Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - When Among Crows

Ala is cursed. Niko is cursed. Dymitr, too is cursed, though no one would ever call it that. As the three form a tenuous alliance, they come to understand that curses come in many forms and have many names: duty, tradition, blessing, and that sometimes suffering together is better than suffering alone.

***

Dymitr knows pain. He once saw his own heart beating outside his body. It is the only way to atone for the things he has done, the people he has killed with the sword that contains half of his soul.

Ala, immortal zmora, can do little but watch as the infinite years of her life are eaten up by the curse passed to her from her mother. She watches every day visions of others like her - creatures of Chicago's paranormal underground - are murdered at the hands of monsters wielding swords made of bone.

Niko, beautiful, audacious Niko, is feared by his own stryga brethren. His life, too, though immortal, will be short and brutal as he hunts those who hunt his kind. Male stryga are rare, and he was made, not born, making him powerful than any stryga before him.

After retrieving a rare flower, Dymitr approaches Ala with an offer that she cannot refuse: the flower that can break her curse in exchange for her help on his quest for justice and an audience with the most powerful witch in Chicago: Baba Yaga.

As soon a she meets Dymitr, she knows he's no normal man, he does not fear her nor her brethren, even though he should. Which is where Niko comes in. When Dymitr volunteers as sacrifice in Ala's place, Niko helps them escape an ambush and leads them to Baba Yaga.

But all three carry secrets with them and there is nothing Baba Yaga likes more than secrets. The further along the path they go, the more secrets are pulled from them, until Dymitr cannot hid the fact that he is the monster Niko and Ala have been taught to fear: a knight of the Holy Order, trained to hunt and kill monsters like Niko and Ala, half of whose tattered soul lives in the bone sword that is responsible for so much pain.

That is what Dymitr needs to atone for: all the pain he's caused, the blood he's spilled...the curses he and his family have inflicted. And he means to, with his own pain and blood, his own curse. But penance comes in many forms, some Dymitr could not have imagined.

When Among Crows is a beautiful, cruel and poignant story about love, redemption and penance. At its heart, it is an immigrant story. It's an exploration of how culture passes down generation to generation, what is lost and added and changed. Roth bakes Polish folklore into the very fabric of her loosely fictionalized Chicago, underpinning it with the mysterious creatures who live among us, look like us, and yet have had entirely different experiences.

The relationships between Ala, Niko and Dymitr develop quickly, which is in part the result of the novella format and part the result of a story that moves at just slightly too quick a pace. But despite this, the relationship feels complicated and authentic, idealized in its simplicity (isn't beauty enough?) and marred by betrayal (SOMETHING GOES HERE).

Roth sticks the landing, it really is the only outcome to such a story and yet it left me surprised, devastated and feeling seen. She handles the subtext of mental health deftly, highlight the need for community, and acknowledging how unhealthy coping mechanism can develop and take over without talking down or dismissing the difficulty of breaking those habits or admonishing the reader (or characters) for developing them in the first place.

My only real complaint is that I wanted more. I wanted to live in this world longer, dig deeper into the magic of it, learn more about the characters and see their relationships develop more slowly on the page.

It is sparse and poetic, Roth's writing beautiful in a way that has been missing from much of my reading lately and, I think, from much of the fantasy genre. I loved the novella format, despite my desire for more of this world, it kept me turning pages right to the end. It's wonderful to see the evolution of Roth's writing, both in her skill and her subject matter. I look forward to reading what she writes next!

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Lush, ethereal and utterly unputdownable! Veronica Roth’s Slavic folklore infused Urban Fantasy was a gorgeously crafted novella exploring themes of family heritage, sacrifice and redemption that I couldn’t get enough of.

Set in modern day Chicago, we follow a human (Dymitr) who convinces Zmora (Aleksja aka ‘Ala’ ) to find help him find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. In exchange for an enchanted flower that can cure the curse placed upon her bloodline by the monster-hunting group known as the Holy Order.

But time is of the essence as the flower— once picked— only has 36 hours before it dies… and all of their hopes along with it.

I don’t read novellas very often as, usually, if they aren’t connected to an already established story or series, they can sometimes fall flat for me- especially when it comes to the worldbuilding and character development. But, I’m glad to report, that was absolutely not the case for Veronica Roth’s newest work.

Despite its only 170-ish page length, Roth weaves quite a vivid and compelling narrative with an endearing cast of characters that I found soo easy to immerse myself in.

I liked all three of our POV characters (Ala, Dymitr and Niko) but it was Dymitr who fascinated me the most with his mysterious backstory and reasons for wanting to meet Baba Jaga kept secret from us for the majority of the story. His with detailed knowledge of monsters also makes him an enigma to Ala and Niko who were desperate to figure him out just as much as I was.

Having grown up in such a multicultural part of the UK, I love learning about different cultures so enjoyed getting to explore Chicago’s Polish immigrant community in such an intimate and unique manner.

With reference to the November uprising, as well as scenes exploring Slavic and Polish traditions (one of my fave being when Dymitr translates an old lullaby Ala’s mother used to sing) Roth’s descriptions felt rooted in experiences of real diaspora communities and the varying degrees of connection (or disconnect) that can arise over time.

My only real complaint is that it wasn’t longer! I’d adored the world-building and characters, and hope that Roth will someday take the chance to revisit in future projects.

If you love Urban Fantasy, The Witcher or Slavic folklore, then you should definitely consider checking this out. Just check TWs beforehand.

Also, thank you Titan Books for the proof.

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btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Now I need a printed version of this book on my shelf. Atmospheric, emotional, and fantastically woven together, I need this novella injected into my veins.

In such a short time, this story built a rich, paranormal underbelly within modern-day Chicago; made me care immensely about its characters and get emotional over them; and tied together the fates of three people who seemingly have nothing in common other than being relative outsiders within their communities. I loved the writing and the depth we got from the characters despite the format of the story (or because of the format of the story?). The mythological depth was also well done - not too info dumpy, but enough that you understand each class/race so that you care and you can follow.

Am I back in my Veronica Roth era? Who knows. But I am now a huge fan of this book.

TW: death, mutilation, violence, murder, injury detail, alcohol, blood; mentions death of a parent, death of a child

eARC gifted via Edelweiss by Tor Books in exchange for an honest review.

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sarahweyand's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feedback are my own.

I haven't read any Veronica Roth since my DIVERGENT days, and I was really pleasantly surprised! This was a fast-paced, well-written, fun little novella that I got a kick out of. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and lore, I liked the relationships between the characters that were as developed as you'd expect in less than 200 pages. I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took, and I liked the ending. Not much to complain about!

My personal beef is that I didn't realize this was urban fantasy, and I'm much much more of a high fantasy girlie. I would have loved to see a novel-length version of this in its own developed world, but I'm not complaining about what we got! If you've been hesitating on post-DIVERGENT Roth, I think this is a great book to pick up.

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devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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pewterwolf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

In modern day Chicago, Polish folklore is alive. Monsters feast on human emotion, knights split their souls to make their weapons and witches always take more than what they give.

Pain brings Dymitr and Ala together. Dymitr’s pain is the monsters he and the other Knights of the Holy Order slay and split his soul into two to create his sword from his own spine, while Ala’s is the family curse she has inherited to see visions Of the horrors that the Holy Order committed.

One fateful night, the two meet and agree a bargain: if Ala can help find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. In exchange, Dymitr will give her an enchanted flower that might cure her.

But Ala doesn’t know who Dymitr is and what he truly wants and with less than 24 hours before the flower dies, killing her hopes of the curse being broken, the two need to move fast. But others want the flower and Baba Jaga’s location and they aren’t afraid to hurt and kill to get them…

It’s been a long time since I read Veronica Roth, but there was something about this that got me excited.

I will admit that this does have a slower start as this does throw you at the deep end. There is a lot of world-building at the start of the novella to explain the folklore, the urban fantasiness. Because of this, I did struggle to find my feet and to keep all the creatures straight in my head (if you know Polish folklore, it will help you get you on a even heel).

However, once this story gets over the world-building and the story/characters find their feet, the story runs and it fits an urban fantasy (though the cover doesn’t scream urban fantasy, but something a little more gothic).

It grows into a gripping read though I do feel that it could be a tad longer (not a full blown novel, but an extra few pages to flesh out ideas as I do think some readers will find that some aspects of the premise needed to be more fleshed out). Plus, I would have loved more pages to read the gentle and sweet M/M romance.

Might not be every urban fantasy readers cup of tea, I really liked this and feel that we could have more novellas in this world, very similar to Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series (if this does happen, I will be all over it!)

***eProof gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction***

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thecanadianbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It's funny how I seem to gravitate to series usually, yet I have a growing love for fantasy novellas.

I love how much depth of character, and world building they can have in such a short time.

This novella is one of the best I've ever read, and I don't say that lightly considering I rarely enjoy urban fantasy.

Dymitr's story, told in the span of 2 days, is beautiful and haunting. I absolutely adored the dynamic between him, Ala and Niko!

The lore? Wow. I would absolutely LOVE to see more books in this world.

If you like dark, gritty, well built yet fast paced fantasy: be sure to check this out.

I won't summarize more than the synopsis does, because I truly think the best way to enjoy this story is by going in blind.

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tinumorien's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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