This was SO FASCINATING. What an interesting little book. I actually walked into this with no clue what the vibe would be & was so PLEASANTLY surprised! The Polish Folksy Shadowhunters of it all? I’m such a fan. I loved the idea of these unlikely characters banding together as we meet “monsters” & see them questing. Dymitir was a character I immediately felt drawn to—his sense guilt & the burden he carried was so visceral & relatable. & Ala & Nico were great additions. I wished that the whole Dymitir & Nico plot was fleshed out a bit more because I felt it was a bit rushed. But, nonetheless, I really enjoyed this!! It was a great, atmospheric & quick read. If you are a fan of the Shadowhunter universe, you will certainly be into this one too!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the arc!

I waited a little to write this review, and none of my opinions have shifted. This novella is brilliant. Inspired by Slavic folklore, Roth launches you into an alternate Chicago full of magic, witches, monsters, and adventure. This story is for the Zuko lovers, a story of redemption and atonement. Beyond heartwarming. The attachment I have to each of our main characters is unnatural, especially given the length of time we spend with them. Every sentence, every word, carefully crafted by Roth. I hope to see more from this world, and left completely satisfied.

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth is a fantasy novella based deep in Polish/ Slavic folklore. Dymitr, destined to be a slayer of monsters, feels deep regret when he takes life. Ala, a monster, lives knowing that one day soon, the curse that took her mother's life will take hers as well. The two lives intersect, and a bargain is struck, but will it be enough to save them both?
Thank you #NetGalley, #Goodreads, #MacmillianAudio, and author Veronica Roth, for early access to read this intriguing novella. It definitely held my interest!
Narrated by Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell who all did a wonderful job!

This was the first book by Veronica Roth that I've read that wasn't part of the Divergent trilogy and I'm glad that I picked it up. I'm not a huge fan of urban fantasy books, but this was one of the better ones that I've read. Taking place in modern-day Chicago, this follows three main characters as they journey to find Baba Jaga. This is lush with Polish folklore and features many different 'creatures'. I wish we were able to explore more of the world, as well as the characters themselves, but I think that's generally difficult to do when it comes to novellas.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting urban fantasy novella and I'd recommend it! It also reminded me of the TV show Lost Girl in the best way possible.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this ALC!

Veronica Roth has such a fantastic economy of language. It can be descriptive, interesting, even occasionally whimsical but it never feels like a waste. CROWS is a novella, so from beginning to end it is rather short; we know one of the big reveals from the beginning (or at least, it’s not necessarily supposed to be a surprise for us when it comes out) and that saves us all from the need to obfuscate it. Instead, we focus on our trio, on building trust and seeing magic for what it is.

And the ending truly is that. Magic.

Though there’s one part where an entire scene is repeated verbatim from two perspectives in a row, which was weird - it would have been different if we got a little bit of an internal monologue/reaction from the two different observers, but honestly this did not hinder my experience enough to be much of a concern. I just found it a strange choice.

As far as the audiobook goes, I wish the female narrator had a better Eastern European accent for voicing Dmitr, but otherwise it was well done.