The fact that this deals with Polish folklore was interesting to me.

What I learned is that folklore is probably not my jam.

It was a well written story and those who love folklore will love it. But I just struggled to get invested.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

DAMN, VERONICA ROTH!

GUYS.
I must admit, I completely hated the Divergent series. A lot. I really cannot begin to go into all the negative emotions I feel about it. I saw the cover of this book and thought it was nice, saw Veronica Roth's name on the cover, and was like oh..... no. But I read the description anyways and was like hmmmmm, this does sound up my alley though, so maybe I'll give Mrs. Roth another try.

THIS BOOK FLOORED ME. I don't think I'll ever be over how incredible the world-building is (evil holy knights with swords in their SPINES???) and how fantastic the characters are. I got so attached to them over the course of the book. It's incredible how much depth (character growth, world-building, etc) was packed into such a short story.

All this to say, I've learned you can't judge an author based on their first book series. I really need to check out more of Mrs. Roth's repertoire it seems!

A note on the audiobook: As much as I loved this story, I HATED the audiobook version. It seems as though the three narrators did not have consistency among their accents (one gave Nico a Polish accent and the other two didn't). I also disliked Nico's narrator immensely as his voice felt very flat compared to the other two. I would not recommend the audiobook as it is, but I would HELLA recommend the paper copy.

Publication Date: 14 May 2024

I've really enjoyed novels from Veronica Roth in the past including the Divergent series and Carve the Mark Duology. When Among Crows is much shorter, but I loved it just as much.

I thought the plot was intriguing and different from many main stream fantasy novels being published right now. It is beautifully written and, though short, Roth quickly brings her readers into the world of Slavic folkore. There is so much mystery within the book and though, little tidbits of information are revealed along the way I still felt taken aback when all the details were laid bare.

I found all the characters entertaining and relatable. The narrators for each character were wonderful, though there was some confusion over accents. While there is an obvious tone of good vs. evil, I felt as though Roth kept us guessing as to which side was which reinforcing the idea that even though we grow up being taught one side is good and one side is bad, the concept is clearly more gray.

At the end of this novel I felt myself wanting more - in a good way! I had gotten so attached to the characters I wanted to follow them into the next chapter of their lives and experience the future alongside them. With a bit of a found family trope, I feel like their adventures and antics would make for another entertaining novel.

4/5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishder for the audio ARC! I really enjoyed the narrators for this audiobook. The world of creatures with the Polish folklore in Chicago was fascinating. It reminded me of Olivie Blake's Master of Death. Overall, a great quick read.

I enjoyed this book, but one less star as I wish it would have been longer and expanded on the world, magic, etc. thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was alright, I've read better and I e read worse. It didn't leave much of an impression on me one way or another

I had high hopes for this book by Veronica Roth. I am a HUGE Divergent fan. This book was just a miss for me. I found the story hard to follow and did not connect with any of the characters. The setting was Chicago but I honestly couldn’t tell you this time period. There was a lack of character development and engaging plot and it just didn't hit for me.

A fun twist on baba yaga and strigoi! I liked how the world it was set in really felt connected to real world Chicago!
I think the pacing for the final third of the book was a bit off for me, but overall I enjoyed it!

[3.5]

When Among Crows follows Dymitr on his quest to find Baba Jaga. This novella is certainly intriguing, but I feel that I am the odd man out as I just didn't have a connection with the characters or story. Unfortunately, the attempt at a more modern story with gothic undertones simply didn't work for me. In stating this, this novel will certainly appeal to those who enjoy folklore and gothic tales. It has hints of a more grown up version of Percy Jackson.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Veronica Roth, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. All thoughts are my own.***

When Among Crows was one of my most anticipated releases this year as Veronica Roth is an all-time favorite author! I was nearly desperate to get my hands on an ARC, so when I saw it was an option for MacMillan’s Audio Influencer program, it was my number one choice!

When Among Crows is a novella about compassion, magic, and found family, and it packs so much into its small format. Of course it takes place in Chicago, but the city is an urban fantasy den where “monsters” and knights war for peace. Dymitr’s pain is pungent on the page, his emotions literally succulent smells to the zmory, stryga, and other creatures around him. Ala and Niko, two of said creatures, are so clearly people too, but the Holy Order has prejudice and hypocrisy at its core. Dymitr’s tenuous allyship with Ala and Niko leads the three on a chase through Chicago for the witch Baba Jaga, and while the book is small, the journey is epic.

In less than 36 hours, Dymitr, Ala, and Niko struggle against curses, family, and each other to overcome hate and violence spread down generations and discover the true meaning of humanity and family.

As for the narrators, I particularly liked Helen Laser’s voice. I felt it was fitting to have two different male-timbred voices because the forest guardian’s leszy voice brought something other to the sound of his thoughts and dialogue. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this story going in, but in the end I was left with a feeling of wholeness, of fulfillment, that all the best books give me. Five stars!

I really enjoyed this book, it was an exciting retelling of Slavic myths taking place in modern Chicago. The narrators were excellent, and the story was fast paced and fun. I wish I hadn’t read the synopsis, as it does give away a little too much of the story, in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for and advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

2.75 out of 5 stars

I would like to thank #Macaudio2024 and NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I truly wished I enjoyed this book a bit more than I did. I think it is a mostly me problem. I love myths and legends but I had a hard time connecting to the characters of this book. The gore was also difficult for me to stomach during this book. However, I feel like if I were to reread this audiobook in the future I would potentially enjoy it more. I love Veronica Roth and am excited to see everything she writes but this one unfortunately fell flat for me. However, I do feel like the characters were decently well fleshed out considering the book's length. The narrators were also excellent and enhanced the story immensely they definitely brought the story to life. Regardless, Roth created a story that is extremely well fleshed out but it just wasn't for me. I am still excited to see what else Roth writes in the future.

I was drawn to this story for two reasons: 1) Veronica Roth drew from Slavic folklore in the writing process and 2) it falls within the modern fantastical genre.

"We bear the sword and we bear the pain of the sword". Dymitr is from a long line of hunters who slay monsters, sacrificing his comfort, embracing acts of pain in order to find them. Pain is penance. His task: find the witch Baba Jaga. Ala is also familiar with pain. She is a zmora and is cursed, awaiting her death. She needs a cure. Dymitr is willing to bargain with Ala. If she will help him find Baba Jaga, he will find a cure for her. Together they embark on the journey with hope. But Dymitr has secrets and his real motives may destroy them before the monsters do.

It's a very short audio read - clocking in at 4 1/2 hours. I'm perplexed with this book. On one hand, I have deep respect for a country's folklore and legends. This book is certainly intriguing. On the other hand, because this folklore is not my country's folklore, it is overwhelmingly BIZARRE. To add to the eccentricity, the setting is modern day Chicago. Characters have cell phones. I definitely feel that if the story were placed in a more authentic time period (not even sure what that would be) I would have appreciated it EVEN more. What really tilted my head were the acts of pain Dymitr had to willingly inflict on himself to prove his worthiness. Again, I completely believe there is a cultural gap in time and geography for this story to really settle with me.

The audio readers were superb! Helen Laser is always phenomenal. Her Slavic accent was impressive! The other male voices were stellar. For me, hearing them read, helped bridge the gap between worlds. It is virtuous to be curious about other cultures through their folklore.

Overall, I'm glad I read it and stepped into a different world. A very special thank you to Veronica Roth, NetGalley, and MacMillan Audio for this intriguing Audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Russian folklore is just cozy, and for as short as this was it got alot done. Never really read much of her stuff and kinda regretting that now

This was fairly well written and I like that each character had their own narrator, and the characters themselves weren’t bad (though, I was confused about Nico’s motivation throughout the story) I just wasn’t very interested in the story itself.

While I recognize this was a novella, I kept wanting it to be more. I felt like we had just gotten a good understanding of the characters and the world building and it was all cut too short. It was still very enjoyable, but I wish there was more of an expansion into the two side characters. The narrators did a great job with accents and characters to help bring them to life.

This is a very well written fantasy novella with a focus on Polish/Slavic folklore. The descriptions and dialogue were interesting and kept my focus through the end of the story. It took a while for me to get into it at first because I felt like it jumped around a bit in a way that was a little confusing. I got used to it the further I got with the audio but I found myself rewinding a few times in the beginning to make sure I didn't miss something. It's a fun quest, pulling in each of the main characters with the first couple steps on Dymitr's journey, filled with magic, cool creatures, curses and twists. I like that there are multiple narrators and points of view, so even though it's a novella we get a pretty good idea of what's going on from each character. I would definitely read more about the three main characters because I'd love more of Niko's background and even Dymitr's. It's a quick audio and the pacing is great, the narrators are strong choices but I didn't feel like I had enough time with each character to truly feel connected to them on a deeper level which is usually fine for a novella but this one had some heavier emotions that I think would have better suited a longer book. Overall, the story is very creative and I enjoyed it.

I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an ALC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I hope Veronica Roth writes more stories set in this world. I found this world, the monsters, and characters very creative and interesting. Thus wasn't like anything I have read before and really enjoyed my time with this book.

I would recommend this for grimdark fantasy readers and urban fantasy readers.

The thing about novellas is that when they're done well you appreciate that they're short, sweet and entertaining. Unfortunately, When Among Crows needed a beginning and an end. I felt like I was dropped inside a movie that had already been playing for an hour and my job was to try to keep up the entire time. The narrators didn't feel consistent with their voices and sometimes their accents didn't match what was being told. This was just a miss for me.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

✨ Review ✨ When Among Crows by Veronica Roth; narrated by Helen Laser, James Fouhey, Tim Campbell

Thanks to MacMillan Audio, Tor, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This book pairs Polish-influenced mythology with a setting of modern-day Chicago, making for a perfect novella!

TIP: don't read the summary for this one close to reading the book or it will take some of the surprise.

With a cast ranging from not-quite-human to definitely-not-human, the cast of characters captured my attention in their quest for redemption and retribution.

Characters in this world feed on negative emotions like sadness, fear, and anger, and this puts them in spaces where they can be near those emotions which made for interesting world-bulding.

I loved the Chicago setting...it nails the city and the types of places they're visiting.

The novella length worked perfectly - it fleshes out the story and also left me wanting more! Sequel please!

The love story was just barely there in a way that had me so hooked.

Forgive my vagueness but this is one to discover on your own!

🎧 The accent of Dymitr in the audiobook was A+++. I only listened to a little and all in his POV. The writing was so beautiful I really wanted to read in print.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: urban fantasy; novella
Setting: Chicago
Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
Pub Date: May 14, 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ Urban fantasy
⭕️ Eastern European/Slavic mythology
⭕️ Novellas