overall the narrators did an amazing job, however there was one weird switch happening with the accents. One male narrator speaks with a Polish accent, one male narrator speaks with an American accent, but someone didn't tell that to our female narrator who, during her chapter, does both male voices with accents. It made it difficult to determine who was speaking during her chapters, but not impossible. I just had to pay closer attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC.

This book is best listened to after performing minor surgery on yourself. Don't worry, it'll be worth it.

Polish folklore in Chicago? Count me IN.
Sadly this did not meet its potential. I was so excited for it, but I think it would have been better as a book than a novella. It jumped right in without any real explanation, and I struggled to connect to the plot or the characters. The world building felt too quick to really immerse the reader, and I think the author could have lengthened it a bit more to build it up.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: blood
Thank you, Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for providing an audio arc. When Among the Crows is a Slavic folklore dark novella that invokes readers to wonder what they would do if they were at the crossroads of their lives. The book follows three main cast members, Ala, Dymitr, and Nico, while trying to find Baba Yaga to fix a curse well. The audiobook also takes the reader on a ride of each character's motive perfectly. I will say I usually don't like urban fantasies but using Chicago as the background helps create a more gritty atmosphere. I want to get a physical copy of the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

When Among Crows was beautiful, vicious, and haunting, with rich imagery and spectacular stories woven throughout.

WAC was so fun! The characters were delightful, and the beautiful way Slavic lore was steeped into the world captivated me. There were many twists and turns, and the prose was stunning. Some parts of the story felt a bit rushed, but the pacing was overall great. I highly recommend this read, especially to fans of VE Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic.

Also, let’s take a moment to appreciate the fantastic narration. The three narrators immersed me into the world, and the accents they used were perfect. They were a beautiful fit for the magical story!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!