When Among Crows by Veronica Roth Review

Title: When Among Crows

Author: Veronica Roth

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Titan Books

Pages: 176

Release Date: 17 May 2024

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Hello fellow booklovers! Today I’m sharing my review of When Among Crows by Veronica Roth. The lush, ethereal and utterly unputdownable (Slavic folklore infused) Urban Fantasy exploring themes of family heritage, sacrifice and redemption that I couldn’t get enough of.

Synopsis

 We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword.

Pain is Dymitr’s calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he’s tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he’s sworn to kill.

Pain is Ala’s inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree.

Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr’s secrets—and his true motives—may be the thing that actually destroys them.

Review

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 it 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 to Titan Books for the proof.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author 

VERONICA ROTH is the New York Times best-selling author of Poster Girl, Chosen Ones, Arch-Conspirator, the Divergent series, and the Carve the Mark duology. She is also the guest editor of The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.

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