thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc! 3.5 stars, overall a fun lil slavic fantasy read!

usually, if a main character annoys me I tend to have a hard time connecting with them and it makes reading a slog because I'm kinda fed up with them all the time. kosara is, and I mean this in the best way possible, a little stupid and usually that annoys me to no end, but I actually really enjoyed her! while she does make dumb, impulsive decisions, it's obvious that's she's actually clever and smart - she just has the unholy combination of bad luck and poor decision making - and I think this is what really helped me enjoy her character. I was rooting for her the entire time despite these poor choices and she made me laugh often. her and asen have a funny little dynamic and they're both kind of silly and stupid and smart all at once - I do think this is one of those relationships that could've easily been platonic, however, and while I don't mind the romance, it would've been refreshing to see their relationship develop that way and not into romance. I've also been loving the trend towards 'nontypical' mythology, so all of the slavic mythology and monsters was super interesting to see - easily one of the best parts about reading fantasy is seeing how different authors choose to develop and interpret the same subjects, and I think dimova made her world interesting and relatively unique. the pacing was pretty quick - we jump right into the action and don't really stop, which I enjoyed overall but made some parts feel rushed. this made some parts that should've been emotional and deep feel kind of shallow, so at times, I couldn't really connect to kosara because her feelings were kind of just skimmed over in favor of advancing the plot. overall, I mostly enjoyed this novel - it was a fun little read, but I think I'll wait and see how the second one is received before I decide to continue on with this series.

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

Foul Days was a book I decided early on the year that I wanted to read and was one of my few exceptions of requesting a book that started a new fantasy series (that I knew of, at the time). I liked the cover and the blurb a whole lot (Eastern European fantasies are a weakness).

Foul Days isn’t an outstanding book one for a series, but it’s not half-bad, either. Genoveva Dimova is an excellent worldbuilder and plotter. Her characters are interesting and her monsters are terrifying. The thing is: the machine they’re all working in isn’t oiled all that well. All the components are there in separate pieces, ready to use, but while reading this book it felt a lot like Dimova couldn’t bind everything together very well. That caused certain scenes to feel a little overwrought (like where did all these feelings come from all of a sudden?) or others to feel a little anticlimactic (didn’t you just say… never mind, apparently).

I love almost any fantasy that will give me some Eastern European vibes, and this one gives not only supernatural beings but also folklore in the forms of customs, rituals, and herblore. The setting of a walled-off town that’s somehow reminiscent of both an early 20th-century ghetto and Chernobyl at the same time is freaking fantastic in so many ways.

While Foul Days on its own isn’t the most fantastic book one of a fantasy series I’ve ever read, it has me intrigued enough I really want to continue onto the next book to see what happens. It’s an interesting story and I’d like to see where it goes!

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Book Series/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Romantasy

This book is for monster lovers~ I am not well-versed in Slavic folklore and I think that actually made me love this story all the more! Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova follows Kosara, a witch, on her search to reclaim her shadow. A journey filled with mystery, magic, and monsters!

I adored learning about all of the monsters and the different ways to "best" them. I appreciated that there is no lore dumping, but, instead, we are thrown into the thick of a world in which monsters run rampant. I really felt immersed in the world, like a Belogradian in over their head (in the best way! And I promise if you read this book this line will make sense 😂).

This book was snappy and fast-paced with a fun hint of humor amidst a dark, monstrous world. There is also a small slow burn romance, which is a nice piece of the whole story. And a villain who I am super interested in learning more about in book 2!

Did I mention how much I loved the monsters? The monster compendium at the end was a lovely touch. Just absolutely *chef's kiss* 🧑‍🍳 😘

I was honored to be selected as an e-ARC reader for Foul Days by Tor Books. This book is rooted in Slavic folklore, including a certain hut standing on chicken legs. The Foul Days start in the walled city of Chernograd on New Year’s Eve and monsters are allowed to roam free. Kosara is a fire witch who considers herself to be mediocre. In a split second decision rooted in fear, she gives her shadow, the source of her magic, to a stranger in exchange for safe passage outside of the wall to the city of Belgrad. Kosara finds herself in the middle of a murder and gains the attention of Bakharov, the young detective determined to catch the killer. Kosara brings Bakharov back to Chernograd with her, as they are both looking for the same person - his murderer and the person who has her shadow. I found this book hard to put down and if you like magic, monsters, and unique folklore, this story is definitely for you. I can’t wait to see what happens between Kosara and Bakharov in Book 2!

3.5 stars.

Foul Days follows Kosara, a witch living in the walled city of Chernograd, the city of monsters. As a witch, Kosara works to protect the people of Chernograd from monsters year-round, and especially during the Foul Days, the first twelve days of the year when the monsters are most active and some of the scarier monsters are able to access the mortal realm. Kosara's life changes drastically, however, when in a moment of panic on New Year's Eve, Kosara trades her shadow (the source of her powers) to a mysterious stranger in order to escape Chernograd and her abusive ex – the Tsar of Monsters. In order to get her shadow back and return home to Chernograd, Kosara teams up with Detective Asen Bhakarov who is investigating the smuggling ring that the mysterious stranger was involved with. The duo have just a few days to catch a smuggler and retrieve Kosara's shadow, or else Kosara will turn into a shadow herself.

I had a lot of fun with Foul Days. It's full of monsters and magic and witty banter between Kosara and Asen. And, if you thought "Hey, this sounds like it has a romance in it," you'd be correct.

The pacing near the beginning of the story is a little odd and jarring because there are several "And suddenly... this!" kind of moments in the first 25% where the status quo keeps suddenly changing before we have a chance to get to grips with the world. However, after about 25% everything settles out, and I felt like the rest of the book was paced really well. The characters were progressing their investigation without it feeling too simple or easy, and it also didn't feel like the book dragged at any point.

The other thing I think is important to know about the book's setup is that while the comps are The Witcher and Naomi Novik, I don't think those comps do this book justice. I went in expecting a vaguely medieval-y fantasy world and tons of monster hunting, but this feels like it sits somewhere solidly between the 1920s and 1950s in terms of technology. There are trains and cars and phones and voice recorders and guns and forensic science. So, that caught me off guard, but once I understood what kind of era this was set in, I thought the technology fit in with the magic in really interesting ways.

While some of the red herrings were really obvious, I really enjoyed the way the mystery plot unraveled throughout the book. The clues felt logical, and the investigation put Kosara and Asen into some interesting dangers and difficult situations that they had to use their ingenuity to escape. As a result, I think the stakes of the book felt significant, and I was really rooting for Kosara and Asen to succeed. It also felt like no one was safe and like the characters were taking real risks in order to reach their goals. The monsters that they faced were really interesting and creepy, and I liked the variety of methods they had to use to survive the different kinds of monsters. Overall, I think the plot is a ton of fun. The book is also clearly discussing grooming and domestic abuse, which, while a little on the nose, was generally tackled in a compassionate and respectful way. I liked this discussion, but feel it could have been more developed.

My primary issue with the book has to do with the characters. While I liked both Kosara and Asen, it felt a little like the book wanted Kosara to be in the right no matter what she did. This made the romance feel very underdeveloped and undeserved to me. Basically, Kosara heavily distrusts Asen throughout the book despite him giving her basically no reason to suspect him of treachery the way she does. Her primary argument is that he's keeping information from her, but the information he's keeping is well within his right to keep. It's personal and doesn't significantly impact their ability to investigate together. However, the methods Kosara uses to try and get him to talk are invasive and ill-advised at best. She repeatedly crosses his personal boundaries he has (very clearly) set, and she takes advantage of his kindness and eagerness to help. They do eventually have a discussion about their relationship in which they both apologize, but it felt very surface level. Kosara in particular apologizes for her actions without addressing the root cause of the issues between them; I'm unconvinced that this relationship is healthy because it seems like Kosara would be likely to continue disrespecting Asen's boundaries. This romance was a hard sell for me.

That said, I do think this book raises some interesting conversations about abuse and power, and I think that the plot itself is fun. (Why is Blackbeard here, though? That I don't understand.) The villain is really scary and unsettling, and I liked the way the ending wrapped up. We get a tiny bit of a cliffhanger to lead us into book 2, and I'm really interested to see where Genoveva Dimova will take this story in the duology's conclusion. Overall, I think this is worth picking up, and I will definitely be reading book 2!

I quite enjoyed the storytelling in this book, it had a fantastic setting and interesting lore with a great character to follow. Kosara is a witch in Chernograd when the Foul Days begin where the monsters roam free for 12 days, and the Zmey is back to claim his bride. Caught in a corner, Kosara makes a hasty decision to accept help from a stranger in exchange for her shadow, leaving her vulnerable without her magic. This starts an adventure with monsters, mobsters, hunters, and curses.

I love the recent emergence of Slavic based stories and I had a lot of fun with Foul Days, it was atmospheric but also very cozy? Mysterious, dark, magical, yet very easy to follow. The monster compendium at the end of the book was a nice addition in the world building, I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

Thank you Tor Books for the review copy.

I really enjoyed this!

The setting was different than your typical fantasy, which I loved. I enjoyed all of the different monsters and the very matter of fact, not particularly grimdark tone of the book despite a frankly quite grim circumstance. In fact, I think one of my favorite elements was that, even though there is this city right on the other side of the wall without monsters, many of those who make it to that "safety" actually want to come back home. The theme that the monsters are also their family, in some instances, or just a part of their daily lives was really interesting. I really liked the main character and enjoyed the dive into living with a past abusive relationship, her lingering feelings of guilt and inadequacy, and her growth during the book. The one thing I didn't love was the hint of romance. I like romantasy but not every book needs a romantic subplot, especially if it's going to go undeveloped. I appreciate that we didn't go very far with the potential love interest because it didn't feel like it would have made sense with the main character's arc. The ending works for a standalone but also leaves a lot to explore in a sequel.

Genoveva Dimova’s FOUL DAYS is one wild ride and easily one of my fave fantasy reads of 2024. Between the snowy Slavic settings, frightening monsters and propulsive plot - I ate this right the hell up. There's a certain level of grittiness that seeps into the pages and world Dimova has created and the lore and world building is done so well that the story is easy to digest. The pacing is sublime and there aren't unnecessary scenes that could potentially slow down the flow. It's just smooth and eerie and fun. I read this in a day and a half.

Kosara is one feisty and flawed FMC, but I loved her attitude and found her fear of opening up or having friends to be relatable. She's sarcastic, stubborn, funny, smart, reckless and headstrong. She's a perfect match for Asen and I loved the witch vs. cop dynamic because it felt unlikely and also surprising to see as their "friendship" unfolds. It's more than a slow burn, and I appreciate that Dimova is gonna make us wait for book 2 to see how that develops. Cheeky girl. I LOVED the different types of monsters and found them to be cool, interesting and scary.

I love the world building and magic systems, I loved the concept of the wall and the rich vs. poor critique. Dimova drags cops, but she also asks the reader, "What if there really are good ones, like Asen?" Don’t even get me stated on Zmey - what a truly titillating and somewhat sexy villain, he gagged me a little I fear. The morally grey of it all, the twists and reveals...this is one Slavic fantasy that I’m here for. Book two comes out later this year and I'm stoked. I might be biased because I'm half Slovakian, but seriously, good stuff.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Foul Days had a synopsis that I simply couldn’t resist and claims to be perfect for fans of The Witcher and Naomi Novik. The monsters draw from the same inspiration as The Witcher and I haven’t read enough of Naomi Novik’s books to say, but books following witches seem to be at the peak of popularity right now. How could I not like this?
The story begins on New Year’s day, when the city of Chernograd suffers an onslaught of monsters for the twelve days, called the Foul Days. The only thing keeping the citizens of Chernograd safe are wards and potions made by witches and the deadly skills of the monster hunters. Kosara is a witch simply trying to keep Zmey, the Tsar of Monsters, away but he comes knocking and she’s forced to trade her shadow for safe passage to Belograd. In Belograd she gets wrapped up in a murder investigation and ends up working with a suspiciously reasonable police officer to get her shadow back.
I like the premise of the book and I like the monsters - it’s all cool stuff. Unfortunately, this story didn’t work for me all that well. I found the characters (both main and secondary) to feel rather flat and the dialogue was lackluster. I didn’t care that Kosara lost her shadow because even when it started to affect her, it didn’t feel high stakes. So what, her hand turns shadowy and she drops stuff. Why is it so bad for her to turn into a shadow? This book told me things, but never made me feel anything. I didn’t care that Kosara’s shitty friends turned on her. I didn’t care that her sister was dead or that Asen the cop had something he was hiding.
This wasn’t an awful book by any means, it just fell firmly in the category of ‘fine’. I didn’t have any trouble staying engaged with the plot because something was always happening, it just didn’t ever slow down enough to develop the characters in a meaningful way. This is a duology and the second and final book, Monstrous Nights, will be out in October 2024. I probably won’t continue with the series because I wasn’t invested in the story by the end of Foul Days.

New Year's Eve in Chernograd looks a little different than the usual fare. Instead of celebrating with champagne, fireworks, and large parties, its citizens are restocking their aspen stakes and holing up behind protective wards. Rather than dreaming up optimistic resolutions for the new year, they begin their dreaded countdown to the arrival of creatures straight out of the darkest of fairytales. The magical Wall surrounding their city keeps the rest of the world safe from these beasts, but in Chernograd, you better know your upirs from your rusalkas.

Fire Witch Kosara usually spends this period of time, known as the Foul Days, trying to get shake off her toxic ex... who also happens to be the Tsar of Monsters. This year is extra difficult, as she's just bargained away her shadow, the source of her power. Even worse, the wasting sickness a witch gets without her shadow seems to be setting in extra quickly. In order to get her shadow back and deal with the ghosts of her past for good, Kosara must team up with Asen, a detective from the outside, who is is in way over his head with all this monster business.

Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova is a folkloric mystery romp. The beginning was a little too fast-paced for me, as I felt we were just speeding through plot points with a really shallow sense of the setting and characters. Things get more interesting once Kosara teams up with Asen, however. Watching them fight monsters and try to unravel the mystery of Kosara's stolen shadow was fun, and I liked the potential their friendship has to grow into something more.

Kosara's ex, the Zmey, gave me major Darkling vibes. But like, the Darkling once Alina sees him for who he is and without an ounce of charm. I wish we had gotten to see a larger peak into the beginning of their relationship, as we're only ever really told about all the horrible things he did instead of shown. Kosara confronting him feels a little empty because we rushed through most of the things that would have had a stronger emotional impact.

Overall, Foul Days ended up feeling a bit rushed. I know there's another installment coming soon, but I felt like this first book could have explored the world a bit better. I love Slavic folklore, but this had none of the lush world building that Naomi Novik or Katherine Arden's stories feature so heavily. The characters were interesting in theory, but I think the breakneck pace was to the detriment of their development.

Still, this was a promising debut and I look forward to picking up the sequel!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the e-ARC!

The world of Foul Days has such a dichotomy of the dreary city of Chernograd versus the vibrant city of Belograd, separated by a wall that keeps the monsters, and the people trapped inside of Chernograd during the 12 Foul Days when the Zmey and his monsters roam the land. This world is built up nicely and while there is some telling going on to build it, we also get shown the streets and feel the fear of the residents who get trapped by monsters every year.

Kosara has suffered a lot of trauma at the hands of the Zmey that we learn about throughout the story. Essentially think of him as the world’s most toxic boyfriend. And the commentary on this type of relationship is so spot on. There is also a lot of us versus them going on between the two cities, instead of trying to work together to keep everyone safe and you can feel the classism and prejudices present in this world.

As the tagline says, “The scariest monsters are the human-shaped ones,” and oh boy is this ever present. There is a lot of deception and twists and turns of the plot that I really enjoy in the urban fantasy mystery. I also really loved the different types of monsters pulled from Slavic folklore and roaming the streets, terrorizing the people of Chernograd.

There is also a bit of a romantic subplot between Kosara and Asen, a cop from Belograd who is trying to solve a murder that so happens to be linked to Kosara’s pursuit of her lost shadow, something that if she doesn’t not get back will lead to her death. This romance is not fully explored yet, but looks like it will maybe play a bigger part in the second book of the duology that is releasing this year too.

Four and half stars.

Foul Days is a fast-paced story that is steeped in Slavic folklore and is full of magic and monsters with a slow burn romance. I need the sequel in my hands ASAP.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was an interesting read. I’ve always loved Slavic/Eastern European folklore and this one, with a modern twist, was unlike any of its kind I’ve read before. There are definitely dark elements to it, but it is well done and an interesting story! I’m not usually a lover of urban fantasy, but this one surprised me. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 30% of the way through.

This book is incredibly fast-paced and dialogue-reliant, which is fine but wasn't up my alley. I love the concept of all these monsters and witch stuff but it felt underused. The protagonist loses her magic early on so it's not like you get to see her using it all the time. There's very little descriptions or moments to slow down and appreciate anything which turned me off as well.

A highly original fantasy in a setting that snatched my attention almost immediately and a wildly engaging plot that had me turning pages well into the night. I cannot praise the world being presented here enough... a city split in two by magic with revelry on one side and monsters on the other, mysteries behind every corner, and strange criminal dealings behind the scenes that may explain more than the reader might expect. My complaints mostly center around one of the protagonists, Asen, who is perfectly serviceable and who I wound up genuinely liking by the end of the book, but when he was introduced I was not sure if there was something off with the early characterization or what, but I didn't really care much about him. It took a surprising amount of time, especially when I consider that my reaction to Kosara was just night and day when it came to the characters, I really liked her throughout and her struggles and goals made a lot of sense to me in contrast.

A page-turning fantasy read with an interesting world, intriguing plot, and lots to offer for fans of the genre.

I really enjoyed this! I'm loving more books based on Slavic folklore this year, this is my third one and they've all been well done!

I loved the concept of being able to capture a witch's shadow, and therefore their power, in a bead and use it yourself. I also appreciated how the story provided social commentary with the wall and two cities, and a depiction of the MC's past trauma and how it manifests for her. The monsters are quite interesting, and (some of) the house spirits were so charming!

I got through this one pretty quickly, it kept my interest and the twists and turns truly kept me guessing. I'll definitely pick up the next book in the series!

Thank you Tor for the ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up because I’m impressed that this is a debut novel. At the back of the book is a pamphlet with the breakdown of the most common monsters, their weaknesses and some background history which I loved. There were some common tropes in here but they were done in a way I didn’t want to pull my hair out. I also enjoyed that this wasn’t another insta love enemies to lovers type deal.

I loved that this book made me laugh, reflect, feel sad, and held my attention. I also really liked that it gave me Halloweentown vibes sometimes. At times I felt cozy, others I was worried how it would pan out. I look forward to reading the second book.

This was a wonderful debut novel. I really enjoyed that it was based on Slavic culture and beliefs. It’s refreshing to see something that doesn’t take place in a westernized setting.

Plus I’m always a sucker for a badass FMC

An entertaining novel featuring Slavic mythology. A fun fantasy book about a witch who had to trade her shadow (and thus her magic) to escape a sticky situation. She now needs to get her shadow back. Overall a quick, fun read!

A fascinating, enthralling, and richly developed story with a setting that intrigued me with its freshness.