The narrators for this audiobook were amazing! The accents, especially the Polish accents and name pronunciations, were spot on! Having specific narrators for the two male main characters and the one female main character helped with transitions and to see the story unfold from different angles, especially because they were each a different species. The story was fascinating and took place over a short span of time, Veronica Roth was masterful in establishing the personalities, history, and relationships of each character very quickly. The author did a great job of mixing the supernatural world into everyday life. I enjoyed the inter-species interactions. As the back story of each character unfolds, you see the underlying point of the story. A story of overcoming prejudice and biases, which are both very powerful messages.

Four stars were given due to the prologue feeling like it had a lot of moving parts about the world that the story takes place in.This made it hard to understand. I had to listen to it twice to feel like I was ready for the start of the story. This review is based on an ARC of the audiobook and all opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this opportunity.

An amazing urban fantasy novella!

The setting was incredible. Even though it takes place in Chicago the Slavic Lore made it feel otherworldly. Knights Of The Holy Order, witches, and monsters who feast on emotions what more would you ask for?

The characters were AMAZING. Ala suffers from a curse passed down from her family. Dymitr with his secrets has what could cure Ala so they embark on a quest to find the oldest of witches. You find that each turn brings more to light and in the end maybe redemption and atonement can be found.

The narration by Helen, James, and Tim was incredible. Their voicing made the story come to life! The accents were 🤌🏻 each character was easily distinguishable.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

A special thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy. The most important aspect of this review is that this is a novella. Like with most novella’s this feels like an appetizer instead of a full meal. My inclination is to give this three stars because of what it could be instead of what it was. I’m giving it four stars because it was a story with solid characters and great world building. The writing was excellent and pacing was spot on. Even through the scope of a novella the feeling of incompleteness was enough to knock it from five stars to four.

A novella set in the urban modern Chicago and the journey of redemption, monsters will keep you turning the page.

Going in I knew that this was a novella and the first line from the blurb, "Step into a city where monsters feast on human emotions, knights split their souls to make their weapons, and witches always take more than they give." and that's all I feel you need to know about 'When Among Crows'. So, I won't be talking too much about the plot because I feel that if you like dystopia-ish, monsters-driven stories, Urban Fantasy.

The characters go on a quest and during the quest we get to know, learn, and understand the characters more. There's a witch, forest spirit, shapeshifter, demon-like creator, and more. There are some interesting dark elements like demons that can suffocate you when you are sleeping; that's trafficking. I read online that this is inspired or drawing from Slavic myths and from the little bit I know it felt well done.

I've read so much by the author, Veronica Roth, from Divergent, Carve the Mark, and I feel her writing has improved. It's not the best fantasy writing I've ever read, but it's well done. A good balance between strong character development and plotted out well. For a 179-page long book, it's good, without feeling rushed or choppy. I hope that she writes more about this world. I would like to learn more about the world overall, even if we are following new characters. I listened to the audiobook. I felt that it was good. It has a full cast and was narrated by Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell. I enjoyed the voice and tones, it helped flush out the world and story.

A compelling adventurous quest of the unexpected crew, a dash of queer romance, in a dark urban fantasy.

The narration was incredible. I normally prefer single narration, but dual narration is just as engaging and both of these narrators knocked it out of the park. As someone who listens to books at 2.0-2.5 speed, their cadence and speech rate were perfect.

Veronica Roth has an incredible way of depicting imagery and allowing readers to be fully immersed in the story. I greatly enjoy the way that she writes, but I believe the biggest downfall for this story is how short it is. From start to finish, the overall plot felt rushed. The romance that was added didn’t have a satisfying payoff and felt unnecessary.

Roth explores grief and redemption throughout this novella, taking us on a beautiful arc towards acceptance and forgiveness.

My confusion during my read stemmed from a lack of clear transition when getting to flashback scenes. The transitions back to the present were better.

All in all I think the story has great potential to be a favorite for anyone who loves urban fantasy with Slavic folklore set in the modern day.

This would have been great as a prequel to a set of books set in a universe that was established and loved. Then we would know these characters and be interested in their origin story. As it is, it felt like a lot of stuff just thrown together and then the beginning and end were cut off so we were just sort of dropped in the middle. I felt like someone was on their laptop looking up and shouting out supernatural creatures while Veronica Roth was writing this. Others loved it. I just missed whatever it is that caused them to love it. None of the characters are really distinct. The story kind of meanders around for such a short story.

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4.5-5)**
What a pleasant surprise *When Among Crows* is! Like many, this book caught my eye as someone familiar with Veronica Roth through her work on the *Divergent* series (a series I thoroughly enjoyed until an ending I will never get over). I was hooked when I saw this was a more novella-length work based in Slavic folklore *and* set in my hometown of Chicago, so I eagerly snatched up the audiobook to see how Roth’s work translated into an adult fantasy space.

>>❤️What I loved: The details about this story are what make it great. *When Among Crows* is a beautifully written modern fantasy, set in Chicago, that feels fresh through its use of Slavic folklore as its source material. The exploration of pain as a theme and through its many forms was thoughtful and thought-provoking, and also impressively done considering the length of this book. I was invested in both MCs—Dymitr and Ala— as characters, and I enjoyed seeing their journeys develop individually as well as how their relationships with one another developed throughout the course of the story. There was even a sweet, small romance side-plot! The audiobook narration was excellent, and did a nice job bringing this story to life!
>>💔What I didn’t love: Honestly, I just wanted more!

I would highly recommend *When Among Crows* to fantasy lovers looking for a unique and short read. If you enjoyed books like *One for My Enemy* by Olivie Blake, I think this is definitely worth your time. I hope this is the first of more work that she‘ll produce set in this world, and I eagerly await more!

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Veronica Roth, and Macmillan Audio, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

This was a good story but I would have liked it to be longer. It had enough to be a full fantasy novel but it wasn’t. Overall it was an enjoyable read but I missed things and I think that made it less fun than it would have been if it had been longer and the world more developed. 3.5 stars

I went into this not really knowing if I was going to like it. I always have a hard time reading or listening to novellas, because I usually end up wanting more. It is safe to say I want more after reading this, because it was just that good! "When Among Crows", might be one of my favorite read this year! The characters, the setting, the folklore are done to so well, and in a way that fits perfectly as a novella. The narration was amazing, I loved having the three narrators for each of the characters!
I'm definitely going to be recommending this one to be purchased at my library, so I can recommend it to patrons!!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

4.5/5

It had been too long since I read a Veronica Roth book. When Among Crows is an urban fantasy intermingled with Slavic folklore. For a book that has less than two-hundred pages, there was so much detail packed into it in such a beautiful way. I wish that it had been twice as long so I could have stayed in the world a little longer. I love the overlapping of the fantasy elements with the urban backdrop of modern day Chicago. The characters were interesting and I would love to read more about them! I don’t want to say too much because I think the best way to experience this book is to go in blind, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook of When Among Crows. Each of the three main characters takes turn narrating the story and I think the audiobook narrators (yes! each character had their own narrator!) did a really fantastic job giving the characters unique voices that felt very organically matched to their personalities. I am not usually a big fan of multiple narrators, but this one was very enjoyable!
Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio Team for allowing me to review this book as part of the Macmillan Audio Influencer Program!

Thanks to Macmillian Audio for gifted access to this audiobook. All opinions below are my own.

This one drops you into a unique fantasy world where there are beings that feed upon human emotions. It's mythical and the magic is unique. There are feuds and a quest. 

But the drop in was too abrupt for me as was the ending. I needed more world building. I needed to care about the characters more. I love Veronica Roth but this one was a bit of a miss for me.

It reminded me of T Kingfisher stories, check it out if you like stories like that.

When Among Crows

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillian.audio for the ARC and ALC of this book.

This book was unfortunately a miss for me. I listened to the audio but was immediately lost so I had to follow along in the book. I felt as though there was so much not explained in the beginning. Like maybe I needed more backstory.
I’m sure this will be a hit for others, it just wasn’t for me.
The reason I grabbed this book was because of the author. I was a huge fan of Divergent. However, this is not similar.

This novella packed a brass knuckle punch. For being less than 200 pages, I’m mind blown. I finished this with the same satisfaction of a 500+/15 hr + read. The detail and action crammed into this short story is insane. The lore this story delivered is what makes my fantasy heart beat. I loved it. Baba Jaga (Yaga) friends. The audiobook gives us 3 narrators - thank you! They ensured the entertainment factor was dialed in - accents, sound effects, voices. I wholeheartedly enjoyed this read. I think I’ll get more and more from the story with every reread.

Thank you NetGalley, Veronica Roth, and Macmillan audio for this audiobook ARC.

I unfortunately had a difficult time getting into the story and connecting to the characters. The writing was wonderful, as expected from Veronica Roth. But the story wasn't for me overall.

3.5 ⭐️

I low-key didn't have a clue what was happening until like chapter 13 out of 15, but I liked this a lot regardless of that.

**I would recommend you avoid reading the synopsis at all! It has major spoilers for the reveals that come later in the book. I'm not sure why they made that choice, but I'm glad I didn't read it before hand.**

I'm not sure if my confusion was because this was v hard to not get lost reading via audio format or if it's equality as hard to keep up with in the physical book but I will not be re-reading it to test the theory.

That aside, it was still fun! Even without fully undertanding who was who and what was what for most of the book, I was totally invested and really liked the characters and how it ended.

This urban fantasy, set mainly in Chicago, follows Dymitr in his quest to meet with Baba Jaga. First he harvests an enchanted flower. Then he strikes a bargain with Ala, a cursed zmora: the enchanted flower needed to break her curse in exchange for her aid tracking down Baba Jaga. Along the way, Nikodem, a strzygi, joins them. The clock is ticking on their quest, though; once it dies, the flower loses the power to break Ala’s curse.

It took me a little bit to get my bearings with what was going on, but I was quickly engrossed in the story. It’s a short novella (4 hours 37 minutes on audio), and by the time Nikodem enters the fray in the storyline, I was fully hooked.

I don’t want to reveal too much here but be aware that there are some violent—and somewhat gory—moments along the way as well as a touch of romance.

The three narrators, Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell, made the audiobook a more immersive experience. There are Polish, Slavic, and American accents utilized in the story, so if you have difficulty understanding accented speech without a visual component, the print version may be the way to go. Personally, the accents and vocal choices enhanced the experience for me. I got swept up in the audiobook and did not want to pause it or put it down.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

When Among Crows is a dark urban fantasy novella that takes place in modern day Chicago. While the Slavic folklore and tight plot keep the short story interesting overall, the dull characters, lack of atmosphere, and confusing narration choice soured me on the audiobook experience and negatively impacted my enjoyment of the story.

I was really excited to listen to the ARC provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. The premise sounded fantastic - old-world-meets-new-world fairytale in a modern urban setting - with pain, sacrifice and redemption the key themes. The title evokes all of those vibes, and the cover is beautiful. Plus, a quest to find Baba Jaga? Sign me up.

The opening scene sucked me in right away. The imagery and characters presented felt like the book I was expecting. Unfortunately, the opening scene was probably the strongest scene in the entire novella. There were a few others that stood out to me and would briefly reengage me with the story (for example, the monster fight club with the siren song), however I felt disconnected from both the setting and the characters most of the time even though it was a short story.

Roth does a very good job of focusing the Slavic folklore on the plot, and the plot is was drives this story. Every detail ties back to the quest to find Baba Jaga and secure a cure for Ala's curse. However, because this is a novella, that meant that the characters weren't given room to really shine on their own and the setting suffered. Dymitr was the most interesting of the main characters as the quest was his. If Dymitr had been the only main character and everyone else was just a vehicle to get Dymitr to the resolution, I think that would have justified this being a novella. Instead, Roth introduces Ala the zmora as an equal main character, and then about halfway through adds yet another critical character in Niko the strzyga. All of the characters suffered and felt incomplete because the shorter format divided between the 3 of them could not support their full development. Each character was given too much time for a plot driven novella, yet not enough to make me care about them.

Another fatality of too many characters and not enough pages was the atmosphere of the setting. I wanted to be transported and enchanted by this story. I wanted a modern fantasy Chicago. Instead, I got actual travel from point A to point B to point C all around the city without real references to what it feels like to be in Chicago. Roth's visuals were clear and crisp, but there was no feeling behind them. Other than the opening scene which wove magic around the city's landscape, everything felt sterile and generic.

Finally, I think my experience was impacted by the audiobook format. I was really looking forward to listening to this story instead of reading it. Now, I think I want to go back and read it and see if I have an improved opinion of the novella overall. I have listened to many audiobooks where having multiple narrators have enhanced the experience. The performances for this book felt generic, and maybe that's why the atmosphere also felt generic. I also struggled to tell the difference between the two male voices and there were times when this confused me as to who's point of view I was supposed to be experiencing.

Overall, my review for the audiobook of When Among Crows is kind of a mixed bag. I would not recommend the audiobook. However I think that if you like modern fairytales you should give this one a try since it is a novella. The plot, which is the star of the show, is really interesting. I plan on going back and reading the physical copy when it is released and giving it one more shot.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook digital review copy of When Among Crows by Veronica Roth in exchange for my honest opinion.

So much world built in so little time! "When Among the Crows" is a fast-paced contemporary fantasy that carefully entwines old world lore with a twist on the modern-day seedy underbelly of society. The detail in which Roth paints the Slavic history and lore is beautifully done - no detail was spared. The further you get, the more engrossed you become with the characters. There was a quick hint of romantic interest between characters that I would have liked to see more fully developed. However, it was a refreshing change of pace to not have a story dependent on the foundation of sex and love. I am typically quick to figure out where a story is headed, but the twist at the end of this story truly got me. My heart was aching for our Dymitr and his troubled soul.

Overall, I would love to see a follow-up installment that would show us where Dymitr, Ala, and Nico go from here.

4.5 stars

I read this as an audio arc.

This book is best going into not having read the synopsis. I like this mix of classic Slavic folklore mixed with modern Chicago a lot. It worked together and balanced out really well.

A little more time to live with the characters would have been appreciated, but overall this novella had beautiful line work and the descriptions and prose were very vivid.

Story: 3/5
Narration: 5/5
Overall ALC Rating: 4/5

I’ve read many of Roth’s books. I haven’t really liked many of them, though. Divergent and Carve the Mark blew me away, but despite Roth’s great prose, I just don’t connect with the endings of the stories. When Among Crows gives off combo vibes from The Monsters of Verity and Carve the Mark, with a bit of Slavic mythology and wittiness, but I found myself wanting when the story was over. Roth’s style frames stories in wonderful ways, but the characters and plot devices seem to repeat themselves or borrow from other things since Divergent and Carve the Mark—both series I loved at the start but completely hated by the end. When Among Crows started fabulously, with a great interaction and setting, a total attention-gripping and what-the-heck factor, and curiosity-piquing opening. If the whole novella had the tone and setting of the opening, I would have been awestruck and completely enamored.

There’s no question that Roth can compose a descriptive, atmospheric sentence and place the reader in magical worlds. The problem for me with this story lies in the inability to keep me in those worlds. I’m picky about the fantasies I read with modern settings. Because they’re set in our world, the fantastic element feels like it’s lost in the setting. If I get a modern setting in this world, I want the rest of it to be so amazing that I forget what world I’m in. When Among Crows does not do that. Every place Dymitr and Ala visit reminds me where I’m reading about, and it’s jarring. From the underground fighting rings to the penthouse high rises, this story may have been well suited as a mafia romance instead.

If a setting or a plot don’t transfix me, usually great characters will save a books for me when all else fails. While Dymitr intrigued me at the start, by the time I realized what his mission was, he did not seem to grow on me. Add to that Ala’s complete 180 at the end of the novel with no arc of transformation to make sense of the change, and I can’t connect. The villains in the story seem to be standard in a lot of the fantasies I’m reading right now—so much so that I feel it’s not coincidence. I like my villains a bit more organic and less pushy trope.

On a brighter note, the narration for When Among Crows proved stellar, and the narrators were so wonderful, I really had a great time listening to them tell me the story despite my general dissatisfaction with the narrative itself. I do highly recommend giving this one a listen.

My profuse thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.

#MacAudio2024 #veronicaroth #whenamongcrows #lgbt #macmillanaudio #tor #urbanfantasy #slavicfolklore