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

WHEN AMONG CROWS by Veronica Roth is read by a cast of fantastic narrators!

A story set in Chicago, but with deep Slavic folklore, this story pursues in beautiful prose, the questions of redemption and atonement.

I am not well versed, or even little versed, in Slavic folklore, so it did take me a minute to grab hold of the world in which Dymitr was pursuing Baba Jaga, the most powerful witch. When he meets Ala, a zmora who feels desperate, he offers her a cure for her curse. They work together for this goal, but time is running out and the truth of Dymitr's identity and motives may doom them.

I really loved the narration of this story! It helped me immensely to keep track of the characters since this world is all new to me. I wasn't sure if I really was following the story, but as it all came together it felt quite beautiful. This is one I believe I will listen to again with a better understanding of the creatures. I did like the atmospheric urban fantasy feel that felt dark and gritty with magic pulsing as strong as the tension.

I would recommend this one to fans of Roth, as well as to fans of fantasy and regional folklore.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for @torbooks and @netgalley for this ALC that releases May 14th!

I really enjoyed this book!

It did bother me that there were a few inaccuracies regarding Chicago. Namely, the purple line express running at midnight. Obviously this is a fantasy book but if it is set in a real place in what can be assumed as present day, I feel like it should be accurate in areas like this which do not affect the fantasy/magical elements.

I loved the writing style and would read more books like this if the author wrote more. The story was short but still robust in content.

I will be recommending this to others for sure.

As for the audiobook, the narrators did not always do the same or similar character voices. Baba Yaga sounded totally different between all the narrator switches, for example. This bothered me but not enough to not enjoy the experience.

Polish legends, witches, and demons oh my...
Veronica Roth is one of my favs! This short book was fast-paced, entertaining, and enlightening. I hope it is the beginning of a new series
Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the advanced readers copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑨𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝑹𝒐𝒕𝒉

3⭐️0🌶

This book was quite interesting. I don't think it was a bad book, but it didn't really grip me. It's also not a very long book. Both the MMC and FMC have been cursed. Ala is cursed with visions ever since her mother was murdered. Dymitr is a hunter of "monsters" and has been sworn to kill Ala and her whole family. However, he doesn't want to kill anymore after he befriends Ala's cousin.

They team together to fight against the forces working above them to end both of their curses. This book takes places in the underbelly of Chicago and is quite descriptive with the seediness.

I immensely enjoyed all the creepies and crawlies hidden in plain site whilst walking around Chicago.

I would recommend this book for any readers who love darkness and demons, but don't necessarily want spice.

Thank you to @netgalley for approving me for this ARC!

I didn’t know it was possible but this novella left me satisfied.

When Among Crows
By Veronica Roth
4⭐️

I’m a Veronica Roth fan, but I’m normally not a novella fan. If I enjoyed it I’m normally left wanting more and wishing it was a whole book so I could have got more plot, or character growth or whatever I felt was missing. This one honestly didn’t need anything else. Somehow in this handful of pages there was plenty of plot development and character development. I felt like I experienced so much it was as if I read a full length book.

Veronica did a fantastic job of merging Polish folklore into the setting of modern day Chicago in this unique fantasy novella. It made me anxious to research and know more about the history behind the folklore elements she included.

I listened to this one and the narration was great. I think any format you get it in is going to be good.
Thank you to Macmillan audio for the ALC.

This is a fast-paced novella that takes Slavic folklore and brings it into an urban fantasy setting. Veronica Roth has built up an amazing fantasy world that sucks you in and has you invested in the outcome of the characters. This is a redemption story that has a man with power looking to end the legacy of pain and violence that has been inflicted by his family throughout the years. This is the story of monsters with hearts of gold. This is a tender look at what binds people to one another, and the sacrifices people are willing to make for the ones they love. It is a story of hope while still being filled with darkness. This is an action-packed ride through the streets of Chicago that will make you fall in love with “monsters”. I honestly can’t believe that such a full and rich story was packed into such a tiny little book, and I hope there is more to this story as I am in love with the characters and the world.
Thank you to MacMillan audio for the chance to listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook presentation. This was a multi-cast performance that was perfectly cast and executed. It was so easy to get caught up in the moment and lose myself in the story. There is not one thing I would change about this production, it’s perfect.

I have never been more confused (and less invested) while reading (listening) to a book in my ENTIRE life despite the fact that I OH SO WANTED TO LOVE THIS.

Thank you to the publisher, the audiobook producer and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this book. I have a long and storied love of Veronica Roth's work over the years (and have enjoyed even her less well known titles) so I was thrilled to see this release. However, for reasons both known and not entirely known, it was a flop for me. The narrators for the audiobook attempt multiple accents that are very badly done and hard to understand at times (though I had more trouble with the man than the woman) and the way the book is written it just thrusts you into things and gives really no context or explanation. I'm very familiar with retellings and folktales etc but not really of the slavic variety so I can own that perhaps someone who has more experience with the source materials wouldn't have been as at a loss but I have truly, in all my years as a reader never been more confused, out of it, befuddled and lost. I do think this would have been less of an issue with a print/paper copy of the book to some extent but literally all through the book I was just completely and utterly lost. They never connected me to the characters, made me care about them and the whole thing was just wild. I hate to leave such a negative review, and I want to acknowldge that this book has many GLOWING reviews on goodreads and some people loved it so if you're intruiged by it give it a chance I just do not reccomend the audiobook. I suffered through 70% of this before finally realizing I did not deserve to continue being subjected to the madness and I never ever DNF so that should really say something. (Edit to add: I will also freely admit I was working while listening to this and that I have ADHD but I don't think it impacted my experience that much haha) Edit again to add: there was some beautiful langauge occasionally which is the reason I went from one star to two stars.