When Among Crows (Curse Bearer, 1)

An instant USA Today bestseller!

A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee!

The USA Today bestselling When Among Crows is a story of witches, knights, and monsters set in modern day Chicago and pulling from Slavic folklore from #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth.

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

On Kupala Night, Dymitr arrives in Chicago’s monstrous, magical underworld with a perilous mission: pick the mythical fern flower and offer it to a cursed creature in exchange for help finding the legendary witch Baba Jaga.

Ala is a fear-eating zmora afflicted with a bloodline curse that’s slowly killing her. She's just desperate enough to say yes to Dymitr, even if she doesn’t know his motives.

Over the course of one night, Ala and Dymitr risk life and limb in search of Baba Jaga, and begin to build a tentative friendship. . . but when Ala finds out what Dymitr is hiding, it could destroy them both.

"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

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Published May 14, 2024

192 pages

Average rating: 7.25

53 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

john castiglia
Apr 26, 2026
10/10 stars
This stood out as a really good - really quick - read, stuffed with gritty urban fantasy elements, Slavic folklore, dark magic, and pulse-elevating action. I’m hoping that Veronica Roth does not intend “When Among Crows” to be a standalone novella, but rather an introduction to a future series of novels.
Luna Atmosphere
Dec 26, 2025
7/10 stars
Really cool folklore/mythological world building. I want to look into it more, the creatures were neat. I need more owl monster people. There was a lot of cool imagery going like I know the knights were the bad guys but they sound like they look so dang cool.
blewballoon
Nov 21, 2024
10/10 stars
4.5

This was great! There's a lot packed in for such a short length. I think the story was paced really well, and the author did a great job of establishing and fleshing out the characters while still keeping the plot moving and the suspense high. The audiobook had different narrators for each character, which was a nice tough. I'd highly recommend for those interested in a quick read and a sort of mix of folk horror and urban fantasy.

Content Warnings:
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
KGoodin
Sep 19, 2024
10/10 stars
I loved this book. I wish it had been longer
raptor1770
Jul 27, 2024
3/10 stars
Ambitious and original. I appreciate not reading the same story again and again. This book was almost a breath of fresh air. It could have benefited from some stern editing and some lessons in "show, don't tell".

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