Audiobook Review of When Among Crows by Veronica Roth
When Among Crows by Veronica Roth 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.
3.0 / 5 Stars
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.
“Lovely, lush, and full of otherworldly longing, this modern fairytale about righteousness and the weight we bear for love is Roth at her most imaginative and ethereal.”—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.
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.
Opening Scene = Best Scene
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.
Plot was Tight. Characters Were Dull.
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.
Not Enough Atmosphere
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.
Audiobook was Lackluster
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.
Final Thoughts: It’s a mixed Bag
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.
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