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.

First of all, the narrators of this audiobook knocked it out of the park! I loved the voices as they really helped with the tone of the story. I really enjoyed the fantasy elements of this story, but I think I wanted it to be more in depth. I would love a whole book set in this world rather than a novella. All in all, it was an easy listen and entertaining enough story. 3.25 stars

I really enjoyed When Among Crows. Since it’s a novella it was a quick read, I finished the audiobook in 2 days. The only downside to it being a novella is that there isn’t a lot of world building. You get thrown straight into the fantasy world and it took me a few chapters to orient myself. Once I understood the world and the character dynamics I was totally immersed. I was surprised by how flushed out the characters are, especially since it’s so short. Not only is this book action packed from start to finish but it is also full of character development and real moments.

I loved the audiobook narrators, they did a wonderful job and helped keep my attention.

I highly recommend if you need a fantasy fix but don’t want to start a new series.

When Among Crows by Victoria Roth takes readers on a journey through Slavic folklore, diving into themes about one’s own fear, pain and emotions and what we would do when who we are and our beliefs don’t align with our families beliefs and their expectations.

The story starts with Dymitr forming an alliance with Ala, his sworn enemy. Ala who is driven by the hope that she could break her family’s curse joins him and Nikodem in a quest to track down the powerful witch Baba Jaga. I did enjoy her portrayal of Chicago’s gritty landscape, which serves as a captivating backdrop, it added layers to the overall story. I found myself wanting a deeper exploration of the characters and the world that lived in. I feel like more pages could have offered a better understanding of their motivations and the struggles they had, tho I enjoyed the story being told from multiple POVs, telling the difference between the characters was difficult at times while listening to the book, because there was such similarity in the character accents, this did at times affect my enjoyment of the audiobook. Reading the book physically instead of listening to it might help with some of the confusion. I would love to read more from this world in the future though.

Dymitr and his family are tasked with rooting out evil in the world. Ala has suffered from a curse in her family and would like nothing more than to be rid of it. When Dymitr seeks her out to do so, a fantastic thread of history begins to unwind as Dymitr seeks his goal.

First, this audiobook is great. I did have to slow my normal 1.5x to 1.25x to get familiar with accents and names. But once I was familiar with the cadence, I was totally immersed in the characters. It was easy to paint a vivid picture of the story.

This is ultimately a really well written novel about atonement and forgiveness in a perfectly paired Slavic lore setting. The underlying themes of love, loyalty, loss, regret are passionately written and immerse the reader in the story. I really enjoyed this quick read. 5 stars.

Review based on a Advanced Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Thank you!

3.5⭐️
An entertaining novella but I wish the story was longer and more fleshed out. It’s hard to adapt to a new fantasy world with several character POVs without losing connection to some aspect.

I also agree with another reviewer about how reading the summary gives a main point of the story away so I wish I had gone in blind.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audio copy. I think the narrators of the audio book were great - would recommend this version.

The audio for this Slavic folklore inspired fantasy was very well done! And I had never read a book with a leshii before, so that was a treat! I loved reading about monsters/creatures you rarely see in fantasies these days. It even had me looking up the folklore and the creatures after I had finished reading.

If you’re looking for quick novella that has monsters, mystery, curses, pain, redemption, and intrigue—give this one a try. Though it looks small, this book packs a heavy plot with distinct characters.

Veronica Roth wastes not a single word when it comes to entrapping you into the contemporary world of Chicago, and then leading you down, down, down, into something darker and magical. And it all takes place in a span of 36 hours! Of course, with monsters you always have monster hunters and that’s…trouble. I loved the added dynamic of enemies working together too!

As a reader you slowly get to see into Dymitir’s motivations and while you’re left in the dark in some things, it’s worth it when you find out the answers later on. Ala was great compliment to his character as well.

When Among Crows is a multicast narrated audiobook that is close to novella vibes! This high fantasy story has drama, action, adventure, and romance ALL in less than 5 hours! This story follows a main band of characters that start separately, come together, and band together to achieve a common goal (tbh, feels kinda Wizard of Oz style).
The ONLY thing that kind of threw me during this audiobook was the amount of high fantasy/story building that occurred because we were moving SO fast and in audiobook format! 👀 This book feels like a combination of Book of Night by Holly Black and Wizard of Oz (with a Polish folklore twist)!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review!💖

This was such a pleasant surprise! I requested an ARC of this one on a whim because I have background in folklore and mythology literature, and it absolutely did not disappoint! The narrators were lovely, the Polish folklore was fascinating and so obviously written with love, and the urban fantasy vibes were magnificent.

Each character has such a unique narrative and arc and it's lovely to see how they all interact and come together in a story about family burdens, immigration, and a modern Christian crusade. While the romance is secondary to the found family story, it's also there and lovely. Overall, this was just such a lovely little novella and I would love to see more from Roth in a universe like this!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for gifting me an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was both curious and nervous to check out a novel by the same author as Divergent, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is an adult contemporary fantasy novella about guilt, responsibility, and repentance following 3 very different characters with various family burdens. The Slavic folklore was really cool and interesting to hear despite not being knowledgeable. Each narrator did a great job bringing each character's POV to life. There was an achillean romance that I didn't see coming but welcomed it nonetheless. Not an all-time favorite and zoned out from time to time while listening, but worth checking out if you are looking for a quick read.

I honestly don't know how to rate this. 3 stars? 4? Both?

This was good. But it also didn't hold my attention? Maybe it's because I'm a shell after finishing another book today and my attention just didn't want to hold. Maybe it was because it was audio? I'm not sure.

I do think if I sat down with the physical book of this, I would LOVE it. I think the audio allowed me to not give it my full attention and because of that, I think I missed some important pieces. With this being so short, it sure does back quite a bit of information (but it isn't info-dumpy), but you need to pay attention to really understand what's going on all the time. This isn't a book you can check out for 30 seconds and then check back in. You'll be lost.

It might be my least favorite Veronica Roth story, but it's still good. I know my friends will love this. Giving it 4 stars because I think the problem was me and for that, I cannot give it 3 stars.

When Among Crows is a quick listen, but it really packs a punch. This is an urban fantasy set in Chicago based on Slavic mythology. The mythology for the world building is so interesting and so good, especially for a novella. I found the world really well developed and I would love to see more stories set in this universe. All of the characters had good backstories and development. It was great to see how they grew and interacted with one another as we learned more about them. There is a bit of a spoiler in the synopsis, which might take away a bit of the emotional reveal in the story. In the audiobook one of the chapters repeats itself from two different narrators. That being said, I really enjoyed the narrators and thought they did a great job. I kept looking forward to getting back to the audiobook. This would be a great read for anyone interested in Slavic mythology or testing the waters of urban fantasy, as well as for those who have read a lot of fantasy.

Narrator did fantastic. The book was great. I am a fan of the author and reading a fantasy book with both Chicago and Polish as part of the story was amazing. I will be recommending this book.

I haven't read anything by Veronica Roth since the Divergent series, but I'm so happy I had the chance to listen to an early audiobook copy of this one. What a phenomenal novella! The narration is perfection. I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you are able.

I'd also recommend going in without reading the description because it gives away more than is needed. I started reading with only the knowledge that this takes place in a Chicago where Slavic folklore is real. And I think I enjoyed it more knowing only that.

The story is very focused, so even though it is short, you have plenty of time with the main characters. I was definitely very invested in the characters and how things would work out. The world was dark and mysterious but easy to understand. And the ending was so satisfying, in my opinion.

Thanks to partner @macmillan.audio for the ALC