A review by whenimreading
When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

When Among Crows hooked me from the very first line - “Kiedy wejdziesz między wrony, musisz krakać tak jak one.”

(When among crows, you must caw like one.)

The atmosphere was dark and had an almost noir feel. I really liked the combination of urban fantasy filled with Polish/Slavic folklore and language. This is what most appealed to me as a Polish immigrant and I love that Roth writes stories set in Chicago. 

This was a short book and the audiobook flew by even faster. We follow Dymitr as he joins forces with Ala to find the witch Baba Jaga, promising to break her curse. You are thrown into the thick of things almost straight away. There are different creatures, secret societies, magic, and unlikely alliances. Overall it was a super intriguing concept and I quite enjoyed the lore, storytelling, and characters. The world building and history were woven into the characters’ perspectives, giving the reader an emotional connection to each of their struggles. An unlikely trio with an almost impossible quest. 

The audiobook had voice actors for the three leads - Dymitr, Ala, and Niko, I enjoyed the break of pace between them. While the Polish pronunciations are a bit difficult, I really appreciated the addition of certain phrases into the plot. A solid take on lore based fantasy with an urban setting. 

Thank you to Macmillan Audio of the advance listening copy to review.