super readable, but as a story this felt incomplete. i didnt really buy the slowburn romance--partly because i found Grimm to be a very inscrutable chsuper readable, but as a story this felt incomplete. i didnt really buy the slowburn romance--partly because i found Grimm to be a very inscrutable character, and partly because i wasnt feeling any tension whatsoever between these characters (slowburn only works if there is, in fact, a "burn")--and i didnt like how this ended so abruptly. it felt like a one-book story that was split into two books just for the sake of it. but the writing really is great. a lot of the debuts i read feel like theyre trying too hard, but the writing in this one strikes the perfect balance between earnest and funny. too bad the story and the character work didnt follow suit......more
did i like this? sure, but idk it felt kind of...cobbled together. the plot is mostly just whatever--its not a super complex plot and yet it somehow cdid i like this? sure, but idk it felt kind of...cobbled together. the plot is mostly just whatever--its not a super complex plot and yet it somehow came across as convoluted--and the romance itself was enjoyable but forgettable. altogether this was a bit bland, a bit flimsy, nice in the moment but a story where ultimately nothing much stood out to me. (tbh the cover has more intrigue and tension than the actual book...)
generally liked this but i felt like the character arcs were underdeveloped (especially considering how long this book is) and ultimately unsatisfyinggenerally liked this but i felt like the character arcs were underdeveloped (especially considering how long this book is) and ultimately unsatisfying
As a reader, novellas represent a tricky middle ground for me: a short story has brevity, a novel has depth, but novellas fall in this in-between spacAs a reader, novellas represent a tricky middle ground for me: a short story has brevity, a novel has depth, but novellas fall in this in-between space that usually means I struggle to find ones I truly love. I say all this to preface the fact that When Among Crows was a real standout to me, a novella that I loved and that worked for me on every level.
My biggest impression of When Among Crows is, I think, how striking it is. It's a novella that understands the real power of a strong visual image, the way it allows a story to take root in your mind. That certain scenes hit so hard, and come to life so vividly, is a real testament to Veronica Roth's writing, her ability to viscerally evoke the atmosphere and sense of a moment or scene. (There's one particular scene from the end of the novella that sticks out in my mind so starkly as an example of this.) I described it as a "striking" novella, and that's really the perfect word to convey the effect of Roth's writing: it aims, and it aims true; sets up the shot and lands it with both precision and impact.
But if the novella's moments land, it's not just because of the stellar writing, but also the stellar characterization. There are three main characters in When Among Crows and they each feel distinct in their own right, with their own backgrounds, vulnerabilities, motivations, and story arcs. More importantly, their stories are just really moving; they're not just characters you feel like you understand, but characters that you care about.
Finally, When Among Crows is, thematically, such a fascinating novella to me. On a fundamental level, I think it's a story that's interested in asking two intertwined questions. First, what does pain do? How do we value pain, and what does it mean to invest in the significance of pain (both symbolically and practically)? to see pain as a marker of having "earned" or worked for something? From there, we get to the novella's second thematic question: what can pain do? Can suffering be a form of atonement? To what extent can pain be a form of restitution, a way to right wrongs done?
Like I said, novellas are usually a hard sell for me, so the fact that I loved this one makes it stand out to me all the more. Writing, characterization, pacing, themes--all of it worked for me here. When Among Crows was great in the moment, but even more it's a novella with lasting power, one that continues to be memorable in my mind.
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