This duology will forever be one of my absolute favorites. It always surprises me when a second book surpasses the first but this one defiantly exceeded my expectations. I loved the expansion of this world and being able to dive deeper. The world building is so lush and dark and its so easy to get lost in this world and forget that you are at home on your couch. The folklore in these books are absolutely fascinating and it was really cool to learn more about the different monsters. Kosara is a force to be reckoned with and is one of my favorite female MCs in the past few years. I do really love the relationship between her and Asen even though it is super awkward at times. I really enjoyed that we got to have so much of both of their POV so that the story was all encompassing.

Disclaimer: I read this as a tandem Kindle and Audio Book arc via NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I could not wait to sink my teeth into monstrous nights. I loved Foul Days and that was my first introduction to this author. I could not wait to finish up this duology. This is one of the peak duologies you should be reading during the fall and spooky season. It embodies the feeling of fall and winter so well. The audiobook is done spectacularly and the accent of the narrator is so spot on for how I feel these characters sound and present themselves.

Foul Days was a hands-down five star read for me. The characters were so spectacularly well done and fully flushed out. The storyline was compelling and interesting and the pacing was done absolutely perfectly for me. It's on the characters to be so interesting and I had a new emotional connection to all of them. The mystery and suspense storyline was so engrossing and complex. I never knew who to trust and just when I felt like I knew what was going on. I would get a curveball that would swipe me off my chair and keep me interested. All of this continued spectacularly within the second book. All of the things I loved and admired about the first book were absolutely present in the second.

I felt like the ending was very well done. It was not rushed. There was appropriate amount of attention and climactic build. I feel like the story was wrapped up very nicely and made sense and gave a very satisfying conclusion all things that I was looking to be present in the second book. I cannot wait to see what this author comes up next.

For those who enjoyed book 1, the vibe absolutely carries into book 2. Thumbs up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

Monstrous Nights takes the world and characters that I enjoyed from Foul Days and continues with their development. I really felt like Kosara saw a lot of growth in this book, as did Asen. I was so happy to get Asen POV chapters! My biggest fear picking up a sequel for a book I really enjoyed is always that the author is going to change the characters in a way that lessens my enjoyment of the first book, but here I think Dimova really kept true to who the characters were while letting them learn and grow. In the first book, I could have taken or left the romance plotline, but it really won me over with this book and I was very much rooting for them to get together by the end (it is still a very small part of the book, though, so don't worry if you aren't a big romance reader). I would love to read more in this universe.

4 🐾/ 5

I really liked the first book in this series (Foul Days) so I was excited for this one to come out. (I needed to refresh myself on the monsters again, though- I love that there’s an actual guide at the end!) This was another fun read, and I was glad that Asen was back. And not only was he back, he had his own POV! I liked that there was a new narrator for Asen’s chapters, too. One thing I was a little disappointed about in the first book (and this is a ME problem) but there wasn’t a whole lot of romance between them. I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say I wasn’t as disappointed in that regard.

If you liked the first book in this series, I think you’ll enjoy this second one, as well. I honestly wouldn’t mind a whole spinoff series set in this same universe, because I do think the monsters and folklore are just so fun. (And I kind of want a karakonjul 😆)

There are few things I like more in a sequel than adding in another POV, and I was so excited to find that in Monstrous Nights! I quite liked Asen's character in Foul Days, so to have his POV too this time was excellent.

I devoured this book in less than 2 days, I find the world so interesting and love the way Genoveva Dimova writes with a touch of humor in the dark and dreary times. It's a comforting and fun read, and while there is so much going wrong and trauma and grief under the surface for the characters, I found both books so enjoyable. The ending was a satisfying conclusion! While I felt like I could have done without the bit of romance in Foul Days, I liked it in Monstrous Nights!

If you like the style of T. Kingfisher's internal monologues from Swordheart or the Saint of Steel series, you'll enjoy Kosara and Asen's thoughts about each other as well.

Thank you Tor for the ARC!

Oh goodness I think I loved this even more than the first! This was such an absolutely beautiful atmospheric novel, I want more of this world immediately!

Fun and inventive read! As with the first book, I couldn't put this down. i nice light but thrilling fall read that I would definitely recommend.

This had everything that I wanted from the conclusion in this series, it uses the overall feel from the previous book. I enjoyed how Genoveva Dimova wrote this and the other book. It was everything that I wanted and can't wait to read more from Genoveva Dimova. It uses the Slavic mythology element that I wanted and enjoyed from the first book.

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!

👤🐺ARC REVIEW🐺👤

Monstrous Night (Book 2 in the Witch's Compendium of Monsters duology) by Genoveva Dimova
4.25/5 ⭐

Loved this duology! The second book follows a young witch dealing with the aftermath of the last 'Foul Day's where the monsters come out to play in her city. The main witch and her copper friend (😉) are racing against time as weird happenings take place.

Please read if you like the following:

🧹Slavic Folklore 🧚
🧹Monsters imprisoned in walls 🧱
🧹Witches determined to fix her crazy cities monster issues
🧹Werewolves 😉

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the opportunity to review this ARC!

🏷️ #NetGalley #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #books #booklover #bookworm #bookstagrammer #reading #bookish #bookaddict #booknerd

I have been dying to read Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova since I finished Foul Days earlier this year, so I was so happy to be approved for an ARC!

Since Monstrous Nights is a sequel that picks up 6 months after Foul Days ends, I won't go into too much detail about the plot here. Needless to say, everything I loved about Foul Days - the magic and monsters in Chernograd and the monster realm, Kosara and Asen's partnership, and the realistically high stakes - were just as present in Monstrous Nights. It was like returning to old friends and picking up where you left off.

I also loved how Monstrous Nights started with a murder mystery, giving Kosara and Asen something to focus on and bring their partnership back together. While the majority of the book is set in a magical world and magic plays a huge part in the book, Dimova does a fantastic job tying in elements of the real world to make Chernograd and her characters relatable to readers.

On the subject of relatable characters - I absolutely loved the characters in Monstrous Nights. I was so happy when Kosara and Asen teamed up again, and when Kosara began to truly trust other people. And come on - who would not love Ibrahim and Dancho? I loved how supportive and caring they were with both Kosara and Asen.

Overall, I absolutely loved The Witch's Compendium of Monsters duology! Monstrous Nights is out on October 22, so there's still plenty of time to read Foul Days before finishing the duology, and I would highly recommend that you do! Many thanks to Tor Books, Netgalley, and Genoveva Dimova for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cool sequel. It was so different from Foul Days, largely because the characters/settings/tone all grew and changed as a result of the events in Foul Days. This book picks up about 6 months later. Foul days was dark, snarky, and gritty, whereas this book lets in the light. There was no room for hope in the first book, whereas this book makes room only for hope. It’s a real testament to the author’s skill that she managed to make these books so different—while really clearly conveying the reason for that— and also bringing back the characters and things that we (I assume) loved about the first novel and staying true to their arcs.

This book was less fun (snark-wise) and slower paced than the first, but no less enjoyable to read. I actually think from like a literary perspective, it may even be a better book. I really enjoyed this!

Thank you so much to tor for my advance copy.

The second book and finale to Foul Days which released earlier this year and that I loved personally and made a whole YouTube video about! We are already getting the ending. This continues our story with Kosara tracking down an infamous smuggler in a really this city that is full of monsters. I find this world super fascinating and atmospheric. This was just as great! I really have no complaints and I can't wait to read more of this authors future books.

Monstrous Nights, Dimova’s second installment of The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters duology, continues Kosara and Asen’s adventures. This time, they’re thrown back into a monster-filled mystery, complete with beheaded witches, a giant bloodthirsty rooster, and far too many rebellious shadows. Filled with Slavic folklore and packed with nail-biting action, Monstrous Nights will transport you back into the world of Chernograd and its eerie environs. A dark but fun read for the chilly nights to come! Recommended for readers of Ava Reid and Hannah Witten, and those who want a little more eastern European mythology in their romantasy.

Kosara and Asen are back to save Chernograd again! The Zmey has been defeated and the wall can now be crossed, Chernogradians and Belogradians can mingle in harmony-but will they? When a string of murders on both side of the wall bear a striking similarity Kosara and Aden join together to work the case, which may have something to do with the monsters that are appearing outside the Foul Days...
I loved this sequel to Foul Days, Genoveva Dimova's world of monsters, magic and crime has become a new favourite.

MONSTROUS NIGHTS is the sequel to FOUL DAYS which I absolutely loved when I read it back in June so I was excited to learn we'd be getting the second book in the Witch's Compendium of Monsters duology so quickly! The story picks up where the first left off, and we're following Kosara (a witch) and Asen (a human detective) on opposite sides of the wall that divides the worlds of monsters and humans. Asen is investigating a series of witch murders which leads him back to Kosara's world.

I really enjoyed the relationship between the two in the first book along with the Slavic folklore touches and the humor the author brings in and all of that stays true in the new installment! It is a great book for the season with dark fantasy vibes which dips into horror elements.

Such a great ending to this duology!! Just as exciting and fast-paced as the first, and the conclusion was so satisfying, especially the endings of the two main villains - finally hearing the Zmey's backstory and how it related to Vila was SO good. I love a spunky heroine and Kosara is all that and more (she is both frustrating and relatable and I'm so here for it). I'd totally read more books set in this world, but I after all that, I think Chernograd deserves to rest... (so maybe one set in the monster realm? eh?)

I read Foul Days earlier this year, and when I learned Kosara and Asen would be back, I was thrilled. Although Foul Days had a satisfying resolution to the main plot, I definitely felt like there was room for more with these two.

Monstrous Nights picks up months later, with both Kosara and Asen too wrapped up in their own thoughts and assumptions about each other to act on their interest. Kosara’s dealing with a world that’s coming apart at the seams, literally, and things aren’t as they should be. Meanwhile, Asen’s lost his sense of purpose with the police but hasn’t given up on his vendetta against the man who took his wife’s life.

It’s almost a challenge to review these books separately, because so much of what I felt about Foul Days applies to Monstrous Nights. The world is unique and it’s expertly developed and we don’t get it all info dumped on the page. We get what we need to know when we need to know it, and little bits come out in drips throughout, until you realize the significance of the details expertly woven throughout the narrative. Even after two books, it’s a world that leaves me wanting more. Not because I want to see Kosara and Asen suffer, but because it is so intriguing.

I also love the fact that Dimova does not skimp on the internal arcs. While there’s a lot going on externally that eventually forces Kosara and Asen together again as they try to save the world, both have internal struggles and must work through their issues. That only adds to the suspense. I was wondering all throughout if these two were going to get their crap together before they blew their second chance.

And because Kosara is the type to keep things to herself, some of the developments come as real surprises, but it doesn’t feel contrived. We know all along she’s not sharing some things with those around her, and those revelations are significant moments that knocked the wind out of me.
I loved seeing these two wrestle with their personal demons, navigate the threats to their world, and figure things out. I also loved how Dimova picks up threads from the first book and brings a lot of familiar faces back, letting prior incidents have relevance in this book.

I loved it. A brilliant conclusion to an excellent duology I hope more people discover.

A wonderful finale to the duology! It was so much fun. I loved all the characters, even the Zmey, which can't possibly be a good thing.