When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

An urban fantasy novel that is under 200 pages and completely delivers? Yes, please, and thank you.

When Among Crows is a compelling novella that delves into Slavic folklore, exploring themes of redemption, empowerment, and self-actualization. Dymitr, part of a line of hunters who endure great pain in order to slay the world’s monsters, is on a perilous quest to find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To succeed, he must form an uneasy alliance with Ala, a zmora (a Slavic night demon) cursed and near death. Promising her a cure in exchange for her help, they battle against time and the dangers of the Chicago underworld. However, Dymitr’s hidden secrets and true motives could ultimately lead to their downfall.

This felt like such a breath of fresh air in its way. I love fantasy novels, but sometimes you really have to be ready to settle in for the long haul and all the necessary world building and establishment of what often ends up as a huge cast of characters. With When Among Crows, Roth ignores all the usual and ends up with a really impactful novella that focuses on a single quest with very little world building necessary. There’s a level of trust in her readers that she exhibits with this — and it’s an almost perfect little novel. I only wish some of the flashbacks were handed out a little earlier, and there was more about a third companion named Niko, to bring in a smidge more heart, but the found family / new friendship type of bond that it manages to build in a short time was thoughtful and beautiful.