"What's so special about him?" the stranger asked. "That Zmey of yours? Is he the biggest and most monstrous of them all?" He giggled nervously.
"No." Kosara gripped the talisman in her pocket even tighter. "He's the most human." —Genoveva Dimova, Foul Days

Rooted in Bulgarian folklore and aptly pitched as The Witcher meets Naomi Novik, Foul Days is set in the secluded city of Chernograd, bordered by a wall of seemingly alive, dense shadows, where New Years Day is not a festive occasion but the beginning of the "Foul Days," the yearly 12-day period when monsters roam free and wreak havoc. We follow a Chernogradean witch/monster hunter named Kosara who, after unwittingly bargaining away the source of her magic, her shadow, to her evil ex, The Tsar of Monsters, teams up with an outsider detective to recover her magic. What they weren’t expecting, however, was to uncover a dark conspiracy whose roots go all the way back in history to the creation of the Chernogradean wall, that might not only be the key to recovering Kosara’s magic, but to defeating the Tsar of Monsters once and for all.

Slavic folklore meets urban fantasy with a dash of mystery in this book that, while gritty and dark, was wildly entertaining and humorous, with immersive, lived-in worldbuilding, writing that is descriptive without feeling “info-dumpy” and a fast pace that keeps you engaged all throughout. We explore themes such as xenophobia through the setting of two cities on opposite sides of the wealth and class spectrum, the struggles of marginalized and underprivileged communities to accept and adapt to the harsh realities imposed upon them by those in power, as well as the topic of trauma after an abusive relationship and how it can affect the human psyche and distort one’s sense of self.

Kosara was a brilliant main character, flawed and stubborn, guarded yet also vulnerable, with insecurities that felt very human and made her search for autonomy and her journey towards figuring out who she is and who she wants to be beyond her past and despite her flaws, incredibly heartfelt and real. I also greatly enjoyed Asen’s character, and I think that in breaking apart from the many romantic tropes that we're used to and opting for taking her time developing and expanding upon both characters separately as the story progresses, Dimova makes their character interactions and their budding relationship more believable and worth rooting for, since they’re fully-fleshed and able to stand out on their own prior to adding romance into the mix.

Foul Days is a book that I’m convinced will delight fantasy veterans and newcomers alike, and I can’t wait to see where Kosara and Asen’s next adventure takes me in its sequel Monstrous Nights, which will be releasing this October 22nd!

This was a good book but not the "next best thing" as one of my trusted booktuber called it. Or rather she thought it was one of her favorite books of the year so far. I did enjoy it but it took way too long to finish it and I didn't feel compelled to finish.

There were great aspects of it. I loved the atmosphere, the monsters, and the setting. The Slavik influences were unique and the world felt similar to one of my favorite authors, Naomi Novik. The main character, Kosara was engaging and realistic. I didn't like the random cliches added to certain scenes that felt very out of character for her and when she acted dumb just for the plot to move certain ways. I thought the chemistry between Kosara and Asen was well done but extremely rushed. It was only a couple of days and suddenly they're into each other that much? I wish this book had time for them to develop that more, but because of plot reasons, it couldn't. This book would have been a lot better if it slowed down and explored the world and the relationships of all the characters.

Overall this book had a very cool world and was enjoyable to read but not my favorite. It would have been better with more time dedicated to the characters less eye-rolling cliches.

Man, this was such fantastic reads! The synopses sounded really good, and once I picked Foul days up, I couldn't stop until I had finished Monstrous Nights! I was thoroughly entertained, and I had to know what was going to happen next in the story!

This Slavic inspired story, with the magic and the history, was really interesting, in the first book, the foul days, where this city has gotten used to the monsters coming, yeah, it was so interesting to read! I loved learning more about it!

Foul Days, I'd read the synopsis, but I didn't remember most of it, so it surprised me when she left Chernograd and pretty early on in the book. Watching her in this new town with new rules-and without her magic, yeah, that was so thrilling to read!

I loved seeing where these stories would go, and how the events for Foul Days changed things for Monstrous Nights, where she has her shadow back, but at what cost? There was just so much going on, and I had to know everything, and had such a great time reading them!

These were so fantastic to read, and I can't wait to read more by Genoveva Dimova!

Kosara is a small time witch with plenty of high powered enemies in the walled city of Chernograd. Of course everyone in the city has to deal with the monsters, the rusalkas, kikimoras, and more. But Kosara is still hunting for a way to defend against her ex the Zmey, known as the Tsar of Monsters. She’s defied him one too many times, and now he’s hunting her. At the start of the New Year, she is forced to bargain away her shadow get away from him. A witch's shadow is the souce of her power, and she knows that without it she will become a shadow herself... wasting away. Her only hope is to win her shadow back.

Why I started this book: Requested an ARC from Netgalley because of the cover and description.

Why I finished it: A tale of magic, monsters and winter set at the start of a new year. I enjoyed the reimagined Eastern European folktales and monsters. And I'm eager for the next book.

While Foul Days failed to really hook me, I appreciated the way that Genoveva Dimova incorporated Bulgarian culture and folklore into the story. Personally, I would have enjoyed the book more if it had a less gritty atmosphere as well as more character development for the protagonists. However, I think this is a book that may appeal to someone who enjoys Slavic folklore and detective/adventure stories with hints of romance.

The Witcher meets Naomi Novik in the first book to a new fantasy series which by the way, all books are releasing this year which is just fantastic. We’re following Kosara who lives in this walled city and unfortunately it’s the foul days which is a period of time where monsters invade and you have to try to survive. Also our main character has some type of shadow magic and a deal with the enemy, her ex. I absolutely LOVED this. Made a whole video about it on my YouTube channel. PERFECT!

"It's the way their magic works. Vila told me all about it. It's nothing to do with you as a person, it's to do with their pharaoh's moans."

"Their what?"

"The way they smell or something."

As you can see, there's plenty of humor in this fantasy tale of one woman's attempt to wend her way through a gauntlet of nasty monsters to get to the creature she fears most so that she can regain her shadow which gives her her witchy powers, all while denying her growing interest in her traveling companion when she'd really rather just be at home with her dead sister's ghost.

Whew!

Yeah, there's a lot going on here, and at times it seems like one of those quest games I used to watch my kids play where you need to retrieve an item for so-and-so, then he'll give you what you need to get to the next part of your journey. In other words, this was sometimes exhausting, but also pretty darned entertaining.

I'm guessing it will appeal to fans of T. Kingfisher and Travis Baldree.

Glad I've got the sequel in my queue.

Fantastic dark fantasy story, based on Slavic folklore. The magic is refreshing and unique and the characters are interesting. This story is a page-turner and I couldn't stop reading it. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out. I would recommend this book for fans of Margaret Owen, Victoria Aveyard, and Maggie Steifvater.

Foul Days was an enrapturing tale from beginning to end. I felt completely pulled into the world, the plot was engaging the entire way through, and I always wanted to know more about the characters, and I mean this in a good way. We got enough nuggets to keep it interesting without ever getting overwhelmed by lore dumps or “pause for character development” moments.

Foul Days is a great pick for fantasy fans and for readers who enjoy the theme of overcoming personal obstacles and doubts to succeed. Kosara is such a relatable character and I loved following her journey as she learned which voices she could trust.

Kosara is quite a force to be reckoned with! She is on a mission to find her shadow, but who can she trust? I found the magic interesting and I enjoyed the fast paced read, with the monsters of Slavic folklore coming to life! This book left me wanting to immediately grab the next, luckily I don't have long to wait! Thank you to Tor Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

When I saw this marketed as "The Witcher meets Naomi Novik" I was immediately sold, and it did not disappoint! An amazing fantasy adventure that will leave you feeling transported and have you rooting for the characters.

Kosara is a fire witch living in a walled city where, for one week a year, monsters descend on the town. In an attempt to escape one of these monsters, Kosara trades her shadow to a collector in exchange for immediate passage outside the wall. Now in the bright, untroubled land outside the wall, Kosara begins the search to recover her shadow before she disappears. Aided by a local cop determined to capture a local crime boss, Kosara follows the trail of her shadow back inside the wall ultimately facing the monster she was trying to escape.
Foul Days is an entertaining and faced paced fantasy, adventure. It has subtle romance between Kosara and the cop and between Kosara and the Czar of Monsters. It contains elements to satisfy most fantasy readers. It may also appeal to young adult readers, but there is quite a bit of foul language. Recommended for a quick, enjoyable read.

This is a very cool premise created by Genoveva Dimova about to towns separated by a magical wall that keeps monsters on the one side. In this story we follow Kosara a witch who has grown up with monsters, but after something goes wrong, she ends up without her shadow, and magic, and enveloped in a crime ring. In this story we get to see her fight to get her shadow back but also confront some of her biggest fears and enemies. I really enjoyed the world building, and I look forward to what she does with the sequel!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up!

I did find the beginning of this one hard to get into, but once I was in, boy was I IN.

I found the worldbuilding in this fun, and very interesting. The folklore was really cool, as I haven't read much Slavic Folklore, so it was nice learning about some new things.

The plot was awesome, I loved the mystery to it, and the little twists along the way.
Our main character, Kosara, had some really great growth throughout the story.
The hint of romance was so enticing (and I hope it turns into more in book 2).

While it took me a bit to get around to this read, I do think that this is worth people's time! I will be recommending this one to people, and am now looking forward to the sequel later this year.

I freaking loved this so much. I was instantly hooked to the characters and god the plot. It felt like something i had never read before and i love that it was unique

DNF at 22%.

This had a cool premise, what with monsters only attacking on New Years and the separation between the cities, so that one might remain safe at the expense of the other. Otherwise, this felt very simplistically written. Despite comparisons to Naomi Novik, the only similarities this shares with her work is the inspiration of Eastern European folklore. Dimova's writing doesn't have the lush prose that accompanies Novik's dark fairytales.

In Russian, the two cities literally translate to "dark town" and "light town", and it was that kind of lack of depth or complexity was also present in the writing that drove me to put this book down. Especially, when Dimova also tries to handle the complex experience of fleeing a place of danger to a foreign city- essentially that of a fantasy refugee and fails to portray it with any kind of thoughtfulness.

I'm glad I stopped when I did, and maybe I'll check out this author's future work. This one didn't appeal to me, and I felt maybe best suited a YA audience.

Thanks so very much to Netgalley and the publisher for kindly providing me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I do reviews on my main social media platforms and will be providing my full review there as I get through my TBR blacklist. Thanks again!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Tor for providing both an eARC and an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Witcher meets Naomi Novik? Say less. I need it now.

Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova is a fantasy novel set in the walled city of Chernograd. As a witch living there, Kosara has plenty of practice treating lycanthrope bites, bargaining with kikimoras, and slaying bloodsucking upirs. There’s only one monster she can’t defeat: her ex, the Zmey, known as the Tsar of Monsters. She’s defied him one too many times and now he’s hunting her. Betrayed by someone close to her, Kosara’s only choice is to trade her shadow—the source of her powers—for a quick escape. Unfortunately, Kosara soon develops the deadly sickness that plagues shadowless witches—and only reclaiming her magic can cure her. To find it, she’s forced to team up with a suspiciously honorable detective. Even worse, all the clues point in a single direction: To get her shadow back, Kosara will have to face the Foul Days’ biggest threats without it. And she’s only got twelve days. But in a city where everyone is out for themselves, who can Kosara trust to assist her in outwitting the biggest monster from her past?

What isn't there to love? There's monsters, magic, and a slow burn romance. Foul Days redefines the very genre it inhabits. And so much more!

Genoveva Dimova has written a smart, captivating fantasy that borrows heavily from Russian/Slavic mythology.

Witch Kosara bargains away her shadow and must go on a quest to get it back before shadow sickness overwhelms her. Her quest will lead her to a way to save her city and get revenge on her powerful ex-lover.

I really liked this and will be looking for the conclusion to the duology. I’d recommend this to mid-teens and up, there’s some fairly adult themes but nothing terribly overt.

We need a new sub-genre of fantasy that is a little bit cozy, but still thrilling and mysterious. Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova is a book you want to read with a big cup of coffee under a large blanket. It gives the feel of some of the new adult fantasy, with the ambiance and detailed descriptions, but still has high fantasy themes of monsters, political strife, and adventure. I am really excited to have a new series to have in my to read list!

Thank you Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title! I can't wait for book two!